Kalikalos Holistic Holidays in Greece

		WORKSHOPS
About Us \| Accomodation \| Booking \| Local Area Tour \| Community Guests \| Maps & Travel Info
Bursaries \| Contact Us \| Costs \| Staff Opportunities \| Vision \| Workcamps \| 2008 Workshop Schedule

Located close to the Aegean sea in mainland Greece, Kalikalos offers a summer programme of holistic workshops, retreats, living-in-community guest weeks and alternative holidays.

community building in Greece Drawing on concepts pioneered by several international ecovillages and spiritual communities, the programme is unique in that it provides an holistic community experience in the form of workshops and retreats combined with a beach holiday. The 2008 venue is a pension on the fringe of the village of Kissos in the lush Pilion Forest an hour and a half from Volos, the 6th largest city of Greece. We are about 3 miles (5 km) from the sea.

In keeping with the community nature of the summer programmes participants share in maintaining the centre—in particular, cooking, cleaning, and washing up. In practice, this amounts to about 5 hours of karma yoga during the week. Participants help with the cooking and preparing of the main (usually evening) meal which is coordinated (focalised) by one member of staff. This typically amounts to one 2 1/2 hour cooking shift (6pm - 8:30pm) per week per person. Additionally, guests sign up for a couple of 30 min dinner clean-up shifts and participate in friday morning Centre clean-up. Taking responsibility as a group for our meals and cleanup makes the Centre's programmes much more affordable as well as providing daily work experience. We are committed to demonstrating the principle made famous by the Findhorn Community that Work is Love in Action.

Click to read more about the Vision of this Centre

The picture to the right shows the outdoor dining area at the Centre. Centre food is whole food Greek vegetarian, with as much organic local produce as possible. Vegan meals can be arranged by special order in advance.

The staff team in the summer of 2008 will be coordinated by Jock Millenson, former Findhorn community herbalist and naturopath with long term interests in community building and nonviolent communication. Jock will be working with several present and former Findhorn colleagues including William Bower and Artist Lisa Shaw. They will be joined at different times during the summer by yoga practitioner Linda Vincent and long-term Auroville resident, Ambre, plus former Theravadin Monk, Gosh Pos, NVC Trainer Gina Lawrie and others. In addition to the revolving resident staff, we generally take a couple of adjunct work exchange students to support the staff. All staff members and adjuncts are volunteers or in some cases actually contributing a bit financially towards their food and accomodation.

Holistic Holidays in Greece Kissos is a village of fruit trees, flowers and greenery, lying along the hillside and extending into the forest above St Yiannis, about 25 minutes from the county seat of Tsangarada. Set in a charming position in a lovely hillside area at a height of 1150 feet overlooking the sea, Kissos is 30 miles—an hour and a half by local bus or Taxi— from the port of Volos.

Hill walking Kalikalos holidays The area features many ancient donkey trails ideal for hiking. This summer Cornwall small holder and Pelion afficinado Mark Taplin will be on staff to lead walks in the moutainside. There is rock scrambling near the cliffs, snorkling off the rocks, nearby horse riding, mountain bike hire, and excellent clay courts one hour away at the Volos Tennis Club where racquets can be hired.

authentic community Kalikalos holistic holiday summer school aims to integrate mind, body and spirit by bringing together the principle elements of what connects people with each other. So, we work and play together, we learn together and we give space for that silent communion with ourselves and nature that takes us beyond words. The workshops foster personal growth, openness and self discovery. All this is what makes up what M. Scott Peck called authentic community. Living in community gives us the opportunity to share and to live what we learn in workshops.

All these ingredients are brought together in the uniquely Greek healing tranquility and vibrancy of the mountains, the azure sky, the lush woodlands and the intense blue of the Agean sea. The schedule of every workshop, retreat or seminar includes daily beach time!

Facilities:

There are 14 available guest beds in seven double bedrooms, five with ensuit toilet/showers and two that have their private toilet/showers adjacent. Please click to see a houseplan of the rooms and spaces.
Three double tents and one yurt are occupied by staff and served by the shower/toilets located in the separate kitchen building.
An open air terrace for Qi Qong, Tai Chi etc
Large roofed patio/studio suitable for arts and crafts workshops, such as painting, pottery, weaving, stain glass etc.
Seven meter diameter waterproof reciprocal frame roundhouse, suitable for small workshops or retreat meetings and for small dance or yoga workshops.
One yurt, called The Blue Saloon, used for staff meetings, treatment room and bookable for 1-1 healing sessions or overnight intimacy.
Restaurant grade kitchen and open air dining area which also functions as a meeting place
Non-denominational sanctuary open at all times for quiet contemplation and communion. We often have Taize singing here on Sunday mornings.

Meals:

As the cooking is generally done by the community—staff, participants, and guests—we usually stick to basic tasty, vegetarian meals using mainly local produce. We provide a buffet breakfast and a main meal (usually dinner). Lunch is snack meal, generally a beach picnic box consisting of bread, butter/marge, olives, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers and fruit. Once a week the staff have a day off from coordinating a main meal, so most everyone eats out that evening at one of the local tavernas, where a basic meal with a glass of wine runs about £5.50 (€8.00). The taverna meal is not included in the basic price of your workshop/retreat.

Centre's Daily Rhythm

(may vary with certain workshop weeks

0730 Qi Qong, Yoga, Tai Chi
0800 Morning sanctuary meditation
0830 Breakfast
0915 Breakfast cleanup
0930 Staff Work Attunement / Community meeting
1000 Staff Work / Workshop Session 1
1330 Staff lunch / beach picnic for participants
1500 Beach / free time
1745 Kitchen team attunes/second work period (Some workshops may offer a second session at this time)
2030 Dinner
2115 Dinner cleanup (KP rota)
1000 Healing Circle / Sharing / Individual Ad hoc Offerings

	Kissos is a village of fruit trees, flowers and greenery, lying along the hillside and extending into the forest above St Yiannis, about 25 minutes from the county seat of Tsangarada. Set in a charming position in a lovely hillside area at a height of 1150 feet overlooking the sea, Kissos is 30 miles—an hour and a half by local bus or Taxi— from the port of Volos.
	The area features many ancient donkey trails ideal for hiking. This summer Cornwall small holder and Pelion afficinado Mark Taplin will be on staff to lead walks in the moutainside. There is rock scrambling near the cliffs, snorkling off the rocks, nearby horse riding, mountain bike hire, and excellent clay courts one hour away at the Volos Tennis Club where racquets can be hired.
	Kalikalos holistic holiday summer school aims to integrate mind, body and spirit by bringing together the principle elements of what connects people with each other. So, we work and play together, we learn together and we give space for that silent communion with ourselves and nature that takes us beyond words. The workshops foster personal growth, openness and self discovery. All this is what makes up what M. Scott Peck called authentic community. Living in community gives us the opportunity to share and to live what we learn in workshops.