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Iyengar Yoga Retreat in Greece

Join YogaOnCrete to learn the importance of external alignment in developing awareness of internal space as well as energetical techniques as they apply to the practice of asana and pranayama. Understand external and internal rooting in different series of asana, relax in action, focusing on the internal dynamics of the body, and open the back body and diaphragm, to put the energy of the spine in movement. Become more receptive and independent, and be able to develop your practice.

Meet the instructors

Constantinos
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Highlights

  • 11 yoga classes in total
  • Morning 3-hour and afternoon 2-hour Iyengar yoga workshop
  • Learn from a professional instructor
  • A round trip to the beautiful Sweet Water beach
  • Linen and towels
  • Relax in 7 nights accommodation
  • Enjoy brunches and dinners

Skill level

  • Beginner
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced

Yoga styles


7 days with instruction in English
The organizer also speaks: French, Greek
Group size: Maximum of 15 participants
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Accommodation

Facilities

  • Dining area
  • Environmentally friendly
  • Garden
  • Kitchen
  • Lounge
  • Special menu request
  • Terrace
  • Yoga studio
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Patio

YogaOnCrete House

Accommodation is offered in a lovely traditional stone house. The house is a 5-minute walking distance to the village center and beach, but also pleasantly secluded. The garden at the front and the private olive grove at the back blend in with the landscape and offer options for places to rest.

Rooms

Rooms are designed in a natural combination of old and new and are spacious and comfortable. The rooms are allocated on a first come first served basis (there is a limited availability of rooms and single rooms in particular).

The house is a 5-minute walking distance to the village center and beach, but also pleasantly secluded. The garden at the front and the private olive grove at the back blend in with the landscape and offer options for places to rest.

Nearby:

  • Coffee shop
  • Post office
  • Pharmacy
  • Dentist
  • Bakery
  • Supermarket
  • Mini-market
  • Tourist shop
  • Medical center
  • Gas station

Program

About the Program

Join YogaOnCret at YogaOnCrete and experience lightness of body and spirit and the joy of honoring and nurturing the needs of your body, mind, and spirit through the practice of Iyengar yoga, daily encounters with the cool, turquoise Mediterranean waters at quiet beaches, idyllic unspoiled surroundings, and wholesome local food, excursions, a warm and welcoming group of people and much more.

Activities

The week begins with an introductory yoga session at 6.00 p.m. on the day of arrival, and the day's program closes with dinner. Thereafter, there will be a morning (08:30 - 11:30) and afternoon (18:00 - 20:00) Iyengar yoga workshop-style class.

In between classes, there will be enough time for guests to relax and enjoy the beach and sunshine, receive a massage treatment, or explore the village and region.

The fourth day of the week is a rest day from classes; guests can join in an optional excursion, including a guided hike through a gorge of the region (usually the magnificent Aradaina gorge) or other season-appropriate hike, ending at the beach (approximately 25 EUR depending on number of participants).

The number of guests is limited to 15, to create a warm and friendly atmosphere, and to ascertain that individual attention is given in the classes.

Iyengar Yoga

The classes comprise a series of asanas (physical postures), usually sustained for some time so that the body and its necessary actions can be observed within the posture, pranayama (breathing techniques), and meditative techniques (sitting in silence, concentration techniques), through which the development of awareness of the body and mind in the present moment and deep relaxation are practiced.

Iyengar yoga was developed through the pioneering work of B.K.S. Iyengar, who freed the classical yoga postures (asanas) from their Indian mystique and with the use of props made them suitable for Westerners, who want to have a clear understanding of what happens in a yoga posture.

A typical Iyengar yoga class focuses on the precision of movement, correct alignment, and the study of the ‘muscle and mind’ actions and resistance necessary to enter a state of concentration. Breathing awareness is emphasized in every asana in order to deepen the experience. Through consistent practice, the student overcomes physical and mental/emotional limits and develops a deep awareness of the body, power, control, patience, and physical and mental harmony.

Included excursions

A round trip to the beautiful Sweet Water beach is included in the price.

Instructors

Constantinos Giannetakis

Retreat location

Sfakia, Crete

This program will take place in Sfakia in the region of Chania in Crete, Greece.

About the Location

Chora (pronounced "Hora") Sfakion or Sfakia, the capital of the municipality of Sfakia, is located on the southwest coast of Crete. The landscape of the region is particularly dramatic.

The mountains in this part of Crete meet the sea, with steep slopes towering over the beaches. The road from the north of the island threads through breathtaking mountains and small villages to reach the port village of Sfakia. A sense of peace radiates from the dry mountains and the sunset skies.

With its quiet, picturesque alleys, the beaches are just within walking distance. There are a few restaurants and cafes with tasty local dishes on offer lining the old harbor, Sfakia can become the little haven for anyone who wants to step out of the modern city's fast-paced lifestyle for a while.

If you are up for a short hike after the sun has gone down, just above the last house of the village is the little church of Agios Georgios, hidden away in a cave. Previously a neighborhood of the village, but nowadays abandoned, Georgitsi is also a ten-minute hike up the mountain.

Distances

  • Georgitsi - 10-minute hike
  • Vrisi (Spring) village beach - 10-minute walk
  • Glika Nera (Sweet Water) - 30 minutes walk
  • Chania Airport - 1-hour drive
  • Heraklion Airport - 2.5-hour drive
  • Amoudi (Sandy Beach), 1.5 kilometers
  • lligas (Vertigo) beach, 1.5 kilometers
  • Filaki (Prison) beach, 2 kilometers
  • Orthi Ammos (Vertical Sand, literally), 15 kilometers
  • Frangokastelo (Frankish fort), 15 kilometers

Unique features

General

  • Dining area
  • Environmentally friendly
  • Garden
  • Kitchen
  • Lounge
  • Special menu request
  • Terrace
  • Yoga studio

Services

  • Free Wi-Fi

This Yoga Retreat is vegetarian-friendly

Click to see more vegetarian-friendly Yoga Retreats

Food

All brunches and 5 dinners are offered at the house, while on two of the nights, guests are free to dine out in the village restaurants (not included in the course cost; approximately 15 EUR for a full meal including drinks). Individual excursions (e.g., hikes, boat trips) can also be arranged at an extra cost.

On the last day, the morning is free and you all meet at brunch for farewells.

Cretan food

The Cretan diet is renowned for its macrobiotic qualities, but also for its great variety of delicious flavors. More than the pure, fresh ingredients themselves, it is the fact that cooking is traditionally performed almost like a ritual, with love, and always in the prospect of offering the food to others, that makes the Cretan cuisine so special.

YogaOnCrete's cook embodies this spirit, preparing two nutritious Lacto-vegetarian meals a day, using local, and wherever possible, organic products (grown in their own garden.). The village restaurants, only a short walk away, offer a wide range of local dishes, including fresh fish and game. The guests have also found the local bakery particularly enticing, with delicious local bakes, biscuits, and breads.

If you have any dietary requirements, please notify them and they will do their best to accommodate them.

A typical day's menu

  • Breakfast: home-made warm muesli (their specialty) or cooked grain and fruit and nut-based breakfast (porridge, compote, etc.), cow’s (or goat's, whenever available) and grain (e.g. rice) or home-made almond milk, selection of sheep’s cheeses, sheep’s or cow's yogurt (depending on seasonal availability), wholemeal bread and savory as well as sweet biscuits, selection of homemade jams and marmelades, honey, tahini and local butter, freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh seasonal fruits, local herbal and other teas.
  • Dinner: vegetable or grain/pulse soup (e.g. gazpacho, zucchini, or lentil soup) or other starters (e.g., dolmades, cooked local greens [vlita] with lemon and oil); locally inspired, vegetarian main dish (e.g., stuffed vegetables, vegetable risottos using a variety of grains, tabouleh, fava, spinach pie, grilled veggies); selection of delicious fresh salads (hearty greek salad is, of course, the staple!); and -of course- a healthy fruit/nut/dairy-based dessert (e.g., yogurt and honey, fruit and nut power balls, halva, flourless cakes).

A selection of hot and cold herbal teas, both local and imported, and fresh fruit is available at all times.

YogaOnCrete kindly requests that you respect the rule against smoking and consumption of alcohol or other substances on their premises.

The following meals are included:

  • Brunch
  • Drinks

The following drinks are included:

  • Water
  • Coffee
  • Tea

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Gluten Free
  • Organic
  • Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
  • Other dietary requirements on request
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

Things to do (optional)

The fourth day of each week-long course is a rest day from the classes. Guests can join an optional excursion, including a guided hike through the stunning Aradaina Gorge on this day, at an extra cost (25 EUR).

Individual excursions can also be arranged to numerous gorges, along the coastal trail, as well as boat trips to neighboring seaside villages and beaches, in addition to scuba diving lessons.

Area Attractions

Most beaches of the region are pebbly, the white of the beach and the turquoise of the water creating a beautiful scene for relaxed swimming and sunbathing. The waters in most beaches actually come from springs high up in the White Mountains, so they are literally crystal clear.

  • The village beach, Vrisi (Spring), is just 10 minutes walk away from the house
  • lligas (Vertigo), 1.5 kilometers out of the village, has been awarded a Blue Beach Award for its pristine waters
  • Filaki (Prison), approximately 2 kilometers away, offers a nudist choice
  • Amoudi (Sandy Beach), 1.5 kilometers away, is the quietest beach around
  • Glika Nera (Sweet Water) is their favorite pick. Its name refers to the freshwater springs that are found under the sand and that give the sea its magical clear color. It can be accessed on foot (30 30-minute walk along the coastal path) or by kaiki (small boat, 10 minutes from Sfakia)
  • Frangokastelo (Frankish fort) and Orthi Ammos (Vertical Sand, literally), are two adjacent sandy beaches 15 kilometers away from Sfakia. Frangokastelo takes its name from the very well-preserved Frankish (Venetian) castle built by the shore. There is actually a legend that just as dawn is breaking in late May or early June, the image of men on horseback, exiting the castle and riding into the sea, can be witnessed in the early morning mist - these are the mysterious Drosoulites (mist-men).

Spa treatments

Massage and treatments

Choose from Holistic massage, Thai massage, Cranio-sacral treatment, and Reflexology with their on-site or visiting therapist at 40 EUR per hour.

What's included

  • Morning 3-hour and afternoon 2-hour Iyengar yoga workshop (11 classes in total)
  • Professional yoga instructor with 25 years of teaching experience
  • A round trip to the beautiful Sweet Water beach
  • Linen and towels provided
  • 7 nights accommodation in a traditional guesthouse located near the beach
  • 7 brunches and 5 dinners

What's not included

  • Flights to Crete
  • All lunches and 2 dinners out per week
  • Insurance
  • Additional excursions to beaches
  • Massage treatments
  • Transfers to Chora Sfakion

How to get there

Recommended Airports

Arrival by car

A car can be hired and picked up at either Chania or Heraklion airport upon arrival, or during your stay in the village. The windy mountain road down to the village has just undergone extensive work, with three tunnels replacing the sharp curves, making it much safer and easier to drive on! Alternative car hire companies YogaOnCrete recommends are Drive Kreta and Tracer.

Arrival by airplane

Please book your flight to arrive at Chania International Airport ("Ioannis Daskalogiannis") (CHQ) or Heraklion International Airport (Nikos Kazantzakis Airport) (HER) to reach Chora Sfakion.

You can also fly to Athens (ATH) and either get a transit flight or boat to Crete (Chania - CHQ).

For flights from the UK, Easyjet, Ryanair, and Monarch Airlines have direct flights from several UK airports to Crete, both to Heraklion (HER) and to Chania (CHQ), during the tourist season. You can also use Thomas Cook, Just The Flight, Charter Flights, Cheap Flights, or Flight Line. From London Stansted, also check the daily flight of Aegean Airlines to Chania via Athens.

For flights from other European countries, try Ryanair which now connects several European cities to Chania (CHQ). Also, Easyjet, Transavia, Norwegian Airlines, Aer Lingus, German Wings, or Air Berlin. Be aware that on some occasions booking two single flights can be cheaper than a return flight.

Arrival by bus

To get to the bus station in Chania from the airport (2.50 EUR; duration 30 minutes), buses run at different times every day to correspond with the flights. This is also the case for the return journey.

The bus station in the city has luggage storage, operating between 06:30 and 20:00, which can be useful if you have a long wait, as the beautiful old city is just a few minutes' walk away. If you need to get a taxi from the airport to the bus station, the cost should be about 15-20 EUR.

From Chania, you can then get a bus directly to Chora Sfakion, but confirm departures in advance because, during high season (April-October), there are only four buses a day (at 08:15, 11:00, 14:00, and 16:00; 8.30 EUR; duration 1 hour and 45 minutes).

From Heraklion airport, there is a frequent bus service (No. 6) that takes you to the main bus station in Heraklion (duration 15 minutes). Ask the driver to tell you where to get off from the bus station, because it is not obvious.

From there, you first need to get a bus to Rethymnon (approximately every hour; 8.30 EUR; duration 90 minutes) and then a bus to Chora Sfakion changing buses at Vrisses (at 08:00, and 13:00; 8.30 EUR; duration 2 hours).

Vrisses does not have a bus station per se, rather, a coffee shop in which you can buy a ticket and in front of which the buses stop.

Arrival by ferry from Piraeus (Athens)

There is an overnight ferry to Chania from Piraeus, the port of Athens, easily accessed by metro from Athens "E. Venizelos" airport. It departs at 21:00 and arrives at Souda, the port of Chania, at 05:30 the next morning. The port of Chania is a 10-minute bus journey away from the main bus station in Chania city center.

The return journey with Anek lines starts from 63 EUR (deck price; there is a discount if the return journey is booked at the same time as the first part).

Arrival by ferry from Paleohora, Sougia, or Aghia Roumeli

The southwest coast of Crete is fairly well served by daily ferry lines traveling from Paleohora to Chora Sfakion, which is a convenient option if you are thinking of spending some time on the south coast before arriving at YogaOnCrete.

You can also reach them in this way after hiking the Samaria gorge (consider putting your luggage on a bus at Chania, to be picked up at Chora Sfakion, so you can hike lightly).

Arrival by taxi

Travelling by taxi is the most convenient way to reach the village. A taxi from Chania city center or airport costs 85 EUR (1 hour) and from Heraklion 140 EUR (2.5 hours).

GPS

  • YogaOnCrete house - 35.20192, 24.13809
  • YogaOnCrete studio - 35.20184, 24.13936

Cancellation Policy

  • A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
  • The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
  • The rest of the payment should be paid 14 days before arrival.

Value for money
Accommodation & facilities
Food
Location
Quality of activity
8 days / 7 nights
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Pricing information

Bring a non-participating partner to share a room with you for 610 EUR per person. For more information, please send an inquiry. 

Thursday July 24, 2025
(8 days / 7 nights)

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