Hello everyone, I am Lina. I grew up in a small Lithuanian city surrounded by forests, and I hold a master’s degree in Lithuanian literature. Words and stories have always mattered to me, but over time my real passion shifted toward nature, mindfulness, and the quiet power of slowing down. I now live by the sea in the Netherlands. Alongside my daily job, I keep coming back to what truly lights me up — meditation, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), expressive arts, and organizing cultural and spiritual events. Out of this, I’m now building Nature & Soul Retreats, a future retreat business rooted in nature, permaculture, natural cooking, and mind-body-spirit practices.
Why EYE? It wasn’t one single spark — it felt like the natural next step. I had the vision and a business idea, but not yet the hands-on experience of running a retreat center. I wanted to learn from people already doing what I dream of doing, and come home with real tools instead of only theory. The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme felt like exactly the bridge between “having an idea” and “being ready to launch it.”
And here I am — fifteen days into my exchange in Spain, and it already feels like much more than two weeks! The first days flew by: meeting my host José and the wider community, settling in, starting Spanish classes. Barely had I unpacked, when the host organisation held a couple of community events, including a spiritual meditation workshop. Seeing the behind-the-scenes of an event like that — the preparation, the small details, how people were guided through the experience — was already worth the trip, and I kept imagining how I’ll one day apply this to my own business.
The host community lives and works in a beautiful rural area, and José took time to show me around: their ecological garden, their ongoing projects, and plans for the future. I loved hearing how mindfulness, community building, and permaculture principles quietly shape everything they do. What struck me most was how organised the community center is — different members responsible for different roles, from event coordination to cooking for retreats. Seeing an example of a strong team like this working together for their joint goals was really inspiring. I’ve also been invited to join and help with an upcoming retreat in Guadalajara, organised by José with several organization members — a chance to immerse myself in retreat organization and gain hands-on experience.
One lovely surprise has been meeting Ekaterina and Nick, community members planning to open their own retreat center in the mountains nearby. Both bring real hospitality experience, and Ekaterina is a certified QiGong teacher and practitioner of Chinese medicine who has led an online life-coaching programme reaching some 20,000 people. Comparing notes and challenges with them felt like talking to future colleagues rather than strangers — reassuring and inspiring at once.
Through all of this, I’m learning mostly by doing: joining community life, helping José wherever I can, and simply paying attention. It’s still early days, but I can already feel this exchange reshaping how I think about building my own retreat business — less abstract, more real. I can’t wait to see what the coming weeks bring.
