A recap of our Soul Blossoming in Nature Yoga and Herbal Retreat on Silver Island on April 21-27 and April 28-May 4, 2024.

Silver Island is a family-owned, private Greek island in the Aegean Sea offering an exclusive yoga retreat experience. The island is located between northern Evia and the mainland of Greece, near the Pagasetic Gulf of the Pelion mountain region.

Maria Christodoulou (The Greek Herbalist) offered herbal inspired workshops for two weeks on the island to kick-start the yoga retreat season that will run until October. Twice-daily vinyasa yoga sessions were led by Evi Bouzaki, a returning yoga teacher since the island started offering retreats 11 years ago.

The theme of “soul blossoming in nature” was an opportunity for island guests to connect with the bounty of spring and get inspired to create space for a new habit or perspective in their daily lives. This time of year, the island is awash with flowers in bloom and lush green hillsides. There were four herbal workshops that explored the symbolism and therapeutic benefits of plants used since Greek antiquity, in combination with the island’s botanical bounty.

We started the week with a plant walk that explored several key tree species in Greece, including olive (Olea europaea), cypress (Cupresses sempervirens), and oak (Quercus spp.). Each of these trees has a strong connection with ancient Greek medicine, mythology, and religion. The most prized tree in Greek antiquity, the olive tree, represented the wisdom and strength of Athena, the patron goddess of Athens. The tree continues to be a source of food and medicine through the production of olive oil, which is high in antioxidants and phytoconstituents that help lower cholesterol and support healthy cardiovascular and brain function. It is this combination of heart and mind medicine that makes the olive tree a timeless gift of inspiration and wisdom. To conclude our plant walk, we sat under the big oak tree for a sacred tree meditation to help us connect with a special tree in our lives.

For the second herbal workshop, we explored Greek mountain landscapes, which have inspired poets, priests, and physicians to explore the meaning of the sacred for thousands of years. We learned about some of the cultural and botanical significance of mountains in ancient and modern Greece, as well as the current threats to mountain ecosystems throughout the country. After our discussion, we sat in the cypress grove for a forest bathing meditation that focused on the senses of sight, sound, and touch. For each sense, we shared any messages that nature revealed to us.

Our third activity focused on Greek herbs. As one of the most biodiverse countries in Europe, Greece is home to a variety of medicinal plants that have been relied upon for thousands of years in food and medicine. We enjoyed a special tea blend of Greek herbs, some freshly harvested from the island, and learned about the medicinal benefits of each herbal ingredient. Then we made our own dried herbal tea blends to bring the joy of Greece’s botanical bounty home with us.

Our final activity focused on techniques of respectful harvesting. The practice of herbal medicine includes understanding that plants have an active, living consciousness and that they are our most powerful source of healing, medicine, and food. By approaching a plant with gratitude and asking permission to harvest it, we can develop a strong connection with the plants that can support us in our healing. We harvested olive leaves, rock rose (Cistus creticus), St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), pine needles (Pinus spp.), and juniper berries (Juniperus communis). Then we made an herbal oil infusion and an herbal oxymel (a vinegar-honey-herb combination) to take a part of Silver Island home with us and continue our soul blossoming journey.

Reflecting on the retreat theme of “soul blossoming in nature,” it is especially appropriate that Silver Island has a small Greek Orthodox Christian chapel, located near the main house, dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian. These saints were brothers who were venerated as Unmercenary Physicians (Greek: ἀνάργυροι, anargyroi; "without money"), meaning they did not accept money for providing healing remedies to the sick. With the island’s connection to divine healing, it is no wonder that the land continues to provide a respite to those seeking rejuvenation in mind, body, and spirit.