Erin Lewis, Eat Pray Move retreats, on the shores of Ischia.
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Have you ever taken a week off to dedicate to yourself? Me, never, until a few months ago when I joined Erin Lewis of Eat Pray Move on her yoga retreat in Ischia. First I love Ischia. Give me any reason to visit and I am there. And I love what Erin is doing with her yoga retreats. Over the past decade, I’ve gotten to know Erin and watch her yoga teaching transform from lessons to week-long adventures in hypnotic and harmonic self-care …. around the world.
As certified yoga teacher and creator of Eat Pray Move, Erin has based her wellness career based on the very best beats of the Italian lifestyle – slow food, slow down and take care of yourself. Talking with her while enjoying the sun, I learned that it all started thanks to her love for The Talented Mr. Ripley, which was partially filmed on Ischia.
Erin visited the Green Island, immediately fell in love and after planning, chose Ischia for her retreat and inadvertently launched one of Italy’s very first all-day, week-long yoga detoxing retreats. Eat Pray Move retreats (up to 10-12 people, for all levels of yoga) are no longer just Ischia, Eat Pray Move is around the globe- Croatia, Iceland, Japan, Indonesia, France, Morocco and more.
The blues and greens of Lacco Ameno, Ischia.
“It’s the connections I’ve made with people and the relationship they’ve made with each other that makes the whole thing such a special project.”
What’s the philosophy? Erin’s goal is to create a community around wellness- and that means mixing up yoga with culture- through food and wine tastings, site visits and art experiences, as well more introspective exploration through writing and art. Additionally, she partners with with local non-profits- including a women-empowerment group in Morocco and a scholarship program in Croatia- for active give-back humanitarian work. For Erin, yoga embodies connection – to oneself, the practice of yoga, to a new place, and to the present moment through the practice of mindfulness and travel.
What makes Ischia so special? The colors, the natural thermal baths, the terrain and the vibe. It could be the immediate slow down of pace- to get to Ischia, you have to take a ferry, and once you are there, you’ll find yourself walking and hopping in small boats to get anywhere. If you ask Erin, it’s the island’s unique timelessness, and perhaps a little bit of Tom Ripley.
MORE IN THIS EPISODE
(02:00): Erin Marie Lewis
(02:50): Eat Pray Move
(04:48): Erin and Italy
(07:26): Origin Story
(08:03): Eat Pray Move retreats
(09:45): Yoga
(14:36): Ischia, the Green Island
(21:08): Eat Pray Move around the world
(23:01): Retreatrers
(23:10): Humanitarian Work
RELATED LINKS
Regina Isabella Hotel
The Dreamy Islands Where Italians Go to Escape
TUNE IN
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