Yia Mas, Amorgós (2026)

26/05/2026

So many people yearn to connect with their ancestral lands. It’s one reason we see the deep diaspora longing and love of Greece, to an extent that defies logic. You’re invited to join us this October for a retreat to help you connect on another level with your roots. And no, you don’t have to be Greek for this one. It’s for any woman who feels a tug to be with this land, to learn ancestral ways, and to connect with other women seeking to do the same. 🏺 Join us - just 5 spots left!

25/05/2026

VINTAGE YIA MAS CIRCA 2018-19🏺 να ‘μαστε καλά 🏺 a look back. Throwing it back to our early days… photo shoots in Elizabeth Street Garden, Yia Mas workshops at soho, some of the earliest things I drew when dreaming up the branding.  Because sometimes it’s important to look back at A: Just how long we’ve at this and B: our origins. at the very first yia mas I talked about how this project was inspired by my Great Grandmother - and a couple weeks ago a post with her image went viral. Instagram was a very different place when we started, and other than the Mediterranean diet and mastiha conversations, no one was really addressing so much of what we talk about now.

🧿 AND YET. Our why hasn’t changed: sharing tools and philosophies for wellbeing inspired by Greece’s land, traditions, and ancient wisdom, and a desire to create an alternative creative project to the “blue and white” of most diaspora brands.

Since then… Yia Mas evolved and grew through a pandemic, global moves, MANY workshops from Chicago to online courses with 40 participants, retreats from Epirus to Amorgos, and our making own child. There were opportunities to “expand” that didn’t feel right, and we’ve chosen to stay in our lane and niche.

It’s fun to look back! Thanks for being here.

21/05/2026

ANASTENARIA: a fire-walking ritual where faith and mystery trump fear. 🌞 Xronia polla, as well, to all the Constantines and Helens - probably at least half of you.
 We are fascinated by this beautiful, mystical custom. Note that we absolutely, positively couldn’t do justice to the entire ritual in instagram slides, but this is a good *introduction.* Beyond firewalking, this ethimo includes song and dance, sacred objects, icons, and shared human experiences.  
💡For more in depth storytelling and gorgeous analogue photographs, visit our blog to read our interview with who has captured this behind the scenes over three years.

18/05/2026

ANASTENARIA: the Greek fire walking ritual as seen through the lens of Anna Papadopoulou (). Yia Mas is honored to share Anna’s striking, ethereal photo collection “HOLY ASH,” captured during three stays in the village of Lagkadas, near Thessaloniki. For those unfamiliar, Anastenaria is a fire-walking ritual that takes place primarily in honor of Saints Constantine and Helen on their feast day, May 21 - some say it has ancient, Dionysian roots, but this can’t be proven 100%.

💡We also interviewed Anna - see a snippet of this below and read the full thing (for free) on our blog! Trust us, you want to read her words in full… I could not instagram-ify it. I learned so much and it challenged some of my assumptions, notably about the supposed secrecy of the ritual. Also, I think many of us can relate to her experience of seeing the magic in Greek culture once living AWAY from Greece.

YIA MAS: Having personally experienced it multiple times, how do you feel this ancient ritual translates to modern life?

ANNA: I believe the Anastenaria are highly relevant to modern life. At the core of the ritual lies willpower and the ability to master and surpass one’s self, a challenge that remains highly relevant in contemporary life. Faith— not confined to religious belief—appears to provide participants with the strength to endure and transcend the pain associated with fire-walking. Moreover, the ritual can be seen as a process of transforming a painful experience into one that is healing, positive, and cathartic. This perspective, in itself, holds a universal quality, applicable to many aspects of modern life.

💡MORE ON THE BLOG: www.yia-mas.com

And again, we’ll share more about Anastenaria in a separate post!

15/05/2026

RECLAIMING OUR ROOTS, THE RETREAT🏺 This is a journey of remembrance honoring the women who came before us. You’re invited to meet us in Athens and then near Delphi, the mythical navel, for a cultural experience. We’re taking you close to our ancestral lands and through the mountains where we feel most connected to our roots.

🏺This women’s retreat is designed to help us connect intentionally with Greek/Balkan/Mediterranean traditions so we can learn how to carry this wisdom forward. This is our smallest (limited to 6 people) and first women’s-only retreat. It’ll be intimate, and we’ll go deep. We’ll also create space for joy through song and dance, time in nature, and enjoying each other’s company.

🏺Through craft/art, mindful discussion, time in nature, connection with sacred sites, and more, we’ll work to integrate our inheritances. We will also discuss the less-than-sunny sides of it all - and what we want to leave behind in order to become good ancestors - in a non-judgmental environment.

This retreat is NOT:
-A Neo-Pagan ceremony/ANY type of worship. BUT we will discuss ancient wisdom and connect with the energy of Delphi. We’ll also have a small ritual ceremony honoring our ancestors. It might get weird.
-A yoga retreat. Join us in Amorgos for that! We will, however, move and meditate.
-for folks who are men. Sorry! Next time we’ll have everyone :)

🧿LINK IN BIO TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT

13/05/2026

SOMETHING IS COMING. It’s been a Google doc for over 3 years, and we’re finally about to bring it to life. Stay tuned. Little Kristina at Delphi is your hint 🤭

11/05/2026

POSTCARDS FROM AMORGOS and past retreats on the island that has become our home. Just ONE room left to retreat with and us. She can be a single or a double. Is it yours? Link in bio or DM for to claim that spot 🤌🏽🏺🧿

10/05/2026

An Ode to the Divine Mother and all mother figures. 🏺Wishing a Happy Mother’s Day to the moms out there, and thinking of those for whom today may be a tough day. Speaking as a mom, I hope we all work to create societies and structures that support mothers in practical ways, not just in theory or on one holiday. A few striking depictions of mothering and mother archetypes in ancient art:

🏺Clay Neolithic mother figurine dated to 4800-4500 BC from Thessaly, via National Archaeological Museum. 🫶🏼

🌊 Ancient Cycladic figurines, some showing women with pregnant bellies. Do these suggest an era where we revered women’s fertility? We hope so, but history is a mystery.

🌸 Sculptures depicting Demeter from Sicily. 🌾 If you’ve attended one of our workshops on the Persephone Myth, you know how much we love Persephone and Demeter.

🌿The name “Dimitra” is derived from “Demeter,” meaning “earth mother” - “Ge” for earth and “meter” for mother. In these sculptures she carries her signature stalk of grain, as she presided over crops, grains, and the harvest, tethering humans to our survival needs (a good harvest was a life or death matter for our ancestors… and us, too).

08/05/2026

Have you ever wanted to connect with the art of weaving? Did you also inherit rugs or other creations from a great grandmother or grandmother? What’s the story behind the loom, which has been in use and is well documented since Ancient Greek times?

🏺Considered women’s work/craft, historically, most Greek and Balkan women began weaving from a young age. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows - while this is a beautiful tradition, for many it was connected to their dowry (yep), what would be owed to your future husband, as negotiated by your father.

🧶And yet, it’s also not all “bad.” We’ll be exploring this craft (and what is, in our opinion, an art form) at something special coming up. Keep an eye out for more on that VERY soon.

Images via Pinterest and Ifenin.

08/05/2026

Have you ever wanted to connect with the art of weaving? Did you also inherit rugs or other creations from a great grandmother or grandmother? What’s the story behind the loom, which has been in use and is well documented since Ancient Greek times? Should we continue to learn this work, at risk of being lost?

Considered women’s work/craft, historically, most greek and balkan women began weaving from a young age. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows - while this is a beautiful tradition, for many it was connected to their dowry (yep), what would be owed to your future husband, as negotiated by your father.

And yet, it’s also not all “bad.” We’ll be exploring this craft (and what is, in our opinion, an art form) at something special coming up. Keep an eye out for more on that VERY soon.

Images via Pinterest and Ifenin.

01/05/2026

Protomagia x Full Moon x Beltane x May Day x Scottish weather combination in full force. 🌷🌿🧿 Blessings to you and yours as we navigate seasonal and collective transitions! .retreats grateful to be here with you!

🌷I imagine Persephone’s return may have been a bit bumpy as her eyes adjusted to all this light and life above ground - give yourself grace if it takes some time for you, as well! Spring is unpredictable yet glorious, a fun metaphor for all of life’s transitions.

Yia Mas

26/05/2026

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21/05/2026

18/05/2026

15/05/2026

13/05/2026

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