Awaken & Flow - Nautilux Rethymno
East Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA. Address provided upon booking.
Oct 1 - 8, 2026
About this Retreat
Ira Schneider Ohm, EYRT 800, founded Zen Den Yoga Studio in 2008, Zen Den Yoga School in 2009, and Zen Den Retreat Center in 2013. He has always been blessed with an awareness of something larger then himself. As a boy he embraced practicing Pranayama, meditation, and positive thinking. In his first yoga class Ira knew that this practice was like a coming home, three months later he went to Nicaragua and got his 200 hour yoga teacher training certification.
Upon completion of his YTT 200 with School Yoga Institute, Ira immediately started to teach private and large group classes in Boca Raton, Florida. His strong entrepreneurial background made the creation of Zen Den Yoga Studio the next logical step. Within eleven months he returned to Guatemala for his 500 and 800 hour certifications in order to launch Zen Den Yoga School. He fell in love with the culture, the nature and the Mayan people. He decided in 2009, along with a few other inspired yogis, to build a sustainable yoga farm on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. The Yoga Farm is a retreat center and a yoga school. Ira still leads retreats to the magical energy vortex on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.
Much of Ira's training has been deep in the world of shamanism. His skills of astral travel and ability to see into people make a significant difference in people's lives. His teachings bridge the gap between our illusion of maya and true consciousness. Ira loves sharing his deep knowledge and love of the Sivananda tradition of yoga, Ashtanga-inspired Vinyasa, restorative yoga, and shamanic breath-work with his students, retreat guests and the South Florida community.
Valerie Leeds is an ERYT500, and a dynamic wellness entrepreneur teaching people to access their best selves in mind, body and spirit for 28 years.
Valerie is also Certified as a Bodywork & Energy Therapist and a Health Coach. She owns and facilitates Zen Den Yoga School & Wellness Retreat Center with her husband, Ira, in Boca Raton, Florida, where they guide people in disconnecting to reconnect.
Valerie developed her unique ability to connect mentally and emotionally with people on a deeper spiritual level through her first certification in Bodywork & Energy Therapy at the The Academy, (originally located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, now in Stamford, New York and called the Harrison Center for Personal Development). The Academy of Natural Healing has been an alternative education center and school offering diverse natural healing programs run by Director, Lewis Harrison, an internationally respected visionary, author, speaker, trainer and coach. Here she found like minds and developed an understanding of how managing our mindsets can be life altering, and our bio-magnetic fields intersect with and impact our physical and mental bodies.
She continued expanding her expertise in healing and transformation training through multiple disciplines: Access Consciousness and Energy Transformation coursework; Summit Education; The Gratitude Training; Masterful Living; and Compass Coaching. She was a student turned coach during this decade of work, which gave her many hours with clients one on one, both on the massage table and off, and later as President of Kevin Heaphy Fitness Studio. This boutique studio, in Soho, New York City, offered personal training, yoga, pilates, bodywork and energy therapy, personal development coaching, along with a juice bar and cafe in a gorgeous 5,000 square foot store front. Valerie cultivated a set of tools based on the premise that human potential is limited by our belief systems to bring a fresh look at how your mind and consciousness can be adapted on a moment to moment basis to live life in greater mastery, and she teaches how to deepen our connection to what she calls our “internal barometer.”
During this time she also went through a number of years of sales training and psychology working with Equinox International and Advanced Marketing Seminars; Staten Island Boat Sales; and AOL Time Warner, and others, which gave Valerie a diverse foundation to teach, train and educate people how to shift their belief systems and behavior. She realized that there are many barriers people form to resist change and personal growth, one of them is being out of alignment in our physical health. She spent a year living in Colorado deepening her own practice while she got Certified as a Dr. Sears Health Coach in order to give people a system to follow a simple healthy lifestyle.
Over the last two decades Valerie Leeds has created many programs that give people tools to step into their “next level,” whatever the category of life their desire may be: relationships, career, spiritual growth, physical fitness-- all of her creations will give people a vehicle to create greater ease, joy and greatness in their lives– Language of Energy, Energy of Language Course; Invigorate U: A.R.C. Angel Coaching Program; Extreme Concepts for Golf Mind Coaching; Be The Blossom Workshop; and My Voice Matters Worldwide Workshops for children.
These days she can be found teaching at Zen Den Yoga School & Wellness Retreat, and being a loving wife to Ira and step-mom to their fifteen year old Hali. Testimonials and references available upon request.
Details of this retreat
🌿 Awaken & Flow: Return To Yourself Retreat in Rethymno, Crete 🌿
Where adventure, relaxation, and inner connection beautifully meet
📅 8-Day Itinerary | Nautilux, Rethymno Hotel, Crete, Greece
Step into a truly elevated retreat experience on the breathtaking shores of Crete—where luxury meets intention, and every moment is designed to nourish your body, calm your mind, and awaken your spirit.
This is not a busy, over-scheduled retreat… it’s a return. A return to yourself, to presence, to what truly matters. Each day unfolds with a gentle rhythm of yoga, meditation, and conscious movement, balanced with time to simply be—whether that’s relaxing by the gorgeous turquoise blue Aegean Sea, lounging luxuriously poolside, or wandering through the charm of the old town of Rethymno at sunset.
Beyond the resort, you’ll experience the magic of Crete through thoughtfully curated excursions that connect you to the island’s rich culture, natural beauty, and ancient roots—without the rush or overwhelm of typical travel. This retreat is designed for those who appreciate depth without heaviness, and luxury without excess, allow yourself to be guided to remember how to feel and enjoy life again.
Nourishment is woven into every layer of the experience—from vibrant Mediterranean meals crafted with fresh, seasonal ingredients to practices that support your energy, clarity, and overall wellbeing. Whether you’re deepening your yoga practice, resetting your nervous system, or simply craving space to breathe and reconnect, this journey meets you exactly where you are.
This is a curated, soulfully designed experience where everything is optional, yet everything is intentional. A space to slow down, expand, and remember what it feels like to feel fully alive.
✨ Come for the beauty. Stay for the way it transforms you. ✨
Schedule
Daily Schedule
7:15am Start day with lemon water & prepare a nutritionally balanced, energizing smoothie for breakfast Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday
8:30am Meditation - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday
SUNRISE Beach Meditation is Tuesday & Friday mornings weather permitting, followed by Qi Gong (Chi Gong) with Dr. Yaron, or alternatively Tai Chi on the beach
9:00am – 10:30am Sivananda Hatha Flow, or Gentle Chakra Hatha Flow Monday - Friday
9:00am Saturdays & Sundays Yin or Restorative Yoga -or- Saturday Option to visit Downtown, enjoy outdoor Vinyasa in Sanborn Square Park (unless it\'s raining)
10:30am Breakfast morning smoothie (Juice & water fasting schedule varies slightly)
11:30am - 4:30pm Spa Services or time to relax by the pool, under the Tiki hut in a hammock, or at the beach
1:00 - 2:00pm Suggested Lunch time (Juice & water fasting schedule varies slightly)
3:30pm Ashtanga-inspired Vinyasa Flow Daily, EXCEPT SATURDAY
7:00 or 8:00pm Additional classes or events when offered.
(Self Care Massage & Aromatherapy; Sound Healing; or fun events like Estatic Dance or Concerts, occasionally other lectures)
9:00pm Quiet time EXCEPT Friday or Saturday nights when we have an Event
10:00pm Suggested Lights Out EXCEPT Friday or Saturday nights when we have an Event
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Accommodation
Semiground Patio w/Hot tub - Private
Hot tub, Private bathroom, Garden view, Free toiletries, Bathrobe, Air conditioning, Safe, Toilet, Sofa, Bathtub or shower, Towels, Linens, Socket near the bed, Cleaning products, Desk, Soundproof, TV, Slippers, Mosquito net, Telephone, Ironing facilities, Satellite channels, Coffee machine, Tea/Coffee maker, Iron, Heating, Flat-screen TV, Hairdryer, Fan, Extra long beds (> 6.5 ft), Minibar, Wake-up service/Alarm clock, Electric kettle, Outdoor furniture, Wake-up service, Wardrobe or closet, iPad, Entire unit located on ground floor, Upper floors accessible by elevator, Toilet paper, Sofa bed, Air purifiers, Single-room AC for guest accommodation. 1 King sized bed. Non-Smoking.
Semiground Patio w/Hot tub - Shared
Facilities:Hot tub, Private en suite bathroom, Garden view, Free toiletries, Bathrobe, Air conditioning, Safe, Toilet, Sofa, Bathtub or shower, Towels, Linens, Socket near the bed, Cleaning products, Desk, Soundproof, TV, Slippers, Mosquito net, Telephone, Ironing facilities, Satellite channels, Coffee machine, Tea/Coffee maker, Iron, Heating, Flat-screen TV, Hairdryer, Fan, Extra long beds (> 6.5 ft), Minibar, Wake-up service/Alarm clock, Electric kettle, Outdoor furniture, Wake-up service, Wardrobe or closet, iPad, Entire unit located on ground floor, Upper floors accessible by elevator, Toilet paper, Sofa bed, Air purifiers, Single-room AC for guest accommodation. 2 Twin beds. Non-smoking room
Standard Room - Private
Facilities:Private bathroom, Balcony, City view, Free toiletries, Bathrobe, Air conditioning, Safe, Toilet, Bathtub or shower, Towels, Linens, Socket near the bed, Cleaning products, Desk, Soundproof, TV, Slippers, Mosquito net, Telephone, Ironing facilities, Satellite channels, Coffee machine, Tea/Coffee maker, Iron, Heating, Flat-screen TV, Hairdryer, Fan, Minibar, Wake-up service/Alarm clock, Electric kettle, Outdoor furniture, Wake-up service, Wardrobe or closet, Upper floors accessible by elevator, Toilet paper, Air purifiers, Single-room AC for guest accommodation. Queen sized bed. Non-smoking room.
Standard Room - Shared
Private en suite bathroom, Balcony, City view, Free toiletries, Bathrobe, Air conditioning, Safe, Toilet, Bathtub or shower, Towels, Linens, Socket near the bed, Cleaning products, Desk, Soundproof, TV, Slippers, Mosquito net, Telephone, Ironing facilities, Satellite channels, Coffee machine, Tea/Coffee maker, Iron, Heating, Flat-screen TV, Hairdryer, Fan, Minibar, Wake-up service/Alarm clock, Electric kettle, Outdoor furniture, Wake-up service, Wardrobe or closet, Upper floors accessible by elevator, Toilet paper, Air purifiers, Single-room AC for guest accommodation. 2 twin beds. Non-smoking room.