Return to Centre, Expand into Bliss

SPRING RESET Yoga & Qi Gong retreat in magical crete

Sunday 10 – Sunday 17 May 2026

This retreat is bilingual offered in both English and Dutch.

Imagine being able to fully immerse yourself in your most blissful feeling — and allowing that feeling to flow through every part of your body, your heart and your life. This feeling of bliss is the purest expression of who you truly are. And that is exactly what this retreat is about: a gentle reset where you can come home to yourself again.

Under the open sky and in the rhythm of the Cretan spring, this retreat offers a supportive space to slow down and allow tensions or patterns that have settled over time to gently soften and melt away. The fresh spring breeze, the surrounding nature and the natural rhythm of the days invite you to reconnect with your innate joy and creative intelligence.

Throughout the week you will build an inner foundation where more life energy, strength and creativity can begin to flow — through movement, breath, rest and the rhythm of nature. You will return home feeling recharged, with a deep sense of coming back to yourself and with the embodied experience of how this blissful expansion can continue to unfold in every aspect of your life.

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

How do you stay centred and balanced? And how can you allow your potential to unfold at the same time?

In the first workshop we explore ways to return to your centre. We draw inspiration from the mandala forms found in Buddhism, in yogic traditions, in nature, in the human body, in architecture and in local craftsmanship.

In the second workshop we explore how we unconsciously hold ourselves back from experiencing greater joy and expansion, and how we can open our capacity for growth and possibility. This exploration is inspired by the book Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level by Gay Hendricks.

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. Each flower a unique mandala. Spring is expansion. In combination with yoga, Qi Gong, and presence, this place invites you to relax into your own colourful expansion — 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.

YOUR GUIDE

About Nathalie

During my university years, I felt that there had to be more to life than what I was experiencing at that moment. There was a sense that something essential was missing. That feeling led me on a journey.

Along the way I discovered yoga. Through the practice of yoga — and later also qi gong — I began to reconnect with who I truly am. Over the years I discovered that the body carries a profound intelligence.

Many forms of personal development remain primarily a mental process and often impose expectations from the outside. In my work, I invite you to truly drop into your body and feel what genuinely brings you happiness.

I create spaces where you can slow down, listen again to the wisdom of your body, and shape your life from that place — in connection with yourself and with others on the path.

Week program

This retreat is a journey of homecoming , designed to help you return to centre and 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:.

Arc of the Retreat Week

Dag 1 — Welcome as you are

Dag 2 — Reset your roots

Dag 3 — Open your capacity to feel

Dag 4 — Find your vitality and power

Dag 5 — Expanding through love

Dag 6 — Grounding into you

Dag 7 — Embrace your wisdom

Dag 8 — Expanding into new horizons

→ Go to the day-by-day program

ACCOMODATION

What’s included

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

• Daily yoga and Qi Gong
  (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

• Creative mandala workshop, Big Leap Workshop

• Free creative ateliers and assignments to spark your creativity

• 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

Join the retreat

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

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 — on the Spring Equinox (March 21)
Part 3 — 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.