Kyanos, Zakynthos Island Yoga Retreat
We arrived here at the stunning Villa Kyanos, our Grecian home away from home, with some familiar and new faces since we last gathered here in 2024.
Immersing ourselves in daily yoga led by Zoë Markos-Thresher, days were complimented by Greek inspired homemade cuisine by our private in-house chef Jesse who whipped up her best from last year and brought a few new flavours to the experience. Together we explored this beautiful island on foot, by boat, or passed the day by at a nearby cove in between all the yoga, we danced to Greek music and relaxed all the same.
The rural setting of the retreat treats us to the most idyllic and peaceful environment to delve deeper into our practices and deeper into rest - whether experienced, completely new to yoga, or simply intrigued to be a part of the retreat - we invite you to join us for the next one.
Our Accommodation
Built in 2022 and accredited by the likes of Condé Naste traveller for it’s attention to detail and unbeatable style, our modern Greek villa is located up the hills of Agios Nikolaos and peers over the well-known nearby port connecting the island with travel routes to Kefalonia. Made up of 5 spacious bedrooms, including twin shared rooms with a private en-suite, perfect for friends or solo travellers, and master rooms with an extra bit of magic including large private terraces and bathrooms with a view, great for couples, friends who don’t mind bunking up together or the solo traveller who wants a little extra privacy. Villa Kyanos soon became everyone’s home away from home.
Guests were immediately greeted with views of the Ionian which extend onwards from the infinity pool and you can always find a private little nook hidden in the grounds which make for the perfect spots to tuck yourself away in with a book and ice tea. Our cosy outdoor bean bag area doubled up as an outdoor snug and massage area with our in-house masseuse, and our outdoor kitchen made for the best hosting space on BBQ night where my mum taught everyone a few steps to the most well-known Greek dances along to a father-son bouzouki band. We practiced our yoga outdoors, complimented by panoramic views just to add to the tranquility of Villa Kyanos. The villa is equipped with yoga mats + props from a mainland Greek yoga brand called Omonyma which supported our practices perfectly throughout the week.
The Yoga Practices
South East London Yoga Teacher, Zoë Markos-Thresher, hosted and facilitated the yoga classes throughout retreat guiding practitioners through twice daily yoga practices which are inspired by over 500 hours of training accumulated in the styles of Vinyasa, Mandala, Rocket, Yin, Pre + Post Natal. With this being Zoë’s longest retreat offering, her intention was to create a space for you to immerse deeply and experience the profound effects of regular practice in our Greek retreat home.
Morning practice was dedicated to more dynamic styles, most frequently exploring the concept of mandala yoga. Here we focussed on particular anatomical and energetic elements which weave a thoughtful, interoceptive and meditative framework to play, practice & contemplate within - one of Zoë’s favourite styles of yoga to share. You most definitely leave feeling as though you’ve explored every corner of the body after 4 mandala classes. Around this, there was also time for vinyasa and rocket practice, both of which bring with them their own creativity and a chance to try out something a little different.
Every evening ended with a slow, soft and mindful yin practice and a mid week workshop exploring inversions such as headstand and pincha mayurasana, which was a fun way to break down mechanics of postures and give practitioners something to go home with and practice. This is always a very playful hour or two spent and hopefully gives us the confidence to start introducing new things into our practice.
Scroll through the below and take a look at what we got up to in our practices & workshops!
We also had the pleasure of hosting a sound bath on our very final night, led by local yoga teacher Barbara, it was the perfect send off for the retreat and the ultimate guide into rest that everyone needed. We began the practice with a yin class, circled around the infinity pool, and blended the class straight into a sound bath to drop into ultimate relaxation. Peeling your eyes open to the view is always a special reminder of perspective, and a feeling we hope everyone takes home with them.
Our Greek Inspired Menu
Our menu takes the best of Greek cuisine and Jesse always adds her creative twist. Using locally sourced, fresh ingredients; our menu is a big part of the retreat experience here at Kyanos and something we always look forward to diving into. Colourful breakfast buffets were the perfect post-yoga refuel, mediterranean lunch spreads filled us to the brim, only to roll back onto a sunbed for another couple hours, with nutrient dense salads and our sit down three course dinners which have a little something in there for everyone. Around our usual meals, we enjoyed a bountiful sharing BBQ one night, a seafood pasta party the next, and a little boat trip picnic floating in the Ionian one lunch time along with a couple of meals out locally.
Greek cuisine is not only known for its delicious simplicity but is also packed full with islanders’ secrets for longevity. We always leave feeling nourished inside out with new inspirations for our home cooking. My personal favourite of the trip was Jesse’s twist on a traditional Greek Cypriot dish, Mahalepi, a panacotta with rose liqueur drizzled on top - divine!
Scroll through the below for all the food inspo…
“Zoe you have given us such a beautiful experience. You left nothing out. From the wonderful practices to the goodie bags. From the amazing food and trips out. The week left me feeling like a new person. Another triumph! Well done for all your hard work and dedication to us all. I can’t wait for the next one”
A Day On Retreat
Once we arrive and settle into Kyanos we move through a post-flight flow to shake off the travel, meet the group in our welcome circle & enjoy a welcome drink before a buffet dinner.
8:00am
Morning Dynamic Yoga Practice (90 minutes)
9:30am
Wholesome + healthy breakfast buffet
1:30pm
Freshly made mediterranean lunch buffet
an optional lunch out at a local beach restaurant so we can experience the lovely local cuisine
5:30pm
Evening Yin Yoga Practice (75 minutes) & a sound bath
7:30pm
Three Course Dinners, BBQ night & a final meal out locally
Boat Trips, Live Music & Beach Days
Without fail there is always an honorary boat trip to see the sights of the island from a slightly different perspective and the chance to also explore some crystal blue coves locally. Our favourite addition of this years’ retreat was by far our live Greek music band. My mum loves teaching everyone some Greek dance moves, the sirtaki and the kalamatiano amongst a couple of them, to introduce them to our Greek culture and give them a flavour of the real Greece. Our musicians Dimitris and Daniel entertained us throughout our BBQ night until the last ones were standing - one for the memory book! Click through the above to see what we got up in between the yoga..
Goodies!
In collaboration with some of our favourite wellness brands, we lovingly curated these goodie bags for guests to make use of whilst they were in Greece, and a few little bits to take home with them to try out. This year we had amazing contributions from brands such as:
Oh my Cream skincare sampled
Hado Labo face masks + face SPF
BodyMe organic super greens blend
London Nootropics adaptogenic coffee
and a discount code for a stay at Recabins
We will be back here the same time next year, and we so hope to have you join us for Kyanos 2026!