The Expansive You

There is more of you waiting to unfold

yoga retreat in Crete

Sunday 10 – Sunday 17 May 2025

Inspired by the book Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, Gay Hendrick

This retreat is bilingual offered in both English and Dutch.

The Expansive You is a gentle yet profound journey of expansion — through yoga, Qi Gong, reflective workshops, and shared experiences. Not by pushing or fixing, but by creating space in which you and your practice can naturally unfold.

Imagine gradually extending that deeply nourishing, spacious feeling you experience at the end of a yoga class — and allowing it to flow into every part of your body, heart, and life. That sense of blissful presence is the truest expression of who you are. And that is what this retreat is about.

Set against the open skies and the expansive rhythm of springtime Crete, slowly awakening after winter, the retreat offers a supportive container to soften and dissolve the limitations that may have settled into your system over time. The fresh spring breeze acts as a natural detox, inviting you to grow into your innate joy and creative intelligence. Throughout the week, you cultivate a strong inner foundation — a living container in which more life energy, strength, creativity, and abundance can flow.

After the retreat, you carry this expanded inner capacity into your daily life, allowing you to meet what life asks of you with greater ease, creativity, and vitality — while continuing to unfold into who you are.

movement

Through yoga, we create space in the body and gently train the nervous system to remain relaxed while expanding into the joy available in the present moment. You are invited to feel safe being fully yourself — open, alive, and expressed.

Qi Gong supports the free flow of life energy through the body. Through breath, attention, and gentle movement, the body remembers how to move with ease and vitality, allowing expansion to arise from within — naturally and organically.

Workshops inspired by The Big Leap

he workshops offer a supportive space to explore your personal upper limits — the subtle ways you may unconsciously hold yourself back.

Together we look at what it takes to remain relaxed, grounded, and present as your potential opens more and more. Expansion becomes something you can stay with, rather than something that feels overwhelming or out of reach. You can read the details of the workshops in the day by day program -further down the page.

The power of the group process

This is truly the heart of the retreat. Together, we create a beautiful group atmosphere where being witnessed and supported allows deeper layers of yourself to unfold. Expansion becomes something we grow into collectively, rather than something you do alone. The connections you forge here can continue to nourish your growth long after the retreat ends.

A location that supports expansion

We gather in an environment rich in life energy, space, and stillness. A place that offers true breathing room — supporting you to open, integrate, and embody your potential on all levels.

the timing

We come together in the joyful season of spring, bathing in the expansive, colourful energy of nature in bloom. Surrounded by flowers, light, and fresh vitality, the island of Crete mirrors the inner expansion this retreat invites you in.

the place

The retreat takes place along the most pristine beaches of South Crete, in a small, family-run hotel by the sea. A place that feels warm, simple, and held — where you can quickly feel at home, and where rest comes naturally.

The hotel offers a yoga studio with sea view, exclusively reserved for our group throughout the week. A light and open space where movement, breath, and stillness meet — and where the horizon continuously invites a sense of space and possibility.

In the surrounding landscape you’ll find natural caves and open-air temples, places where we can meditate, walk, or simply be. The life force flows so freely here that it naturally invites your own energy to move more freely as well. The power of the natural environment mirrors and awakens your inner strength.

Encircled by mountains, the land offers a sense of safety and containment. The area is infused with ancient myths and natural rhythms. The elements — earth, water, fire, air, wood and metal — are still present here in their pure form.

In spring, the land bursts open into a vibrant display of wildflowers. Spring is expansion. In combination with yoga, Qi Gong, and presence, this place invites you to relax into your own colourful expansion and allow your full potential to unfold — at your own pace.

the CRETAN rhythm

The Cretan rhythm

6:45 — Sunrise ☀️
Awaken with the light, the sea, and the slow rhythm of the island.

8:00 — Morning yoga 🧘‍♂️
An embodied practice to create space, presence, and ease for the day ahead.

9:30 — Breakfast 😋
Nourishing, fresh, and enjoyed with time

11:00 — Leisure time or workshop 🌴
Rest, explore, swim, journal, or dive into a guided workshop.

— Free lunch 😋
Following your own rhythm and appetite.

17:00 — Qi Gong 🌊
A gentle afternoon practice to restore energy and support inner flow.

18:30 — Dinner 😋
Shared meals, grounding, and connection.

20:00 — Sunset ✨
A natural moment of pause, reflection, and integration.

Week program-Step into your next leveL

This retreat is a week-long journey of gentle expansion, designed to help you grow into your full potential in all areas of life — body, energy, heart, creativity, and presence. Every day builds on the last, guiding you through a natural progression: from grounding, into emotional flow and inner power, opening the heart, accessing deeper wisdom, and finally stepping into new horizons — carrying your capacity for expansion back into daily life.

Arc of the Retreat Week

Day 1 — Welcome as you are

Through grounding practices, intention setting, and shared presence, we create the foundation for a beautiful retreat. This first day is about settling into your body, the place, and the group — exactly as you are.

Day 2 — Expanding your roots
A day dedicated to rootedness and stability. We built the foundation for growth and expansion.

Day 3 — Expanding your capacity to feel
Like a river flowing through its riverbed, you can allow emotions and sensations to move freely — while remaining anchored in your body and present awareness.

Day 4 — Expanding your power and vitality
You cultivate inner power, clarity, and gentle leadership over your own energy.

Day 5 — Expanding the love
Love, warmth, and connection come alive through movement, shared experiences, and the intimacy of being seen and met — by yourself and by the group.

Day 6 — Grounding into You
An integration day where all previous elements — rootedness, feeling, power, and love — come together. You inhabit your next level with presence, authenticity, and a sense of inner abundance.

Day 7 — Expanding your wisdom
Reflection and embodied insight deepen. Through release, integration, and expression, the experiences of the week begin to anchor more fully within you.

Day 8 — Expanding into new horizons
A gentle closing. You step forward into your next chapter with clarity, presence, and embodied expansion — carrying the essence of the retreat into your life beyond this week.

→ Go to the day-by-day program

YOUR GUIDE

About Nathalie

A long time ago, I felt there was more to life than what I was experiencing at the time. There was a quiet inner knowing that something essential was waiting to be discovered. That feeling led me on a journey — through travel, yoga, and deep self-exploration — and along the way, I found exactly what I needed to build a life rooted in passion, presence, and purpose.

Again and again, I’ve experienced how stepping out of daily routines and into a new environment opens up new inner landscapes. When we change our surroundings, we often discover new space within ourselves — space to grow, to soften, and to expand.

This is why I continue to travel and offer retreats. They feel like an essential part of living fully — for me, and for those who join.

I’ve been teaching yoga since 2012 and have been hosting retreats in Crete for the past ten years. Each year, I feel deeply inspired by the natural elements that are so present on the island, and every retreat carries a theme that weaves through the week. This year, that theme is expansion.

I truly believe that the combination of yoga, Qi Gong, the insights of The Big Leap, and the safety of a warm, supportive group creates the conditions for a gentle yet profound transformation — and a deeply nourishing, blissful experience.

So this is my invitation to you: to step into your fullness, to explore what is already alive within you, and to become more of who you truly are.

ACCOMODATION

What’s included

• 7 nights accommodation in a small, family-run hotel by the sea

• Daily yoga (except one free morning) and Qi Gong sessions
  (taught in English and Dutch)

• 6 breakfasts in a sea-view restaurant

• 7 nourishing Greek dinner buffets in a sea-view restaurant

• Guided walks along pristine, mythical beaches and through spring flower fields

• 3 in-depth workshops inspired by The Big Leap

• A small, supportive group container allowing for connection and shared experience

• Spacious time for rest, integration and embodied expansion

• An energy reset at the beginning of spring, supporting renewal and growth

What’s not included

• Flights to and from Crete

• One meal per day (lunch)

• Local transportation to and from the airport and for group excursions (approximately €100 in total)

• Optional excursions outside the retreat program

Early Bird — Chinese New Year Special (17 febr 2026)

Join the retreat by Chinese New Year and receive a festive €88 discount on the retreat price. A gentle invitation to honour your intentions for the year ahead and step into this retreat as a way of supporting your expansion.

Join the retreat

This retreat is limited to 12 participants, creating an intimate and supportive group setting.

To apply, please send an email sharing your room preference and a few words about why you feel called to join this retreat.

You will receive a personal reply confirming availability or, if needed, suggesting an alternative option.

Apply here

Payment

Once your room preference has been confirmed, you will receive further details regarding payment. The payment is in 3 parts:

Part 1 — a deposit to confirm your registration and room reservation
Part 2 — due on the Spring Equinox (March 21)
Part 3 — paid during the retreat

Questions?

If you have any questions, feel free to email Nathalie or request a connection call.
You’re very welcome to reach out — I’d be happy to connect.

SOME impressions of the previous retreats

A VIDEO FROM LAST YEAR

made by one of the participants, thank you Johanna Melchiori, to share your talents and beauty

reviews from the first retreat

The elements (earth, water, wood, fire and metal) helped me on my quest for balance; the peace and space brought me back in touch with myself; the sun, the good food, the nice group and the caring attention of Nathalie for each of us brought me very close to my inner bliss.

Nathalie has the special gift to bring out the best in me and to let me uncover who I truly am and what I truly desire. I found back the key to my own heart.

I am so grateful that I was able to experience something like this! Found the right path. Stones grind into sand, waves rock the sea, pure water feeds the source.

Paint box, paint brush, speak with images, discover yourself again. A yoga retreat with people, with nature, the sun, the sea, in short all elements to cherish for a lifetime.

Disclaimer

This retreat requires a certain degree of fitness and ability to walk on uneven terrain such as beaches with rocks and stones and to do steep climbs. This retreat is for (wo)men with an adventurous soul who love pure nature. This retreat is for those who can deeply enjoy the taste of fresh Greek tomatoes and feta. There may be nice warm weather (there is a good chance that it will in May), but there may also be a storm passing by. We do not guarantee good weather all the time. But we do guarantee of deep ecstasy that welcomes all natural elements and weather conditions. We look forward to experiencing this journey with you.