🌅 From Burnout to Balance: A Journey Through Our Kos Wellness Retreat

Seven years ago, I left behind the fast pace, constant noise, and relentless expectations of my old life and moved to Kos. At the time, it looked like a bold, sun-drenched adventure—and in many ways, it was—but underneath, I was quietly seeking something more: peace, purpose, and a sense of coming home to myself.

Practicing pilates on the beach at sunset, participants stretch and relax as the sky glows with warm hues over the sea.

I didn’t have the language for it back then. All I knew was that I felt tired—not just physically, but emotionally, mentally, spiritually. Like so many of us, I’d spent years overworking, overgiving, overthinking. I was living in a kind of low-grade burnout that I’d normalised. Smiling on the outside. Disconnected on the inside.

What I couldn’t have known then was that this island would gently, slowly, lovingly guide me back to balance. And it started—with my body.

Moving My Body, Meeting Myself

When I first arrived in Kos, my instinct was to keep going. I thought I could outrun the burnout by building something new, filling my days, staying productive. But the island had other plans.

Here, the pace is different. Life breathes. There’s time to feel. At first, that was uncomfortable—stillness often is. But eventually, I started to soften. I spent more time outdoors. I listened to the sea. I allowed myself to rest, without guilt.

It was around this time—about six years ago—that I rediscovered Pilates. I’d dabbled before in classes, but I never truly connected to the practice. This time, something shifted. It wasn't about sculpting or toning or "getting results." It was about rebuilding trust in my body, one breath and one mindful movement at a time.

Pilates helped me slow down without stopping. It offered strength without strain. Focus without force. I began to feel present again—in my body, in my breath, in my life.

Teaching What I Needed to Learn

As my relationship with movement deepened, I knew I wanted to share this with others. I trained, studied, practiced, and began teaching—creating a space where people could reconnect with their bodies safely, without judgment or pressure.

But something was still missing. While Pilates gave me incredible tools for physical and mental alignment, I sensed there were emotional layers—tensions and patterns—that lived deeper than my muscles and joints. I just didn’t know how to reach them yet.

Then Breathwork Found Me

Last year, I was introduced to breathwork through Isabel, a gifted guide who now co-leads our retreats. That first session cracked something open in me. I went in with no expectations—and came out changed.

It’s hard to put into words what breathwork does, because it’s not a thinking practice. It’s a feeling practice. Through intentional, connected breathing, I accessed emotions I didn’t even know I’d buried—grief, joy, fear, release. It was as if all the parts of me that had been holding on for years were finally allowed to let go.

It was powerful, raw, cleansing. And also incredibly beautiful. Since then, breathwork has become a core part of my life—a place I return to again and again for clarity, healing, and truth.

The Birth of Evexia

Evexia, which means "wellness" or "well-being" in Greek, was born out of this entire journey—from burnout to balance, from disconnection to embodiment, from surviving to truly living.

Our Pilates & Breathwork retreat is not about fixing yourself. It’s not about being more productive, more flexible, or more anything. It’s about being you, fully and unapologetically. It’s about slowing down, breathing deeply, moving with intention, and remembering that you are allowed to take up space, to rest, to feel, to begin again.

What Awaits You in Kos

When you join us on retreat, you’re not just signing up for Pilates classes and breathwork sessions (although those are at the heart of what we do). You’re giving yourself permission to pause. To reset. To reconnect with nature, with your body, with your breath—and with others on the same path.

You’ll be surrounded by sea and sun, nourished with delicious food, and supported in a way that allows you to gently unravel all the tension you've been carrying—whether you knew it was there or not.

If You Feel the Pull…

Maybe you’ve been quietly coping. Maybe life has felt heavy lately, or perhaps you’ve just lost your spark a little. Or maybe, like me, you’re simply craving something real—a return to rhythm, a chance to breathe deeper, and to remember who you were before the world got so loud.

If any of that resonates, I invite you to join us. This retreat isn’t about changing who you are. It’s about coming home to the person you’ve always been.

One breath, one movement, one beautiful moment at a time.