THE SKYROS BLOG

The Skyros Centre Retreat

2012-01-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

Loved Skyros in summer as your perfect chill-out & getaway from it all? Well, now the Skyros Centre on Skyros island, Greece, is open through winter too – an ideal venue to get some personal space and recharge your batteries.

Fancy finishing that novel, painting, contemplating, meditating or beachcombing? According to writer Patricia Highsmith, author of The Talented Mr Ripley, if you can set aside a writing day without interruption, you can be 30% more productive. The Skyros Centre can provide the perfect environment with just the right balance of support and seclusion.

The twin and single occupancy rooms at the Skyros Centre are comfortable, warm and homely. Relax or research in the library with high speed Wi-Fi internet, TV and DVDs. Join us on on a b&b basis or enjoy our eclectic vegetarian friendly menu and add on half or full board if you wish. Plus we’ve various styles of massage therapy designed to invigorate or relax.

Enjoy the benefit of the moderate temperatures (average 12-18 degrees C) and explore the island on foot, by car or mountain bike. Discounted off season rates on car hire are available with pick up direct from the port, Linaria, or Skyros Airport. Regular direct flights from Athens to Skyros island and more new low cost flights to Athens mean off-season travel can be very cost effective.

Come and enjoy the peace, serenity and inspiration of beautiful Skyros island in winter and springtime. In March, take the opportunity to observe and involve yourself in the rich Skyrian culture during 'Apokries' the Skyros Goat Festival, or in April join the Greek Easter celebrations, such a special time to be in Greece. The Skyros Centre is open as a retreat until May when the full programme of Writer's Lab and Life Choices programme recommence for the summer.

For more information, call Skyros Holidays on 01983 865566 or email office@skyros.com. See www.skyros.com.

Take time to imagine your perfect Christmas...

2011-11-29T03:29:00.000-08:00

As every jolly Christmas tune reminds us, the festive season is supposed to be a time for laughter, joy and general joviality. But sometimes – perhaps whilst slaving away in a hot kitchen cooking for ten of your nearest and dearest or envisioning a Christmas on your own – it may not feel like that at all. Here, Skyros co-founder, psychotherapist and author, Dina Glouberman, offers her tips for getting the most out of this, often stressful, time of year.

Remember, it is a myth that everyone else is having a wonderful Christmas but you.
Christmas is a potentially tough time for many people, including possibly you. You can still do your own personal best to enjoy it. And if there are rows, horrible silences, or any other kind of awful behaviour in your family or wherever you are, see them compassionately as symptoms of the stress of Christmas rather than as proof that you or your family are a pathetic mess!

Do not sit around on your own, unless it is the thing you most want to do in the world.
If you are not going to be with family, get in touch way in advance with anyone you like enough to be with, and make sure you line up a sociable Christmas, whatever form that might take, and whether that will be at home or abroad.

Abandon all perfectionism – Christmas is not your responsibility; it is everyone’s.
The perfect Christmas has nothing to do with doing everything perfectly! Why not make the shopping, preparation and cooking a shared communal activity? Community is what makes Skyros a happy experience. No one need drive themselves crazy with anxiety, worry, and stress.

Give your time, rather than a gift.
It is a well researched finding that giving brings more joy than receiving. So why not find a charity, like Crisis, or a place of worship, or other local organisation that helps people at Christmas and volunteer? Or perhaps, rather than sending that voucher in the post, make an arrangement to visit a friend or family member who would really love to see you.

Figure out what you yourself want from Christmas, and how to get there.
A simple Imagework technique is to imagine yourself into two possible futures – a future you feel good in, and one you feel bad in – and in each case, look back to see how you got there. So try this: Close your eyes and imagine these two future scenarios:

a. It’s the end of the Christmas season and I feel awful. Where am I, what am I wearing, and what is the awful feeling? ( Really imagine yourself there and feel in your body what the feeling is, not what it’s about) What is the main thing I feel bad about? Looking back at Christmas, what did I do to get myself to this awful place (Here, really imagine that it is the end of Christmas, and you are remembering what you did.)

b. It’s the end of the Christmas season and I feel great. Where am I, what am I wearing, what is the good feeling (again in your body)? What do I feel best about? And looking back at Christmas, what did I do differently from the first picture to get to this good feeling? (Here, be as specific as possible).

c. Which do you want? This is not a silly question; negative futures often seem easier, more familiar, and safer. So if you decide you want the first, at least you can get to the end feeling you’ve been successful at being miserable. Whichever you choose, hopefully the positive one, consider whether you are willing to do whatever you have to do to get there. Also be aware that you are not all powerful and if it doesn’t happen, something else will, and you’ll be fine.

d. Now put the picture of you in the future in a bubble, and with a big breath blow it off into the domain of potential waiting to be actualized. Or even better, imagine a bigger bubble full of everyone’s bubbles with their hopes for Christmas, and blow the whole thing into being! Then take that future feeling, and put it in your heart now. Don’t wait! Have it now.

To have the best possible Christmas you can have, you must prepare yourself, and the situation, so that it works for you. So with or without these simple tips, we truly hope that you enjoy your Christmas and that, come January, you'll be able to say those immortal words: “I did it my way.”

With our best wishes,
Dina Glouberman & The Skyros Team

Alongside facilitators, Ilene Sawka and Michael Eales, Dina will be hosting the Skyros-in-Cambodia holiday from 29 December 2011 to 8 January 2012. Stay at the picturesque Sokha Beach resort on one of Cambodia's best beach destinations, Sihanoukville, and take part in some fun, lively and interesting courses including Qi Gong, Life Skills and Creativity. See http://www.skyros.com/cambodia.htm

The Skyros Spirit: Never more apt than in these uncertain times

2011-10-05T04:11:00.000-07:00

Yannis Andricopoulos, Ph D, is the co-founder of Skyros and author of several books including his trilogy In Bed with Madness, The Greek Inheritance and The Future of the Past (Imprint Academic 2008).

Here, Yannis discusses the uncertain financial times across the globe, and the impact these can have on community, personal fulfillment and more...

"The Germans still remember their 1923 financial crisis, the time that it took 200 million Deutsche Marks to buy a loaf of bread and life savings would barely buy a postage stamp. The rest of the world, or at least its oldest generation, hasn’t forgotten the 1929 world economic crisis when, as my father used to recall, angry crowds often stormed bakeries in Greece to grab the bread to feed the family.

Will the current recession lead to a similar crisis that particularly the younger generation will likewise never forget? Hopefully not, though the law of self-destruction seems to have the same force as the law of self-preservation. Whatever the outcome, the current situation has, however, highlighted virtues that, for at least a generation, the West had stored in the basement of our existence as of little or no use.

Myself, though a member of the golden age generation, have never forgotten the old certainties – they are part of my identity as formed in my early years with the help of my parents, the family friends, our neighbours, our community. One of them, that in the last twenty or so years has made me feel as if I were the last representative of a culture of which there were no longer any witnesses, dictated that we should never waste anything.

Don’t waste your food as you never know when the next meal will be available, don’t leave any lights on in places they are not needed and don’t leave the water tap on while brushing your teeth. Repair everything repairable rather than throw it away. When holes appeared in my socks, my mother would always mend them with the help of a wooden egg inserted in the sock. Throwing them away would have been viewed as nothing else than madness. Recycling was in vogue long before the new word enriched our vocabulary, when we had only little more than our dreams.

Another certainty made sure that we care for our community. There was always someone in need like our neighbours, those Greek refugees from Odessa who had fled the 1917 Russian revolution and had not recovered from their ordeal even in the ’60s. Extended to politics, the same idealism had led me to join the ranks of the country’s left wing movement. And then we had to take care of our development. Do your best not just to survive but to excel albeit not as a highly-paid professional but as a decent person and a pillar of your community.

When Skyros, the holistic holiday, was born, which was in the same year Margaret Thatcher won power in the UK, this old-fashioned world of mine hadn’t disappeared altogether. In fact, the more Prime Minister Thatcher tried to destroy the sense of community through the cult of the individual the stronger the sense of community grew. People who came to Skyros in those years were likewise ready to demonstrate, not as a gesture belonging to ancient times but as an act of conviction, that there is such a thing as society!

But the years passed and the values changed. Growth, the God we all seemed to worship despite the fact that this God has, as we see now, failed both us and the two billion people who still live on less than $2 a day, had blinded us. The cult of wealth, consumerism, looks and celebrities had won the day.

Yet Skyros, the image of an idea, has remained consistently attached to the old-fashioned virtues that kept telling people: ‘Don’t stick to a job that gives you nothing but money to buy things you don’t need in order to impress people you don’t care about’. It could also have said: ‘Don’t borrow money’ for the same reasons!

Skyros has in this spirit consistently advocated an approach different from that which our materialistic, consumerist, technocratic culture promotes. Its philosophy is based on doing rather than having, creating rather than consuming and belonging rather than retreating into the garden of your private world. It’s all about perpetual becoming rather than being.

Hence people joining a Skyros holiday feel able to engage creatively with their community and relate honestly to all those they had never met before. They can and do explore new possibilities, pursue new ideas and unearth talents they did not even suspect they possessed as athletes, writers, musicians, painters, performers, thinkers or even dry stonemasons. They feel free to try the seemingly impossible – having never sang before, sing, for example, in front of one hundred people or having never swam before, learn how to swim.

‘More’ in this context is not a Lamborghini but the fulfillment of our potentials as human beings and the freedom to be what we choose to be irrespective of the choices forced upon us by our creations – the market, machines, technology, systems, ideologies, fashion or fundamentalist beliefs. Not doing so is like having let a river slip through our fingers without drinking a single drop.

In any case, we can’t have more of the same. Time, bent on his own business, doesn’t care to preserve our hopes. Financial capitalism is collapsing, uncertainties have taken the place of the previous blind faith in the future, and the earth’s resources are finite. Hence the need to invest in change, and this means not only the radical overhaul of our dysfunctional system. It also means living a life in line with the Skyros ideal, ie pursuing happiness outside the parameters of the system and seeking personal fulfillment beyond material concerns. It all involves a new sense of meaning and purpose in our lives within our community and as active members of it.

Why am I not surprised that the Skyros paradigm is back in fashion so to speak? Its vision has something eternal, but, perhaps, to re-discover the core values that sustain our existence and reconnect with the spirit that is the soul of every spring we needed to find ourselves on the brink of disaster. Whatever, Skyros and its vision is now again in the forefront of the new movement for a life that makes sense. It is by definition one of its natural leaders and, indeed, a school of leaders."

For more information about Skyros, including how it all began, visit www.Skyros.com

The Magic of Skyros by Kevan Manwaring

2011-09-16T03:44:00.000-07:00

I returned to the gorgeous Aegean isle of Skyros on the first of the month for my second year of running a creative writing workshop – this time focussing on what I call ‘Life: Fiction’, a hybrid of life-writing and fiction-writing (where one ends and the other begins is often hard to say). I rode to Heathrow and parked up my ‘bike – before catching the BA flight to Athens. We were picked up by the distinctive purple Skyros coach, and guided to our hotel by Julian – the long-running member of staff, a skilled guide and consummate professional. Our brief stopover in the capital city was a chance to check out an attraction or two, as well as connect with fellow participants (& tutors). Before the respective parties went to either Skyros Centre (Writers’ Lab/Life Choices) or Atsitsa (various courses & activities) it was nice opportunity to forge a collective identity. We were all embarking on the adventure together.

A group of 19 of us went out, looking for somewhere to dine – deciding to venture to the so-called ‘Anarchists Quarter’ to sample the local scene. The atmosphere seemed pleasant – with young black-clad Athenians hanging out, sporting long hair and lots of make-up (back home they’d be called ‘Emos’ or ‘Goths’). The food finally came – a barrage of starters, in true meze style. The cold bottle of Mythos went down a treat after a long journey, yet it wasn’t over yet. The following day, after a morning (which I used to visit the National Archaeological Museum) we set off – well, we would have done if not for the Student Protest which caused our street to the blocked off and the hotel barricaded up. We were stuck until they had passed, delaying the departure of the coach – but making for an interesting spectacle. The student protesters were fare more civilised than their British equivalents – stamping and singing in good spirits. It felt ‘good-natured’ if earnest – they have true cause for complaint. The economic crash has hit Greece hard – there were a lot of beggars of the streets and lots of politcal graffiti everywhere, but I didn’t feel unsafe. However, there was a sense it was a powder-keg – and combined with the heat, noise and endless traffic – it was a distinct relief to leave the ugly metropolis. If nothing else, a night in Athens makes you appreciate the time on the island even more.

As soon as we reached the Aegean coast, things looked up. The ‘wine-dark’ sea (actually a dazzling turquoise) was a sight for sore eyes; and soothing to the other senses also – to stand on deck of the ferry as it crossed over to Evia – and then onto the Linaria from the other side. Due to the delay caused by the protest we nearly missed the last ferry – getting there with five minutes to spare. As we approached Skyros we were treated to a spectacular sunset. At the same time the maiden moon rose opposite. And it felt like we had slip through the Symplegades of reality and entered a realm of enchantment. This effect was somewhat challenged by the ’2001: A Space Odyssey’ music blasting out as we entered the port of Linaria. By now, after twenty four hours of travelling I was feeling rather spaced out and very glad to finally arrive at the Skyros Centre for a late dinner. With refiel we were shown to our quarters. Despite a dripping tap, I slept well, dog-tired.

Courses started the very next day – straight after the breakfast community meeting. For the next eight days (with one day off halfway through) I ran a three hour writing workshop every morning from 10.30am. My group of participants was small (6) but the international cross-section and striking personalities more than made up for it (an Australian; a South-African; a Belgian; an American-Asian; & a couple of Brits). The group seemed to bond well and produced some good work. Every afternoon, after a delicious lunch conjured up by Vasso, (the near-legendary local cook) I enjoyed a siesta down on the lovely beach at Magazia – swimming in the warm clear seas and cooling off with a beer and a book. Bliss.

One day, while I was running my writing workshop on the terrace a British couple turned up who had met at Skyros twenty five years ago – got married and were celebrating their anniversary on the island. They were invited to join us for lunch – and a cake magically manifested from Vasso’s kitchen.

Great massages were on offer from Martha – our resident native masseuse – and Andrea offered a ‘personal styling’ drop-in in the evenings. It’s half-board at Skyros, so most evenings the participants took themselves off to the town or the beach to dine – and most evenings they seemed to end up on the terrace of the apartment block where I was staying, enjoying a ‘nightcap’ or three – usually courtesy of Peter’s generosity (he kept regaling us with bottles of wine and whisky in an ongoing ‘tasting’ session).

The Dionysian revelry was not sustainable – and folk started to flounder after a few late nights. I had learnt to pace myself quickly – and enjoying a few quiet ones in allowed me to be clear-headed most mornings – essential for my class! If the late night drinking was avoided, the life-style at Skyros was in fact very healthy – great food, plenty of exercise, rest, sun and early morning yoga – so my body soon started to ‘glow’.

The excellent catering was occasionally supplemented by superb additions by the multi-talented Andrew – who co-runs the Skyros Centre with Julian. One morning he treated us to home-made bagels. And one evening a delicious curry for the staff (yum!).

Half-way through the session we visited the sister site at Atsitsa – a chance to swim off Dead Goat Beach, enjoy a drink at Mariana’s while watching the sunset, and catch up with our fellow travellers. The bold (or foolish) could try a bit of Greek dancing, although the ‘free-style’ to resident musician Tom’s drumming posse was more to my taste. Alas, taxis whisked us back to Skyros at eleven like a fleet of pumpkin coaches, yet the visit had provided a welcome ‘change of scene’. Both groups seem to decide that their place was best! In truth, both have their attractions – but a plus for Skyros is the experience of living ‘amongst the locals’ in traditional Greek dwellings, and so could be said to be a more authentic experience, culturally. You get to know the predominantly ancient locals, sitting on their porches, as you pass them everyday, calling out ‘Kalimera’ or ‘Yaisas!’

The day after was our official day off – making the most of the free morning I visited the local archaeological museum (its modest collection of local finds not quite matching the main one in Athens!) then went for a solo mountain walk after lunch with the Atsitsan guests. It was great to strike out alone – and enjoy some peace and space, after a few intense ‘people-rich’ days. I like good company – and my own! I need both to stay pleasant. The only company I had was a herd of wild goats – the sound of their bells is a familiar sound in the high country of Greece – and evokes an Arcadian idyll unchanged for centuries. One half expects Pan himself to step out from behind an olive tree, or to catch a nymph bathing in a sun-dappled pool (on the South Island, there is the Spring of the Nymphs below the Temple to Pan on a mountain top – amongst the tangled shade of a massive tree growing by the Spring goats gather, unwittingly conspiring in the mythic resonance of the place).

The magic of Skyros is palpable – in the vibrant colours; the air like warm honey; the golden evening light; in the vast star fields; the nocturnal chirrup of insects; the chiming of church bells in the distance; the heady scents of the night; the crowing of cockerels; the steady rhythms of work and prayer, siesta and socialising. At night the little cobbled streets of the town comes alive – young and old alike are safe until late. There appears to be no delinquency. Like the way the white ‘box’ houses hem each other into into a maze of passageways, so to does Greek society ‘hold’ everyone in place in a very community-focused way. It is a jigsaw puzzle of connections and consequences – a system that is both emotionally and physically ‘earthquake proof’ (when an earthquake hit the island – the monastery and castle were badly damaged, but the ‘sugar cube’ domestic buildings withstood it well).

One morning I got up before dawn to watch the sun rise from Brooke Square – where a statue to the Dymock poet is dedicated (and to ‘classical poetry’). Last time I was here I visited his grave on the South Island (the actual ‘corner of a foreign field that is forever England’) and worked on a screenplay which is now starting to attract some exciting interest – I thanked the spirit of Brooke for any assistance he’s been giving!

I managed to do some light editing of a poetry manuscript – and a lot of reading – but after my class I was often too mentally tired to much other than blob out on the beach. Twenty four hours of teaching in 8 days is quite a lot (in effect, a 10 or 12 week course condensed into just over a week). But time and time again I was surprised and impressed by what participants shared. There was some good work created – and that is always the proof of the pudding. The final feedback was favourable too, and I ‘clocked off’ with some satisfaction. My work was accomplished. School was out.

On the last night I hosted the centre’s ‘soiree’ – a chance for participants to share a party piece (song, poem, story, joke…) The ‘Skyros Singers’, coached by Kate Daniels, performed a choral world music song. Everyone seemed to pitch in something – either officially or unofficially! There was a great atmosphere and a lot of talent. My own offerings (a Greek myth and a smattering of poems) seemed to go down well. I closed with a Celtic blessing. Then Abba came on at full blast and everyone started to dance in a very silly manner – it was a hoot! There was a lovely sense of connection with everyone – tutors and participants all. Friendships had been forged; latent talents nurtured; new skills learnt; minds and hearts opened; and lifestyles changed or enhanced.

The next morning we left at a civilised hour for the ferry (unlike the usual ‘stupid o’clock’). Again, this provided a nice chance to catch up with Atsitsans and ‘compare notes’. Everybody seemed to be glowing – the body language, expressions and tell-tale ‘twinkle’ said it all.

The magic of Skyros had worked once again.

Skyros – if it doesn’t change your life, it will definitely float your boat

2011-09-14T03:22:00.000-07:00

By Tom Morley

I’ve stayed at several Holistic Holiday centres, from Australia to Bali to India and the UK. Those retreats had elements of what I was looking for, but only Atsitsa, on the Greek island of Skyros, has them all and all at once.

Respect for modern rituals, yoga, bodywork, dance, massage, music and grounded therapeutic work, all held in place by young vibey staff and well-seasoned teachers. Not to mention the tastiest food and drink: yes, they do have a starlit bar.

The young ‘work-scholars’ who keep the cogs in sync don’t seem to know the word “Whatever”, or if they do they never use it. An intelligent enthusiasm seems to power them and together they set a great scene for weary travellers on arrival. Their authentic warmth is overwhelmingly attractive.

The accommodation is quirky, comfortable and respectful of the culture it’s drawing from. The ‘rooms’ simply say “Welcome, you’re safe here. Get ready for something new.”

All the food is confidently prepared with love. With the funkiest of tunes blasting out from the kitchen you just know that supper is going to taste good tonight. And so does every other meal, day after day after day.

The heart of the holiday, the courses, are unsurpassed. With each teacher bringing at least 20 years experience to Atsitsa you literally have centuries of wisdom here. It’s all delivered with the appropriate humour and sensitivity that only dark-side travellers can bring.

You’ve probably guessed we’re not talking happy-clappy holiday bar here. The Atsitsa centre is a temple of truth with a cutting edge soundtrack.

Slumdog Millionaire meets Blade Runner on the set of Mama Mia. And this is the editor’s cut. It’s an ambitious formula, perfected over decades.

So, whatever plane you’re coming on, fasten your seatbelt. This is tangible enlightenment, community worth it’s name, luxuriously buoyant swimming, therapy with a purpose and creativity with results.

Atsitsa. A sensually explicit catalogue of sessions that, even if it doesn’t change your life, will definitely float your boat.

Tom Morley, September 2011

www.blacktiewhitelie.com – tom@blacktiewhitelie.com – +44 (0)7753 802 952

For more information on holidays available with Skyros visit our website, pop us over an email or drop us a line by
phone! www.skyros.com – office@skyros.com – +44 (0)1983 86 55 66

If you've visited Atsitsa Bay or The Skyros Centre this summer and would like to let others know about your experience, we'd love for you to add a review to our Trip Advisor pages. Thank you in advance!
Atsitsa on Trip Advisor
The Skyros Centre on Trip Advisor

Forget about Glastonbury... Come to Skyros!

2011-08-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

This August and September, you'll find a new variety of sounds floating across the Aegean as holidaymakers joining Skyros Holidays get musically attuned to the best the music world can offer! Guests on our renowned holidays on Skyros island will be able to take part in a number of different musical workshops run by experts from a whole spectrum of creative backgrounds. Chart topping singer Sarah Warwick, who has three number one hits under her belt, drummer and singer Tom Morley of pop group Scritti Politti fame, contemporary jazz singer Kate Daniels and expert in creative digital music making Colin Williams, will be just some of the facilitators there to share their talents. For more information see www.Skyros.com.

From perfecting their pitch to creating a musical masterpiece, guests will be able to let the melody run through them during their time with Skyros. And for those who believe they are tone deaf, or perhaps have two left feet, all the more reason to come along! The safe and supportive community found on a Skyros holiday provides the ideal atmosphere to try out those things you've never dared before.

Skyros island lies off the east coast of Greece and offers a perfect environment for all things creative. Whether visiting Atsitsa Bay or the Skyros Centre, participants can divide their time between relaxation and creative inspiration, with courses in music, art, writing, comedy and much more. One of our top performers/facilitators is Arthur Smith, renowned comedian, writer and broadcaster, who is currently appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. After performing all over the world and writing every form of comedy from stand up to one-liners to full-length plays and screenplays, Arthur will return to Skyros for his second year teaching at the Writer's Lab. He will be joined by a whole host of famous authors such as Monique Roffey and Louisa Young.

So what are you waiting for? All the world's a stage, and we challenge you to find one better than Skyros island...

For more information on what a holiday with Skyros offers, see www.skyros.com, email office@skyros.com, or call 01983 86 55 66.

Steps to successful living by Kate Daniels

2011-07-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

Skyros facilitator Kate Daniels, a consultant systemic therapist and jazz singer, talks with fellow Skyros facilitator Alison Goldie about her course that is running at the Skyros Centre this September....

Alison: We have just done some music together at the Skyros in London cabaret and I gather you are running a life coaching course at Skyros this summer?

KD: Yes 'SC 14' which will be running at the Skyros Centre, 1 - 11 September. I do have a musical career but I have also been a Systemic therapist for almost 30 years. I enjoy both worlds! I have worked with organisations, couples and individuals and currently I am director of training for family therapy at The Tavistock Centre. The life coaching courses I run at Skyros draw from all these aspects of my work.

Alison: What are you covering on your course this year?

KD: The key aims are to help people get their lives and relationships on a course they define, and to develop their skills and resources with this in mind. Too often these days, people find themselves on a treadmill often trying to satisfy so many different competing agendas that they lose a sense of themselves as authors of their own destiny.

Alison: What makes your course different?

KD: My course is based on developing people’s strengths rather than focussing on their deficits. It is an antidote to self-help manuals. We live in a culture that reads like a school report: ‘could do better’ – Self-help manuals buy into this. They seem to encourage the view that one should always be striving. They imply that if you religiously follow all the rules and regimes they set out, make enough lists and get up early enough you WILL be happy and fulfilled. Of course they can be helpful but the risk is you can end up exhausted, anxious and feeling like a failure with nothing to show but bookshelves full of self help manuals.

Alison: So how is your course an antidote?

KD: I want to help people develop an appreciation of themselves rather than critical or tiring expectations. The research shows that the most successful and lasting change happens when people feel that they are in charge of the changes they make in their lives and also feel as though they are making the changes from a position of strength. In my course this is an important consideration. Using an Appreciative Enquiry approach participants are encouraged to develop a sense of their expertise about their lives and their capacity to make good choices. Equally they are encouraged to investigate and develop their own pace of change.

Alison: What do you mean by ‘pace of change’?

KD: Everyone has a different way of ‘doing’ change and it can help to explore it and decide how it works for you. Sometimes people feel so overwhelmed with their lives they despair of being able to change anything. Sometimes they keep trying to change things by applying and re-applying the same old solutions that haven’t worked. In my course we take the pressure off and play with different ideas and beliefs. For example change doesn’t have to be huge to be effective. I like the Systemic idea that small change at one part of a system resounds throughout and can have wide effect. Or the idea that change gathers momentum like a snowball

Alison: You say ‘play’ with different ideas...?

KD: Yes I don’t believe that change only happens accompanied by wailing and gnashing of teeth! We do enjoy ourselves on my course although indeed it can be challenging.

Alison: In what way ‘challenging’?

KD: Sometimes it is difficult for people to let go of old beliefs even though these might be beliefs that are disempowering and self critical. Beliefs that support and encourage a person to feel good about him or herself are often the ones that have the quietest voice. My aim is to give these more air time and turn them up.

Alison: What do you hope people will take home with them from your course?

KD: An emerging sense of confidence and optimism, some re-formulated beliefs about themselves and their world, skills and tools for developing and enriching their lives, and maybe as one past participant put it 'a host of admiring angels'!

For more information about Kate's course 'Successful Living', or for any other holidays with Skyros, call us on 01983 86 55 66 or email office@skyros.com.

10 Top Reasons to take a Skyros Holiday...

2011-07-14T01:55:00.000-07:00

By Rochelle Snow (second pirate from the right!), a recent addition to the UK Skyros Team.

  There is the occasional job out there that comes with a few added perks. Years back, I worked for a Mexican restaurant and managed to live off free burritos for an entire month. As you can imagine, it was a good month! However, when Skyros Holidays asked me to head out to Greece to experience the Skyros magic first hand, little did I know that this perk of the job would actually turn out to be my very own holiday of a lifetime....

So, as hard as it is to condense my time on Skyros into 10 top highlights, here I go! 

1) Laugh as much as you did as a child. Remember that carefree laughter that can bring tears to your eyes? My muscles ached for a week after Skyros!

 2) Meet some amazing people. It's a cliché, but from the younger work scholars to the participants that have been visiting Skyros since the 80's, amazing friendships are formed. 

3) Relax on a completely new level. Swim in the crystal clear Aegean, fall asleep to goat bells and wake to the sound of the birds. Bliss! 

4) Do all those crazy things you've always wanted, but never dared! Ten days in Skyros and I'm now a windsurfer-cum-guitar player... I can even do both at the same time. (Joking!) 

5) Eat well, eat heartily and eat fresh! Spinach & ricotta pie... slow-roasted lamb shanks... Mediterranean mixed vegetables... fresh Greek salad... need I say more? 

6) Renew your confidence. In life. In relationships. In yourself.  

7) Live your myth in an ancient land. Talk to Theseus, Achilles and Odysseus
and immerse yourself in a country bursting with beautiful architecture, history, culture and philosophy.

 8) Remind yourself about what's important. Skyros helped remind me to love, laugh and live! 

9) Get a suntan! It was a working HOLIDAY, after all.... 

10) Find out what all the fuss is about! It's such a joy to realise the attraction that brings people to Skyros year after year. I, for one, will definitely be heading back. And I'm glad to finally be in on the secret...

For more information on the holidays available with Skyros, or to reserve your place, call us on 01983 86 55 66.

A Book Signing - Skyros Style! By Jane Salvage

2011-07-02T02:03:00.000-07:00

Ever been to a book launch? Like me, are you thinking London glitterati, flowing champagne, fancy canapés and signing a pile of books with a posh fountain pen? Now think again - of how a book launch at Skyros might be. The champagne has turned to retsina, the canapés are stuffed vine leaves and the glitterati are wearing bikinis and shorts.

This is the scenario I’m picturing for the launch of my new book, Skyros: island of dreams, at Atsitsa in July. Six instalments from it can already be downloaded at www.skyros.com, but my printed copy has only just rolled off the press. Call me old-fashioned, but websites and Kindles can never match the thrill of slipping a new unread book into your beach bag.

So I’ll be at Atsitsa for the end of session AT8 (July 10) and the beginning of AT9, to talk about the book, tell a few stories and hopefully sign a mountain of copies for my new readers. This launch has been a long time coming.

I’ve been visiting Skyros for 20 years as a participant, journalist, course teacher and tourist. As I thought about what it meant for my personal journey, and how my visits had enriched my life, I realised that the amazing story of the Skyros organization had never been fully told, let alone the stories of the people who went there. So I thought I’d give it a go.

Skyros has of course starred in innumerable articles, TV shows and novels, but never before in a full-length book. Skyros: Island of Dreams is based on my independent research and personal experience, with fascinating interviews and contributions from participants, staff and teachers. I hope it will be enjoyed not only by previous and potential Skyros participants, but also by anyone interested in personal growth, creativity and the future of our planet.

I’ve explored the island’s extraordinary history, geography and culture so it’s a also a guidebook. And as an added incentive – if you are a Skyros facilitator or a past participant, you might find yourself in the book! It’s packed with photos as well as stories, some of them pretty revealing… especially page 145...

Skyros: island of dreams by Jane Salvage is published by the Skyros Foundation (2011) and costs £7.99

To order your copy, call 01983 86 55 66, or take a holiday out to Skyros island and pick up a copy in person!

Skyros: Far away from the madness we call life. By Sarah McIntosh

2011-07-01T03:13:00.000-07:00

There is a place, far away from the madness you call your life, where you are given permission to play, to be creative, to be free. It is called Skyros and to me it will always mean release...

I live in the north east of Scotland, a place of immense beauty but a place that challenges me with cold and intense light. For someone who was born and brought up in the gentle climes of South Wales, I find it tough at times. So tough that last year I had to take a holiday, from my children, my husband, my house.

Skyros was a name I had known from my London days, years ago, but popped back into my head just when I needed it. I booked. People asked where I was going for my holiday. “Alone?” they said, but I knew I would not be alone. Skyros is not a place for alone.

I arrived with no expectations and was surprised with the choices I made. I did not do yoga, but completed my solitary yoga salutations before the eight oʼclock class each morning. I took a course in sailing. Sailing? Me? But it was girl power with sails thanks to Shaz. I did Sound Therapy with Suzie and was party to the most amazing transformations of emotion whilst experiencing something that had only ever happened to me before in a floatation tank. To be sung to operatically without the distance of stage to audience is a truly incredible thing. For the eight oʼclock class, I chose Morning Pages with Mandy. The simplest things have the most profound effect. Mandy gave us permission to write. Just like that. After quite a few years of procrastination I was off, because Mandy sat in front of me and told me to do it. Each morning writing four or five pages of thought and feeling. On day four I wrote the beginnings of a short story. Just a sketch, but enough to now work on. It gave me the confidence to start the Creative Writing Masters I am now halfway through. Just because someone who didnʼt know me as a wife or a mother sat there and said “Now write...”

Back at the ranch, of course I donʼt do yoga every morning, though I always feel better for doing it when I can. I donʼt write every day, though when I do,the flow is confident. What changed on Skyros is that I did things that I didnʼt know I could do, I met people I wouldnʼt normally meet and I had the space to think my thoughts, not those for the benefit of other people. It was because of that that I was happy to return to this tough life in the far north, to the people I love, knowing that there are now more people I love and appreciate.

All because of that week on a small Greek island.

Thank You. x

That's Skyros For You, by Catherine Thompson

2011-06-09T01:48:00.000-07:00

The skin has just about finished peeling off the end of my nose (not the most fetching look) having just returned from running my coaching programme in Skyros Centre.

Skyros has been the back drop of significant transformation for me over the last decade. I first turned up at Atsitsa a successful business woman but manic single parent, looking for a bloke.

I had procrastinated prior to booking because whilst I spouted the language of spirituality, I was a corporate-type, tree hugging, channelling angels and other such acts of the mystic were well out my spectrum of experience and comfort zone. However the lure of the Island, Skyros' down to earth approach and the prospect of more evolved potential suitors got me booked.

As it was to transpire, I was guided to Skyros to meet a man but it was not for courtship purposes. In between predating, I attended Malcolm Sterns Courage to Change workshop, most unexpectedly, I found myself screaming like a banshee as he held me with his incredible gaze, representing every man that had ever hurt or betrayed me.

Shy, did not begin to describe how I felt after that experience (I was certainly very furtive around the breakfast buffet) but I felt like I had gobbed up the most enormous psychological fur ball.

Several years later, after a lot of soul searching and a new husband (woohoo,) I was thrilled to be invited back as a facilitator.

Skyros draws to it the most eclectic mix of people. This time would be Writers, Chief Executives, Singles, International Marketers and those of more a mature disposition were all represented. Amongst us was a rare gem called Maya.

Maya is one of those delightful creatures of indeterminate age, with a twinkle in her eye that suggests a life fully and richly lived. Everyday this wonderful, irrepressible Lady would turn up clutching her beloved bottle of Retsina (before you have her down as a lush she is a modest tippler) and just lift us all with the sheer force of her positivity and childlike delight at all she sampled and surveyed.

One morning at Demos (our breakfast meeting) Amanda Smyth our course director and successful author, read this moving story of a man who sold up and travelled the world, unsuccessfully, in search of diamonds, only to die broken and abject. When on the very land he had left behind diamonds were discovered.

Just before a very emotional goodbye after a deeply rewarding week of kinship and endeavour the sun caught the sequins sewn on to Maya’s skirt and all around light sparkled on the floor like diamonds.

That’s Skyros for you..

For more information about Skyros Holidays visit www.skyros.com or call 01983 86 55 66

Atsitsa – The Power of Place and Space: A Path to Creativity

2011-06-02T02:12:00.000-07:00

By Cathy Skora

Phone ringing, deadlines to meet, train schedules, projects due dates, goals to be met, reports to finish, meetings to run, problems to solve, money to be made, professional and personal relationships to be worked out ...Phew! It is a wonder that our brains can function with all of this buzz. I am reminded of a busy train switching station in Paris. How in the world can all of those trains stay on the correct tracks and get to the right places without fail? And how in the world can we navigate through our busy lives with the added layers of emotions, choices, and perceived barriers as we try to choose our right paths and stay on track?

I have found a very powerful navigating and clarifying process through the power of place and space at Atistsa. As I reflect on my 10 years plus of the regenerating nature of Atsitsa, I also see a cumulative affect that Atsitsa has had on my well being. The affect has been on a personal, physical, spiritual and a professional level.

The natural beauty of Atsitsa cannot be escaped by the body, mind, or spirit. The sea calls to the mind to expand and soften with gentle waves changing shape and form as they create a rhythmic and interesting orchestra of sounds that draw focus away from “static” we may have in our minds. This static is further cleared as we enjoy the scents of the pine forest and the seascape of rock formations making interesting shapes and reminding us of the potential of perspective as they appear to change shapes at different times of the day or as a reflection of how we are feeling.

The place we experience at any given time has the potential to influence and impact our perspective. Just when we might be feeling that our brain is simply too full to take on another problem, or that we have exhausted every possibility to solve a problem, a glance at the sea or a whiff of intoxicating pine forest may assist in giving us an opportunity to take a “brain breath”...letting go of what has been stopping us ...moving past a barrier, or at least giving us space to know that there is a possibility to overcome a barrier. Atistsa has given me the opportunity to expand my perspective of possibility and potential.

My background in studies of creativity at the International Center for Studies of Creativity in Buffalo NY has assisted in framing the benefits of place and space at Atsitsa. We all possess the natural process of creativity that runs the gamut from making works or art, inventing novel products, coming up with innovative solutions, and having the ability to look at any given situation from different perspectives without judgment of yourself or others. Additionally we can all rely on our own “gut” feelings, or that fuzzy area not easily defined that may lead you to an awakening in your personal or professional life.

All of the Skyros Holidays provide the perfect blend of space and place to allow us to explore, expand, and enhance our creative process. Creativity scholars have identified four P’s to assist in defining creativity. These are person, process, product, and press (environment). We can see a similarity between these elements of creativity and the structure of the Atsitsa experience.

The Skyros experience is ecological in nature based on the principle of ethos, guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, similar to the 4 P’s of creativity. Each person brings their own wealth to the table of community in working together to appreciate and experience nature, play, studies, and idea sharing and building for the good of the community. Through the Skyros holiday experience we all have an opportunity to experience subtle and powerful moments of insight through the power of space and place.

Through tapping into our creative nature we can experience the joy and pleasure of change and growth, experiment with paths not usually taken. Away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life at Atsitsa we can take a “brain breath”…and become open to potential. What I love about Atsitsa is that the environment provides a fertile palette for us to experiment however we need to at the moment, through play, tears, nature, laughter, love. There are so many rich paths to take through the power of place and space at Atsitsa.

Thank you Skyros Holidays for touching my heart and opening the doors to endless possibilities on many levels.

Quote from founder Dr Yannis Andricopoulos www.skyros.com/philosophy_travel.htm

“Likewise the spirit of innovation is ever-present. Though everything may appear settled, nothing is - the creation of Skyros is taking place daily. New ideas, whether spectacularly successful or dismally ill-conceived, flow in constantly and turn the place into the imagination's workshop.”

For more information on holidays in Atsitsa bay visit http://www.skyros.com/atsitsa_bay.htm or call 01983 86 55 66

A ship in the harbour is safe but that's not what ships are built for! By Catherine Thompson

2011-05-04T03:37:00.000-07:00

Catherine Thompson, a coach and columnist who has appeared on TV and radio, explains why goal-setting and taking more risks can be the key to achieving your best…

Q) What was the top response from a group of Octogenarians when asked ‘What would you have done differently with your lives?’

A) ‘Take more risks.’

As a coach, my job is about encouraging people to set and achieve stretching goals. What we know about personality is that some of you will be more energised by taking risks than others, and that we all sit somewhere on the continuum from totally risk adverse to reckless.

It is also agreed that for healthy mental wellbeing we need a certain degree of positive stress to function at an optimal level. I’m sure we can all cite the example of the business executive who worked hard all their life only to drop dead on the golf course weeks after retirement. However, perhaps too little stimulation can be even more harmful than too much.

So, taking risks is necessary not only for survival but for building self-esteem and self -confidence. Let me share a recent coaching experience of mine. I was asked to coach a rather shy and self-effacing chap called Ian who had a very important role as Head of Engineering. His company had decided he needed to build his confidence and leadership skills and so appointed me as his coach. At our first session, Ian revealed that in twenty years of working for the company he had never dared to speak to the Chairman, even though he had had the opportunity on many occasions. He, like all of us, was fearful of rejection. And so the goal was set, because of course for Ian, if he undertook to have conversation with the Chairman, he would embark on a risk whilst demonstrate a commitment to change.

So the day before I was due back to see him, three times he walked down the corridor to the Chairman’s office. Three times he stood at the door poised to knock. And three times he retreated without doing it. On his third retreat the HR director who had been observing him stepped out of her office and asked him what he was about. When he told her she gently turned him around and once again sent him back down the corridor to the Chairman’s office.
This time he knocked and was beckoned in by the Chairman, and apparently he stood on the threshold and blurted out:

“Mr Chairman, I have this very demanding coach who is coming back tomorrow and I promised to speak to you as one of my goals. So if you could spare me a minute it will allow me to complete my commitment.”

The Chairman beckoned him to his desk and they spoke for over an hour.

Now, can you remember Morecombe and Wise in the closing credits when they would skip out to ‘Bring me sunshine’? Well my chap Ian literally skipped down the executive floor. A fire was ignited in him that day and he went on to achieve many other modest successes, maybe in some people’s terms, but for him they were life changing.
Morgan Freeman said in the wonderful film Shawshank Redemption we can either "wake up each day and get on with living or get on with dying its’ our choice". Taking risks is very much about being in the alive business.

To date I lived in several foreign countries, left a couple of husbands (and lived with the regret), a high paying job, launched several new careers, raised two young children as a single parent and made a right drama of finding a suitable chap to court (and recently married Wahoo) I am no stranger to risk.

But how determined are you that will not be an 80 something who declares they wished they had taken more risk. Because as John Shedd said: ‘A ship in harbour is safe - but that is not what ships are built for’

If I could guarantee that there would be no failure what would you be doing differently with your lives?

And why aren’t you doing it?

If you need that nudge or the clarity of purpose to be out there on the high seas having your own bold adventure then why not join me at Skyros Centre May 21st to 31st.

Brace the main sails, excitement awaits!

Catherine Thompson

Catherine will be teaching at the Skyros Centre from 21 - 31 May. Her Life Choices course 'Get Out Your Own Way' will explore goal-setting, aligning values with goals, life-purpose and core strengths in order to take action to be at your best.To secure your place on Catherine's course, call 01983 86 55 66 or book online at www.skyros.com/new/stage1.php

Skyros: Island of Dreams

2011-04-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

Seeing the extracts from my book Skyros: island of dreams appear on the Skyros website these last few weeks, I’ve been feeling proud, exhilarated and nervous all at once. I’ve been working on the book for several years and sometimes thought I’d never get to the end. I would grit my teeth and follow Dina Zohar Glouberman’s advice: give up hope, but keep the faith. In true Skyros spirit, I took the risk and finally made it.

I’ve been visiting Skyros since 1991 as tourist, journalist, participant and course teacher. My London housemate Pauline Lummas went in 1990, and fell in love with a Greek weatherman from the air base. By the next year they were living in Skyros village, so I joined them for a holiday and fell in love with the island, but did not do the Full Skyros Monty until 1999, in Tobago. Since then I’ve been to Atsitsa and the Centre a number of times.

As a Friend of Skyros you don’t need me to tell you how Skyros stimulates stories of island life and people’s transformations, in travellers’ tales, novels, plays, poems, paintings, photos, jokes, songs, images and imaginations. Yet back home I’d find myself tongue-tied when I tried to describe my experiences, especially to people who were sceptical of anything up close and personal or soulful. Writing it down seemed easier. And as I thought about my personal journey, I realised that the amazing Skyros story had never been fully told, let alone the myriad stories of Skyros people.

It turned out that Zohar and course director Julie McNamara, whom I’d met in Tobago and turned out to live near me in north London, were planning a Skyros book. Working with them at first, and later mostly on my own, I became a gatherer of tales, creating a tapestry that would also weave in the island’s history and culture, and the evolution and values of the Skyros organization. I also wanted to talk about how what we learn at and from Skyros can help make the world a better place. The six instalments being made available as free downloads come from the full-length book I finally completed last year. It was done unpaid in my spare time. Slaving over the computer in my chilly basement on a dark December evening, it could be hard to summon up the sun, sea and sand I wanted to describe, let alone the soul struggles and celebrations. Writing really is 99% perspiration, but the 1% inspiration somehow kept me going, along with my desire to give something back to the place and people who meant so much to me, and had shared their stories with me. Although the final product is mine, I dipped into an overflowing treasure chest in its making.

People involved with Skyros often adopt different roles, some changing over time. One of mine is a kind of griot: in West Africa, someone who delivers history as a poet and wandering musician, and carries the cultural knowledge and identity of the tribe. I hope my book carries and honours the cultural knowledge and identity of the Skyros tribe.

Lots of people are quoted, and many more appear in the wonderful photos that Yannis Andricopoulos has used to illustrate the book. Take a look, if only to see whether you make a guest appearance. And do post a comment on it if the spirit moves you. We writers love to know that we are being read!

Jane Salvage

To download the first four chapter's of Jane's book Skyros: Island of Dreams, visit the Skyros website at www.skyros.com

Thai Hospitality At It's Best, by Richard Lewis

2011-03-10T03:35:00.000-08:00

I'm on the beach in white sands near to our resort hotel. The sun is shining, the waves sound lovely with a faint reggae in the background. Today I did yoga in the early morning looking at the beautiful sea below, had a very Thai breakfast of fruit and steamed fish and have come to the Seaside town to have some me time. I went for a fitting of the custom made cashmere wool suit I'm having made by Mr. Hem (yes that's his real name). The suit is fantastic and costing £100 is breathtakingly cheap which in Europe would be only a once in a lifetime treat. An indication of how amazingly nice the Thai people are is that after measuring me up the other night he gave me a lift back to the resort on the back of his moped, whilst telling me all about his wife who is expecting a baby any minute. I told him to go home and stop giving lifts to customers. He only laughed.

At our hotel the luxury goes on and on with gorgeous food, beach, spa, gym, massages, swimming pool, kayaking, etc etc. But the most important thing is the people. Not only do we get the intelligent, supportive and caring community we've come to expect from a Skyros holiday. But also a deep and life changing image work course from Dina, courses in music, creativity and photography, plus we are also experiencing a level of service which goes beyond the usual holiday experience. It seems to me that the resort staff who work at Ayapura genuinely like their customers and really care if we are having a good time. I think Mr Owen, the restaurant manager, may secretly be the Buddha in disguise. He learnt the whole groups' names in a day, remembers what we all like to drink, and more importantly gently shares his interest in having a healthy diet and mind. He lent me a book on Buddhism, took us to the temple to meet the monks, and when I ask for coffee he brought me a chlorophyll drink first to counteract the negative effects. None of this is part of his job, he just engages with us on a human level and in a special way.

The rest of the staff are the same. Happy, helpful, kind, funny and seemingly not resentful that we are having such a good time. This kind of interaction is more rare in UK hotels. We have ridden on elephants, a speedboat, been in the jungle, observed a Thai karaoke (although too chicken to join in!) and still had time to get to know each other, debate with each other, and make long lasting friends over dinner and drinks in the evenings.

This is truly a special kind of holiday and I feel lucky to have been part of it.

Richard Lewis

Komedie skriftlig på Skyros Centre, By Ingunn

2011-03-07T02:11:00.000-08:00

Min plan var å finne en yoga-ferie i Hellas, da jeg synes Hellas er et flott ferie-mål. Ønsket var å kombinere ferien med yoga. Jeg googlet litt, men til min store glede fant jeg noe som var enda bedre. Komedie-skrivnings kurs.

Jeg har lenge lekt med tanken om å skrive komedie. Man kunne kombinere en uke med sol, strand og ca.fire timers skrive-workshop på formiddagen. Inkludert var det tilbud om yoga på morgenen og smykke-lagning på ettermiddag/kveld for de som ønsket det. Sunn god frokost og lunsj. Etter lunsjen gikk som regel turen ned til stranden. Man fikk lekser til neste dags workshop, men dette ble gjerne sett på som noe morsomt og kreativt.

Læreren var en engelsk komiker, Arthur Smith. En veldig uhøytidelig, utrolig morsom og hjelpsom mann. Klassen jeg gikk i ble en veldig sammensveiset gjeng. Jeg var eneste medlem i gruppen som ikke hadde engelsk som morsmål. Til tross for dette følte jeg meg veldig inkludert. Fra starten av var jeg innstillt på at det kunne bli litt av en utfordring å skrive komiske fortellinger/vitser på engelsk. Det er naturligvis veldig mange ord og uttrykk som er mye enklere å både uttrykke og forstå på eget språk. Det sier seg egentlig selv. For min del ga kurset likevel en boost i selvtilliten på det å skrive kreativt, som jeg aldri ville vært foruten. Personelig tror jeg man må være hundre prosent innstillt på å skrive på et annet språk. Samt bør man også virkelig brenne for kurset man skal delta i, så vil oppholdet bli vellykket.

Reise-lederne på senteret var også svært hjelpsomme og service-innstillte,og det bidrog til en flott ferie. Jeg ble kjent med mange veldig hyggelige folk fra andre land i gruppen.
På kveldene var det også tid til å titte litt i sentrum. Skyros sentrum som vi bodde i, var en koselig typisk gresk nydelig landsby. Jeg delte et lite hvitkalket hus/leilghet med en engelsk dame fra kurset. I løpet av uken var vi også på en arrangert utflukt til senteret på Atsitsa på den landre siden av øya. Det var virkelig en opplevelse. Atsitsa`s natur bød på blandt annet krystall-klar sjø, furu og daddel-trær som i et lite paradis.

Det virker som Skyros Holidays har noe for enhver smak. Denne uken i slutten av september var en uke med masse latter og glede.

Ingunn

Comedy Writing at The Skyros Centre, By Ingunn

My plan was to find a yoga holiday in Greece, as I think Greece is a great vacation destination. The desire was to combine your holiday with yoga. I googled a bit, but to my delight, I found something that was even better. Comedy spelling course.

I have long toyed with the idea of writing comedy. One could combine a week of sun, beach and ca.fire hour writing workshop in the morning. Included was the offer of yoga in the morning and jewellery layering in the afternoon / evening for those who wanted it. Healthy breakfast and lunch. After lunch was usually head down to the beach. You got homework the next day's workshop, but this was often seen as something fun and creative.

The teacher was an English comedian, Arthur Smith. A very unpretentious, very funny and helpful man. The class I went to was a very tight group. I was the only member in the group who did not have English as their mother tongue. Despite this, I felt very included. From the beginning, I was set in that it could be quite a challenge to write funny stories / jokes in English. It is of course very many words and phrases that are much easier to both understand and express in their own language. Needless to say, really though. For my part, however, gave the course a boost in confidence in the creative writing, which I never would have done without. Personal I think you must be a hundred percent set in writing in another language. Each one should also really burn for the course you should join, then the stay will be successful.

Travel Leaders at the Center was also very helpful and service-adjusted, and it contributed to a great holiday. I got to know many very nice people from other countries in the group.
In the evenings there was also time to look a little bit in the center. Skyros center that we stayed in was a nice typical Greek lovely village. I shared a small whitewashed house / leilghet with an English lady from the course. During the week we were also arranged on a excursion to the center of Atsitsa Landre on the side of the island. It was really an experience. Atsitsa `s nature offered among other things, crystal-clear sea, pine trees and date-trees in a small paradise.

It seems like Skyros Holidays has something for everyone. This week in late September was a week with lots of laughter and joy.

Ingunn

Skyros Cambodia: Behind the Lens by Julian Doyle

2011-02-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

Our journey to Cambodia begins with a trek through the jungle where we catch sight of a family of Gibbons swinging high in the treetops.

While we capture them on camera a hidden monkey watches us with equal interest.

On the road we encounter fascinating subjects for our flowering photographers.

A group of young monks at a service station...

... and the many beautiful children.

Our happy band are becoming proficient photographers and expand from recording the journey to surprising me with works of art.

And even skilled in capturing the small rainbow at the foot of a waterfall.

Or their dangerous encounter with elephants.

Then on to temples lost in jungles, where giant trees snarl their roots round dark doorways. Many rate the Women’s Temple one of their favourites with its delicate carvings.

We finish with a final rest in the cool shadows...

...before heading back for an ice cold beer in a bar in Siam Reap, feet dangling in a giant fish tank where minnows do a perfect pedicure on those tired soles or souls.

Let’s hope they’re not piranha’s!

Julian Doyle
With photos by participants on the Cambodia Adventure 14 - 23 January 2011

Julian recently facilitated ‘The Documented Journey’ on the Cambodia Adventure. Julian is one of the worlds most versatile Film Makers and is most famous for editing the Monty Python films ‘Life of Brian’ and shooting the Fx’s for Terry Gilliam’s ‘Timebandits’ and ‘Brazil’ which he also edited. Julian teaches at the London Film Academy.

Julian will be teaching at Atsitsa Bay in Greece from 1 - 11 June 2011 and at Skyros offshoot The Grange on the Isle of Wight from 30 Nov – 2 October 2011.

For more information on Skyros Holidays in Cambodia, why not take a look at the Cambodia section of our website at http://www.skyros.com/cambodia.htm

Skyros in Thailand by Kate Lester

2011-02-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

To be honest when I searched for a holiday this winter I wasn’t thinking of personal development – I was thinking of warmth and escape from the cold British winter. So I searched for Yoga holidays in Thailand and Skyros came up. Now I had heard of Skyros – a friend had subscribed me to their brochures many moons ago – but I was a younger, more corporate me and the thought of all this hippy nonsense just didn’t do it. But after 3 years of recession and a feeling that it was time I did a radical life rethink I was ready to give Skyros a go. So I booked and found myself less than a month later in sunny Thailand.

The Sofitel in Bangkok is great – I felt like I was having a 'Lost in Translation' moment gazing out over the multicoloured cityscape of Bangkok whilst I enjoyed the first of many splendid meals in Thailand. The next morning I touched base with my companions for the next 2 weeks and we enjoyed a fairly painless transfer to the beautiful island of Koh Chang. My middle class sensibilities were amply pandered to at our atmospheric 5 star resort – and the room was perfect – great views, lots of space, nicely appointed.

The next day, the week was set out for us – Yoga at 07.45, then a variety of meetings, which would become the backbone of every day, then our morning session hosted by the inimitable Malcolm Stern, and then an evening course in singing. Evenings could and would be organised if we liked or we could our separate ways and explore Koh Chang. Bit more than the anticipated yoga break!

In for a penny, in for a pound I thought and decided to cast away my standard cynicism and participate. And participate I did. And I can’t believe what a revelation it has been. The yoga every morning was a great way to start the day. The Oekos group provided me with support I didn’t know I needed, the Courage to Change has brought about revelations that mean I can find a more authentic way of being, to be happier and more fulfilled, and the singing… oh the singing!! Well if I tell you I haven’t sung in public for 25 years and found myself on a stage doing a rendition of 'Summertime' by the end of the course you will understand that Sarah Warwick is an illuminating teacher who has the ability to inspire and motivate, not to mention the voice of an angel. Quite simply the whole trip was bliss. Amazing, thought provoking, sometimes controversial but truly life changing.

The only way I can describe the impact of Skyros is to give you a before and after picture of me. In all honesty before the course I was very stressed, at a crisis point in my marriage, career and facing my children going off to University with dread. Since Skyros I feel like I have found my self again – had 2 weeks of sunshine, am very bendy and feel that with continued practice I can create a more fulfilling life. In addition to that I have been massaged to the point of bliss, eaten the most glorious food and made friends I look forward to seeing again.

Try it. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Kate Lester
www.katelester.com

Kate joined Skyros in Thailand for celebrations over the New Year. Skyros-in-Thailand is hosted in the exquisite Aiyapura Resort and Spa on the magical island of Koh Chang. The holiday included courses such as life coaching, singing and yoga as well as optional spa treatments, snorkelling and elephant trekking. To find out more about Skyros holidays, including holidays in Greece this summer, visit www.skyros.com.

Atsitsa Enhanced My Life by Sue Harris

2011-01-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

I spent two lovely fulfilling weeks in Atsitsa, Skyros in 2008. It had taken me 10 years to get there after somebody told me it had changed his life! I really wanted and needed to get in touch with my creative self which had been buried under the weight of life for too long.

Singing in the sea and on the rock overlooking the sea were probably two of my highlights of the trip. But the eureka moment was during a course run by Julie McNamara. We explored our creativity and had the chance to write poems, draw etc in a supportive environment. I used to write poetry in my teens but hadn’t written any since school. I realised how much I enjoyed it.

I spent a year just writing my own musings in a book, not showing them to anybody. Then I decided I wanted to get these musings into a form that others could read and enjoy. I set up a session with Felicity Fair Thompson at The Grange on the Isle of Wight - we ended up spending 2 hours instead of 1 hour and it gave me the pointers I needed to make my musings into poems and I haven’t looked back since.

I have got about 40 poems now (written in just over a year) and I have put some of them into two competitions recently. Felicity has been wonderful at giving feedback on my poems and I have been back to the Isle of Wight twice in the last year, spending time with Felicity on both occasions to develop my poems.

I love The Grange in the Isle of Wight and I have used it as my place to go for a rest and recuperation over the last 2 years - it is a home from home.

I'd like to share some of my poetry with you which was in part inspired by my time at Atsitsa.

Sue Harris

RACE FOR LIFE - CELEBRATE BEING ALIVE

Pink ribbons flapping
Pink women running
Cancer for day banished
Love for life cherished

Sun beats down
on the ground
to the happy sound
of bees buzzing
butterflies strumming
people happily humming

Illness, death, becomes race for life
Women no longer Mother and wife
Together as one run and strive
To celebrate being alive

Picnics eaten
barbecues beaten
relaxing on the ground
in pink surround
laughter and tears abound
race for life profound

Sue Harris - June 2010

LUSTFUL AUTUMN

Cool breeze masks sultry heat of summer’s passing.
Luscious, vibrant , berries unveil lustful Autumn waking
Yellow, red, purple, round and juicy
Beckoning like a large breasted floosie.

Her songs once more caress our ears,
Energy returns for Autumn indulgence
Nurture for mind, body and senses,
Warmth for winter’s long impotence.

Sue Harris - September 2010

RHYTHM OF THE TRAIN

Swing it boys
Let it rip from the hip
Life in the fast lane
Slowed down by the train

Trees swaying in time
Cows chewing to the rhythm
Train meandering through semi tones
Swing it boys once again.

Sue Harris

Sue visited Atsitsa Bay for a holiday in 2008 where she had the opportunity to choose from a wide range of activities including personal development, windsurfing, painting, singing, dance, sailing and yoga. For more details about Atsitsa Bay or any other Skyros holiday visit www.skyros.com.

She also visits Skyros offshoot The Grange guest house on a regular basis. Visit www.thegrangebythesea.com for more details including our varied programme of weekend courses and B&B room rates.

Atsitsa Bay - The Place by Kate Shore

2010-10-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

In a place where the waves sway soothingly against the rocks,
Where the silky rhythm tunes into your heart,
Where the calm is inhaled from within,
There is no anguish
There is no sorrow.

In a place where the sun reaches into our soul,
Where the light shines through our hearts,
There is no darkness
There is no hollow.

At dawn, the wind breathes into our bodies,
Exhaling any insecurities,
Cleansing our souls from deep within.
At dusk it settles our hearts,
Renews our strength,
And gently eases our sorrow.

In a place where the past is history,
Where the future beckons us on and moves us with force,
Where nature is at ease with itself,
Shining on as an example,
Leading the way to move on.

In a place where my wound is healing,
Where my judgements and decisions are clear,
Where no past can haunt the future,
But the unexpected shows us no fear.

Atsitsa Bay – the healer and the journey,
Beckoning us and believing in us to encompass what lies ahead.
The gate,
The path,
And the way.

Kate Shore
Written 29/09/10, Skyros Island, Greece

Kate visited Atsitsa Bay for a holiday in late September this year where she had the opportunity to choose from a wide range of activities including personal development, windsurfing, painting, singing, dance, sailing and yoga. For more details about Atsitsa Bay or any other Skyros holiday visit www.skyros.com.

My Skyros Centre Adventure by Sara Withers

2010-10-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

I went to the Skyros Centre on Skyros island in Greece to facilitate some jewellery making for the Music and Arts part of the programme. I didn't really know what to expect, but had decided it was time for a little adventure. My husband came with me and we were both in need of a holiday as well as a change, and normally we would have gone to Greece to collapse at this time of year!

What an adventure it was - we were both captivated by how Skyros works. We arrived mid session and were so impressed by how supportive and welcoming everyone was. We met so many interesting people from many different countries. There is a real feeling of the community working together to create a space where participants can rethink their lives, learn a new skill or relax in a proactive way.

There is lots to do, a great yoga class first thing, classes in the morning and early evening and some evening activities. But there's always time for the beach, a walk or just time on your own as well. And wonderful healthy food. The jewellery making was a pleasure, it was great to be working with such interested and interesting people and the beach had just the right sort of stones to make into pendants!

Our second week was Arthur Smith's comedy writing course. I don't think I have heard so much laughter for years, again a positive, caring group was quickly formed from the participants.

How does it happen so fast at Skyros?

Sara Withers

Sara came to the Skyros Centre in September with her husband Nick to teach jewellery making as part of the Music and Arts programme at the Centre. For more information about the Skyros Centre or any of the other holistic holidays offered by Skyros Holidays visit the Skyros website or call 01983 865566.

Cuba and the Craft of Fiction with Romesh Gunesekera

2010-09-29T04:05:00.000-07:00

As summer ends and the temperature drops, you sense change in the air. You open the newspaper and find Cuba splashed across the page. You wonder what it would be like to see a place on the brink of change. You wonder what it would be like to change yourself and discover new ways of seeing, of expressing yourself creatively.

You have been wanting to put your thoughts down in words, to get in touch with the stories in your head, to write, but there has never been the time to do it. You don’t know where to begin, and what to do next. What shall I write about? Who can I show it to? How do I write the next bit? Is it any good?

Trying to write unleashes a load of questions and not much progress and you forget that writing should be a joy.

You want to spend some time away to play with your imagination and explore a new world. You want to write more and better. You want to discover how to start that book you always wanted to write.

Cuba is the place. In our Havana writing workshop we will examine the craft of fiction and do short exercises to get back in touch with the pleasures of writing. We read out our stories and share tips. We will find inspiration from the place and from each other and have the time to write what we want.

In the Atsitsa workshop in Greece I led two years ago, the 8 participants ranged from those who had never tried writing fiction to those already embarked on a project. We had a fantastic time. A week of discovery, and already one published novel.

Cuba promises to be even better.

Romesh Gunesekera

Romesh Gunesekera, internationally acclaimed writer whose first Novel, Reef, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and his second one, Sandglass, was awarded the BBC Asia award. His most recent novel The Match was described by the Spectator as 'effortlessly accomplished', and the Irish Times as a book that 'shows why fiction is written - and read'.

Romesh will be running his course 'Fiction Writing' from 14 - 24 November 2010. Call Skyros on 01983 865566 to book or book online at www.skyros.com.

Skyros Centre - Hill To The Sea

2010-09-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

Butterfly hillside
High
Diving hawks
spiralling down in loose formation

Dawn till dark

White horse on the hill, so still
So still.
Hibiscus descending,
a red scented waterfall,
White butterflies, red ones,
from flower to flower

White horse on the hill,
My beauty,
So still.
Alone on the hillside
In sunlight and tethered
Alone in the tall grass
the flowers around you.

Sea birds ride the wind
Rising hot from the meadow,
their shadows
a pattern
on the hillside below,
Their shrill cries
Songs of freedom
crisscrossed and free
On their run to the sea.

Marti Mirkin
Skyros, 5th September 2010

Marti Mirkin attended a writing holiday this summer at the Skyros Centre in Greece with Skyros Holidays. See www.skyros.com for more information. The holiday included yoga, writing, music and arts as well as the many delights of island village life.

Siesta on Skyros by Kevan Manwaring

2010-09-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

Sshhh,
the village is asleep –
curled into the folds of the hills,
sugar cube houses,
white against the dusty olive groves,
the pungent sage, sparse grass, fennel bushes.
Cats lay withering, scrawny,
all eyes and claws,
in hammocks of shadow.
Dogs pant, old men hawk.
Yah yahs sit on plastic thrones,
exiled monarchs,
eyes moist with lost kingdoms
coups and treasons,
traitorous hearts,
the splendour of the past,
memories brought out like jewels
Burnished with time.
Washing hangs like streaks of paint
suspended in the air.
Scooters, pick-ups
are parked on improbable precipices.
Television sets are gagged –
the soap opera will have to wait,
paused – as the village grapevine.
Even the Gods hold their breath,
take time out
from the eternal squabbling –
the sea respects the sky,
the wind and the mountain war not.
the earth is silent –
no tantrum tremors disturb
the monastery perched on the peak,
nest for black bearded birds.
The rooster no longer mocks the sun,
Even the braying donkey bites her tongue,
mute in her daily indignation.
It is siesta,
and all good Skyrians
are as stubborn as the ass.
The glistering shops are shuttered,
trading ceased in the market place.
Even the water washed down the steps,
seems to slow, melting glass.
Everything settles into itself,
stops for a while trying
to be something else.
The velocity of the world
slows.
Each moment
dilates –
a knob of butter slowly melting in a pan.
The riches of night,
the hoard of dreams,
erupt into day,
as the window eyelids droop,
villas nod upon sloping shoulder.
and Skyros succumbs
to Morpheus
for the masses.

Kevan Manwaring
Skyros, 14th September 2010

Kevan recently ran a two week course in Greece which consisted of Writing Poetry and Life Fiction. Kevan is a writer of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction who lives in Bath, Somerset. Holder of an MA in the Teaching and Practice in Creative Writing from Cardiff University, he teaches creative writing for the Open University. See Kevan's website www.kevanmanwaring.co.uk

To find out more about the acclaimed Writers' Lab on Skyros Island, Greece, described by The Guardian as 'number one of the world's five best writing holidays', see www.skyros.com or call 01983 865566 for your Skyros brochure.

The Writers' Lab by Monique Roffey

2010-09-05T06:47:00.000-07:00

Just back from the Writer's Lab, Skyros. The group arrived on 15th August, which is a big holiday in Greece, one which celebrates the ascent of the Holy Virgin into heaven. A very important event in the Greek orthodox calendar.

We arrived to a very lively island, festivities in full flow - and 42 degrees heat. Funny thing, the weather and Greece and the British. We spent the first week discussing the extreme heat - and the second week discussing the high winds. If it had been perfectly still and evenly warm throughout - I'm sure we would have discussed that too.

For the two weeks at the end of August, the Skyros Centre was turned into an exclusive Writer's Lab. Seventeen writers and me, just us. We ate drank, slept and talked writing all through the days and nights.

I can truly say that I have not had such a strong and talented group, either at Skyros or anywhere else. Half the group were easily well on their way to publication. In the first week, I taught the craft of fiction; we talked about how to make stories work on the page, how to make credible characters and how to make the world of the novel live.

I had my students, walking the streets touching, smelling, listening to and tasting parts of the town they had never thought to taste. Week Two I steered the group into the broad umbrella that is 'life writing'. This is slightly edgier writing and it worked well that this was left for the second half of the holiday, when the group had bonded, gelled and relaxed - and trusted each other to share their life stories.

On the final night there was a soiree type salon and the students sang songs and read their work. I have heard from several of the group since leaving Skyros, some of who are now applying to do an MA, others looking to form a small writing group in London. It was a holistic holiday - yoga, massage, Vasso's Kitchen, writing, writing writing, which is the right kind of work and quite a bit else thrown in. Wonderful chemistry.

Thank you Skyros for inviting me again. I learnt a new word: idiotica, which is Greek for wanting to be alone.

Monique Roffey,
author, idiotica

Monique Roffey ran her writing course at the Skyros Writers' Lab in Greece, named by The Guardian as No 1 of the World's 5 Best Writing Holidays. Monique's latest novel is The White Woman on the Green Bicycle. She is an ex Arvon Centre Director and Royal Literary Fund Fellow. She teaches Creative Writing for English PEN, Arvon and is a guest tutor on the Goldsmiths MA in Creative Writing.

Monique has just been short-listed for the prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction award that is awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year. The Orange Prize forms part of the "trinity" of UK literary prizes, along with the Man Booker Prize and the Costa Book Awards.

Interview with Ari Badaines at the Skyros Centre

2010-09-05T03:34:00.000-07:00

Ari Badaines trained as a clinical psychologist in the USA. For twelve years he lived in Britain where he had a private practice and led numerous groups and training courses. He now lives in Sydney, Australia where he maintains a consulting practice. In August 2010, Amanda Smyth (teaching at the Writers' Lab) met Ari at the Skyros Centre, where he is running personal development courses.

How long have you been coming to Skyros? This is my twenty ninth consecutive summer.

What brought you here? Airplane and boat! Actually, I was invited by Dina, one of the founders, to run a personal development group. Back then there were three intensive personal development groups of around 13 people in each group, running simultaneously.

Are the problems people brought to the groups similar now to what they were? Yes, essentially the issues are mainly around relationships, so pretty much the same now as they were back then: career choices, childhood experiences, relationship to self, relationship to others; these are the typical kinds of issues that reoccur.

Does change happen quickly here at Skyros? Sometimes change does occur more quickly; this is partly because of the intensity of the course. The course runs every day, rather than once a week, as in typical ongoing therapy. And although frequency doesn’t guarantee change, there is an added intensity, plus there’s tremendous support and opportunity for experimentation, for being different, and trying out better ways of being and relating.

At Skyros, everyone is in the same boat, so people are more compassionate, understanding and supportive. It doesn’t matter if you’re part of the writing lab or taking the self-development course – people at Skyros are encouraged to experiment, challenge and take risks. If they’re going to develop, this is a good space in which to do it.

I was struck by the atmosphere here in Skryos, not just at the centre but in the town, too. It feels like a very special island. We can project anything into an environment; there is the beauty of this island, the sun, the sea and being so close to nature in such a beautiful village. This can make you feel differently about things. It can feel very good and supportive. But changing our environment - from what we’re used to - can also be challenging. It’s how we perceive what’s here, and that depends on where you are in your individual process.

How are you received by locals? There are a few locals that seem to remember me from year to year, and give me a warm hello. But, of course, I am limited by my Greek language skills.

There are one or two people that I try to see regularly who speak very good English, who I have quite a strong relationship with. That is, I would feel disappointed if I didn’t see them. Yorgo, for instance. Many years ago, as I wandered around Skyros town on my own, I would go into his shop and see his plates, which are exquisite works of art. And gradually, we started to talk, to get to know one another; a relationship built up. Ten years ago he moved into the countryside where I now visit him, and he welcomes me like a member of the family. We laugh and tell stories. He is so artistically creative, I have a lot of respect for what he does, his abilities, his humor.

What is the focus of your work here? To help people become aware of where they get stuck in their life, to help them become aware of the choices they make to keep themselves there. My work offers the opportunity to confront those issues, and the things that keep them stuck. With the support of the group behind them, they are free to take risks and experiment with a new way of being and doing.

Some believe a leopard never changes its spots, they simply move around? Do you think there is any truth in this? I’m helping people, not to change, but to become more of who they are.

I do believe that people can make quite dramatic changes. Like the woman who does too much to please others because she doesn’t value herself, and when she begins to take ownership of her own good ‘enough-ness,’ she makes huge and dramatic changes. It’s exciting to see.

It is each person’s responsibility to carry on with the work they have started here, and when they don’t practice this work, when they forget, it’s like muscles - they weaken. This environment supports change, and unfortunately, the environment they return to doesn’t always encourage change. Systemically, whether at work or in relationship, there will be pressure to return things to the way they were formerly - to homeostasis. It is something we talk about here at Skryos.

Sometimes support from friends who have been there will help. Also continuing with group therapy or individual therapy. Many stay in touch with people from the course and get support beyond it. The process of change can generate excitement; this new found excitement can help to propel participants and to keep the change going. Positive change brings positive results.

You have said that this is one of your favourite places to work. Why do you return to Skyros? It’s a place that I can most be myself. So many aspects of me can be expressed here. And I think that people similarly discover this for themselves when they come. It’s about how we are.

What is it about Skyros that allows you to be yourself here? It’s not a competitive society; the typical influence of class, status and gender, outward trappings of success aren’t important here. Everyone wears shorts and t shirts – it’s very relaxed. There’s no exclusive restaurant that you can go to. I think most people find that they can be accepted into the community and be a part of it.

What about the villagers? I have noticed how friendly they are, the women sitting on their steps in their black dresses, always with a smile, a greeting, a wave? There is a warmth in the people and an appreciation of us. In the early years, what’s now a dress shop used to be a restaurant. Yesterday, I saw the woman who once ran that restaurant, and I told her I’d been coming here many years; that she made the best calamari I had ever tasted. She tapped her heart, and I could see that she was moved. I was moved, too. It’s the simplicity of that contact, a moment in history, of 25 years ago, and us meeting now conveying that experience. Skyros is relatively still untouched by tourists. In some of the other islands, the culture has almost been taken over by tourism.

What is your favourite local delicacy? BOUGATSA. There is a particular shop where I buy bougatsas that are unique to Skyros. It is a filling that most people think is apple pie; the combination of filo pastry and cinnamon is absolutely delicious. There are many other favourite foods – souvlaki, the fresh fish, the calamari...

What kind of holidaymaker does Skyros attract? People who are looking for more than a beach holiday, even though all those elements can be found here. In addition, people who want to learn or develop, to experience and immerse themselves more deeply into the warmth of the Greek culture in a lovely Greek town, surrounded by sea and beauty, and be part of the Skyros Centre as well.

I was struck by Skyros's beauty. From almost every spot, there is something for the eyes to feast on. What is your favourite view? On the beach looking back up onto the village in the moonlight: you have the sea and the mountain and the village in one frame.

To find out more about personal development courses at the Skyros Centre, Greece, see www.skyros.com or call 01983 865566 for your Skyros brochure.

A Skyrian Feat by Helen Brown

2010-09-05T02:40:00.000-07:00

By the light of the warmth of the love,
Bouncing off the beautiful balcony,
She felt the glow of rekindled hope.
This is only given to the one who needs.

By the light of the peace of the love,
Calling from the common cobbled path,
She welcomed the calm in her soul.
This is only given to the one who awakes.

By the light of the wonder of the love,
Surfacing with the sparkle of the sea,
She exhilarated in budding confidence.
This is only given to the one who believes.

By the light of the strength of the love,
Flowing from the new made fervent friendships,
She experienced the kindling of desires.
This is only given to the one who asks.

By the light of the beauty of the love,
Releasing out of the rambunctious rocks,
She explored her inner awareness.
This is only given to the one who seeks.

By the light of the wholeness of the love,
Steadily seeping out the Skyrian sentience,
She braved, she swam the Herculean swim.
This is only given to the one who accepts.

By the light of the purity of the love,
Sweetly singing in the soft sand,
She inspired others to connect.
This is only given to the one who achieves.

Helen Brown

Helen visited the Skyros Centre, Greece, for a holiday in June this summer. Find out more about Skyros holidays at www.skyros.com or call 01983 865566 for your Skyros brochure.

A tribe of acute awareness by Richard Layzell

2010-09-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

We're moving very slowly and silently up the hill from the Skyros Centre. It's late afternoon and the last day of the art/landscape workshop. This is a quiet climax. I know where we're heading, but the others don't. Is it possible to experience this amazing physical and historical environment differently, even when I think I know it so well?

Murray and David are exploring the architecture, as we ascend, and how it changes. Claire is looking for beauty. Lynn is noting down every sound she hears. Her list is getting longer by the minute. We are all helping each other, pointing out views, clusters of bougainvillea, historical details above doorways, the sound of a family chatting. We communicate freely but never speak. People pass us, noticing our silence, our stillness or how we are intently gazing in different directions. We are a tribe of acute awareness.

When we reach our destination, the terrace of the Faltaits Museum, we slowly and gradually begin to speak again. I have never before experienced Skyros Town as a communal design project. For the first time I realise that the residents of individual houses consider the viewpoints of their neighbours' properties, to make the most of every view, every corner. This is a collective artwork in progress. And Murray mentions that the architect Le Corbusier was influenced by Skyros.

The light is fading now on the terrace as we chat, draw, make notes and enjoy the mountain tea and coffee served by Manos, who'd answered our questions about Skyros a few evenings before. He apologises for the amount of tea served. I apologise for the number of coffees ordered. The museum is as intriguing as ever, inhabiting its own architectural triumph. How fortunate are we? Speechless again.

Richard Layzell

Richard Layzell facilitated his course in Outdoor Art at the Skyros Centre in Greece this summer. Richard is an award-winning artist, writer and teacher. His current exhibition, The Manifestation, (with Tania Koswycz) is touring the UK, and their dialogues, Cream Pages, is due to be published this year. Find out more about Skyros holidays at www.skyros.com. Richard teaches at both the Skyros Centre in the village and at the Atsitsa Bay Centre.

Emerge from your chrysalis with Joyce Dunbar

2010-09-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

Friday 30th July....the last day of the Writers' Lab on Skyros island, Greece.

I am sitting at a table at Thomas's sea front taverna, with grass shades above and the sea just below. With me at the table is the writing group. We have met to round off the 10 day course with a few practicalities about publishing, and to read out our collective story - which will be a surprise to all of us - since none of us knows what it will be. Also for a long and lovely lunch.

I look at the faces around me. Ten days ago they were just a blur of strangers. Now each is etched with character and personality. Not only that, ten distinct voices have emerged, clear, funny, serious, poetic, idiosyncratic, resonant, unique. That's why groups are so good. We realise our own singularity by recognizing that of others. This group had it in spades. Some already accomplished writers, three psychotherapists, Ali from Saudi Arabia who spent 14 of his 28 years as a nomad and whose father was the poet of his tribe. They challenged me at every turn, but guided and inspired me.

In Skyros, people emerge from their chrysalis. Self doubt is dispelled. The women are like butterflies, spreading their bright colours, writing songs and stories, painting, singing, doing yoga. Here, we get to wear our fantasy wardrobe. We dress up every night. A great treat for the men - who respond with an almost troubadourian sense of chivalry (and goodness knows what else).

Sunday 1st August. I am sitting at my desk now at home, cool, rested, restored. I know that this will fortify me for weeks ahead - and that over the years Skyros - the place, the people, the permanent staff who take the everyday domestic hassle onto their own shoulders, the support of the other facilitators and directors, have helped me to become more truly myself. I trust that this is so for all of you, and that for a while at least, we can keep the humdrum at bay. Love and thanks. Sto kalo

Joyce Dunbar

Joyce was teaching at the Skyros Centre's Writers' Lab in Greece.

At the age of 21 Joyce Dunbar decided she was a writer, but she didn't know what sort. For the next 15 years she wrote poetry, fiction, journalism, and radio talks on a range of subjects, with limited success, while teaching literature to adults.

It wasn't until she was 35 that she wrote her first children's book, inspired by an illustration. Since then she has published 80 more. She also teaches creative writing, is a former writing fellow at UEA, and at present her 12 step guide to writing can be found on the BOOKTRUST website in BOOKBITE. She is also writing a memoir.

To find out more about the Skyros Writers' Lab, described by The Guardian as No. 1 of the World's 5 Best Writing Holidays, see www.skyros.com or call 01983 865566 for your Skyros brochure.

Emma Darwin & The Mathematics of Love

2010-09-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

My debut novel, The Mathematics of Love, was born on Skyros. I’d been writing fiction for a while, and got some mildly encouraging rejections, but I’d gone as far as I could on my own. I also badly needed a holiday. Someone said, ‘Skyros’ to me, and I discovered heaven.

It wasn’t just glorious Greece, or sitting writing under the trees on the Skyros Centre terrace, or the sea, sun, sand, or the gorgeous food. The course that Mary Flanagan ran gave my writing a bigger step up than almost anything else has. It gave me ways and words to think about writing. It gave me confidence that I could write a story that critical readers liked reading. It taught me how to dip into the world, and into myself, to find what I wanted to say. No writer ever stops needing more inspiration, technique or confidence, but they’re the keys to good writing which I was first handed on Skyros.

So what about my novel? At the time it was just one of many exercises; Mary asked us to spend twenty minutes writing a story entitled ‘Watch’. As she spoke I looked out across the terracotta and dark-green of the valley and saw a soldier in a red coat, on a watch-tower. It was Wellington’s Spain, I knew, but the soldier wasn’t watching the road from Extremadura, he was watching a local girl bathing in the river. I revised it, then put it away with all the others.

I went home, and wrote the first novel I wouldn’t be ashamed to show you. But my soldier wouldn’t go away; I embarked on an MPhil in Writing, and Stephen Fairhurst could tell his own story at last. That novel became The Mathematics of Love, and it got me the degree and an agent. I signed a two-book deal with Headline Review, then Harper Collins in the US, and translations followed. When I came back to Atsitsa with my teenage children I had the copy-edited manuscript in my bag to work on, under the trees of a different terrace.

The Mathematics of Love was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ and Goss First Novel awards, among others. My second novel, A Secret Alchemy, hit the bestseller lists before it got me a PhD in Creative Writing. My third is nearly finished. Since then I’ve appeared at literary festivals from Hay to New Zealand, I teach for the Open University and elsewhere, I judge competitions and write editorial reports, and I blog about writing at This Itch of Writing. And it all started on Skyros.

Emma Darwin

Emma Darwin attended a holiday at the acclaimed Writers' Lab at the Skyros Centre, named by The Guardian as No 1 of the 5 Best Writing Holidays. To find out more about Skyros Writers' Lab holidays, see www.skyros.com/writers_lab.htm or call 01983 865566.

Read more about Emma and her new literary career at www.emmadarwin.com and read Emma's blog 'This Itch of Writing'.

Sophie King's memories of Skyros

2010-09-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

Skyros is the most extraordinary place. I sensed this from the minute we got onto the ferry to reach this amazing island. It is very spiritual but at the same time practical in that it lifts up your spirits and gives you a purpose in life as well as ideas for the future.

I was bowled over by some of the students and staff whom I met there, many of whom had led incredible lives and wanted to share them. In fact, I still correspond with some of them. I also had some lovely feedback from students who said that I had inspired them to keep writing.

As I sit here in England writing this, I cannot wait to get back onto the terrace where we all share breakfast and lunch/ dinner. The terrace overlooks a wonderful stretch of fields right down to the sea. In the morning, I would open my French windows and step out onto the patio to join the early morning yoga class. This year, my husband will be coming with me and I am looking forward to him sharing the Skyros experience.

Sophie King

Sophie King, author of THE WEDDING PARTY which was shortlisted for LOVE STORY OF THE YEAR 2010, ran her course at the acclaimed Writers' Lab on Skyros Island Greece. The Writers' Lab was named by The Guardian as No 1 of the World's 5 Best Writing Holidays. For more information about Sophie and her work visit www.sophieking.info. To find out more about the Skyros Writers' Lab, visit www.skyros.com/writers_lab.htm or call 01983 867644.

Poem from the Skyros Centre by Mandy Rymill

2010-07-27T04:32:00.000-07:00

We all came to Skyros to set ourselves free
To write and to swim and to just simply be
There’s the writers, the lifers, the tutors, the team
We’re all one big family, or so it must seem
To the villagers who look at us as if we are mad
With our yoga mats and musings and eyes that are sad
But this place has healed us and set us on the way
To a bright future for all, so we say ‘thanks’ for our stay.

To Julian with his clipboard, his Greek and his rules
And John with his calmness and life-coaching tools
There’s Crysse with her ‘lovely’ and her words of advice
And Yoga Suzy with her positions, massage hands so nice
And Sarah-Helena who sorts, does and smiles
And finally Hazel who has made it all so worthwhile.

And what about us?
There’s Helen, the wisest and Scottish of all participants
And Trish with her kindness, her hair and her ants
And Maggie so observant, who wanders afar
And Simon with his ladies and his trip in the car.
There’s Nicky with her dress, her piano and her songs
And Richard with his quirkiness, his jokes but no thong
And Jo with her snorkel, her lie-ins and ouzo
And Jeannie with her lilo and swimming and booze – oh,
And don’t forget Anna with her opera and her wine
And Annette with her skirts and her dresses so fine.
Then there’s Diana with her yoga, her hat and skirt
And Mike with his football club and very nice shirt.
Then there’s Kathy, a vegetarian who doesn’t eat fish
And Musetta with her history, her journal and dish – washing
And let’s not forget Steph with her poems and grace
And, finally, there’s me, with the bump on my face.

So Skyros we say ‘thank you’ for all that you are
And know that we’ll think of you whether near or whether far.

Mandy Rymill

Mandy attended the Writers' Lab holiday at the Skyros Centre in June. To find out more about the Skyros Centre, visit www.skyros.com/village_centre.htm or call 01983 865566 for a brochure.

Home from home by Simon Luscombe

2010-07-07T04:35:00.000-07:00

You know, I have grown to appreciate this beautiful island of Skyros and particularly the Skyros Centre.

Even after spending time at the much imagined and, possibly, envied Asitsa Bay, where many new friends had chosen to spend their holiday/course.

When I went to Atsitsa this weekend I thought how wonderful it was; the rural setting, the peacefulness and the relaxed atmosphere. I enjoyed the company I had met on the transfer over to Skyros; the beautiful sunset and of course the incredible singing that we enjoyed with the Asitsa group.

I was fortunate to stay over the night, along with Chrissie, the creative writer facilitator, I must say in some very comfortable huts and not the dreaded dorms that I had expected!

The following day we enjoyed (not endured) the walk across the island, back to Skyros Town. This certainly put me, for one, more in touch with the landscape and nature of the island.

I wasn't prepared though for the feeling of being back home in Skyros Town. I was so happy to be back in civilisation, to be back amongst the white washed walls, the cafés and bars of the high street, busyness of the town and of course the friendly faces of the Greek people in Skyros Town.

Most of all though it was nice to be back at the Skyros Centre, which now feels like home. No small thanks to Julian, Hazel, Sarah-Helena, Susie, Suzie, Chrissie, John and not least the two wonderful cooks who provide us daily with such lovely food, all who have created a home from home atmosphere. This is a very special place and I, for one, am glad that I chose to spend my break here amongst such lovely company.

Simon Luscombe

Simon attended the Life Choices programme at the Skyros Centre, on Skyros island, Greece. See www.skyros.com or call 01983 865566 for a Skyros brochure. At the Skyros Centre, you can choose either the Life Choices or Writers' Lab programme. Holidays at the Skyros Centre also include yoga, massage and music and arts activities and the current season runs until Saturday 2 October.

Dancing with Diana on the Beach by Maggie Sackett

2010-07-07T04:23:00.001-07:00

Well I’m dancing, Diana is gently swaying in the hammock. We are happy. We each have a cool glass of yellow wine in hand. There are red-flashed white fluffy clouds in the sky behind a dark Crete-shaped one.

We are on Skyros beach and it is indeed the magical place as billed in the brochure. Nothing disappoints. It is all perfect.

A soundtrack of soft jazz plays. There is no wind to blow out the flags. The mosquitos dance around me, the 50 per cent deet roll on keeping them at bay. There is sand in my fit flops.

A slice of rock juts out enclosing one side of the bay, a man made harbour with a couple of fishing boats on the other. Two arms embracing this semi circle of heaven. Two Greek boys are kicking a football around, the world cup match on the flat screen in the bar driving them here to play out their dreams.

The turquoise and cream umbrellas are tucked up for the night and the sound of the waves coming home fills the silences between the jazz notes. A drop of rain falls from Crete which has somehow joined up with a black cloud the size of Europe. The moment has gone but it was there and I’ll always remember it.

Maggie Sackett

Maggie attended the Writers' Lab at the Skyros Centre on Skyros island, Greece. See www.skyros.com. The Writers' Lab was named by The Guardian as No 1 of the World's 5 Best Writing Holidays. See Press. The current season of holidays at the Skyros Centre runs up to Saturday 2 October. Call 01983 865566 for your Skyros brochure.

Notes from a small island by Jennie Rooney

2010-07-07T04:12:00.000-07:00

As a facilitator for the Writers' Lab, I had a wonderful fortnight at the Skyros Centre - great food, inspiring company and lovely afternoons at the beach.

I will miss being awoken by goats and church bells, but more than anything else I'll miss the company of the other writers and their stories, characters and fictional alter-egos!

Jennie Rooney

Jennie Rooney's first novel was published in 2008 and was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, as well as being featured on Richard and Judy's New Writers Book Club. She lives in London, where she also works for First Story (a school-based writing project) and runs creative writing courses. Her second novel is to be published in June 2010.

Jennie was facilitating the Writers' Lab programme at the Skyros Centre on Skyros island, Greece. See www.skyros.com. The Writers' Lab was named No 1 on the World's 5 Best Writing Holidays by The Guardian. See press.

Finally Started my Novel by Andrew Stevenson

2010-07-07T04:02:00.000-07:00

A wonderfully creative atmosphere. I finally started my novel and finished the first chapter. I would have loved to stay longer to finish the second.

Andrew Stevenson

Andrew attended the Writers' Lab at the Skyros Centre on Skyros island, Greece. See www.skyros.com. The Guardian named Skyros as No 1 of the World's Five Best Writing Holidays. See press coverage here.

A Perfect Start to the Day by Maggie Sackett

2010-07-07T03:33:00.000-07:00

Its 7am time for yoga with Suzie on the terrace. I’m halfway through my third week. I've been sound healed, painted mandalas, made hay with Hazel, sung a trio of songs with my Scottish and Irish inmates in an operatic belly dancing fashion and freed my spirit.

More dead dog than downward dog says Suzie, concentrate on your breathing. If only I hadn’t stopped off for that hot chocolate and brandy on the way home, may be too much after the half litre of red with dinner. It was delicious though.

Don’t let your mind wander like a drunken monkey. But I do. I’ve had such a fantastic time I just can't stop smiling. Where is that cynical jaded anxious woman that I brought to the island before Skyros worked its magic? I'm not taking her home that’s for sure.

Put your left hand behind you and imagine you are curling it round a hamster then stretch the other up as high as you can. Keep your feet strong not like floppy dead kippers. Suzie inspects our yoga poses.

Your hamster is crushed, she reports, moving me into a vicious twist. As the sun starts warming my body and I know the pain is nearly over, I can hear Julian crossly calling Mollie the collie who has made yet another break for freedom. Finally we lie down and Susie goes through opening our chakras as we reach the crown of our heads a white light suffuses my body and I am filled with energy. I sit up and open my eyes. The ground tumbles towards the blue green aegean sea. A perfect view, A perfect start to the day.

Maggie Sackett

Maggie attended the Writers' Lab at the Skyros Centre on Skyros island, Greece. See www.skyros.com. The Guardian named Skyros as No 1 of the World's Five Best Writing Holidays. See press coverage here.

Joyce Dunbar joins the Writer's Lab this July

2010-06-23T04:57:00.000-07:00

In 1997, I was shipwrecked in my life. I had lost the past, and was full of fear for the future. On an impulse, because I saw it advertised in THE SOCIETY OF AUTHORS magazine, I enrolled on a course with Sue Townsend (Of Adrian Mole fame). I wanted to laugh, and learn. I wanted a holiday. I had never travelled abroad alone before. I was apprehensive.

Skyros island itself is beautiful - like the enchanted island in Shakespeare's TEMPEST. The journey there is a slow induction into a different culture, climate, ethos. The place is heaven scented with herbs.

Sue's course was everything I hoped for, fun, insightful, dazzling. But the whole place, the whole atmosphere, was so welcoming. They told me something amazing. "You can do whatever you set out to do."

And so I did. I joined other courses as a participant, one run by writer Andrew Davies, another by founder Dina Glouberman. Out of this I gained new confidence - enough to offer myself as a facilitator.

I have now done this for eight years. This year will be my ninth. But in between, I have done all sorts of other things, pushed my own boundaries, testing the limits of courage I didn't know I had.

The experience has been one of the best of my life. It isn't perfect - nothing human is. You'll find all the usual faults and frailties. But you will also dream new and remarkable dreams, and you will discover the love of strangers. I was washed up - but on such a lovely shore.

Be prepared to discover the fresh and new, occasionally to confront difficult experiences, to unfold, rather than to be instructed.

Be ready to eat well, and be startled by the sudden laugh of a donkey, the dart of a lizard, tempted by the very special jewellery and ceramics of Skyros. You will stand in the wonderful stone amphitheatre overlooking the sea and be amazed. You will be on an island of myth and magic - and you will carry that with you home. You may, like many of us, pass it on.

Although I am a children's writer my course on Skyros has always been for adults (not forgetting the inner child). I have a deep grounding in literature and many years experience of teaching - which has always been mutually rewarding. So it is not so much the kind of writer I am that determines the nature of the course, but the kind of teacher I am. And the kind of people you are. We make our own unique mix, every time.

Anyone wishing to e-mail me for more details of my course is welcome to do so.

Joyce Dunbar

At the age of 21 Joyce Dunbar decided she was a writer, but she didn't know what sort. For the next 15 years she wrote poetry, fiction, journalism, and radio talks on a range of subjects, with limited success, while teaching literature to adults.

It wasn't until she was 35 that she wrote her first children's book, inspired by an illustration. Since then she has published 80 more. She also teaches creative writing, is a former writing fellow at UEA, and at present her 12 step guide to writing can be found on the BOOKTRUST website in BOOKBITE. She is also writing a memoir.

Joyce will be running her course 'What Kind of Writer Are You?' at the Writers' Lab on Skyros island, Greece, from Sunday 18 to Saturday 31 July. The course will explore different genres to help you discover the kind of writer you truly are... Call 01983 865566 or book online at www.skyros.com.

Looking Forward to my Slice of Heaven by Alison Goldie

2010-06-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

Only 10 days before I’m off to Skyros. I’m feeling the familiar flutterings of happy anticipation in my stomach. This will be something like my fourteenth year working there. How hard that is to believe! I always thought I was someone who would not repeat experiences, or read books twice, or go back to the same places for holidays. Being restlessly curious, I thought life was too short. Skyros proved I can be committed. Every year, I am asked again by Yannis if I want to go, and every year, I don’t pause for a moment before saying ‘Yes’. It truly is my second home.

What is it about the island that draws me back? Many words have been written about its charms, and I don’t want to sound like a brochure here. I’ll try to be really personal. I’ll talk about Atsitsa, as this is where I go most often, and is my special place.

Atsitsa – it’s all about freedom. That very first time I entered the ‘Atsitsa –zone’, I felt free as a bird. I wanted to kick off my shoes, and let down my hair, and wear very lightweight, colourful clothes, and actually put on that toe-ring. I wanted to swim a long way out into the crystalline sea, lie on my back under pine trees and DO NOTHING (unheard of, for me), plan my day around doses of thick, proper Greek yogurt, sing my heart out with a bunch of cool people who didn’t care if I hit the notes or not. I looked forward to teaching my courses in a perfect teaching environment: outside, warm but sheltered, two minutes walk from my abode, and with students who would be dropping stress faster than you could say ‘You’re free to be yourself now’. When I first entered Atsitsa, I just knew I was going to be very, very happy there.

Atsitsa is a festival, a garden, a playground, a primordial settlement, an open-air cocktail bar, an under-water world. It’s silly and serious and soulful and challenging and peaceful and satisfying and creative and utterly joyful. It’s about love, friendship, nature, art, exercise, all 5 senses and feeling alive in every pore. It’s just one delicious part of a beautiful island, and it’s just a cab (or moped) ride away from one of the most unspoilt, pretty, cosy, colourful, exquisite little towns in Greece (Skyros town itself). Oh dear, I can really get verbose about it, and I still feel I’m only scraping the surface....

Back in my mid-30’s when I first went, I thought I might find lots of places like Atsitsa in the world –now I know there really aren’t many, perhaps none with its particular blend of delights, and if there are, I may not have the time or money to find them. There’s nothing wrong with going back to this idyllic place time after time. And if you’ve never been, I envy you that first sighting, those little explorations of the environment, the first time your jaw drops with wonder at a revelation (Atsitsa is the place for revelations). See you there in July, I hope. Now, where’s that toe-ring?

Alison Goldie

Alison Goldie is a professional actor, theatre director, broadcaster and facilitator. She has a wealth of experience performing comedy and drama in London, the UK and all over the world. Alison has taught comedy, drama, flirting and creativity to professionals and non-professionals for over 20 years. She has worked as a stand-up comic, TV presenter and corporate trainer. She is currently touring her one-woman autobiographical show, Lady, in Bed, to great acclaim. See www.thedramabusiness.co.uk.

Join Alison this summer in Atsitsa from Sunday 4 to Saturday 17 July (AT6) where she will be running her course in drama, comedy and flirting. To find out more about Alison's course and the other courses on offer in Atsitsa at that time (including yoga, dance, life coaching, mosaics, windsurfing, sailing, music & more) see http://www.skyros.com/atsitsa_program.htm.

News from the Writers' Lab by Jess Mortimer

2010-05-27T05:50:00.000-07:00

Just to let you know that I am at Skyros Centre doing Writers' Lab with Jennie Rooney, who wrote the novel Inside the Whale. There are nine of us, from different countries and at different levels of experience. Some members have been published; two are intending to be writers full time and are working to get their first novels planned. Others have written for the commercial press and now want a voice of their own.

I am retired from social services management and seeking to write novels and memoires rather than committee reports. In the first week we have explored aspects of novel writing. We have done different exercises each day. These include writing story lines in which the character’s flaw brought about an occurrence. Mine was Monica who liked being the centre of attention and therefore she volunteer for roles she could not possibly carry out. The catastrophes that ensued meant that she got fired.

On other occasions we wrote about arguments, birth and death. We read our contributions to the group members who gave great suggestions to support the story line or make the argument more authentic. We worked on most occasions out in the Greek sunshine, shaded by bamboo matting, some of us with our electronic notebooks others with pen and paper. In the last week we have continued with exercises and personal projects with tutorial support from Jenny so that each person is nearer to the publication of their novel by the time they leave. This course has completely lived up to the blurb in the Skyros brochure.

Saturday we had a short downpour of rain, probably the last real rain of the season, which soon ran in torrents down the cobble streets and then became a rapid stream in which we sought stepping stones as we jumped in sandals from one cobble to the next. We soon dried out in the sunshine. We had two optional trips this week, including reading poetry at Rupert Brookes grave, talking with a wood carver who aged 11 decided that this was the skill he wanted to learn. He still makes Skyrian Chairs which are low but as we found very comfortable to sit on.

Also optional were sessions of Shiatsu and massage by Susie. I have enjoyed co-listening with my partner who is in Dina’s group, doing Life Choices. My co-listener is seeking a job where she can experience success and hopes to go home with a better idea of her direction in life. I hope to continue seeking my natural writing mode now that I no longer have to write formal reports for work. The group are encouraging me to look at developing novels where there is a sense of humour as they have found some of my written work funny.

We have participated in village life. On Sunday a TV crew came to Skyros village. The villagers turned out in force in costume to dance in the square and others having cooked and baked the delicacies of the area, arranged the goodies on long tables. Most interesting for me were the old ladies dressed in black dresses with black jackets, leaning on their sticks chatting in groups each with their black grey hair put up in a bun behind. Old men with sticks chatting, or sitting drinking Ouzo. One preferred to use a walking frame to negotiate the cobbled streets whilst holding his walking stick for use on the flat. As an Occupational Therapist I can see that this village on a hill has limited access for cars and its cobbled streets and steps up to houses would pose difficulties for wheel chair users.

Last week we had two sessions of Greek Dancing and two of Salsa. This week Hazel is offering optional sessions of singing, drama and dance. We have just completed a ‘whisper to song session’ which started with us lying on our backs breathing and eventually sighing and then signing a note before getting up and singing songs such as ‘swing low sweet chariot’ and ‘when the Saints come Marching in’. Then dividing into 3 groups to take a song each and sing it to the same rhythm as we intermingled.

The vegetarian food provided by the Greek cook is great and the tavernas all have their specialities. If one does not want to go into the village there is a tavern by the sea where the sun sets as one eats so it is helpful to have a friend who has a torch when returning.

I first came to Atsitsa in 1985 and have been on this holiday six times in all - four at the Skyros Centre. The atmosphere is great here and has been every time I have come. I am never disappointed.

Signing off now as I am about to develop a belly dance act for the last evening soiree tomorrow.

Jess Mortimer

PS Athens posed no problems the Acropolis still looked great from the roof of the Titiania hotel lit up at night. The bus to Skyros took us past a group of communists who had red flags and were peacefully eating breakfast at a street side cafe. For anyone who does not not want to go into Athens, there are direct flights from Athens airport to Skyros costing £50 single.

If you'd like to join one of the Writers' Lab holidays this summer, call 01983 865566, email office@skyros.com or book online at www.skyros.com.

Remembering Yannis Koboyannis

2010-05-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

We are very sorry to tell you that Yannis Koboyannis, the Skyrian ceramic artist who has been, for many years, a member of the Atsitsa staff, died after a short illness on Wednesday, the 19th of May. Cancer had been diagnosed just two months ago.

Yannis Koboyannis was born in Skyros in 1954 and was a self-taught artist. His work - traditional designs approached with an innovative spirit - had received wide recognition both in Greece and abroad, particularly in the United States where he sold many of his pieces. His workshop was established in Kyra-Panagia, five hundred metres from Atsitsa Bay, in 1992.

Despite the fact that he couldn’t speak any English, Atsitsa participants who joined it loved both his course and the man himself, and in many instances went away with treasured pieces of work they produced under his guidance. Yannis is shown on the right of this photo.

His workshop in Kyra-Panagia, Skyros island and close to Atsitsa, was also used as a cultural centre with exhibitions of old local photos, jewellery, embroidery or local wine. Take a look at this lovely video too, of Yannis' workshop and his works of art. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMMAWmmTanc

In 2006 his workshop became the centre of Athenian Fine Arts students who created a stunning exhibition of marble sculptures locally carved. Yannis leaves behind a daughter and a son aged 33 and 28 and also his mother, who has been managing his shop in the village for many years.

Liz Clayfield wrote too: Yannis Koboyannis has been a part of our lives in Atsitsa for many years, running ceramics courses, hosting parties and welcoming us into his home and garden whenever we visited. He has been a source of inspiration to so many and his work is found all over the world. His death is a sad loss to us here in Atsitsa and the island and I myself will be amongst the many who will miss him.

This Summer by Silke Ziehl

2010-05-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

This summer, gather again your spirit of adventure, your passion for life, and do what excites you and delights you. Rekindle your joy of living and reconnect to your deepest hopes and dreams. For we need those hopes and dreams as beacons that guide us on our life's journey, as reminders of where we are heading, and as invitations to life. If we do not hope and dream, our energy will frizzle away.

Skyros, and especially Atsitsa for me, is a wonderful place to be reminded of what is essential in life. The stark beauty of the landscape, the sea and its ever changing everlastingness, the light that renders objects and people luminous – all contribute powerfully to coming back to basics in oneself. To remembering that life is just such a gift, and that to waste it is being so very unkind to ourselves, and to all around us too – for everybody is part of a larger whole, and everybody influences that larger whole.

Every cell in our body has a brain, and communicates with those around, and every cell matters. Similarly, every action we do, every thought we think, every emotion we have, matters, not only to ourselves, but in the larger context. Listening in to ourselves, listening to what we know, very tangibly, in our bones and marrow, in our muscles and tendons, in our heart and gut, in the many brains in our body, will reconnect us to our hopes and dreams.

So, if you want to have a good time, if you want to reconnect to a deeper and more passionate way of living, if you want to "save the world by saving yourself" – join our community in Atsitsa, this summer! In spite of the Ash clouds, in spite of the Greek economic unsettledness, Greece is still a wonderful place to reconnect to the simple and fully lived and deeply satisfying life which so many of us crave for.

Silke Ziehl is a body psychotherapist specialising in training professionals. She is the founder of the Entelia Institute for Creative Bodywork in Munich and London, and a member of the Open Centre, London.

Join Silke this summer in Atsitsa from Sunday 20 June to Saturday 3 July (AT5) where she will be running her course 'Body Magic'. To find out more about Silke's course and the other courses on offer in Atsitsa (including photography, windsurfing, music, yoga, dance, music & more) see http://www.skyros.com/atsitsa_program.htm.

Open Your Heart & Plant Your Dreams Seeds by Cate Mackenzie

2010-04-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

Are you suddenly finding people are looking wonderfully beautiful? Are you enjoying the lovely bursts of sunshine and the new freshness of flowers and plants.

This is a natural part of the the season of Spring with new energy and new beauty and a great time to plant seeds of your dreams and think about what you would like to harvest in Autumn.

If you were to go back 365 days to the same time last year you might find a lot of the same experiences and feelings. We have just come out of Winter when we have been naturally hibernating and being more inward, gentle and slow with life.

Now we are in Spring and it is a good time to think about planting seeds which will grow in the Summer and come into fruition in Autumn. So this is a good time to think about what you want in your life and how you would like your life to be like in September and start to plant the seeds.

All projects begin with one idea and develop and grow with the energy we give it. Spring is an energising time, a great time to have fun, to be playful and to birth your ideas of what you want in your life.

Good luck! Top Tips for May:

Write down what you would like to create in your life. What home do you want, what career or partnership? Remember Oscar Wilde said that anything written down would come to pass.
Take yourself to a park or nature in the sunshine and really take in the image of the flowers and the scenery and take a mental photo that you can remember for Autumn.
Smile at lots of people, go on it's so much fun! Also if you are single and you would like to have a partner smile at at least 50 people and be open to being asked out!
Think about what you would like to let go of mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically. Clear your cupboards, you'll be amazed what happens when you clear! The universe hates a vacuum so if you let go it allows new room for unexpected magic to come in!
Take a risk buy a dress or a hat that makes you stand out and have fun with it!
Be spontaneous and let a longed for wish come true. If you had no fear what would you love to do? I love comedy and I am thinking of doing a stand up comedy course!
Playfulness! Can you let yourself have fun and play, can you paint or draw or dance or skate just for fun? Or how about feeding the ducks in the Park?
Make lots of wishes and be prepared for them to come true!

Cate Mackenzie is Life Coach, Workshop Leader and Artist. She has been working with people since 1993 and teaches all around the UK and in Spain, Greece and Kuwait. She specialises in helping people to open their hearts to their wishes and dreams and paints heart paintings two of which are being sold as posters world wide in IKEA. She has been featured on BBC2, BBC Radio and in magazines Cosmopolitan, Psychologies and Harpers Bazaar.

Cate is running her course 'A Heart-Centred Life' on Skyros island, Greece this summer. Join her from Sunday 29 August to Saturday 11 September at the Atsitsa Bay Centre, by calling 01983 865566, see www.skyros.com or email office@skyros.com.

Cate will also be facilitating a weekend at The Grange by the Sea in the Isle of Wight from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 June. Call Jenni on 01983 867644 if you would like to attend her weekend. Cate will also be at The Grange for a New Year Celebration at the end of the year.

A Denim Workshop for You Girls by Andrea Gates

2010-04-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

Selecting the right jeans for your body shape. Welcome to a checklist to use when shopping.

It is important to me to feel comfortable in my skin and to connect with a deeper centredness.... I also know that it is just as important to be comfortable in my own JEANS!!!!!!!! Look at buying jeans the same way as you would buying a new bra because the effects are just as dramatic.

Consider the following before you go.......

When will I wear my new Jeans? Work/party/casual and all rounders.
Check out any areas on your lower body that you consider to be your less attractive bits – you may have larger thighs like me!
What shoes/boots will I wear with them? Take them with you when shopping.
What size am I in trousers? Do I already have a pair of jeans that I love and they fit well? Why do I like them so much? Have a look at the waist rise and leg length.
What is my budget and what shops internet sites will I use?

Now for the technical bit.........

Your body shape and shape of leg will be key in selecting the most flattering cut for you...

STRAIGHT BODY SHAPE
If you have a boyish frame with lean legs and torso you will look fab in the straight leg style however, pay close attention to the back pockets and ensure they create a peach effect and don’t flatten your bottom like pancake. Look to Audrey Hepburn and Kylie. They do the ¾ length jean with flat pumps and a simple shirt for timeless style - ideal for your shape. Your body shape doesn’t tend to have a defined waist so low /mid rise is best for you... belts look better sitting on your hips. You can wear the crisp engineered denim without too much give in the fabric. Boy cut jeans work well for you.

SEMI STRAIGHT BODY SHAPE
If you are like me and have a semi straight shape with shorter athletic legs and long body you will find low rise do not work. Our body shape is made for mid rise with boot cut leg and a generous amount of room at the top of the leg so the legs don’t look like sausages in skins!! Dark denim is best on these athletic legs and check that the denim has some flexibility in it. Sit down in them and bend over to check they fit well. Check the back pockets flatter your bottom and don’t flatten it or make it look big. Always choose patch back pockets as they break up the area and make the bottom pert and smaller.

If you want to elongate your leg length, like I do, always ensure the jeans come over your shoes and touch the ground. Wedged shoes/sandals are fab with the boot cut jean – thin spiky heals don’t work with athletic legs and boot cut jeans. If you have long slim legs then you can carry off most styles however, do check the rise and ensure it sits just below or on the waist. As a semi straight you can move between the boy cuts and jeans cut for curves. Avoid crisp denim as it only works on the straight body type.

HOUR GLASS FIGURE
If you have an hour glass figure with a defined waist then go for jeans that you can belt at your slim waist. You are blessed with curves so use them! If you have shorter legs ensure the jeans are long enough to touch the floor with your shoes on - your body loves jean material that moves so avoid crisp structured denim as your body wants movement in the fabric. You will have square shape shoulders so check that the bottom of the jean is wide enough to balance out the look. Think Miss Monroe and tuck in your tops to show off your curves.

General tips for all bodyshapes..............
Do check that the jeans are not too tight over your waist/hip area as this creates a muffin top!! I tend to buy jeans a ½ - 1 size larger now that I am in my 50’s. Why? Because tight jeans don’t work on us as we get older! Try it.

I am running some workshops at Atsitsa from 20th June – 3rd July and then again 15th August – 28th August. My workshop is based on having a positive body image no matter what shape/size you are. I have found that being comfortable in my own skin gave me the freedom to think outside the box and develop my own style.

We have plenty of time here to work with you one to one so do bring your jeans and any items of clothing you want help with. It’s lots of fun and you will save you a fortune on buying clothes that you never wear!!! You can email me for any further help on andrea_gates@sky.com.

Love to you all Andrea Gates X

Andrea will be running her courses in Greece this year, firstly from Sunday 20 June to Saturday 3 July in Atsitsa, Skyros island, and then from Sunday 15 to Saturday 28 August. Andrea will also be at the Skyros Centre from Sunday 1 August. So, plenty of opportunity to find out more! See www.skyros.com, mail office@skyros.com or call 01983 865566 to secure your place.

The Skyros Effect by Marianne Richards

2010-04-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

Like many people, I am a workaholic. No time for me. I was exhausted, too exhausted even to think about the kind of holiday I would take on my own. Then the new Skyros brochure plopped in the letterbox. I had been in Skyros before, in 2003, where I had a fantastic time whether in Ari Badaines course ‘Take Life at Whatever Risk’, singing with Trixie (Field), learning Greek cookery or just enjoying the new company. Some of the people I met there still remain firm friends.

Now I thought a beach holiday in Thailand was just what was needed. I went for it - that was in January 2007. Koh Chang was fantastic and exactly what the doctor had ordered.

It was there that I heard that Michael (Eales), Ed and Kel (Portman) were just about to do the first Skyros-in-Cambodia holiday. A group of us agreed that if all went well, we'd take it in 2009.

Two years later I was standing at the border at Poipet (on the Cambodia-Thailand border). I don't think I’ll ever forget that day. I knew that this country was going to get me, that my life had changed (again!) forever. But I still had no idea how....

The temples were amazing but I prefer people to monuments and the Cambodians bowled me over. Whenever we left the bus we were surrounded by children so cute they could sell you anything. It doesn't take long to realise that the cuteness is disguising something much less appealing. These kids are horrendously poor and often abused. At best, they have to go out after school and earn for the family to live. At worst they are beaten, abused......

I felt I had no choice. I HAD to do something and throwing money at the kids was not the answer.

The Skyros group were lucky - we had been assigned a brilliant young guide - Narong - who was passionate about his country and wanted so much to share all his knowledge with us. He did the temples as was his job and then he answered questions on the Khmer Rouge, the Killing Fields, politics, life in Cambodia etc etc.

I asked him what I could do to help. His answer was simple: ‘find a poor person and help him’! Well, to cut a long story short, thanks to Narong I am now the very proud Godmother of two Cambodian boys. This was the start. Now I would have to return...

For the first time in years I had acquired a purpose, a sense of direction, something other than work, work, work. Then I came across something that I really wanted to do: voluntary work with these children.

At the time, I was not sure I would have had the courage to go totally blind into this. However, as I write this, I realise that decision involved the coming together of a couple of desires - firstly to go back and meet my boys and also to try volunteering which is something that had always played in the back of my mind. That was to me a perfectly logical, natural and normal thing to do. So in retrospect, there wasn't the slightest element of bravery in my decision. I didn't need courage to do this. The words fish and water spring to mind.

That was it. I booked everything and only then asked for six weeks off work! I had made my mind up and NOTHING was going to stop me now. Before I knew it, it was Christmas Day and I had a flight to catch. And my time in Cambodia flew even faster. I had a ball. I laughed and cried with all my heart on so many occasions.

At the end of my (Cambodia) ‘work’ I had a couple of weeks’ holiday with my Koh Chang roommate, Lorraine. One evening she asked me what I had been most surprised to discover about myself in doing this. I replied I hadn't really been surprised at all. Like all human beings I am multi faceted. So perhaps, in hindsight, the biggest ‘surprise’ was how others had been ‘surprised’ by their glimpse at part of the ‘real’ me!

I answered without hesitation that I was totally at ease in Cambodia, with the kids, the heat, barefoot and constantly covered in dust! I wasn't bothered about de-fleaing my hair and I had my worm tablets to take when I got back to France! I wasn't squeamish about cleaning a manky wound or cuddling a child who may have AIDS (we didn't know who did and didn't). I slept with a cockroach feet away under a champagne bottle... I hadn't once pined for my own bed, a European meal or indeed for anything (though in fairness I can't say we really roughed it - Globalteer does look after its volunteers well and Siem Reap is NOT the end of the world however poor the locals are).

Some of my clothes, although washed, were fairly stained from being on a dirty bench or tuk tuk or from the juice of a deliciously fresh pineapple that was impossible to eat without getting totally covered. But does it matter? Of course it doesn't! The pineapple would not have tasted so good prepared by someone else and eaten with a knife and fork. The cuddle with the child would have been spoiled if I'd wanted to keep flealess! To stay clean on a tuk tuk or bike ride is impossible. You have to peel off the barriers to enjoy, I mean really enjoy, the things in life that count. I learnt that a very long time ago.

 So to close, the whole trip was truly amazing. I miss Cambodia, the kids and my boys so much it truly hurts. How can you feel such love after such a relatively short period? I am of course going back (haven't told work yet!). Vachanak, my eldest boy (16) needs to change school and we need to find him somewhere to live as he leaves home for the big town (Siem Reap). There is nowhere for these boys to live - they often sleep on the street. You wouldn't know when you see them washed and in their school uniform, but they do. They deserve better and if I do nothing else with my life I will do all I can to make sure that at least a couple of them get better.

I chose life, whatever the risk. Thanks Ari, Michael (pictured left), Ed and Kel and to all at Skyros for helping me find the courage to be. Yes, I'll leave it like that. The courage to be.

The end

or is it

The beginning....

You can read my whole blog at http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/marianner/1/tpod.html

Thank you to Marianne for her wonderfully inspiring story. If you would like to share your own, email text and photos to stories@skyros.com.

Unicorns Sell! by Kate Forsyth

2010-04-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

UNICORNS SELL!

Fantasy fiction dominates the world bestseller lists, makes zillions at the box office, and has turned writers like J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer and Christopher Paolini into household names.

Their books have sold more than 500 million copies in the last dozen years. Add the sales of J.R.R Tolkien (150 million for The Lord of the Rings alone), C.S. Lewis (120 million for the Narnia series), Robert Jordan (44 million), Terry Brooks (21 million), Dragonlance (20 million) and the Artemis Fowl books (18 million) – and it is clear that fantasy is the most popular of narrative forms.

The world is hungry for tales of epic quests, dragons, vampires, wizards, magic rings and cloaks of invisibility. One publishing house in the US has even issued their staff with a T-shirt that reads ‘Unicorns Sell!’

And what readers want to read, publishers want to publish!

So what is fantasy? Why is it so popular? And how can aspiring writers tap into that hunger for fantastic fiction?

Kate Forsyth is the award-winning and internationally bestselling author of 23 books for both adults and children. Her books are published in 12 countries including the UK, the US, Japan, Russia, Indonesia and Spain (as well as her homeland of Australia). She has taught ‘Writing Fantasy’ workshops all over the world, including a writers retreat in Fiji last year.

In a week-long course, she will teach participants everything from the history and common motifs of fantasy fiction to world-building and creating characters that leap off the page. She’ll tell you the secret formula to all stories, yet teach you how to make sure your work is fresh and original and imaginative. Kate’s ‘Writing Fantasy’ course helps you build a story from the first flash of inspiration to finding a publisher for your work.

Aristotle said: “A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing possibility.’ Learn how to make your fantasy book so convincing and so entrancing that your readers will wish the book never had to end, with Kate Forsyth’s ‘Writing Fantasy’ course from 29th May to 5th June. For more information about Kate, check out her website at www.kateforsyth.com.au.

Kate will be facilitating her course 'Fantasy Writing - Ideas' at the Writers' Lab, Skyros Centre in Greece this summer from Saturday 29 May to Saturday 5 June. See www.skyros.com to book online, email office@skyros.com or call 01983 865566. The holiday also includes participation in yoga and music & arts courses.

Finding Your Purpose & Leading Your Life by Claire Chidley

2010-04-15T05:29:00.000-07:00

I’ve visited Skyros as a participant and now I’m returning as a facilitator. I’m really looking forward to being at the Skyros Village Centre from the 20th June to 3rd July where I shall be running my programme ‘Finding Your Purpose and Leading Your Life’.

As Judy Garland once said: ‘”Be a first rate version of yourself not a second rate version of someone else,” so my programme is designed for people who feel empty when their days are so full, for those who feel out of balance and want to re-gain it, and those who want to find their life purpose and how to manifest it every day.

In the two weeks I’m there, I want to offer a new and different practice that I hope will provide you with a temporary escape pod to reflect away from your busy life and give you hope for a more joyous future.

I’ve spent more than twenty years managing and leading teams in organisations and businesses as well as coaching and mentoring individuals. (If you’re interested, my CV and a lot more information about what I do is on my company website www.createtomorrowtoday.com ). I've studied and read avidly. I believe I've found a golden thread running through all this theory and practice. The same development areas crop up.

How to THINK for yourself and recognise your thinking patterns and where they come from
How to CREATE and use your imagination and ability to generate new ideas and possibilities. To dream. To know and appreciate beauty
How to FEEL emotionally expressive, compassionate and self-aware of others and their point-of-view. To manage yourself and your relationships
How to BELIEVE through your journey of self-improvement. To find the joy in life and your purpose

I’ve placed these four ‘Quarters’ into a circle for it’s is a significant symbol and geometric shape. For many cultures, the circle is a symbol of unity. Having no beginning or end, it represents infinity and perfection. If you travel this circle that I call 360 Degree Wisdom, you will gain a rounded perspective on how to lead a ‘whole-some’ life!

In the first week 'Finding Your Priorities', we’ll study each quarter of the 360 Degree Wisdom circle THINK, CREATE, FEEL and BELIEVE and ask ourselves challenging questions about our patterns of thinking and behaviour. We’ll also apply self-development and management techniques to understand better why we do things the way we do and how certain factors can influence us without our realising! We’ll spend time working through what makes you glow with energy and joy and see how this can be translated into daily life through living your true values, beliefs and attitudes.

In the second week, 'Leadership Skills', we will apply all you’ve learned from the 360 Degree Wisdom Circle to a set of scenarios and challenges that you might face as an individual or group. This can be applied to home and work situations. We’ll look at leadership theories and techniques to learn what is possible when you are in balance as a leader of your life and when you take on the responsibility and honour of leading others. We’ll discuss what qualities make a leader and study leaders from the past to see what can be applied by you in the future.

I hope to see you on my programme where we’ll have some serious fun!

Claire Chidley is the Managing Director of Create Tomorrow Today, a leadership development company. She has been working for 20 years as a senior manager in the public and cultural sector. See www.createtomorrowtoday.com

Claire will be facilitating her courses at the Skyros Centre, on Skyros island, Greece from Sunday 20 June to Saturday 3 July. See www.skyros.com, email office@skyros.com or call 01983 865566 to book your place.

'Create a Breathing Space' by Michael Eales

2010-04-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

The more fast paced and stressful our lives become we often, quite literally, forget to give ourselves room to breathe.

 Our level of tension is usually reflected in our breathing. When stressed breathing tends to become more rapid and shallow, and primarily located in the upper chest. Under too much stress the tendency might also be to over breathe, sigh or hyperventilate.

When we are relaxed breathing tends to be slower and deeper, and should include more movement in the rib cage and the diaphragm.

 Breathing is one of the easiest things to be aware of and to change. Noticing breathing helps us to notice the symptoms of stress early, so we can take a moment to pause and relax. The connection between breathing, stress and tension is two way. In the same way stress can have a negative effect on our breathing, so too can adjusting our breathing have a positive influence on stress.

Tip: Here is a simple breathing exercise you can try anywhere, sitting, standing or lying down. You can also decide whether to have your eyes open or closed. 

Rest both hands on the upper part of your chest. Allow your lungs to empty with an out breath, and then breathe in slowly through the nose, without forcing it, and notice the rise and fall of your hands as you breathe. Repeat this between 5 and10 times.
Rest both hands on your rib cage below your chest with the finger tips of your middle fingers just touching when your lungs are empty. Breathe in slowly and feel your fingers parting as you rib cage expands outward. Repeat between 5 and 10 times.
Rest your hands on your belly at navel level, middle finger tips touching. This time as you slowly breathe in fill your whole abdomen with breath, feeling your fingers parting and your hands rising slightly towards your chest. Again repeat between 5 and 10 times.
Finally just rest your hands gently in your lap, or at your sides and take a few moments to be aware of your breathing now. Make sure your shoulders and neck are relaxed. Make a little stretch before resuming your normal daily activities.

If you make a commitment to do this regularly – it will only take about 5 minutes a day– you will begin to notice the level of stress held in your breath and will also experience your breath in its most relaxed state. Over time this will become part of your general awareness, so you can notice your breathing at any time and make a conscious decision to relax.

Tip: Record your mood in an exercise book before and after doing the breathing exercise. The four most common moods are Activity and Calm at the positive end, and Anxiety and Melancholy at the negative end. See if you notice a pattern over time.

So take a break, take a breath - instead of reaching for caffeine, tobacco or chocolate. And as your breath becomes more relaxed and centred so your whole being can feel the same. 

Michael Eales

After many years as a facilitator Michael has come to value the practice of Mindfulness as the core of healthy living.

“Paying attention to moment to moment experience without judgement or self-criticism enables you to become more aware of the conflicting forces within your mind. This awareness enables you to access your strong inner core: the place of inner wisdom, wellbeing and happiness. Becoming aware of our habits of thought and action is the first step toward self-transformation.”

Of course he still draws on all his experience as a humanistic psychologist who has worked widely in organisations and with individuals. See www.globalresonance.com

Michael's forthcoming teaching dates for Skyros:

6 – 19 June: Mindful Living, Atsitsa Bay, Greece
29 Aug – 11 Sept: The Path of Happiness, Skyros Centre, Greece
12 – 25 September: Mindful Living, Atsitsa Bay, Greece
14 – 27 December: The Path of Happiness, Koh Chang, Thailand
14 – 23 January 2011: On the Exploration Path, Thailand & Cambodia

'De-Clutter & Spring Clean Your Mind' by Andrew Risner

2010-03-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

Spring time is often a time for making a fresh start in the home.

One of the topics that always seems to come up on my “How to have your best year ever” workshop is clutter.

Some people never invite people into their homes due to the embarrassment of the clutter they have. It is fascinating to look at some of the reasons we hang on to “stuff”.

Some of the most common reasons include:

I might need it someday
It holds special memories for me
I don’t know where to start

Three solutions are:

Donate stuff you’re decluttering, so you don’t feel bad about wasting it.
The One-Year Box. Take all your items that you unsure about getting rid of (e.g. “I might need this someday…”), put them in a box, seal it and date it for 1 year in the future. When the date comes, and you still didn’t need to open it to get anything, donate the box WITHOUT OPENING IT. You probably won’t even remember what there was in the box.
Internalize that your value is not in your “stuff”. It is just “stuff”. And realize that your value grows when you share your “stuff”. Hoarding is a selfish act.

One of the benefits of de-cluttering is the positive affect it has in other areas of one’s life. You can be curious as to what unexpected pleasures await after a spell of de-cluttering.

Andrew Risner

Andrew Risner, described as ‘The Big Man with Huge Solutions’, left a successful career as M.D. of a finance company to help people release their untapped potential. An NLP Master Practitioner and Hypnotherapist, Andrew was also stress consultant on BBC1’s Heaven & Earth programme. See www.risner.co.uk

His use of humour and straight talking has made him a sought after speaker and trainer. Spending several years performing stand up comedy taught him that most challenges in life are not difficult but merely uncomfortable and it is a willingness to feel uncomfortable that separates the players from the spectators in life.

Andrew, a regular to Skyros, will be running his course 'Your Best Year Ever' from Sunday 1 to Saturday 14 August and from Sunday 15 to Saturday 28 August at the Atsitsa Bay centre on Skyros island, Greece.

Profile of Skyros Facilitator: John Gloster-Smith

2010-02-23T09:09:00.000-08:00

I’m really excited to be at the Skyros Village Centre in Greece this June delivering my programmes “Peace in your Heart” and “Peace in your Life” for Skyros Holidays.

So, here’s something about me...

I live in beautiful Wiltshire, UK, near to Avebury stone circle in crop circle country, and I’m married to a psychotherapist and interfaith minister. I’m a life coach and group facilitator, being accredited as a coach with the Association for Coaching and as a group facilitator with the UK Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners. I’ve trained in Gestalt and NLP and studied yogic philosophy and meditation. I’m a certified Laughter Yoga teacher. I also have a PGCE and have taught for 17 years, and I’ve coached many executives and run leadership development programmes in both the public and private sectors. So I have a very broad experience in developing people, or as I see it, helping them develop themselves.

My passion is helping people grow and fulfil their dreams and I have a particular interest in using awareness to connect with our inner spiritual self and in dealing with the ego. I see this work as acquiring a kind of direct line to inner contentment. In fact I have just finished writing a book on this subject called “Connecting to Inner Peace”.

About my workshops...

Peace in your Heart, 5 – 11 June 2010
Here’s where you can learn how to still your mind and connect with your true inner Self, which in Indian spirituality is your source of lasting contentment. Develop skill in being calm and present, in managing your mind, dealing with your ego, and knowing the splendour of your heart. Here’s where you can de-stress and learn the art of letting go and being connected to who you really are.

Peace in your Life, 12 – 18 June 2010
And in this workshop you can take the understandings of the first workshop forward and further develop your ability to be aware of and connect to your inner Self. However the focus of this second week is how you can also become more skilled at managing and resolving the challenges of everyday living, your reactions to situations and people, and your own “ego moments” in life, so as to manifest what you really want.

In both workshops we work using teaching, discussion, self-awareness coaching, small-group work, east-meets-west philosophy, yogic meditation, NLP visualisation, laughter yoga and music.

Superb for a holiday setting, a great place to reflect on what it’s all about and where you want to go in life – and meet lots of like-minded people. And the philosophic bits seem sort of appropriate for a Greek location. After all, it was over the door to the ancient Greek temple of Apollo at Delphi that visitors to the famous oracle would see the words “Know Thyself”.

John will be running his courses at the Skyros Centre, Skyros island, Greece from Saturday 5 to Friday 18 June (SC4). The two-week holiday also includes options for yoga, writing and painting. To find out more, visit www.skyros.com, call us on 01983 865566 or email office@skyros.com.

Julian Doyle joins Skyros-in-Cambodia

2010-02-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

You might think directing a film ends with its release but ‘oh no!’ Publicity takes over your world. I was in the middle of this for my film ‘Chemical Wedding' and also caught up with the publicity for the New Monty Python documentary when I was rescued by a request from Skyros to help them out on their holiday in Cambodia. Film director Anna Campion had pulled out from teaching at the last minute. Could I help?

[Above: JULIAN DOYLE, BRUCE DICKINSON and SIMON CALLOW publicising their film, 'CHEMICAL WEDDING']

[Left: JULIAN DOYLE interviewed for MONTY PYTHON DOCUMENTARY]

So.... escape to the Jungle where I could imagine myself as Alan Quartermain showing how to shoot Elephants and Monkey’s – not with a gun but with a digital camera.

Keep your camera on automatic and wide angle, at the ready, then zoom in once you see your prey.

We tracked all day following the trail of elephant droppings finally out onto a grassy plane. Now I really felt like a scene from ‘King Solomon’s Mines’ as I brought up the rear of our snaking band. A few brief glimpses of wild game but as we returned to our landrovers – there were the monkeys waiting to scrounge off us by the road!

A few days later and I was Indian Jones in the TEMPLE OF DOOM – searching lost Temples hidden in the forests by huge waterfalls where massive trees whose roots snake round dark doorways. Now back to the cold of London and more interviews - it was all like a lovely dream that will stay with me.

Julian Doyle, one of the world's most versatile Film Makers, ran the Digital Photography and Film course for Skyros on it's overland tour in Cambodia this January, 2010. Find out more about the creative courses available in Greece this season at www.skyros.com.

Julian has written, directed, photographed, edited and created special Fx's in feature films all to the highest standards. He has also won awards for directing pop videos such as Kate Bush's 'CLOUDBUSTING' featuring Donald Sutherland and Iron Maiden's hit 'CAN I PLAY WITH MADNESS'. He is most famous for editing MONTY PYTHON film 'LIFE OF BRIAN' and shooting the Fx's for Terry Gilliam's 'TIMEBANDITS' and 'BRAZIL' which he also edited. He has just completed 'CHEMICAL WEDDING', an occult thriller starring Simon Callow.

Profile of Skyros Facilitator: Kevan Manwaring

2010-01-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

Hi, I'm really looking forward to spending time on Skyros island in Greece, running workshops in poetry and fiction (see below) for Skyros Holidays.

A little bit about me...

Kevan Manwaring is a writer, teacher and storyteller who lives in Bath. Holder of an MA in the Teaching and Practice in Creative Writing from Cardiff University, he teaches creative writing part-time for the Open University. He also runs freelance courses in storytelling and various aspects of the writing process to a wide variety of students.

As a professional storyteller he has appeared in numerous shows both solo and with Fire Springs, both in Britain and abroad (USA, Italy and Malta). He is the author of The Bardic Handbook, Lost Islands, the ongoing Windsmith books and his poems and articles have appeared in several magazines and anthologies. In 1998 he won the Bardic Chair in his adopted city. He co-runs the Bath Writers' Workshop & is the founder of Awen Publications. He runs a monthly spoken word showcase (Garden of Awen).

In 2010 Kevan is a Writer-in-Resident at El Gouna, a resort on the Red Sea, for the whole of May, where he'll spend time working on a desert-based novel project. His new collection of poetry, The Immanent Moment, is published in February by Awen. In June, The Way of Awen: journey of a bard, is published by O Books. He is currently working on a book about calendrical customs, seasonal rites and sacred time as he travels the country, a Bard on a Bike.

Find out more on my website www.kevanmanwaring.co.uk

About my courses...

SKYROS WRITERS’ LAB with Kevan Manwaring 29 AUG – 11 SEP 2010 (WL10)
WK 1. WRITING POETRY – THE GRIT IN THE OYSTER
Poetry is the foundation of all good writing – at its best it is the most efficient and effecting form of written communication. Whether you are an aspiring poet, novelist or non-fiction writer, your writing will benefit from learning the discipline, precision and power of poetry. Writing from the heart, via accessible and engaging activities, you’ll bypass any technical anxieties to create poetry with passion. Over the week we’ll work with personal ‘grits in the oyster’ – experiences, insights, snapshots of time – to create ‘pearls’ to be proud of. Stunning setting and sensual experiences will provide inspiration – with senses fully alive, you’ll fill your well of poetry to the brim and share its contents in supportive and constructive workshop sessions.

WK 2. LIFE: FICTION – TRANSFORMING THE PERSONAL INTO THE PUBLISHABLE
Upgrade your fiction in this week exploring the possibilities of autobiographical material in short story and novel-writing. Whatever genre you are working in, this approach will give your writing greater authenticity and emotional depth. How far you fictionalise is up to you – but by drawing on life experience, you are giving yourself a head start. With life as research, nothing is wasted. Even the most painful of experiences can be redeemed by writing – and others can benefit from hard-won lessons. How much you wish to disclose is up to you – all will be transformed through the lens of fiction, affording the personal and the private a degree of protection. Looking at character, setting, dialogue, plot, point of view, themes and tone in the light of our own ‘personal research database’ will enrich them all – transforming your writing into something resonant and distinctive.

See www.skyros.com for more about Skyros' Writers' Lab, named by The Guardian as 'No 1 of the World's Five Best Writing Holidays'. Call 01983 865566 to secure your place on Kevan's course. Yoga, massage treatments, and music & arts courses are also part of the holiday.

Writing in Havana with Monique Roffey, November 2009

2009-12-08T02:50:00.000-08:00

Below are pieces of writing produced by the writing group who came out to Cuba in November 2009. See www.skyros.com/cuba.htm

The brief was to go outside onto the streets and take detailed and closely observed notes of a building or object for twenty minutes. The group were asked to use all five senses, but to simply take notes. On returning, I gave them each a piece of paper with one word written on it. An emotion. Joy, anger, peacefulness, sorrow etc. They were then asked to write about what they had observed through this emotion.

The writing below resulted from the exercise, tiny marvellous slices of the Vedado neighbourhood of Havana. All pieces demonstrate something of what the Cuba writer Alejo Carpentier called ‘lo real maravilloso’, the Marvellous Real.

Monique Roffey, tutor, author The White Woman on the Green Bicycle (Simon and Schuster)

SHRINE OF SORROWS by Judith Earnshaw

In sorrow you look for alleviation. In sorrow you pray, even if you don’t believe. You hope against hope. You hope against fear. That was the lure of the strange object I saw secreted in a garden as green as noontime Havana dust would allow.

I entered the garden, observed by three people standing by a grey-green Studebaker, and approached the shrine. They looked at me suspiciously but when I dropped to my knees before it, they smiled. I was respectful – pious even – and they were content.

This shrine sits beneath a tall palm tree, its slim grey trunk slashed horizontally as though bandaged. The bleeding heart sees the wounds. The palm bears waving green fronds high beyond reach and huge woody fruits. Some have fallen to the base of the shrine and they look like elongated coconuts, but not hairy so much as alternating a woody surface with one reminiscent of owl’s feathers. They don’t feel like owl’s feathers though. They are scratchy and harsh.

The shrine is set on a cream concrete plinth with grey islands in it where the paint has peeled. You can see the streaks where the paint has been roughly applied. In a cabinet above the plinth is a glass door framed in worn greying wood. It is locked with a tiny silver padlock.

She is inside. Our lady of the sorrows: a plastic doll with clear light blue eyes that gaze without seeing and without mercy. Oh, Mary, Mother of God, hear my prayer. She wears a ruched dress of golden satin and a gold crown. She has tight brown curls beneath the crown, but a second tier of golden tinsel hair flows down over her shoulders like a mantle. On her hand is balanced a plaster Christ child. He does not look real. I do not think He could save me. She is flanked by two candlesticks containing something like lentils topped by dirty wax. Then two tall cracked vases. On the right the vase contains yellow fabric roses. On the right, yellow arum lilies. Aren’t they the flowers of mourning and of death? Oh, Mary, Mother of God, help me.

I can hear the sound of a chainsaw in the next door garden and muted traffic from the road. The shrine smells of dust. My heart feels like dust. Dust and rock. I lean forward and lick the shrine. The observers by the Studebaker look approving. They think I am kissing the shrine. The wood tastes like ash. Dust to dust and ashes to ashes. The glass door tastes like standing water. Mary, Mother of God, hear me. I do not think that she can hear. The pink plastic face and the bright blue eyes stare forth and they see nothing. The Christ child sits impotent on her hand. Lost is lost, even in this green garden.

Spikeful plant! by J.R. (Anger)

Spikeful plant! You will not shelter me as the leaves of the trees. You will hurt me if I fall on you. You don't even need watering! Large  green cactus with your vile triangular branches. No interesting  capillaries, just edges like waves with prickles at their crest. No  delicacy, just blunted ends and spikes, like a caterpillar’s antennae,  protruding from a dark brown head. Where is your hidden beauty?  You don't rustle or sway in the breeze, or shed beautiful autumnal  leaves. And here you stand, covered in dust from passing traffic,  maintaining your unchanging stance, indifferent to all around.

THE FIVE PALMS by Roben das Gupta (Joy)

The five palm trees dance upon the raised dais by the side of the hotel ramp; feminine curves swaying in mutual celebration of self. Vibrant green tubes squeezed into ash-grey skirts patterned with an exuberance of design, middle-aged spread bulging luxuriantly and defiantly above the waist band. The palms exploding like cords of hair flying in anarchic disarray, whipping the air, the leaves like the teeth of a comb stand to attention; alert in anticipation of pleasures yet to come.

The choke and buzz-saw of motor-cycle, the thrum and grumble of motor car, diesel and cigarette smoke are the discarded shackles that lie at their feet as they refute the city's grey claims for constraint and conformity in their frenzy to relish the freedom of abandonment.

Love by W.O.

The ice melted on his tongue like abundant nectar at the centre of a richly coloured orchid, yearning to be harvested by the honey bees. The chants of excited children, the drone of traffic fading as the all consuming sweetness swept into his warm mouth, enveloping the ice and melding it to make it part of him. The oneness, the ecstasy of the cold liquid, giving up its heat freely. The sun pouring down rich light that diffracted in the leaves above to give a golden sheen. He had to have more, to consume the whole cold structure, to delight in its perfect texture. The perfect moment.

This last piece from one of the writer's who did not attend the 'place' workshop. This is a piece of Writing from Life.

Writing from Life by Elizabeth Hudson

The concierge opened the door to her flat to see who it was had entered the building. She shut it quickly after a short glance, looking away. She never had been particularly friendly with the residents of 36 rue Montmorency - it made things simpler that way. I walked to the corner of the courtyard. Her lack of friendliness couldn’t faze the excitement of being with Mark again after three weeks away.

He was looking forward to it too. I could hear him singing our song - the silly ditty to the tune of ‘Lola’ floating down from the second-story window. ‘Her name is Lizzy, she’s very busy’ or whatever word he could find to make it rhyme and make me laugh.

The wordless humming found its lyric.

‘Her name is Audrey.’

Chilled, I stepped into the stairwell, stubbing a toe on Madame Charriere’s buggy, neatly folded under the staircase where it always used to be. I stepped slowly up the stairs to the second floor. Putting both feet onto each step before addressing the next one. The landings smelled of beeswax, poured on every Thursday by the concierge and buffed up. We were always falling on them.

I couldn’t hear the singing any more. It was dark. I breathed in beeswax.

The shrill sting of the doorbell meant I had seconds to compose myself. It was such a small flat. But it took a very long time for Mark to answer the door. He was wearing a bath towel wrapped around his waist that reached to his ankles. He trembled, then cocked his chin.

‘You’ve come at a great time,’ he said, even though we had arranged to meet twenty minutes before.

Matthew Collins returns to Atsitsa on a Skyros holiday

2009-10-21T02:39:00.000-07:00

There was a knock on my hut door. ‘Come on there’s an ocean to swim in...’

‘But it’s seven am – two more minutes in bed...’

‘You and your two more minutes in bed!.’

Bloody Americans, bloody Californians, bloody positive/love-life attitude. Maybe I should have done Path to Happiness...

Having visited Atsitsa many years earlier, to make a film about Skyros Holidays for a travel programme, I thought I knew what this place was about. But it’s quite different being a neutral observer to a proper session participant. On that earlier visit I ate some delicious food and undertook several curious activities (one of which involved creating stained glass windows out of tomatoes and lettuce leaves – not available now). But because I was there as a mere observer I didn’t become a fully integrated member of the session’s community. And that, I now realised, was half of what a holiday at Atsitsa was about.

So, here I was – a participant. And the person at my door was also a participant – chirpy Janine from LA.

‘Come on, dude – let’s see the sunrise...’

‘Oh, all right – if you insist...’

‘Isn’t this cool?’ she said, as we sat on a surfboard being lapped by the sea as the sun rose above the mountains.

‘Yes, very cool,’ I said.

Fifteen minutes later, and still dripping wet, Janine and I were at breakfast. I loved the Atsitsa breakfasts – granola, fruit salad, Greek yoghurt with cinnamon. And I usually topped off my own hearty breakfast with a salami/cheese/tomato roll. (Or two...) Oh, and a cup of coffee – made with that water from the well. (I got used to the taste the moment I discovered most other people used mineral water whenever they used the kettle.)

I actually loved all the Atsitsa meals. They used to be exclusively vegetarian but now, as well as breakfast salami, there’s a hot meat dish every evening. As a greedy carnivore I quite appreciate enforced vegetarianism (I’m ashamed to say one Tuesday I had five lamb shanks) but if you really want to be a bingeing omnivore you can usually sample the Veggies-Only option too, once all the veggies have eaten (one night I had four walnut and feta cutlets – but not at the same time as the lamb shanks).

This session was in mid-September – right near the end of the season. Early in summer I’d asked my kids if they fancied coming. (A lot of kids now come in school holidays.) ‘Not doing that hippy crap,’ said my 16-year-old son. So I booked to come alone. ‘How selfish,’ he then said, ‘Not taking your children....’

Anyway, I packed them back to boarding school and flew to Greece. I didn’t take the transfer offered by the Skyros office. I thought it would be easier flying into Athens and taking the morning flight to the island. But I slightly regretted not taking the ferry transfer with all the other participants. Having shared a night in Athens and a day of travelling, they’d got to know each other before they even reached Atsitsa.

My allotted hut mate was Nigel. He talked about Athens. ‘We had a great night... We ended up in a strip club with Suzie, the yoga teacher.’ (I’d had a night alone in the Sofitel.)

Next morning we had our first Demos. Rules were explained (‘Welcome to Greece – No paper down the loos...’) and course options were explained. I was determined not to touch psycho-babble ones so I chose windsurfing and yoga.

Unfortunately, the weather was freakily inclement during our first days there. It poured down several times and I regretted not bringing jumpers and waterproofs. And the windsurfing was such a cold option that twice I woke up thinking ‘Oh, no – windsurfing today...’ But I stuck with it and by the end of the course had learnt to sail and turn. And I’d got to know Steve, my windsurfing partner-in-crime.

Steve was an engineer from Lancashire who lived in Germany. He built nuclear waste plants in Lithuania (at least, I think that’s what he told me – he’d also built sewage plants in Ireland).

He turned out to be the best salsa dancer I have ever seen and during the salsa evening women just queued up to dance with him. In fact, he was so good he even ran his own salsa evening the following week – due to very popular demand.

But Salsa really was not my thing. I stood on the toes of every woman I danced with, except for Heather from Shetland. She took a free style, Scottish-jig-approach so I managed to avoid her feet. Belly dancing was fun though. And many boys were as good as girls.

By the second week the sun was shining brightly. Everyone in the community had got to know each other and I’d finally volunteered for vegetable chopping and the odd washing-up duty. I’d even been to an Ecos – the group forum where you just listen as each member speaks. (No response required. Try it at home.) I’d also discovered that sharing in the duties was quite a good way of getting to know fellow participants.

I was now tuned into the Atsitsa spirit. (In fact at one Demos I even volunteered a glowing appreciation of a Janine-led experience – an early-morning swim in a downpour with rainbow-coloured rain drops bouncing off the sea – beautiful...).

So, for my second week, I signed up for psychobabble – The Path to Happiness (not sure I found it but the course helped me empathise with fellow participants) and Healing Sounds with Suzie. I loved that course. I hadn’t sung in public since I was eight and finding my singing voice was an emotional experience. In fact, it was an emotional experience for lots of us – tears poured down cheeks as we sang.

Unfortunately, thanks to boring work, I had to leave the Atsitsa community before the end of the party. (And before the cabaret.) Suddenly I was back at Skyros Airport, waiting for a plane to Athens. But I had a book of e-mail addresses and a head full of happy memories. And maybe even a few interesting thoughts about a new approach to life....

Matthew Collins

For 10 years Matthew Collins was ‘Special Assignments Man’ for BBCtv’s The Travel Show. Each week on the programme he was given a travel challenge. These ranged from travelling overland to Spain with his leg in plaster (to sample travelling facilities for disabled people), to spending a week alone in a French nudist camp where single men and photography were banned (he was alone with three cameras round his neck). He also spent a week in Atsitsa...

For ten years he’s been bringing up his two sons alone (their mother lives in Spain) and he makes a living writing and talking about family issues and travel. Matthew has written five books, including Across America with the boys and Across Canada with the boys and three grannies (for which he borrowed three grannies to travel across Canada with his two sons). His one-man show How To Pimp Your Kids and Shop For Free at Waitrose was a sell-out at the Edinburgh and Buxton Fringes.

www.matthewcollins.co.uk

Skyros Work Scholars: What have you gained most from your time in Atsitsa?

2009-09-10T00:34:00.000-07:00

'Inspiring courses and fantastic friends!' - Abigail

'Laughter... confidence & funky ass people' - Sean

'An amazing experience that has brought confidence and inspiration along with making beautiful friends' - Sam

'A spiritual exploration and opening of one's self' - Monique

'I have made some incredible friends and gained the freedom and confidence to really be myself :)' - Rachel x

'I wanted to take some time out, career-wise, to do something different and being a work scholar has facilitated this. I have met incredible people, both colleagues and participants, and been able to participate on a daily basis on a variety of self-development courses. A truly wonderful experience' - Sinead

'Fun, friendship, laughter.... ' - Jane

'I've encountered a deep beauty within the place and the people' - Maggie

'A truly inspiring experience with fantastic new friends in a breathtaking setting' - Sally

'I have found courage, confidence and tolerance and some solid friendships in this wonderful place, not to mention a beautiful new relationship' - Zoe

To find out more about Skyros holidays in Greece, Thailand, Cuba and Cambodia, see www.skyros.com. Atsitsa is one of two centres on the beautiful Greek island of Skyros.

Sally Jones befriends uncertainty at the Skyros Centre

2009-08-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

A whole week has flown by already. It feels barely believable but as we unwind, we lose track of the days and of time and instead allow ourselves to slip into a natural rhythmic flow. Tensions are melting away and I am noticing a relaxed healthy energetic glow on the faces of participants.

The invigorating winds have settled to a gentle cooling breeze. I realise I haven’t seen one single cloud since my arrival here. Reliable blue skies make a refreshing change from the unpredictability of the weather back home and the pleasure of swimming in the beautiful blue Aegean sea never ceases.

One of my greatest joys this week has been picking the fresh figs off the trees on route to and fro to the beach and splitting them open to enjoy the fresh sweet flesh. In my course we have been working on developing mindfulness and this provides a perfect opportunity to practise this – savouring the full flavour of the figs after enjoying the sensory delights they provide visually.

We have one more week ahead and I hope we can stay present moment to moment and fully enjoy the magic Skyros never fails to provide.

Psychologist, Dr Sally Jones, is currently running her course 'Befriending Uncertainty' at the Skyros Centre in Greece. To find out more about Skyros holidays in Greece, Thailand, Cuba and the Isle of Wight, see www.skyros.com.