Rise Blissfully Silent
Join me to a 5 days mystical journey, in an Eco Luxury Hermitage, well hidden in the beckoning silence of the Umbrian hillsides, where nature whispers the song of your soul, empowering you to celebrate a rebirthing encounter with your self and like minded people.
Expand your life force in a spectacular natural surrounding of 3.000 hectares of protected Forrest and embody wellbeing through Restorative Yoga, Meditation, Mindfulness, Water Healing, and Creative Movement. Serene sunrises, open skies and starry nights will hold space for you, to harvest the deeper longings of your heart, while healing circles, fire rituals, relaxation sessions, fire, and full moon rituals, will harmonize your body -mind -spirit, securing a deep restorative sleep during the nights.
This 5-day self-mastery journey invites you to be silent for 2 days from spoken words (keeping silent outside the sessions), and detox from digital media, so you can rise anew and become who you wish to embody.
It is a joyful gathering of the heart, for you, that you long to receive a multitude of miracles, entering the bliss of your infinite self, opening the gate for a happier and wonderful life.
Apostolia Papadamaki
The Happiness Retreat Founder & Teacher
Umbria
Located in the heart of Italy, between Rome and Florence, Umbria is one of Italy’s most renowned regions for natural beauty, historical heritage, culinary tradition, and artistic patrimony. Untouched landscapes in the green of winding valleys make Umbria a region that amazes every visitor.
Dense wood and mountains, hills and olive groves, aromatic vineyards, enchanting rivers, fascinating castles, medieval villages, and abbey churches stand out like jewels from the skyline.
The Venue: Eremito Hotelito del Alma
A unique place, a lay hermitage located in an isolated spot, where one can breathe and sense the atmosphere characteristic of Umbrian hermit places; here the combination of nature, peace, and silence encourages being in touch with one’s soul and inner self. Eremito is one of the most recognized Design Hotels in the world and the perfect place for a digital detox.
Your teacher
I am Apostolia Papadamaki, an internationally acclaimed choreographer, a transformational retreat leader, and an embodied spirituality teacher. I studied Contemporary Dance, Contact Improvisation, Yoga, and Alexander Technique in New York. As a lover of healing arts, and spirituality, I am trained in Shamanism, Music, Voice, Diving, Craniosacral Therapy, and Rei-Ki collaborating with inspiring artists, healers, and teachers in many lands. I love to dream and I believe in infinite possibilities. My highest intention is to keep opening the eyes of the soul and tuning into the frequency of Love no matter how life challenges me. The Happiness Retreat is an open-hearted invitation to share knowledge, experience, and joy with beautiful souls like you!
Embodied Spirituality Practices
Yoga
Our Restorative Hatha Yoga practice, in conjunction with the principles of Biomatic Anatomy, will bring harmony to your body, mind, and emotional state. Apostolia is transmitting her knowledge gracefully through her heart, voice, and hands. Her Yoga class, a unifying blend of Pranayama, Asanas, Mantras, and Meditation is a powerful tool for self-transformation.
Creative Movement
Contact Improvisation intertwines with Meditative Dance as a form of communication between your inner spirit and the spirit of every other human and living being. A full sensory experience, that merges with the elements of Water, Earth, Air, and Fire, that will allow you to follow your inner «impulses», to overcome all restrictions and become free to "dance" your fear, happiness, passion, hope, and many more as you reach a euphoric state of being.
Water Healing
An aquatic bodywork that will enable you to embody the art of true belonging and trust oneness in the fluidity of the sea. We all come from the womb of our mother and we have experienced “floating”. Water is conductive so it can help us remember our true nature, it can facilitate a rebirth experience
Sharing Circle and Rituals
Apostolia's bespoke Rituals are instrumental in marking transition points in life, in empowering the feeling of belonging, improving confidence for life changes, and in bringing physical and emotional healing.
The sharing Circle will support you to release old patterns and fears, shift perspective and activate new decisions, while simple yet profound rituals will teach you how to fully enjoy your experience and be grateful to yourself, your community, and the earth.
We will sit in a circle as a tribe, holding a safe and sacred space for one another, sharing our intentions of what we are looking to gain during our Rise Blissfully Silent Happiness Retreat. By setting intentions we set the foundation for our soul to give us what we need at the present moment in time and connect with like-minded people, from all over the world
Nutrition
Vegetables and herbs are organic, grown in the resort gardens. All the food is prepared on a daily basis by an Italian gifted in-house chef and is of high quality and exquisite taste, inspired by healthy “Umbrian recipes coming from monastic Mediterranean tradition.
Breakfast and lunch are served at the garden table, surrounded by trees and with fabulous views in the woods.
Dinner (4 courses plus local wine) is served seated in the Refectory and it is an experience on its own as it is served in pure magnificent silence engaging guests to participate in a ritual beautifully and purposefully orchestrated by the hosts.
What is included
5 days / 4 nights of stay
Breakfast buffet, Lunch and Dinner (four courses, vegetarian), water, local wine, tea, and digestive infusions
Daily Yoga, Meditation, Biomatic Anatomy, Creative Movement
Sharing Circle
Water Healing Session
Full Moon Ritual
Sunrise Meditation
Fire Ritual
Indoor Jacuzzi and Steam Bath
Hikes & Experiences in nature
Mindfulness
Shuttle transfer from Fabre Ficulle station to and from Eremito
What you need to add
Your transportation costs
Your travel insurance
A Sample Day
(Itinerary will be sent to all the participants a week prior to the retreat)
7.30 / Prayer at the Chapel
8.00 / Yoga & Meditation
09.30 / Breakfast
11.30 / Forrest / River Hike
13.00 / Lunch
14.30 / Free Time / Private Sessions
17.30 / Water Healing Session
19:30 / Silent Dinner
20.30 / Outdoor Fire Ritual
Check-in / Check out
17th November 2023: Room check-in at 15.00 / Our first Retreat practice starts at 17.30
In case you arrive in Eremito earlier you can leave your luggage and rest at the Reflectory or take a Jacuzzi!
21st November 2023: Room check out at 12.00
We highly recommend that you stay an extra day/days in Eremito after the retreat, in order to integrate the retreat benefits. Special rates are offered to all our participants.
Practicing Silence
All participants will receive detailed instructions to prepare spiritually before our journey.
We will detox from overthinking and keep silent from talking and socializing during the 2nd and 3rd days of our retreat, maintaining the silence with mindfulness and wisdom. For any real necessities, you will be able to communicate with Apostolia, the retreat leader.
A Retreat Journal and a pen are mandatory while books and reading are not suggested.
Yawning and sighing are allowed and will be encouraged during sessions as well as chanting and singing.
You will be invited to switch off all your electronic devices (including phones) during our retreat. This is optional and you will talk about it with Apostolia. Eremito hotel has no wi-fi, no tv, and no phone reception. In case you need to communicate with your family during the retreat we will instruct you how to do it on a set date/time.
Options and prices
Accommodation will be an experience as we will be staying in “celluzze” the cells used by the hermits in past times. Each room has a wrought iron bed with a foam memory mattress, a stone-carved desk set into the wall, a shower, a private toilet, and beautiful vistas in the green valley, the perfect vehicle for our journey to inner peace.
Prices to be announced soon.
Travel Info
By air
Book a flight to Rome Fiumicino and Ciampino (about 2 hours), Firenze ( about 2 hours), or Perugia (about 1 ½ hours) and then continue by train.
By train
Trains run every two hours from Rome and Florence central stations. You must choose the regional train for line Rome-Florence. Your stop is Fabro Ficulle and from there we will provide a shuttle transfer to Eremito.
If you take a train from Perugia you need to change trains at Terontola-
Cortona.
For train itineraries and reservations, you may visit www.trenitalia.com
By Car
If you choose to arrive by car please see the link for detailed motorway instructions.
Photos from our previous Happiness Retreats in Eremito
