ABOUT US

 

Love moves Us, so it moves our World

 

Marin & Natali

Hello, dear Traveler! 

We are Marin and Natali, your hosts. We are also founders and owners of the Five Elements Retreat Center. Together with Marin’s family and our friends, we have been leading wellness and adventure retreats since 2017.
Marin is a professional adventure guide and he shares the knowledge of the Five Elements.
Natali's creative nature expresses itself through food, nutrition, and yoga.
Sometimes, we also have other team members like chefs and professional yoga teachers.

A man, Marin Vayu, leader and host of five elements retreats, has a lecture, a talk about elements inside a cave with a scenic landscape of trees and a sea behind him.
Natali Podner, yoga teacher, leader and host of Five Elements retreats, is in yoga room doing a ritual with palo santo before a yoga class.


o it 

It is the story of Love and Wisdom. We met by the grace of the universe. 

We were completely different people. One of us was a mystic ready to become a "hermit" and the other one was a model ready to go to Hollywood. At least, it seemed so. 

As always, life had other plans. We knew we were in front of a big challenge. Through Love and the Five Elements wisdom, our relationship started to bloom in growth, support, and loving inspiration. Now, our story inspires many beautiful souls that are in search of harmony in relationships or a more fulfilled life. 

When that magical moment happened to us, many doors opened and one of them was to start sharing our stories on the retreats.  .

Both of us love to be in Nature, meet wonderful people, and show them the beauty of nature within us and around us. We feel especially blessed receiving a message from them, after they return home, that the beauty and wisdom experienced here opened up their perspective of life and enriched their experience.

We invest love and care in our program because we want to give back to life what we receive from it.

Marin Vayu and Natali Podner, leaders and hosts in five elements retreat center practicing yoga in a yoga room, one meditating while the other is balancing on their hands in a headstand.

MARIN VAYU

Co-founder of the five elements retreat center

  • Adventure and spiritual guide for over 20 years

  • World-leading experts on the five elements wisdom

  • Over 100k followers on SM

  • Author of many books and articles, including some for the international Yoga Magazine.

  • Creator of online programs and the new Five Elements Calendar

  • Passionate traveller and researcher of lost ancient civilisations

Marin Vayu, founder, leader, and host of the Five Elements Retreat Centre, doing a handstand against a wall, in yoga shala, viewed upside down in black and white.
Stormhunter 1.jpg
Marin Vayu, founder, host and leader of five elements retreat center playing a drum outdoors during sunset, surrounded by trees.
Marin Vayu is sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt, with a blue sky background.
““Marin makes me a better person. I’m inspired and in love with the way he lives his life in harmony and full trust in whatever life brings.
Marin is a master of manifestation. His vision and faith and strong belief make him that master. He is spiritual but at the same time down to earth. His experience and knowledge make him so rich and worthy that you want to become a better and kinder human being.””
— Natali

NATALI PODNER

Co-founder of the five elements retreats

  • Professional physical therapist 

  • Yoga teacher with over 10 years of experience 

  • Aromatherapist 

  • Vegetarian vegan chef

  • Author of a cookbook

A woman sitting cross-legged on the floor in a sparsely furnished room, holding a phone. The room has large windows with light curtains, wooden beams on the ceiling, and a wooden floor. There are a few decorative items and furniture along the walls.
A woman in a tank top is seen drawing her foot closer to her face with her hand, while sitting indoors. The focus is on her foot and hand, with her face blurred in the background.
““Natali is a colorful and loving person who has the ability to enjoy everything. Her nature of serving and taking care of others is the manifestation of Love in action.” ”
— Marin
Cover of 'Livingstone' magazine featuring a black-and-white close-up photograph of a woman with short blonde hair, intense gaze, and small nose piercing, holding her collar. Headlines include articles on Darko Glavan, photosafari with Damir Španić, and an interview with Nadana Vidošević.
Natali Podner, co-founder, leader and host of the five elements retreat center holding a raw, vegan, gluten-free, and shugar free cake that she made as a chef for SunMoon retreat participants.
A man and woman sitting on a blanket by rocks on a beach, smiling, with the man playing an acoustic guitar and the woman resting her hand on his knee, in front of a tree-covered hill.

The Space Holders

Black and white cat lying on a wooden deck, looking at the camera.

Budo

A tabby cat lying on a wooden deck, yawning or grooming, surrounded by yoga mats and cushions set up outdoors.

Mali

A tortoise on a wooden surface outdoors with blurred greenery and pots in the background.

Roza