Cultural Immersion Wellness Retreat to Finikounda, Greece
September 25th to October 2nd, 2023
Hosted by Paul Grosso and Madleen Alsabbah
Join Paul & Madleen in Finikounda
a coastal village of Messinia where his grandmother was born in southern Peloponnese of Greece.
From language to food to even dancing, this retreat will offer you a full Greek cultural experience.
In the stunning Greek village in the Peloponnese, you will be able to live life slowly – breath by breath – just like the locals do. This trip is meant to be an antidote to the overly stimulating and, at times, overwhelming world in which we live. Our goal, every day, is to help you remain as present and in the moment as possible.
This retreat offers you the opportunity to get off the beaten path and focus entirely on yourself and your well-being – physical, mental and spiritual. The daily yoga, calming sound healing sessions, breathtaking Mediterranean surroundings – and so much more – will facilitate your personal growth and benefit your health in numerous ways.
Your hosts have intimate firsthand knowledge of the area and invite you to participate in enriching experiences including:
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Meditation and practices on the beach
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Yoga & Breathwork
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Cacao ceremony
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Greek dancing and language
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Local excursions: Olive oil education and tasting, waterfall hike, boat tour.
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Delicious, authentic Greek food and native village life
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And more
This retreat goes beyond bringing you to Greece – one of the most beautiful places on earth – by offering you a raw cultural experience which will leave you yearning for more.
Perhaps the most fundamental part of that experience is "filoxenia," (love towards the stranger), an ideal which Greeks have held near and dear to their hearts since antiquity. This means that you will be welcomed with open arms, a smile, great respect and friendship.
Our group will be staying at the Hotel Estia, a lovely seaside hotel run by a woman whose family embodies hospitality and who is a longtime family friend. You will enjoy a variety of fresh and delicious Greek cuisine daily. There is also plenty of free time for you to sightsee, enjoy the sun, swim in the sea, rest, read and relax.
All guests will be sharing a room with one other guest. A lot of time will be spent outside of the rooms and we’re focused on creating an equal experience to interact with the community and culture for everyone.
What this trip includes:
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Accommodations (seven nights)
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Breakfast and dinner
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Cultural excursions and activities
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Cacao Ceremony
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All classes and offering listed above
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Transportation from Athens to Finikounda
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Transportation to excursions
You will be responsible for:
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Airfare from your home to Athens
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Lunch (breakfast and dinner provided)
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Any additional person expenses such as shopping, souvenirs, etc.
Trip Itinerary
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The full itinerary will be released in coming months as the retreat dates come closer.
If you're looking to rejuvenate yourself, decompress and have an experience to remember in pristinely beautiful surroundings, we want you to join us!
Payment & Schedule
COST OF RETREAT:
$3,000
Full payment is due September 1st, 2023
NOT INCLUDED:
The cost does NOT INCLUDE airfare to Greece. All payments are strictly NON-REFUNDABLE. We highly recommend purchasing traveler's insurance. Please email us if you have questions and we can refer you to our specialist.
About Your Hosts
Paul Grosso (aka Musical Mindset)
Paul "Apostoli" Grosso was born in Chicago but raised during yearly summer trips to Greece. In his ancestral Greek village he spent countless weeks immersed in the Mediterranean lifestyle and learned firsthand from his own relatives about everyday, all-natural health and wellness practices.
After high school, Paul spent three years living in Greece and studied music performance at the Hellenic American University in the heart of Athens. At that time, he struggled with health problems and addictions which he overcame through inner work, self-reflection and natural remedies.
Paul started Musical Mindset as a natural culmination of his personal odyssey to inspire others, share his music and provide healing to the world.
Madleen Alsabbah (Move with Madleen)
Madleen is a 200-Hour certified yoga teacher. Since completing her teacher training in 2018 she has taught a variety of yoga classes including Hatha, Gentle, Vinyasa, Slow Flow, Kriya and Yin.
Her yoga practice has inspired her to listen to her body and intuition in better aligning what serves her heart and overall well being. It has also taught her that every day, every hour, every minute – we have the opportunity to be someone new. She hopes she can encourage her students to feel the same way. She finds it symbolic that the practice of yoga is commonly completed with Savasana (corpse pose) then Parsva Garbhasana (fetal pose) – as if we are reborn after every practice.
Madleen's passion for serving cacao and hosting Cacao Ceremonies developed after seeing the impact it made on her through generational and trauma healing. It has inspired her to feel compassion, forgiveness and love for herself and others. She believes her mission on earth is to inspire those around her to express their authentic self and believes cacao and yoga are wonderful tools in allowing the space and vulnerability in doing so.
She loves incorporating breathwork, yoga and cacao together as they help us open up and align with the physical and energetic chakra system in the body. Madleen looks forward to connecting to one another into the same energetic frequency through the wisdom of cacao, breath and yoga practice.