Where we’re staying
Set amongst the beauty of the Kinglake Ranges, the property we're staying at features 20 acres of native bushland with over 2 kilometres of private bush tracks to explore - home to an abundance of birdlife and wildlife such as wallabies, wombats, and kangaroos
The house grounds feature a solar-heated swimming pool, a small olive grove and fruit orchard with open paddocks beyond which is home to friendly sheep
On this nourishing yoga retreat we will practise gentle embodied yoga in the mornings looking out at a view over the beautiful bushland and in the evenings we'll snuggle up with bolsters and blankets for restorative somatic yoga and sound healing.
These retreats are well known for their amazing food and it is often one of the most memorable parts of our time away together. We prioritise nourishing your body and spirit with homemade plant based meals made by my husband and cohost, Ede.
There is plenty of personal time for integration after each day’s activities, you’ll have the opportunity to rest and feel nourished and rejuvenated.
What’s Included:
*Two nights' accommodation in the beautiful Kinglake ranges.
*Early arrival on the Friday and late check out on the Sunday to make the most of your stay.
*Morning Embodied Gentle Yoga class
*Evening Restorative Somatic Yoga and Sound Healing
*Delicious plant-based meals lovingly made by my husband and co-host for the retreat, Ede.
*Mindful walks in the surrounding bushland.
*Optional Journaling workshop to reflect and process whatever is going on for you.
*The chance to connect with wonderful like minded souls.
*There will be plenty of time for yourself to relax, read a book, explore the beautiful bushlands.
*Relaxing on-site massages at an extra charge- let me know when booking if you would like to add this to your weekend.
Our retreat Accommodation
All on one level our retreat venue features six large bedrooms and three bathrooms, providing comfortable accommodation for a maximum of 12 guests.
The retreat venue has spacious living and dining areas, an amazing kitchen for Ede to cook for us in, a private cinema, library and solar-heated swimming pool!
Pull up a chair on the sun-drenched veranda which wraps around the entire house offering views of the ranges to the east and garden views to the west or have a swim in the pool, walk through the native bushland, watch a movie or nap when you’re not doing yoga or eating delicious food!
Accommodation options
There are 5 rooms that all have Queen and Single beds in them. And a master bedroom with 1 King Size bed or 2 singles. There will be a maximum of 12 guests. I have allocated the rooms as follows but this could change, if for example, more people would like a single room.
2 x Twin Shared rooms. All with a single bed and queen bed.
Single Bed $800. Early Bird price $650.
Queen bed $950. Early Bird Price $800.
For single people who are happy to share a room. All with shared luxury bathrooms.
3 x Private rooms with Queen sized beds. $1600 total for the room.
Early Bird Price $1450.
Single people who would like the privacy of their own room or for couples, all with shared luxurious bathrooms.
1 x Luxury master room with a beautiful private ensuite and sitting room for a couple or two friends coming together. King sized bed or two singles $1075 per person. Early Bird $925 per person.
50 percent non refundable deposit required to secure your place. Please contact me to organise bank transfer or Paypal deposit.
Early bird price ends 31st Janaury
Final payment due 11th March 2025
Please let me know which room you would like when booking and I will send through details of how to organise deposits to secure your place.
Also let me know if you would like to organise a massage over the retreat weekend. $120 for 1 hour of relaxation massage.
Ede and I can’t wait to host you on this nourishing and rejuvenating weekend in April 2025.
France Retreats June 2025
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 again in 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 to Brive and Rodez if you are coming from the UK.
For both retreats, transfers to and from the Brive and Rodez airport on specific flights are included. We'll let you know which flights to book from the UK.
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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.
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Imagine this day:
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Start with a somatic, gentle yoga class that starts at 8.30am and finishes arounf 10am. 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 for lunch and a stroll through the pretty streets. There are many local markets nearby which are always a joy to explore.
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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:
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* 5 nights accommodation at Monplaisir
* Transfers to and from Rodez / Brive airport
* Gourmet vegetarian 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 confirm your interest on this restful and luxurious 5 nights.
Don't wait too long as they always sell out!
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First Retreat 6-11th June. There is 1 place in a twin share room still available
The cost per person Twin Share with ensuite in the beautiful main house is $1776, deposit $351 ( in pounds £910 deposit £180)
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Second Retreat 15-20th June there are 2 places in a twin share room with ensuite still available for 2 friends or a couple in the main house.
The cost per person is $1776, deposit $351 ( in pounds £910 deposit £180)
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Please reach out if you have any questions
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