Yoga & Wellness Reset in the French Countryside

The retreat runs over six days and five nights at Gites de Source, in the quiet countryside near Chatenet, around an hour east of Bordeaux. Linda leads a daily mix of vinyasa flow, Yin yoga and yoga Nidra, plus two Pilates mat classes with small equipment. She's a 500-hour Yoga Alliance-certified teacher who has practised for nearly 30 years and started teaching at Primal Health Yoga in 2017. Because she's also a qualified nutritional therapist, there's a nutrition workshop looking at how food affects mood, and the brunch and dinner menus are planned around low sugar and good-quality proteins and fats.

Mornings typically start with a yoga flow or Pilates class, followed by a big brunch that Claude has prepared. Afternoons are mostly free — there's a pool, bikes to borrow, and reflexology and Reiki treatments available on site for an extra fee. One afternoon is given over to an art-therapy workshop called 'Unspoken Words', using intuitive painting and collage as a way to express what you might not have words for. Evenings often finish with a Yin or yoga Nidra session to settle the nervous system before bed. The program is a template rather than a fixed timetable: you can take part in as much or as little as you want, and the whole group usually opts in to Claude's nature walks, tailored to whatever distance the group fancies.

The retreat centre is made up of three cottages (Gites Vert, Bleu and Blanc) clustered around a large pool, with a yoga shala overlooking the fields. Guests share the cottages with up to two others, and there are options from a private mezzanine cottage to a shared twin room depending on budget. Most guests stay in the shared twins, and solo travellers are the norm. The reviews are consistently strong — a 4.95 average across eleven of them — with special praise for Linda's teaching, the food, and the way the whole week feels calm without ever being restrictive.

What's included

- 5 nights accommodation - Welcome drink - Water, tea and coffee served throughout the day - Daily yoga classes - Daily meditation classes - Daily pranayama classes - 3 Pilates classes - Nature walks with a guide - Art therapy workshop - Nutrition workshop - Group excursions and local activities - Specialized workshops - Transportation during the retreat - Pre and post retreat support - Wellness welcome pack - Free parking - Wifi connection - Breakfast (brunch), lunch (some days), dinner

What's not included

- Travel insurance - Visa fees - Flights costs - Additional treatments (e.g. reflexology, Reiki, massage) - Airport transfers (available for €150 return) - Extra nights before or after the retreat