Yoga & Cycling
Enjoy a relaxing week of Yoga and cycling in the sun with Yoga with Donna and the usual great hosting from GCH
About Donna
Donna is originally a North Yorkshire lass moving to Nottinghamshire nine years ago. She came to yoga after a number of back surgeries resulting from degenerative disc disease and a curvature of the lumbar spine. Finding it painful and difficult to enjoy impact sports, Donna fell in love with cycling and started an award winning women’s cycling blog, Ordinary Cycling Girl.
After a stressful career in public sector offender management and continued back trouble she found herself seeking strength, flexibility and balance on the Yoga mat. She has found yoga to be life-changing in terms of improving the health of her spine and core strength. Donna trained with Sun Power Yoga in 2017 and teaches a flowing style of yoga which brings a blend of Hatha for traditional postures, Sivananda yoga for mind and breath work, Iyengar for strength and alignment and Ashtanga for heat and flexibility. With metal rods and plates in her lumbar spine, she firmly believes that Yoga is for everyone and looks forward to welcoming you to the mat, whatever your experience and ability.
A Typical Day
As with all our weeks the itinerary will be flexible and likely to change day to day.
Each day will include two yoga sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening (Hatha, Vinyasa and Yin based) with a primary focus on strengthening the core and back, and bringing openness and flexibility to the hips, chest and shoulders. Sessions will include Pranayama (breath work and techniques) to help improve lung capacity and to aid recovery as you progress with your cycling.
Sandwiched between the Yoga sessions you will get the chance to explore the island on 2 wheels on one of our multitude of routes. Visit remote mountain villages or cycle along the coast for a coffee, expect to cycle for 3 – 5 hours depending on how you are feeling.
Also expect at least one designated rest day to spend at your leisure.
Where
Evia is the second largest island in Greece. Athens, the Greek capital is only an hours drive away. With a small population it is not hard to escape the crowds!
The villa is located 1.5km from the centre of Eretria, one of Greece’s most ancient towns, with evidence of human activity as early as the Neolithic period (3500-3000 BC) found on the Acropolis as well as in the surrounding areas. Now a modern seaside resort with all the attractions you would expect, nice beaches, bars , restaurants and tavernas it is popular with Athenians looking for an escape from city life.
Whether you are a serious cyclist wanting some strenuous training in the mountains ,the island tops out at 1743m, or prefer to do some more leisurely riding and taking in the numerous sights and attractions Evia has to offer, then this is a holiday for you.
With rugged barren mountains, lush forests, km’s of coastline, wonderful beaches, a pleasant climate, ancient monuments and traditional Greek villages there is a lot to enjoy about Evia
Accommodation
Your home for the week is the GCH Villa , Spacious and equipped with everything you need for relaxing time off the bike to The GCH villa comfortably sleeps 8 people in 4 twin rooms and 2 bathrooms.
With a spacious living room and kitchen there is ample space to be comfortable. As with traditional Greek life most of the time is spent outdoors and the GCH Villa has fantastic outdoor space and the dedicated BBQ & bar area is ideal for relaxing on an evening and into the night. For those that enjoy a cool beer the bar Is equipped with a draft beer chiller. Especially refreshing in a frozen glass!
At the bottom of the garden you will find tranquillity and recovery from your days ride a with a hot tub and relaxation area. Finally, for all you Strava and Facebook addicts, the house is equipped with WiFi.
• 4 Twin Bedrooms
• 2 Bathrooms
• Kitchen and Living Room
• Outdoor BBQ and Patio Area
• Hot tub
• Wifi
• Spacious Garden and Sun Patio
• Secure Bike Storage
• Workshop and tools
• Laundry facilities
• Vegetable garden
The Food
Many of our guests are genuinely surprised at the quality of food they get despite the fact that I have been cooking in some of London and Athens top kitchens for over 20 years.
Menus are prepared prior to your arrival based on your likes and requests, so you can be assured you won’t be served dishes you will not want to eat. As all the food is home-cooked from fresh ingredients we can also take any dietary requirements in our stride.
Plant based
Yoga philosophy encourages a vegetarian diet. There is plenty of medical evidence indicating that a balanced vegetarian diet is extremely healthy. A diet rich in plant based foods supplies the body with the proteins, minerals and vitamins it needs.
Statistically speaking, the rate of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and cancer is lower among vegetarians. Yoga philosophy considers that animal protein contains a high percentage of toxins and uric acid which don't support the body moving freely and efficiently.
A sattvic diet, a diet free from meat and high in fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and nuts, calms the mind and the body.
Yoga philosophy also teaches the concept of ahimsa, or non-violence. Yogis believe if you eat natural plant-based foods that are high in nutritional value and easily used by the body, the delicate internal balance can remain in check. And that balance will extend to the mind. If the body is out of whack, the mind will struggle to remain calm and emotions can become easily unsettled.
For these reasons, we will be supplying and encouraging a vegetarian diet during our yoga week. There will be meat and dairy options available, however we would like to suggest that this week would be a good introduction to allowing your body and mind to sample the benefits of a meat-free diet.
The Price
€1024 Person Per week
Optional single room supplement €512
Includes
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7 Nights' accommodation based on sharing a twin room
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Airport transfers for you and your bike
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Customized cycling itinerary
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Self-guided rides with Preloaded GPS with route and maps
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Buffet style breakfast
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3 Course quality home cooked evening meal
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Well stocked “help yourself” bar including Wine, lager on draught and spirits
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Energy drinks and snacks
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Emergency van support
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yoga mat and blocks
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2 yoga sessions per day
Not Included
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Flights
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Optional bike hire
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Extra activities and day trips
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Travel insurance
Dates
2023
17-24 June
2024
16-23 June
Getting Here
Eretria is approx 1 hour drive Athens Airport with a short 15 minute ferry. We will be there to collect you at Arrivals.
There are regular flights through Out the year from the UK. Low-cost Airlines; Wizz Air (Luton), RyanAir (Stansted and Dublin) and EasyJet (Gatwick, Manchester and Edinburgh) all fly regularly into Athens.
Other options include Olympic and Aegean from Gatwick and Heathrow aswell as Jet2 from Birmingham and Bristol