Who we are

My name is Aleksandra Kostina – Women’s Transformational Leader, mother of three, retreat host, and author. With more than ten years of experience in creating events for community and personal growth, I have dedicated my work to bringing people together in spaces of healing, joy, and transformation.

The journey began in 2014, when my mother Olga and I founded a Russian-speaking Saturday school in Northampton. From there, we organised cultural celebrations, family trips, and community events that helped families, children, and elderly people feel less isolated and more connected. We saw first-hand the need for spaces where Eastern European communities could gather, share culture, and support one another.

Over the years we expanded into wellness-focused gatherings, and by 2022–2024 we had already hosted three successful family camping retreats, each lasting three days, bringing families together for relaxation, culture, and wellbeing.

A young girl flying a kite in a grassy park with tents and cars in the background on a sunny day.

The Birth of Istok

In 2025, the vision grew into something bigger — the first Easter-European wellness festival in the UK.
The Istok Retreat Festival is a non-alcoholic, family-centred event that combines:

  • Wellness practices (yoga, meditation, sound healing, therapies)

  • Family activities and children’s workshops

  • Live music, creativity, and cultural celebration

  • A safe, drug- and alcohol-free environment for all ages

“Istok” means “source” or “origin” in Russian — reflecting our mission to return to the source of community, culture, and wellbeing.

Our Mission

  • To bring together Eastern European families from across the UK — including communities from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Poland — as well as welcoming local English families.

  • To celebrate Slavic traditions and culture while sharing universal values of peace, health, and connection.

  • To create a space of personal growth, transformation, and joy, rooted in nature.

  • To promote healthy, alcohol- and drug-free lifestyles as a positive example for families and children.

People sitting in a circle under a large white tent outdoors, participating in a yoga or meditation session, with trees and green grass surrounding the area.
People attending a meditation or yoga session inside a white tent with large windows, sitting on mats facing a woman instructor in a black outfit.
People gathered at an outdoor book sale booth with colorful balloons and decorations on a grassy field near parked cars and trees.
People participating in an outdoor yoga class under trees, with some lying on mats and others practicing yoga poses inside a white tent, in a grassy area with tents in the background.
A woman receiving a leg massage or physical therapy outdoors on a massage table set on grass, with purple bunting flags hanging above.
A large group of people, including children and adults, gathered outdoors on a grassy field, with many raising their hands in the air. There is a castle or large historic building in the background, surrounded by trees and a cloudy sky.
A group of nine people sitting on the grass in front of a large white tent outdoors, with trees in the background.
People relaxing and socializing on a grassy field during an outdoor event, with tents and trees in the background.
A group of children and adults sitting on the grass around a man in white clothes giving a presentation outdoors in front of a large white tent, under cloudy skies.
A person practicing yoga outdoors on a cloudy day, standing on one leg in a tree pose with hands in prayer position above their head, on a grassy field with tents and vehicles in the background.
_DSC7526.jpg
_DSC7534.jpg
_DSC7564.jpg

Contact us

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!