Sailing and Yoga Adventuring in Greece
The following is a guest post from Jenn Wooten who just recently returned from leading the Cyclades Sailing Adventure with One Yoga Global.
“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.
An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.”
G.K. Chesterton
Years ago, the idea of facilitating a specialized Greece Sailing trip with Yoga was born – and being a LOVER of sailing and yoga, I was sold. I spent months on a sailboat in my twenties crossing the Atlantic twice and longed to have the experience of extended boat life again.
Sailing is not for everyone, you must adapt to small spaces, crew, boat mates, salty captains, open water and the rigors and stressors of landing at port. Sailboats are not yachts and don’t offer sprawling luxury accommodations, but for those who are longing for adventure, there is no more sublime feeling than being propelled by the wind, held by the water and open sky.
In 2021 we put out the call to adventurous souls to embark on a sailing trip with the spirit of yoga as our guide. We had enough response to fill 2 weeks in 2022 with 5 boats per week!
Eight things we all learned from this extraordinary experience and want to share with those considering joining a future sailing journey:
1. Sailing is for those with a hearty constitution, a deep wanderlust and a love of the sea.
2. Sailboats are very compact, you need to be able to pack light and be willing to get a little feral. Showers are a rinse with a hand held hose in a small bathroom compartment.
3. Sailing is not for those with limited physical or mental capacity, injury or any compromised ability (there are other adventures for you!), since safety is #1 when on a sailboat. Your ability to stay aware while boating is required 100% of the time.
4. Sailing asks you to be adaptable to the elements and the unexpected. Boat mechanics can need repair, wifi and cell signals are not a given, and AC does not always work like a hotel room.
5. The gift of sailing can be as elusive as seeing the Northern Lights – if you get one or two times where you can be sails up and propelling on the winds alone, it’s a rush, and a gift! Sometimes you get this once in a week, sometimes you get this many times. It’s not a given. We pray to the sailing gods for winds, but not too much!
6. Sometimes the weather demands our itinerary to change and all our best laid out plans are up in the air.
7. Sailing is one of the most eco-friendly ways to get from place to place while exploring the Greek islands (only accessible by boat). You will have opportunities for sailing school with your “boat family”, sunrise and sunset yoga sessions at port, and time to explore the Islands and beautiful offshore moorings to wake up with a brisk dip in the sea.
8. Yoga is more than the guided physical practices on a trip like this – there are no yoga studios, we have our mats and will gather each day for a group practice, sometimes after an uphill walk to our outdoor practice locations. The yoga is also in each individual staying deeply present to the adventures and changing landscape that boat life provides. The real yoga is always an inside job.
The experience is such a gift, but it’s only for those who are seeking adventure and unpredictability! If you are looking for a more predictable lux and leisurely experience of the sea, we recommend our Sestri Levante Italy trips.
We are sailing the Cyclades just one more time in 2023.
