Spring Cleaning for Mind & Body: 2023 Edition
Yoga retreats near Paris and Aix-en-Provence as well as yoga-adjacent ideas for decluttering the spaces inside and around you.
Your mind and body need a good scrubbing every now and then, and yoga’s many practices are excellent tools for clearing out cobwebs, improving energy flow and broadening your outlook.
Pranayama opens a window to let in fresh ideas, asana unclogs stuck areas of the body, and meditation sorts and organizes cluttered thoughts. Spring really is an auspicious time to clean, assess and evaluate.
A great way to kickstart this juicy sense of renewal is to take yourself on a retreat. Away from your usual distractions and stresses, you can place the focus where it belongs: on the shit that actually matters to you. Of course you can do this without a retreat: just turning off the notifications on your phone can be enough to give you room to think and let your nervous system exhale. A retreat, though, is like a putting your mind and body in a well-being time-compressor: you accomplish in a short amount of time what it might take months for you to do on your own. Highly recommend you treat yourself!
And of course if it’s not in your budget, some DIY ideas at the end :)
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WRITE & BREATHE: SPRING CLEANING (ONLINE)
with Elaine Konopka
Writing is as much a practice as yoga and a terrific way to clear a pathway through mental clutter. This edition of Write & Breathe will tackle cleaning head-on with pranayama and writing exercises designed to examine your relationship to the subject with special attention paid to how this affects the body. No writing experience necessary!
👉 Sunday March 26th, 2023
👉 17h30-19h CET
👉 Pay what you want
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED/INFO HERE
RETREAT: YIN & NIDRA & SILENCE
La Maison Vivante (Les Étilleux, Eure-et-Loir) with Victorien Colin
If quiet practices, meditation and contemplation are more your bag, then this retreat is tailor-made for you. The long weekend less than two hours from Paris will afford you time to slow down, disconnect and reconnect, and Victorien’s Yin and Yoga Nidra sessions will carve new pathways in your body and mind. A great way to recommit to yourself at the beginning of Spring!
I wrote about La Maison Vivante when Martin and Nicolas of SEVAM Yoga first launched this lovely, understated center. They’ve since expanded the retreat programme so that no matter the time of year, there’s always something cool happening. Can’t make Victorien’s peaceful weekend? Consider reserving a spot in Marine’s Upside Down retreat in May. We love her!
👉 Saturday April 8 through Monday April 10, 2023
👉 Includes room and board (vegetarian), all classes as well as transfers from train station in Nogent-le-Rotrou
👉 Rates from 360€ and up
MORE INFO/SIGN UP HERE
RETREAT: SPRING HARMONY YOGA VINYASA
Villa des Baumes (Cornillon-Confoux, Provence) with Le Yogascope and Daphnée Ollivaud
Finding balance in the heart of Provence… Just 30 minutes from Aix-en-Provence, this retreat for intermediate/advanced yogis will help you find the sweet spot between inner work (pranayama, meditation) and its physical expression (Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Yin.) Free time can be spent at the pool, strolling the hills, horseback riding, or visiting neighboring sites such as local markets, wineries, or museums.
👉 Thursday April 6 through Monday April 10, 2023
👉 A pre-retreat guide and meditation from Le Yogascope will get you in the mood
👉 Rates from 890€ and up
MORE INFO/SIGN UP HERE
DIY RETREAT: AT HOME, YOUR WAY
If an actual go-somewhere-else retreat is not in your budget, you can create one at home. And it doesn’t have to be a multi-day affair, either. In fact, to make things easy on yourself just pick one morning or afternoon on the weekend for your retreat.
The main thing is: Quiet. Use your phone sparingly, or not at all. Try not to talk. Focus on feeling and sensation.
DIY MORNING RETREAT (6:00-11:30am)
Wake up, drink some water, meditate (lots of apps for that, I like Insight Timer but find one that you enjoy.)
Have a light snack (if you’re one of those folks who prefer practicing on an empty stomach, yay you.) In my world, this pre-practice pause always includes coffee. Find what works for you and make sure it feels special.
Do some yoga (with or without online or podcast guidance, up to you.)
Give yourself an extra long savasana with all the props, or add a Yoga Nidra session while you let your body completely melt.
Before jumping up to go on with your day, sit for a few moments with your eyes closed, appreciating the retreat you just created for yourself. Be grateful. I used to think a gratitude practice was kind of bullshit, but actually there is science to back it up. Studies have shown that the simple act of thankfulness can rewire our brains for resilience, optimism and the greater good.
DIY AFTERNOON RETREAT (4:00-9:30pm)
Light a candle or incense, or burn a little palo santo. Set the mood.
Lean into some pranayama. Experiment with Nadi Shodhana (aka alternate nostril breathing) to balance the hemispheres of the brain or Sama Vritti (aka Box Breath) which quiets monkey mind.
Do some yoga. I recommend mindful practices like Yin, Restorative or slow flows which are more about restoring energy than expending it. But do what feels right to you.
Before getting cozy in savasana at the end of your asana session, sit for a brief meditation. Use your mantra or a different one such as So Hum (“I am that”) to focus the mind.
Indulge in an extra long savasana with all the props, or add a Yoga Nidra session while you let your body completely melt.
Afternoon and evening yoga sessions should be designed to help you downshift from your busy day. Choose poses and practices that encourage slow, deliberate movements to keep your attention inwardly focused on sensation. If you’d like to try a simple gratitude practice, think of/write down 5 things you are thankful for. And don’t forget to thank yourself for having created your customized retreat. See what we did there? Now you only have to think of 4 😊
Oooh! I want to go on all those retreats! Such great tips, M. I'm going to try some of the at-home retreat ideas and will report back.