This page will help you with everything you need to know about planning your trip to the Eftalou Yoga Hall from information about the splendid Eftalou Valley and how we came to live in this part of the world, to arriving by plane and car, to accommodations and finally information about our yoga hall. In general, we want to empower our students to be self-sufficient in getting here. If booking the details of a trip is too challenging for you, we recommend forwarding the link to this page to a travel agent who can help make your journey as stress-free as possible.

The Valley of Eftalou

A beautiful, fertile and peaceful valley with landscapes of the mountains, olive groves, the sea, and the Turkish coastline – about 4 km from Molyvos. There is a therapeutic natural hot springs on the sea, sea bathing on beautiful rocky beaches, several hotels and tavernas on the sea. The Yoga Hall is in this area, set in a quiet olive grove with gentle breezes and nature sounds.

Below is a 16 minute audio landscape for you to experience the vibrant sounds of the wind and sea at Eftalou and the jingling bells of the many goats and sheep and the voices of their herders. We encourage you to have it on in the background while you view this webpage. (Thank you to Molly Drake for capturing these sounds:)

It was many years ago that we came upon this beautiful valley one evening when after enjoying a swim and soaking in the healing waters of the Eftalou Hot Springs we found a small and shady lane that led away from the sea.
Winding past fig and cypress trees and through abundant olive yards it led us into a hidden valley as an idyllic landscape opened up with terraced hills, rocky out-crops and rugged mountains stark against the blue sky. We were spell-bound and felt that finally we had perhaps arrived in the most perfect place to build a Yoga hall and our future home!

This was a dream and impossible to realize at that time so we continued with our teaching across the world and offering courses in Molyvos.

Then twelve years later, the same day that we were leaving the island, we were able to purchase a plot of land in the centre of the valley!
It took five years and numerous set backs but the house was built and our dream was fulfilled when the first group arrived and we started to teach in what felt like a ‘temple’…… our Eftalou Yoga Hall!

Everyone who comes here seems deeply touched by the power and beauty of this valley and they sense a healing atmosphere inside the building. For us each day we are still amazed at the gifts we receive and the sense of peace and deep connection we feel with the land, the trees, the animals and all who make the journey here to rest and to clarify their life-direction through Yoga.

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Hear an interview about our journey to settle in Greece below:

The nearby village of Molyvos 

Molyvos (also called Mithymna), on the Island of Lesvos, is a small picturesque town situated on the north coast, with spectacular views of the Aegean Sea, the coast of Turkey, olive groves and mountains. Built on the side of a hill, it is crowned with a medieval castle.

The narrow cobblestone streets, many overhung with wisteria, lead up through the Agora, or marketplace, and down to the sheltered harbor where colorful boats nestle alongside the open-air tavernas. There is sea bathing, water sports, and good walking in the hills.

Yoga students are made very welcome in Molivos and Eftalou.

View Map of Molyvos

Travel to Lesvos

The Eftalou Yoga Hall 

The building was designed according to our taste and needs. We had to adjust and change some of our original plans by local building codes since archeologist found some early roman coins (100BC) early glass, necklace and many pottery chards. We had to change the foundations and bring part of the building 1.70m up in order to accommodate a cellar, where we could store blankets bolsters and yoga mats, as well as accommodate a small library.

We had to create more steps with natural stones on either side on top of which I designed three intertwined ropes tying the building to the environment like a ship to the land with manila roping. At the same time we were thinking of an umbilical cord coming in from the outside world. Then a snake was born and shaped a head and tail, suggesting it’s body going through the whole bolding, being the whole building.

The Snake 

The original idea behind the snake at the entrance of The Eftalou Yoga Hall was to tie the building to the environment like a ship to the land. Hence the structure of it’s skin resembling manila roping. Also the idea of an umbilical cord coming from the outside world with three winding channels turning it into a snake.

*Since the open mouth looked a bit aggressive I put an apple into it. Suddenly bringing it to the bible story of how we lost paradise.
The snake that could talk to our feminine side promising knowledge about the creation (our masculine side is too busy doing things to be able to get any attention) and introduce physical shame. The snake was made all evil and leaving us with a curiosity to find out about our existence, the “why”, the “how”, the “science of being”.

Religion seemed to have condemned science in it’s root. In India the yogic and ayurvedic science goes hand in hand with religious practices, though western science seems to question some of their “believes” and even ridicules them. On the other hand there are daily discoveries in the scientific world that seem to celebrate some age old Indian known facts. The snake is the spinal energy that lies at the root of all movements. The materialising of that energy that flows between heaven and earth is thrown down to slither over the earth after offering the apple to Eve and Adam (the uncoiling snake can still rise out of any basket and climb any three). When humans rest and sleep, that snake spine is also horizontal and we get into subconscious dream state. This is the shadow side of the conscious knowing. Is the erect spine the course of the rise of the intellect?

In yoga we experiment with all possible positions, observing our body and mind as we join them together.