Autumn Retreat from November 2nd to 5th: Practise Gratitude with Yoga & Ayurveda
Autumn is the best part of the year to recharge, refresh, and restart taking care of you. It is a real opportunity to take stock after a long and heavy summer season, when the days get shorter and leave space for moments of introspection. The practice of gratitude forces us to pay attention to the positive aspects of our daily lives, and as such it is a true philosophy of life.
This four-day three-night retreat invites you via yoga, meditation, breathing work, Ayurvedic treatments, a healthy and balanced diet, and walks in nature, to find inner balance while strengthening your immune system – the ideal preparation for the onset of winter.
With Mireye Vidal, Ayurvedic treatment practitioner and organiser of Panchakarma cures in South India, and Véra Schultz, yoga teacher and herbalist.
Autumn Retreat Program
Thursday 2nd November
4:30 p.m.: meeting under the olive trees, presentation of the programme, definition of your vata-pitta-kapha-dosha
6 p.m.-7 p.m.: first meditation session (walking and sitting)
7:30 p.m.: buffet group dinner
Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th November
7:30 a.m.: wake up, Ayurvedic herbal tea, purification techniques
8 a.m.-9:30 a.m.: yoga & pranayamas
9:30 a.m.: breakfast
10:30 a.m.: Ayurveda discovery workshops (Friday: self-massage of the face and body / Saturday: mudras, finger yoga)
12:30 p.m.: lunch
2 p.m.: rest, massage, or Shirodarah
5 p.m.: meditation, yoga nidra and mantras
6 p.m. Friday: breathwork session with Kim Buisson
6 p.m. Saturday: rest, massage, or Shirodarah
7:30 p.m.: dinner
Sunday 5th November
7:30 a.m.: wake up, Ayurvedic herbal tea, purification techniques
8 a.m.-9:30 a.m.: yoga & pranayamas
9:30 a.m.: breakfast
10:30 a.m.: Ayurveda discovery workshop (preparation of a kitchari and a pacifying Vata herbal tea)
12:30 p.m.: lunch
2 p.m.: workshop creating a plant mandala
4 p.m.: end of the retreat
Information and Pricing
Services included:
- Accommodation and tourist taxes
- Meals morning, noon and evening
- Yoga and meditation sessions (around 2.5 hours per day)
- An Ayurvedic massage or Shirodarah treatment (1 hour)
- A breathwork session (1 hour)
- Three Ayurveda discovery workshops
- A “Yogayurveda retreat” discovery box (tongue scraper, jala netti, mala, lavender pouch)
Transport is not included in this package:
- Transfer pick-up from Aix-en-Provence TGV station: €150 (4 people maximum)
- Transfer pick-up from Nice airport: 180€ (4 people maximum)
- Transfer pick-up from Marseille airport: €170 (4 people maximum)
Reservation request
The benefits of Yoga, Ayurveda and Breathwork
Autumn is linked to the Air element (Vata): it is the most important Dosha in our self-creation since it guides the movement of life. It can be compared to a permanent internal dance. In Ayurveda, autumn is the ideal season to take care of ourselves and drastically slow down the rate of our metabolism after the busy summer. With the excitement of the changes in temperature and the ‘back to school’ vibe, the seasonal transition can feel abrupt, particularly after a summer (Pitta) that is unstable and extremely taxing on the body. As the days get shorter they offer the opportunity to create moments of introspection (meditation, walks), reconnection with your body (yoga, self-massage, morning friction) and to strengthen your immune system as winter approaches (Kapha).
Ayurveda
A tradition common to South India, Ayurveda uses a complex wealth of ingredients for wellbeing. Ayurveda uses around 2,600 plants, essential oils, mineral powders, metals such as gold and copper, and some products of animal origin. Most commonly, medicinal plant-based oils are used thanks to their multiple virtues (muscle toning, improvement of blood circulation, tissue regeneration, and above all elimination of toxins). During the retreat, you will participate in Ayurveda discovery workshops and will be able to enjoy its special traditions by choosing between an Ayurvedic massage, one of the body’s oldest regenerative therapies intended to drain toxins into the digestive system, or a Shirodarah, a masterful treatment which offers a “reset” of the nervous and hormonal system (anchoring, serenity, vitality, restful sleep, and more). Using a back and forth movement on the forehead, a drizzle of warm oil reacts hypnotically thereby soothing and rebalancing the pineal gland. These four special days will offer you considerable benefits and a real impetus to take better care of yourself through the winter season.
with Mireye Vidal
"As a physical therapist specialising in Ayurvedic care, I offer support based on the use of body techniques, aromatherapy, and also lifestyle advice. I will therefore help you become aware of your basic state of health which is specific to you, in order to understand any imbalances at the origin of your ailments, and offer you tools and advice that can benefit you. I am also interested in Ayurvedic massage as a tool for relaxation, as well as for well-being to find harmony, serenity, vitality, radiance, and more. I also work on posture and breathing in order to improve the circulation of the body’s energies. The stimulation of specific pressure points will also allow me to work on certain issues, both physical and emotional, in order to help you soothe and heal yourself. And finally, I will also be able to give you advice in the practice of self-massage."
Yoga
The practice of Yoga will help you ground yourself, soothe your body and motivate your mind during the autumn season. Working on the pelvis is essential to soothe Vata, the hinge of the hip axis, where the upward movement of our standing position and the downward movement of the force of gravity intersect. You will practice, among other things, gentle twists and the pincer position (Pashimottanasana), a key yoga position that releases the pelvis, aligns the back, regulates the nervous system and awakens the body’s energy. Breathing (Pranayama) is also at the heart of yoga practice. During this retreat, you will learn to control your breath using different techniques such as alternate breathing (Nadi Shodhana), solar breathing (Surya Bedhana) and ocean breathing (Ujjayi).
with Vera Schultz
"From a very young age, I dedicated my life to the performing arts (theatre, dance and circus acts), where I learned to understand my body’s strength and push it beyond its limits. At the same time, I discovered the practice of meditation (in the forest tradition), which allows me to anchor myself in a rather hectic daily life spent between international tours and artistic residencies. At 40, I retired from the world of entertainment and trained in herbalism. During this longer period of calm, I felt connected to nature and my true inner self. It was at this moment that I discovered yoga and its wealth of benefits on the body and the mind. And then finally, my meeting Christian Tikhomiroff was a real revelation: I trained with him for many years practicing yoga daily and with great enthusiasm. And it is with the same enthusiasm that I share my practice of yoga and meditation today."
Breathwork
Discover breathwork in this special workshop led by Kim Buisson, writer and Katonah yoga teacher. This practice focuses on consciously manipulating our breathing to improve mental, emotional, and physical health. Using specific deep, rhythmic or controlled breathing techniques, breathwork aims to reduce stress, increase relaxation, stimulate mental clarity and promote emotional balance. This workshop may also include methods of holotropic breathing, Wim Hof, pranayama and others, all of which originate from meditation and yoga practices.
