Triopetra, located at the south-west coast of Crete, has been a Yoga hotspot for 30 years now, listed as one of the top 50 Yoga- retreat- spots globally by Taschen’s Yoga Retreat Book. The place has drawn monks, ascetics and spiritual seekers for centuries. The hills around are full of caves where orthodox monks, seeking solitude, would practice their austerities. Later the hippies had their biggest community outside the United States just a couple of miles away and the global Yoga arrived a couple of years later, when Derek Ireland, Cliff Barber or Danny Paradise started teaching there in the 1980′

 

Though many yogis have passed through Triopetra, it is far from being the “beaten track”.

The guest house is slightly elevated above the beach and offers a beautiful view of the sea and the coast. Nestled in the coast, the Kretashala is right by the sea. The lovingly run family guesthouse has simple, well-kept rooms with balconies and sea views.

Pavlos and his family spoiled guests with excellent vegetarian cuisine, mostly from their own local cultivation.

The large, light-flooded yoga room and the yoga terrace offer a direct view of the sea.

A rock formation gives this incredible place on the southern coast of Crete its name, meanwhile it has become a symbol for many yogis, you will always find your way back to this magical place. It is hardly surprising, because in connection with the experience of the wild, mystical landscape, surrounded by the deep blue Libyan sea and its natural, lonely beaches, daily yoga practice leads to the discovery of one’s inner self.

With its natural power, this spot has always seemed to attract people who – apart from social efforts – are looking for their way to harmony with it.

So here ascetics, monks, philosophers and yogis have always let their consciousness permeate the earthy, indestructible, motherly power of this place.

In this area, an ashram stay offers everything you can imagine for recharging your body and soul: enjoying yoga in company, time for yourself and for reflection, for feeling your own senses and spirituality, or just being around yourself to feel and enjoy relaxation.

Once the thoughts are free from daily existence and the senses are sharpened for the fantastic perception of the natural beauty of Crete, practicing yoga leads to a particularly intimate and inspiring perception of the self.

In addition to the yoga practice, you have time for leisurely walks on the beach and to relax. Beginners and advanced are very welcome.

The area is ideal for hiking and long walks on the beach, but of course you can also spend wonderful lazy afternoons on the beach.

The Libyan Sea divides Crete from Africa, which is only roughly 200 miles away. Mediterranean winter air is pure; the light is brilliant; and you’re in the surroundings some of the most stunning and wild landscapes in the world. Lose (and find) yourself amidst high mountain ranges covered with snow, creeks, ravines, endless beaches, rocky coastline with rivers. All in, it is an extraordinarily rich display of nature.

Mediterranean climate can be beautifully sweet – average winter temperature is around 15° C (about 60° F) / water 16-17° C – though , at times the weather in Crete can also be quite extreme: . strong winds, rain, and even snow in the mountains.

Generally, you can expect good weather conditions and mild climate, as extreme conditions are possibly but less likely.  It is true island weather, wonderfully, impulsive.

Daily & Weekly 

 ✧ General Cleanliness
✧ Nature walks collecting waste (riverbed / beach)
✧ Plants & Gardens with Pavlos
✧ Kitchen Seva
✧ Practice Space Seva
✧ Rooms & Floors
✧ Towels, Sheets, Linen
✧ Ashram Projects

✧ Transfer, Grocery & Pick up Drives (Driving License required)

Garden Group:

✧ Stone Garden Labyrinth
✧ Meditation Garden / Beach

Staff Coordinaton: 

✧ Sharing & Caring Groups
✧ Weekly Small Groups Topics

The Wild Woodstock Jivamukti Forest Sanctuary is a magical 125-acre sanctuary established in 2003 and located in the beautiful Catskill Mountains near Woodstock in upstate New York (about 2 hours north of New York City and 3.5 miles from downtown Woodstock). Many Jivamukti gatherings have been hosted at Wild Woodstock, which serves as the inspiration for the Jivamukti Ashram Residential program.

The Sanctuary serves as a safe haven and unpolluted habitat for diverse plant and animal communities, including white tail deer, black bear, foxes, porcupines, possums, raccoons, turkeys, as well as a large variety of wild birds, fish, snakes and other reptiles and amphibians. In present culture, the word wild is usually used to mean “chaotic” or “disorganized,” but the word actually means “living true to one’s nature; not restrained, controlled or tamed by others.” The quest for enlightenment is a quest for wildness—to return to the natural state in which we know ourselves as one with all that is and we live that truth fully.

Sharon Gannon often teaches that we can have anything we want so long as we are willing to provide it to others first. She and David Life live that teaching by having established and by maintaining the Wild Woodstock Jivamukti Forest Sanctuary, which is the country ashram for the Jivamukti Yoga School.