Provençal Wellness Week: Yoga, Cooking and Slow Living at La Bastide

The week is built around two fixed anchors each day: a yoga and meditation session, and a meal cooked and eaten together. Between those, the days open up. There are hands-on cooking sessions where you make the food you'll eat that evening, excursions to the Luberon villages, countryside picnics, and walks or hikes through the surrounding landscape. Everything else — the pool, the gardens, the orchards — is there whenever you want it. If you'd rather spend an afternoon reading under a tree than joining a hike, that's a normal part of the week, not a missed activity.

La Bastide de Laurence is a traditional Provençal farmhouse, and the retreat is designed to use the property rather than bus you off it. Meals lean on what's growing nearby and in season — the food is cooked with what the season gives you, and part of the point is learning to cook that way yourself in the kitchen sessions. Picnics happen in the countryside, not on a terrace, and the walks go through the orchards and lanes immediately around the property.

Optional treatments can be added to the week: Brazilian lymphatic drainage, deep tissue massage, and holistic massage are all listed, along with private Pilates Reformer or one-to-one yoga sessions. These are booked separately and aren't part of the base price.

Lena runs Maison Vitalité and leads the retreat. Her stated intention is to create a space where people reconnect with the things that actually support their energy — eating locally and seasonally, moving in ways you enjoy, and keeping enough slowness in the day to notice where you are. That shows up in the structure: no back-to-back programming, no early-morning-to-late-night schedule, and plenty of room left unscheduled.

The retreat is set for 2027 at La Bastide de Laurence. Registration and specific dates are handled directly through Maison Vitalité.

What's included

- 7-day retreat at La Bastide de Laurence - Daily yoga and meditation sessions - Beautifully prepared nourishing meals - Hands-on cooking sessions - Curated local excursions to the Luberon villages - Countryside picnics - Nature walks and hikes - Free time to enjoy the bastide, gardens, pool, and orchards

What's not included

- Travel to and from Provence - Airport transfers - Travel insurance - Optional treatments (Brazilian lymphatic drainage, deep tissue massage, holistic massage) - Private Pilates Reformer sessions - Private yoga sessions - Personal expenses