Qigong Retreat in Ikaria

A week-long Health Qigong course during your stay at Ikarian Centre, combining movement, breathing, visualization and a light theoretical grounding. It’s focusing on practical body-and-mind work, the aim being to learn a health qigong method well enough to be able to practice on your own. No special fitness level required. The days build steadily through the week with active practice and theory in the morning, stillness and meditation in the evening.

What is a Healt Qigong retreat?

Helth Qigong is an ancient gentle, slow-movement practice from Traditional Chinese Medicine that improves posture, circulation of blood and qi, breathing and flexibility, while calming and clearing the mind.

Who is this Healt Qigong Retreat for?

Anyone staying at the Centre, regardless of prior experience, age or fitness level. Qigong is
low-impact and adaptable, suitable for beginners as well as those with some background in yoga, tai chi or other movement practices. No special equipment is needed – only comfortable clothing. Also no skills in Greek is mandatory. We can speak Greek and English, the tutor, Eva, can speak several more European languages (French, Spanish, Swedish, Greek and Russian). The classes are given in English.

Why Practice Healt Qigong in Ikaria? The Benefits

Regular Qigong practice is associated with better posture and balance, improved flexibility and joint mobility, reduced tension and stress, and a clearer, calmer mind. These are benefits that build over the course of the week and are noticeable from the very first session. It’s a practice you can take home and continue on your own, requiring no equipment and very little space.

Duration

Sunday May 30 – Sunday June 6. Sessions take place from Monday to Saturday, 6 days.

Daily schedule

Sessions running to the same daily schedule from Monday to Saturday:

• Morning session (9:00–12:00) includes 2 hours of practice (posture, breathing, balance and guided routines from the Shi Er Fa) and theory (the origins of Qigong, its roots in Taoist philosophy and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the qi channels and the reasoning behind the movements).
• Break (12:00 – 18:00) for lunch and optional visit to the nearby town of Evdilos.
• Evening session (18:00 – 19:00) Seated meditation, slow walking practice, and stillness work.

Location & Community Life at the Centre

The retreat takes place at the Ikarian Centre headquarters, located in a peaceful, remote spot on a lush green hillside. The estate offers spectacular, unobstructed views of the sea, the mountains, and the starry night sky. Staying at Ikarian Centre is an essential part of the overall experience. Participants will stay in their own private rooms, each featuring a private bathroom and a kitchenette. The Centre’s various verandas and communal areas are carefully designed to offer the perfect balance between quiet privacy and healthy socialization.

Meals & Daily Life

• Breakfast: Breakfast is not served officially, but participants can easily prepare their own meals in the fully equipped shared kitchen or inside their private room’s kitchenette.
• Lunch & Dinner: We provide simple, nourishing meals based entirely on the healthy Mediterranean diet.
• Evening Routine: After our evening sessions, we gather for dinner. On some nights, we enjoy cooking together as a community.

Excursions & Free Time

During the midday break, we organize a complimentary transfer to the nearby town of Evdilos for anyone wishing to explore, walk around, or do some shopping. Additionally, one of the days will include a short guided tour to experience some of Ikaria’s most beautiful sights.

The Practice of Health Qigong

Sessions are led in small groups, with movements broken down step by step and built on day by day, so participants leave able to repeat the routines independently afterwards. The focus throughout is on what Qigong actually does for the body: releasing tension in the spine, shoulders and joints, improving circulation of blood and qi and oxygen intake through relaxed, deep breathing, and settling the nervous system. Where relevant, exercises are adapted to the group’s needs.

Your Healt Qigong Instructor

The course is led by Eva Gonzalez, member of the Belgian Health Qigong Federation and certified Health Qigong instructor with over 20 years of practice and a three-year professional training completed in Belgium, France and China. Eva is a former translator in the EU institutions, discovered Qigong in Brussels in 2002 at LifeCare Centre, and went on to complete a three-year professional training across Belgium, France and China, covering Chinese Health Qigong, Daoyin Yangsheng Gong, and Nei Yang Gong. She holds three Duan (official grade certifications) in Health Qigong – Wu Qin Xi, Ba Duan Jin and Mawangdui Daoyin Shu – and has represented Belgium at international Health Qigong games, including a 1st-place group result at the 2014 European Health Qigong Games in Mons and two 1st-place group results at the 2016 European Games in Rouen. Since 2009 she has taught Qigong at the Council of the European Union in Brussels, in Sarajevo and in Malmo, Sweden.

Healt Qigong retreat in a Greek language school?

Eva attended the Center’s Greek language courses for the first time many years ago when she was still working as a translator for the European Union. She returned to the classes over the last two years because she wants to keep in touch with the language. While she was here, she gave a few qigong lessons to the center’s students and staff—and everyone was thrilled! “It is not something supernatural; it is an exercise that is good for the body and the soul,” Eva use to emphasizes every time before a class. That is pretty much how we decided to organize a class exclusively for qigong, hoping that it will offer us something good for both body and soul.

Register

Select the whole period from May 30 to June 6 2027 in the calendar below and submit the form. You can see the cost in the cost breakdown session of the form. Alternatively, visit the cost page