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IN HER BODY · WINTER RETREAT · CRETE · JANUARY 2027
Winter Escape
A weekend of coming
back to life.
3 days · A private villa near Chania, Crete · Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th January 2027
With Dr Kamila Hortynska, Clinical Psychologist & Functional Medicine Practitioner
Open to women and men · 8–10 places
Express Your InterestScroll
A letter, before the itinerary
Joy of life hasn’t left you.
It’s just gone quiet.
For the women
Somewhere in midlife, the colours can drain out of everyday life — not all at once, a little at a time, until you can’t remember the last time something properly delighted you.
For women, perimenopause often has a hand in this: hormonal shifts, broken sleep, and the quiet weight of carrying everyone else’s needs before your own.
For the men
Midlife arrives differently for men, but it arrives. Play disappears first, then the friendships thin out, one missed catch-up at a time, until life becomes a list.
This retreat is not about escaping your life. It is an invitation back into it, with the people you love and the parts of yourself that have gone quiet.
Joy is not a personality trait. It is a practice.And it can be relearned.
3 Days
Private Villa
Near Chania, Crete
8–10 Places
A Small Circle
Held closely, not crowded
Jan 22–24
Extra Nights
Arrive Thursday · stay Sunday
Women + Men
Come As You Are
Alone, partnered, or with a friend
Who this weekend is for
There’s a place at the table exactly for you.
Women 35–55
If your spark has dimmed
If perimenopause or the recent bumps in your road have quietened your spark, this weekend was made for you.
Couples
Bring your husband or partner
This is genuinely couple-friendly. Men are full participants here, not companions waiting on the side.
Friends & sisters
Bring a friend or sister
Some joy is best rediscovered together, with someone who already knows the whole story.
Solo
Come alone
You are genuinely welcome. The group is intentionally small and designed to create real connection.
No retreat experience, fitness or flexibility required. Willingness is the only requirement.
The experience
Your weekend, hour by hour.
Workshops in the mornings and at golden hour.
Long meals, meaningful conversation, and generous free time in between.
Friday
Arrive
Slow down. Settle in. Meet the people you’ll share the weekend with, over a welcome dinner and an unhurried first evening.
Saturday
Understand + Feel
Explore why joy fades in midlife, understand your own patterns, and experience practical ways to reconnect with pleasure, presence and aliveness.
Sunday
Take It Home
Create your own personal joy practice — a realistic “coming back to life” plan you can actually live with, long after Crete.
The programme
Three days, held gently.
Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th January 2027
A private villa near Chania, Crete
6:00 – 7:30 pm
Welcome Dinner
The first long table of the weekend — introductions, without the small talk pressure.
8:00 – 10:00 pm
“Arrival” Circle
A quiet way to land together before the weekend properly begins.
8:30 – 9:30 am
Breakfast
10:00 am – 12:30 pm
The Anatomy of Joy & Life Satisfaction
Understanding why joy quietens in midlife — and what actually brings it back.
1:30 – 2:00 pm
Lunch
2:00 – 5:00 pm
Free Time
Jacuzzi, heated indoor pool, sauna, or a walk through the nature reserve.
5:00 – 7:00 pm
Finding Joy in Midlife
Mindfulness, presence practices, glimmers, life-savouring rituals, and a sunset gazing meditation.
7:30 – 10:00 pm
Dinner at a Local Taverna
A Greek Kefi evening — music, food and the kind of joy that’s easier to catch than explain.
10:00 – 11:00 pm
Optional Fireside Storytelling
Or simply free time, if the evening has been enough.
9:00 – 10:00 am
Breakfast
With optional mindful eating.
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Taking Joy Home
Building your personal joy practice, pair commitments, and your “coming back to life” plan.
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Packing + Preparation
1:00 – 2:00 pm
Farewell Lunch + Closing Ritual
Afternoon
Departure
Or stay on for an optional extra night.
Saturday, 5:30 pm. We stop everything — and watch the sun go down together.
The weekend is built around the Cretan light.
The setting
A private villa. January’s best-kept secret.
Crete in January is gentle and spacious — mild days, golden light, and beaches with no one else on them.
It is the island at its quietest and most itself.
Heated Pool
Indoor, year-round warmth
Sauna & Jacuzzi
For slow afternoons
Fully Equipped Gym
On-site
Nature Reserve
Walking distance away
What you’ll leave with
Nothing overpromised. Everything real.
A renewed relationship with joy
A clearer sense of what makes you feel alive
Practical rituals you can keep at home
Meaningful connection with others
A personal “coming back to life” plan
Permission to rest
Memories, friendships and shared rituals
Optional extras
A few ways to extend the weekend.
Private 1:1 Mentoring
With Dr Kamila, booked separately.
Local Dinners
Additional evenings out beyond the core programme.
Sunset Ecstatic Dance
An optional evening session.
Arrive a Day Early
Settle in from Thursday afternoon.
Optional Extra Night
Stay on past Sunday.
These are booked separately and are not part of the core retreat curriculum.
Good to know
The practical details.
Dates
Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th January 2027
Arrival
From Thursday afternoon
until 5pm Friday
Included
Accommodation · meals · all teaching sessions
Not Included
Flights · transfers · optional extras
Places
8–10
Investment
Single, shared & couple pricing — to be confirmed
Your guide
Dr Kamila Hortynska
Clinical Psychologist · Functional Medicine Practitioner
With over 25 years of clinical experience, Kamila has spent her career helping women understand what’s happening in their bodies and minds — and what to do about it.
Her approach brings together clinical psychology and functional medicine, treating the whole person rather than a list of symptoms. This retreat is an extension of that work: less about fixing, more about remembering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before you reserve your place.
Women 35–55, particularly those in perimenopause or midlife transition — and their husbands, partners, friends and sisters. It is genuinely open to anyone who feels disconnected from joy and aliveness.
Yes. You are genuinely welcome to come solo. The group is intentionally small — only 8–10 places — and designed to create real connection.
Yes. This is genuinely couple-friendly. Men are full participants in every part of the weekend, not companions on the side.
No retreat experience, fitness or flexibility is required. Willingness is the only requirement.
Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th January 2027, at a private villa near Chania, Crete. Arrival is available from Thursday afternoon.
Yes — this weekend was made with exactly this in mind. It is built around rest, unhurried time and generous free time, alongside the teaching sessions.
Yes. The retreat is for anyone in midlife who feels their joy has gone quiet, whatever stage of the transition they’re in.
IN HER BODY · WINTER RETREAT · CRETE
January will come either way.
You can spend it under a grey winter sky, waiting for the weather to improve — or by the sea in Crete, remembering what it feels like to be fully alive.
Reserve your place22–24 January 2027
Questions first? hello@drkamilahortynska.comRegister your interest
This is not a booking.
No payment at this stage. We will email you when places open.