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Autumn Retreat from October 31th to November 3rd: Abundance through Yoga & Ayurveda

09/22/2024

In Ayurveda, autumn is associated with the Vata dosha, a period that focuses on promoting stability, warmth and regularity in order to refocus our energies, and nourish our body and mind. Vata dosha prioiritises yoga, meditation, massages, workshops, as well as a healthy and balanced diet. So look no further than our Autumn Retreat. During this four-day and three-night retreat, Lou Calen offers you the opportunity to nourish body and soul and strengthen your immune system to get through the winter serenely.

With Mireye Vidal, Ayurvedic treatment practitioner, leader of Panchakarma cures in South India, and Vera Schultz, yoga teacher and herbalist.

How to bring abundance into our lives with the Goddess Lakshmi and saffron ?

Turning to Ayurveda, the science of life, is enlightenment following nature and the seasons with its natural changes in a pragmatic and serene way. It is understanding what is happening within us and knowing how to maintain our balance in a changing world. It is connecting to Life with all our senses. It is learning about the Vedic sciences by finding a way to connect to Divine energy.
 
When the month of October arrives in India, it is time for farmers to start harvesting saffron flowers by hand. Each flower must be carefully picked only at dawn to preserve the best of its remarkable qualities.
 
Goddess Lakshmi is considered a Mother and many festivals are dedicated to her to pay homage to her beauty. The red powder or Kumkum obtained from dried and ground saffron pays homage to her.
 
By honouring Lakshmi, she grants prosperity, abundance, wealth, happiness, luck and all material successes as well as inner fulfillment through spiritual life. Lakshmi’s influence is very sacred to this cultural everyday life, she occupies a special place in the hearts and minds of her followers, draped in her saffron-coloured sari representing courage, hard work and the economic regeneration of India.

Information and Pricing

Services included:
  • Accommodation and tourist taxes
  • Meals morning, noon and evening
  • Yoga and meditation sessions (around 1.5 hours per day)
  • 1 Ayurvedic massage with Marmas treatment (1 hour)
  • 3 Ayurveda discovery workshops
  • 1 breathwork session (1 hour) + 1 sound journey (1 hour)
  • 1 herbalism workshop (1 hour) + 1 botanical walk (1 hour)
  • A “Yogayurveda retreat” discovery box (Book by Deepak Chopra and Saffron Facial Serum)

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)

Booking request

Retreat Program

THURSDAY OCTOBER 31ST

4.30pm: welcome of participants

5pm: presentation of the programme and definition of your dosha ‘Understanding the interaction of Autumn and Winter on your psycho-physiological balance’.

6.30pm: meditative walk or indoor meditation (weather permitting)

7.30pm: Ayurvedic buffet dinner

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1ST 

7.30am: Ayurvedic herbal tea and presentation of dry brushing, discussion of various morning purification techniques

8am: yoga and pranayamas

9.30 am: breakfast

10.30 am: Ayurveda workshop ‘How to create abundance by introducing Lakshmi into your life’.

12.30pm: picnic lunch under the olive trees (weather permitting)

2pm to 3.30pm: herb therapy

4pm to 6pm: individual treatments

6.30pm: Breathwork workshop with Kim

8pm: dinner at the Secret Garden

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 2ND

7.30am: Ayurvedic herbal tea and discussions on various morning purification techniques

8am: yoga and pranayamas

9.30 am: breakfast

10.30am: Ayurveda workshop ‘Maintaining your metabolism and your mind according to the season’.

12.30pm: lunch

2pm to 3.30pm: botanical walk

4pm to 6pm: individual treatments

6.30pm: Sound journey with Cori

8pm: dinner at the Secret Garden

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 3RD

7.30am: Ayurvedic herbal tea, discussions on various morning purification techniques

8am: yoga and pranayamas

9.30 am: breakfast

10.30am: Ayurveda workshop ‘Marmatherapy or acupressure, points that liberate’.

12.30pm: lunch

2pm: plant mandala workshop

4pm: end of retreat

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 three 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. We will also discuss Marmatherapy (digitopuncture) in order to connect these precious nerve impulses within the body to restart energy. You will receive the “Marmas” treatment, drawn from a Martial art originating from Kerala, during which you will physically discover that what blocks the body can also free it.

 

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.

Sound Journey

Your sound journey, accompanied by the instructor, will surround you in a vibrational symphony. Like an inner dance, the vibration of Tibetan bowls, tuning forks, chimes, drums and African percussions will soothe your mind, release your inner tensions, and harmonise your true vital energy. Cori de Ricard, sound therapist, Reiki master and practitioner of the Access Bars method, uses her years of experience to guide her clients towards a deep state of relaxation. A Franco-American originally from Chicago, she spent 15 years in Paris before settling in Carcés two years ago. Her practices, crafted by a lengthy international career, promote a deep reconnection with oneself.

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