Have a Pause.

After the success of last year, we decided to offer again our end of Summer Retreat in the beautiful location of Le Montel.

If you need some time to disconnect from your day-to-day life and nourish your soul with lush nature and yoga practice, this is the right retreat for you.

For the days in “Le Montel” (the small settlement where the house is located),  it is our aim to take you back to a simpler time, in which we are allowed to be present only in the moment we are living, in our actual time and surrounding.

You will use your “offline” time recharging with the beauty of the natural surroundings, a daily yoga practice that will release your body from tension and bring your mind to the present moment. Furthermore, you will be able to enjoy some extra activities, such as hiking, kirtan, mantra chanting, and bonfire building, to nourish your soul and find that true connection with yourself and each other.

Last but not least, you will enjoy healthy, vegetarian, and very delicious food, made with love and care.

This is the right place to be if you are missing that feeling of being in the present moment or if you like to take a break from your mobile devices. So find some time to disconnect and to re-connect with yourself!

We will keep our group “cosy” with a max of 12 participant (the 2 of us included), in order to offer the maximum comfort.

DATES: 

24-28 August 2023

1-5 September 2023

THE LOCATION

Located in the mountainous terrain of the rural heart of the Auvergne, stands the house.

Its has been a haven for our family for about twenty years and has provided refuge and a place to retreat for many others.

The house is a typical 19th century French country style-house (detached villa) surrounded by a piece of land on which also camping would be possible (see bottom of the page for details).

Though it is not a luxury hotel, in the property you will find all the things you need to make yourself at home: warm water, clean bedlinen and towels, private rooms and a very cosy big living room with fireplace where to relax. Two shared bathrooms are available. The property is located far away from the highways and the hectics of day to day life, surrounded by nothing but woods and creaks. Which makes it the perfect location for a retreat.

In the vicinity of the house there are some villages/cities that will be easily reached if you come with your own car. Some of our favourites are:  La Chaise Dieu, Arlanc, Le Puy en Velay, Thiers  and Saint Alyre d’Arlanc (within a walking distance) Also Lyon is in reach for a (half)day trip.

For those who come without a car or those who are there just to retreat there is plenty of natural treasure to be found within walking distance from the house.

There is a big well registered network of hiking roads all throughout France (GR) and the area around our house is no exception.

In the house we have a total of 6 rooms and two bathrooms. The centre of the house is the big living and dining room with open kitchen, where is nice to meet and relax in the evenings, in front of the traditional big fireplace/wood oven, to have a chat, play a game or listen to some music with a nice glass of wine.

If the weather allows it we will practice our yoga classes in one of the gardens or in the fields, in case we like to go for a little walk. In case of chilly or bad weather we will have the possibility to practice in the recently restructured attic of the old barn, a nice spacious room with wooden floor.

THE HOSTS

We are Jesse and Samantha.

Jesse is Dutch and Samantha is Italian. We are both passionate about nature, good food, traveling, hosting and appreciating the little things life can offer.

We decided to put together our skills and passions in order to create an environment where people can share, connect with themselves and rediscover the little pleasures of life. Furthermore we sometimes like to practice partner yoga and mantra chanting together since we both play instruments (Jesse guitar and Samantha Harmonium).

YOGA INSTRUCTOR

Samantha is a passionate yoga teacher, who decided to spend a big time of her life traveling and exploring the world, getting in touch with new cultures and life styles.

She loves to share her practice and knowledge about yoga, creating during her classes a comfortable and friendly environment where everyone can feel at ease.

Her speciality is Vinyasa Yoga, practice in which from a gentle warm up, the rhythm will increase slowly through a sequence of different asanas, standing, sitting and lying down, aimed to stretch and energize the body. You will feel strong, free and energized, while your mind will become calm and present.

Samantha likes to make the practice comfortable for everyone, providing personal care in finding adjustments and variation for every kind of body.

She loves to combine the physical practice with elements of meditation, yoga nidra and pranayama, offering great space for the mind and the body to slow down.

She is also passionate about mantras. She loves to play singing bowls and harmonium to accompany Om chanting and mantras at the end of a class or during Kirtan, the devotional group chanting.

Her mission is to accompany her students through a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance, in order to let the best part of everyone rise and express fully.

FOOD

WHO CAN ATTEND

The retreat is open to everyone, from beginners to advanced Yoga practitioners. Those who are new to meditation or Yoga practices will receive full instruction, while those with experience will have the opportunity to explore more deeply.

DAILY PROGRAM

Day 1:

• 14:00 Arrival and settle in
• Free time to relax and explore the surroundings
• 17:00 Retreat opening
• 19:00 Dinner and relax

Day 2:

• 08:30 – 9:45 Vinyasa morning flow
• 10:45 – 12:30 Brunch
• 13:00 – 17:00 Free time / activity / workshop*
• 17:00 – 18:30 Yoga slow flow and yoga Nidra
• 19:00 Dinner
• 22:30 Silence

Day 3:

• 08:30 – 9:45 Vinyasa morning flow
• 10:45 – 12:30 Brunch
• 13:00 – 17:00 Free time / activity / workshop*
• 17:00 – 18:30 Yoga slow flow and yoga Nidra
• 19:00 Dinner
• 22:30 Silence

Day 4:

• 08:30 – 9:45 Vinyasa morning flow
• 10:45 – 12:30 Brunch
• 13:00 – 17:00 Free time / activity / workshop*
• 17:00 – 18:30 Yoga slow flow and yoga Nidra
• 19:00 Dinner
• 22:30 Silence

Day 5:

• 08:30 – 09:45 Vinyasa morning flow (closing class)
• 10:00 Breakfast
• 11:00 Check out

*Please note that the program is not strict, we offer space to the energy to flow, so please keep in mind that there might be some small changes in the program.

We like to keep the afternoon free, so everyone can take their time to rest and spend some time on their own (reading a book, taking a walk or just relaxing in the garden or the shared spaces), but we might offer some group activities that might vary according to the weather conditions. Between the possibilities: visiting the towns nearby, trekking, mantra chanting, kirtan, bonfire building, vegetarian bbq. Feel free to make yourself at ease!

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:

• 4 nights accommodation
• 2 daily healthy vegetarian meals (brunch, dinner), water
• organic tea all day available
• healthy snacks
• 2 daily yoga classes

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:

• Flight and transportation (pick up – drop off) to and from the property
• Wine
• Extra activities

For info about the prices please contact us directly!

IMPORTANT:

INTERNET: *At our house we have a weak internet connection and we love it! However, in case of emergency there is always telephone connection and if you really need to check some emails or scroll your facebook feed there is a bar in the village close by with a proper wifi. But we recommend to try to challenge yourself to stay offline for the whole retreat.

CAMPING: *We offer also the possibility to enjoy our retreat to people coming with their own tent or camper. In this case we will offer yoga, food and basics (toilet and shower) and we will agree together about a special price.

YOGA PROPS: *We suggest to bring your own yoga mat, but in any case we will provide all the props necessary for our practice.