WEST WIND YOGA
YOGA SANCTUARY RETREAT 2026
Sacred Rhythms
For Seekers of Embodied Wisdom through Practice, People, and Place.
Rhodes, Greece
We invite you to immerse yourself with us in the heartbeat of Rhodes, Greece, the island of the sun, where daily life moves to a pulse grounded in history and harmonized with nature. Join us within the living walls of Old Town, Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site shaped by centuries of healing and culture, and along the island’s winding coastline, to experience how people, history, sea, stone, and the subtle practice of yoga come together to awaken a deeper way of being.
Yoga Sanctuary 2026 offers a unique retreat program shaped by the island’s vibrant personality, informed by yoga’s time-tested practices, and clarified by the Taoist Five Element wisdom of Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire. What emerges is a retreat that feels both soulful and joyfully alive, offering space for yoga teachers to recharge, passionate students to evolve, and curious seekers to discover the power of embodied wisdom through practice, people, and place.
We are confirming details and dates for September 2026. Please email lara@laraalexiou.com to be the first to know, as space will be very limited.
Namaste,
Lara and Yanni
Reflections from our 2025 Yoga Sanctuary Retreat
Voices from Delphi, Greece
Participants arrived at Yoga Sanctuary 2025: Sacred Connections feeling anywhere from unsettled to quietly hopeful. Over the course of the retreat, each person reported feeling deeply grounded, more connected to themselves, and more connected to others. These reflections offer a glimpse into the experience we cultivate through these Yoga Sanctuary retreats. ​
"This retreat helped me return to center and deepen my connection to myself and the divine."
- Erin
"Every day had meaning. The cleansing the spring, the reflection points, and the shared experience with the ancient and the divine was transformative."
- Sara
"This retreat helped me breathe fully again and put down the weight I've been carrying."
- Steph
"This retreat strengthened my bond with Delphi, Greece and the West Wind Yoga Family - a connection for life."
- Rick
Who is Yoga Sanctuary Really For?
For Those Who Want to Live Their Practice
Yoga Sanctuary is created for seekers of embodied wisdom through practice, people, and place. At its heart, this retreat is about living your practice in relationship with the world around you, not as an escape from everyday life, but as an invitation to meet it more fully.
For Those Who Value Experienced Retreat Leaders
Lara and Yanni Alexiou have been hosting Yoga Sanctuary retreats in Greece since 2012. Lara weaves decades of yoga practice, Taoist Five Element wisdom, and real-life application into every retreat program. Yanni’s deep cultural roots in Greece offer participants an authentic experience of the land, language, and daily life that only a local relationship can provide.
For Those Drawn to Place as an Active Teacher
Each Yoga Sanctuary retreat is shaped by a close relationship with the land and culture we gather within. Rather than offering a generic schedule placed onto a beautiful destination, the rhythm of each day is informed by the location itself. Movement, reflection, shared meals, conversation, and cultural exploration are woven together so that the place becomes an active participant in the experience.
For Those Who Seeking More Than Yoga Classes and Sightseeing
This retreat is for those who are curious about how practice evolves when it is lived throughout the day, shaped by environment, relationship, and shared intention. Yoga teachers receive Yoga Alliance Continuing Education credits for their participation, while passionate yoga students and curious newcomers to the West Wind Yoga community often discover new ways to integrate the transformative value of yoga into daily life, supporting renewed self-confidence and a deeper ease of social connection.
If you feel drawn to an intentionally designed, small and intimate retreat that is expansive in its rewards and takeaways, where presence matters, practice is lived, and place becomes part of the teaching, Yoga Sanctuary may be the experience you’ve been seeking.