10 Top Reasons to take a Skyros Holiday...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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