I attended a retreat in Filicudi with Elisabetta in December 2023. I decided to join the retreat as I liked the idea of celebrating the end of the year as a rite of passage.

I was thinking I would be going into a yoga retreat, where you practice together, eat together and build some good friendships. The retreat with Eli has been much more than this.

Elisabetta is incredibly knowledgeable and thoughtful: she took it upon herself to give us the best advice to reach our final destination and ensured that we would make time to listen to ourselves and see the most scenic spots during our travels. On the island, she reserved a beautiful home for us, overlooking the sea.

The days of our retreat were spent hiking, meditating, swimming in the sea and being in touch with ourselves and the locals. Elisabetta is “on” 24/7 and provides insights and advice throughout the day. She has helped me see parts of myself that I was not aware of. We hiked to the top of mountains, walked barefoot and swam in the winter sea – we were able to shed our city skin and wear a much lighter one, made of sun, green leaves and water.

The whole retreat was a continuous stream of revelations and processing of past experiences. Now I am back home, I notice how I feel different, more aware and less scared of bringing my true self out there in the world.

I would recommend this retreat to anyone, and if you think you are going on a yoga retreat, think again. It will be harder, but the reward much greater.