Slow down and rest
Dates TBC. Please register your interest with Ellen directly
These incredible retreats are co-hosted with my beautiful friend Marion at her place Monplaisir in Ambeyrac, which is about two hours north of Toulouse.
There will be two 5 night retreats and the dates are TBC for June 2025.
Ambeyrac is a gorgeous little town in the Midi-Pyrenees surrounded by farmland, rivers for swimming, magnificent cliffs and medieval towns! Can you sense the excitement and love of this place! And Marion's place has to be seen to be believed; a converted straw factory and renovated barn with rolling gardens, places to escape and read a book, lie by the pool, swim or nap!
We invite you to treat yourself to 5 nights of indulgent relaxation.
Enjoy gentle embodied flow yoga in the mornings and restorative somatic rest classes in the evenings that are designed to help you slow down and move with breath that nourishes the body and spirit. Classes are carefully planned and themed, and rather than learning rules or techniques each class is focused on moving in gentle ways that can help soothe stress, anxiety and pain in the body and mind. Each class has moments of stillness, breath and meditation and is based on a theme or poem to help you connect more deeply with your practice. We believe yoga should be for everyone no matter what injury or illness you might be dealing with or recovering from. Each class allows you to honour your body, your range of movement and individual anatomy as well as your honouring your inner world.
The other highlight of these retreats is the food!! Marion will feed your body and soul with delicious, healthy vegetarian delights using fresh local ingredients including organic fruit and veg from her kitchen garden. We can also cater to dietary requirements so please do let us know.
Getting there:
There are regular flights with budget airlines and with British Airways to and from Toulouse from Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted, if you are coming from the UK so please feel free to make your own travel arrangements and reach out if you need any help.
For both retreats, transfers to and from the airport are include.
We are striving to minimise the negative environmental impact of travelling to Monplaisir. The course fee therefore includes a realistic contribution towards offsetting your carbon footprint through a tree-planting scheme.
Imagine this day:
Start with a somatic, gentle yoga class that starts at 8am and finishes at 9.30. Then enjoy a light breakfast on the terrace. Next there's time for you to rest. Time to relax by the pool or swim in the local river (always my favourite) or stroll the peaceful gardens. Marion will prepare a delicious lunch for us and then there's more time to read and swim and soak in the French countryside.
If you are feeling up for a day out then there is the option to go on a day trip to see some of the lovely mediaeval towns and villages in the region. Past visits have included St Cirq Lapopie perched high above the Lot river and Conques, a spectacularly preserved cathedral town and UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are many local markets nearby which are always a joy to explore.
When we arrive back from a day of adventuring we will do a restorative and somatic rest practice and then look forward to more inspiring cooking from Marion and good conversation around the dinner table on the terrace in the warm summer air.
The retreat includes:
* 5 nights accommodation at Monplaisir
* Transfers to and from Rodez / Toulouse airport
* Gourmet meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner
* All Gentle Embodied and Restorative Somatic yoga classes.
* Excursions and visits to local places of interest.
There is a maximum of 9 on each retreat, please get in touch with me at hello@ellenblackmanyoga.com or Marion at marionmonplaisir@gmail.com to book your place and pay your deposit to confirm your place on this restful and luxurious 5 nights.
Don't wait too long as they always sell out!
Please reach out if you have further questions.
