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7 Day Holistic Yoga and Meditation Retreat in Côte d’Azur
The FrogS' House, 35 rue du Saumalier Saint-Jeannet, Provence-Alpes-Cote D'Azur, France
Yoga Retreat South of France
This retreat is a rare opportunity to live with local people and meet their friends in rural France. You will taste local produce, admire the beautiful landscape, get off the beaten track, and experience French culture from the inside while adding more mindfulness to your daily life. Instructions are offered in English and / or French.
Meet the instructors
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Highlights
- Daily yoga and meditation adapted to the guests’ abilities and experience
- French gastronomy workshop led by a French chef
- Homemade organic food with locally sourced produce
- Wine from the village vineyard
- Personal development workshops based on the philosophy of Non-Violent Communication
- Hikes off the beaten track to known-by-locals-only spots
- A caring and diverse team with a flexible and welcoming approach
- 6 nights accommodation
Skill level
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
6 days with instruction in English
The organizer also speaks: French, Spanish
Group size: Maximum of 12 participants
Accommodation
Check-in Time:
15:00
Check-out Time:
12:00
Facilities
- Dining area
- Environmentally friendly
- Kitchen
- Lounge
- Luggage room / storage
- Multilingual staff
- Smoke-free property
- Special menu request
- Terrace
- Yoga shala
- Free Wi-Fi
- Internet access
- Laundry
- Wireless internet
During this retreat, you will be staying at The FrogS' House. The house is a former family-run hotel that has been redesigned into a cozy and comfortable bed and breakfast. Six rooms with single and double occupancy options are available, three with a balcony and sea view, and three with views towards the local majestic cliffs that give Saint-Jeannet its fame and set it apart amongst the hilltop villages of the French Riviera.
If the FrogS' House is full, or if you so desire for whatever reason, they would be happy to book an alternative option so you could still take part in the retreat. You will of course still be welcome to use the common facilities at the FrogS’ House as much as any other guests (the sunny terrace, the big open kitchen, the meditation and massage space, the yoga shala, etc.).
External accommodation options are:
- A room at the next-door neighbor Chantal’s house. This is in the building opposite The FrogS' House, with views of the FrogS’ House and the sea from its window. Chantal is a charming and discrete host and all the guests who have stayed there have loved their time.
- A private stone-built apartment less than five minutes from the FrogS’ House, with its own private balcony that has one of the most amazing views of the French Riviera anywhere in the village.
- A room in a gite/a studio/a private apartment, in the heart of the village, three minutes walk from the FrogS’House.
- The FrogS' House may, on occasion, be able to find others. Please ask.
Program
This seven-day and six-night yoga retreat runs weekly, from April to mid-November. Set in the beautiful medieval village of Saint-Jeannet in the South of France, we are a stone's throw away from the French Riviera, with breath-taking views of it from the house. All of the activities during the retreat are performed with the awareness of the present moment, in complete connectedness with the body and the breath.
Language
In 2024, all the retreats at the frogs' house are in English. However, their staff are bilingual. For a couple of weeks, they offer retreats where all sessions are delivered in both French & English. If you would like to practice yoga and your French, or if you are more comfortable with French than with English, come these weeks! Please note though that the frogs' house staff do not control the language of social conversation between guests. On most weeks that turns out to be English. Upcoming two-language retreat start dates are:
- 25 August 2024
- 13 October 2024
In 2025, The FrogS'House is reverting to having some exclusively French language retreats, too. The start dates for those are:
- 27 April 2025
- 17 August 2024
- 24 August 2024
- 12 October 2024
Philosophy
The FrogS'House has created a program that lasts for a whole week in order to offer their guests enough time to find the perfect balance between the yoga sessions, excursions, shared moments with the teachers and with other guests, as well as time on their own: this is why you are encouraged to arrive on Sunday and start the retreat from the beginning with everyone else to feel the natural progression of the program and get its full benefit. However, if your itinerary does not fit with this schedule (arriving earlier or later), please let the frogs' house know, and they will see what they can do.
On occasion, they are also able to let the guests stay one extra night after the retreat has finished, to just rest before their onward journey or return home. Please ask. For guests who are unable to come to a week-long retreat, the frogs' house may on occasion, be able to offer shorter alternatives. Again, please ask them and they will see what they can do. There is no "level" required here: the invitation during our yoga sessions is to listen and observe the feeling of the moment, both physically and mentally. So whether or not you have been practicing for a long time, it does not matter.
Beginners or regular practitioners, everyone is welcome. Bring with you an openness to experiencing a new approach, a new practice, and a willingness to explore your own being deep. The FrogS'House will offer you some tools and support you through your own exploration. A better understanding of yourself, and of the world, will, they hope, follow. Benoit leads most of the yoga and meditation sessions of the week.
Benoit is inspired by the French spiritual teacher Jean Klein and his practice of Kashmir Yoga which is a meditative yoga that allows you to delve deeply into subtle feelings, both physically and energetically. To do so, you have to first turn the internal voice that constantly makes comments, criticizes, and judges, into an observer, and let yourself become totally open to the here and now, to the proposition of the moment, to what is happening in your own body and your own mind; and let it be, through simple, but profound, observation. In brief, the yoga he likes to share is that of Being, not of Doing.
Jean is a certified teacher of Ashtanga, a more dynamic and physical yoga style, Yin Yoga, a more meditative style, as well as a practitioner of Tibetan sound healing, which he sometimes offers after Yin Yoga in class. All the teachers at The FrogS'House do their best to guide and listen to everyone’s needs and at the same time maintain harmony in the whole group.
The FrogS'House yoga retreat program
Sunday (Arrival day)
- Note: you are encouraged to arrive on Sunday and start the retreat from the beginning to get the full benefit of it. However, if your itinerary does not fit with this schedule (arriving earlier or later), please let the frogs' house know, and they will see what they can do.
- 15:00 - 18:00: Arrival
- 18:00 - 21:00: Welcome evening to introduce the frogs' house and the yoga retreat, followed by a welcome finger-buffet dinner, including wine served by the frogs' house
Monday
- 08:00 - 09:30 Yoga
- 09:30 - 11:00 Homemade breakfast on the sunny terrace and time for sharing and socializing
- 11:00 - 18:00 Walking day, including an introduction to the practice of meditation. Following the philosophy of the Buddhist Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, let each one of your steps deepen yourself into the present moment. "Every breath we take, every step we make can be filled with peace, joy and serenity. We just have to awaken, living in the present moment".
- Spring and autumn: this walking day will take place in the surrounding hills called “Baou”, to reach the top of the hill for a shared homemade picnic lunch and a fantastic view over the whole French Riviera and the Southern Alps. Equipment required: The frogs' house will provide backpacks, water bottles, and walking sticks on demand. Each guest will need to bring comfortable shoes (running shoes are a minimum, but quite adequate as well), sunscreen and sunglasses, a hat, and in case of cold weather, a windproof jacket and/or rain mac. Description of the walk: 8 kilometers, +350 meters uphill on a rocky path, -350 meters downhill on a rocky path, 4 hours + picnic lunch at the top.
- Summer: an “aquatic” walk, taking you into a gorge/canyon, to walk along, and sometimes into a river. Waterfalls and freshwater ponds will be the highlights of the day to jump and swim in, a perfect activity during the warmer summer months. Equipment required: same as spring and autumn walk + swimming suits. We can provide you with a towel for bathing. Description of the walk: 5 kilometers -100 meters downhill on a rocky path, +100 meters uphill on a rocky path 2 hours + picnic lunch and swim in the river.
- 18:00 - 19:00 Guests have free time to rest
- 19:00 Dinner provided by the frogs' house, self-service
Tuesday
- 08:00 - 09:30 Yoga
- 09:30 - 11:00 Homemade breakfast on the sunny terrace and time for sharing and socializing
- 11:30 - 13:30 Communication workshop based on the “Non-Violent Communication” approach, with a certified professional: introduction
- 13:30 - 14:30 Light lunch
- 14:30 - 17:00 Free time to relax, meditate at your own rhythm, reserve a massage or wander around the picturesque streets of the village or in the surrounding hills
- 17:00 - 19:00 Plant-based French gastronomy workshop with our chef Aurore
- 19:00 - 22:00 3-course dinner prepared during the gastronomy workshop, including wine
Wednesday
- 09:30 - 11:00 Yoga
- 11:00 - 13:00 Homemade brunch on the sunny terrace. Time for sharing and socializing
- 13:00 - 18:00 Free time to reserve a massage, relax, meditate at your own rhythm, or wander around the picturesque streets of the village or in the surrounding hills, or even to take a trip to the beach
- 18:00 - 19:00 Yoga and meditation session
- 19:00 Dinner provided by the frogs' house, self-service
Thursday
- 08:00 - 09:30 Yoga and meditation session
- 09:30 - 11:00 Homemade breakfast on the sunny terrace and time for sharing and socializing
- 11:30 - 13:30 Communication workshop based on the “Non-Violent Communication” approach, with a certified professional: introduction
- 13:30 - 14:30 Light lunch
- 14:30 - 17:00 Free time to relax, meditate at your own rhythm, reserve a massage or wander around the picturesque streets of the village or in the surrounding hills
- 17:00 - 18:00 Yoga and meditation session
- 19:00 Dinner (at your own leisure/expense)
Friday
- 08:00 - 09:30 Yoga and meditation session
- 09:30 - 11:00 Homemade breakfast on the sunny terrace and time for sharing and socializing
- 11:00 - 17:00 Free flow day: to practice what is preached, being present, the activity of this day is left open, to decide during the week, as the guests get to know each other and feel what they want to do: activities have included: a trip to the beach, visiting the chapel designed by Henri Matisse, visiting Saint-Paul-de-Vence with its art galleries, a silent meditative walk in the village followed by a picnic and dip into the ice-cold waters of a local river, wine-tasting at the local village vineyard, Ziplinging in the local canyon forest (at extra cost), etc.
- 18:00 - 21:00 Farewell dinner of the retreat, including wine. Sometimes you will play hilarious games, sometimes you will dance, and sometimes you will mingle and chat, but you will always have a lot of fun and celebrate the week spent together and the connections that have been made.
Saturday
- 09:30 - 10:30 Closing ceremony of the retreat
- 10:30 - 12:00 Homemade brunch on the sunny terrace and check out
Note
Please note that rooms should be freed by 12:00 to allow cleaning for the next retreat. The frogs' house will be happy to store your luggage if you would like to leave later on in the day. It may also be possible to extend your stay if required; please ask a member of the team.
Included excursions
This retreat includes all the meals, yoga sessions, workshops, and excursions described in the itinerary.
Instructors
Benoit Couvreur
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Benoit has been practicing yoga and meditation on a regular basis since 2010, soon after he met his spiritual teacher, Somasekha ROS. He has graduated from Yog Nisarga International Training School for his 200H-TTC, and from Sampoorna Yoga School for his 300H-TTC, both based in India, where he travelled to attend the training to become a fully qualified yoga teacher. Both centers are certified by the Yoga Alliance, the largest non-profit association representing the yoga community whose mission is to promote and support the integrity and diversity of the teaching of yoga.
Jean Rocca
Jean specialises in Ashtanga yoga. He has also followed a long training to give Tibetan bowls massages. He started his yoga practice in India in the city of Calcutta 20 years ago. His philosophy is based on the idea that through the practice of yoga, you can live your life in a better way, reduce your suffering, and the suffering of those around you, and discover Universal Unity. His work focuses on the breath and how to integrate it into a physically active yoga practice in order to create strength, freedom, and lightness of beings. Jean and Benoit have been old school friends for 35 years.
Hélèn Pétry
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Compassionate Communication is an approach to language that encourages openness to dialogue and cooperation, in oneself and in others. It takes its sources in the systemic psychology of Marshall Rosenberg (NVC), and joins the nonviolent root of yoga, "ahimsa" in Sanskrit. From exercises based on real situations, you connect to feelings to awaken our awareness of the deep human issues of the situation. Then, by practicing non-attachment, you approach the different possibilities of non-violent action. Hélène Pétry has been practicing Benevolent Communication since 2011.
Pily Zarate Tejeda
Pily is a psychologist and yoga teacher. Originally from Mexico, she has been living abroad for more than 12 years. In China, she was challenged with some health setbacks that made her set up a process of self -healing, changing habits, following a plant-based diet and living in yoga. She accomplished in total 500H-TTC in Mysore and Goa, India, followed by some different retreats and workshops in Asia. She enjoys transmitting to her students how to integrate the power of the heart and yoga in everyday life. She is a big fan of Eckart Tolle and her teachings are heavily influenced by him.
Aurore Gréau
“Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Thy Food.” said Hippocrates. Aurore shares this belief that wellbeing starts in the plate. Her aim is to feed you a healthy gourmet cuisine, made with seasonal local ingredients, sometimes following recipes, but always being led by inspiration, whether from the guests, the beautiful nature around or from life itself. With love and a creative approach, everything is possible, and not only in the kitchen! All you need is to take time time to savour. Aurore is looking forward to meeting you at the table!
Location
This retreat takes place in the very center of the charming and peaceful medieval village of Saint-Jeannet in the South of France. Perched at the foot of the Mediterranean cliffs, locally called “Baou”, Saint-Jeannet is the kind of place where people leave their front doors and cars unlocked, and where children play in the main village square in total safety. The FrogS' House is only 15 kilometers away from Nice Côte d’Azur airport and the French Riviera. Yet it is so much quieter and more relaxing here than the hustle on the beach.
At 450 meters of altitude, you will have breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea and the Côte d’Azur all the way from the Italian border to Saint-Tropez. To the North and East lie the majestic French Alps - you can ski an hour and a half’s drive away from here! - and to the West, their rolling foothills and low-lying mountain ranges trickle into the Mediterranean, setting the scene for spectacular and all-so-varied sunsets year round. Its height above the sea makes for a pleasant moderate temperature here even in the middle of the summer, and we have plenty of sunshine all through the year.
Distances
- Mediterranean cliffs ("Baou") - 5 minutes walk
- French Riviera, 15 kilometers
- Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE), 15 kilometers
- Nice - 30 minutes drive
Features
Activities
- Cooking classes
- Hiking
- Swimming
- Wine tasting
General
- Dining area
- Kitchen
- Special menu request
- Terrace
Services
- Free Wi-Fi
Food
On this retreat, the food is fabulous; you are in France after all. The food at the FrogS' House is based on the world renown cuisine of the Mediterranean, with innovative twists to make it more in accord with their yogic philosophy: respect for the environment and for animals, consciousness of health. Their vegetarian or vegan food is all prepared on the premises by a qualified French chef who is passionate about local gastronomy and produce. The ingredients are as local and organic as possible and the food is accompanied by wine from the village vineyard.
You will be served sumptuous daily organic breakfasts or brunches, homemade picnic lunches during excursions, and light freshly prepared lunches at home, as well as most dinners. The FrogS' House welcomes the guests with an aperitif and a finger buffet on Sunday evening. On Monday and Wednesday, the guests serve and share the two-course dinners that have been lovingly prepared by chef Noel. A French gastronomy workshop with a vegetarian or vegan twist, animated on Tuesday by the amazing chef Noel himself is a highlight of the week both in a culinary sense and in just how fun it is.
Dinner on Thursday evening will be at your own expense: there are plenty of choices of restaurants within walking distance in Saint-Jeannet, or you can take away food from the local shops to organize your own dinner at The FrogS' House using the big open kitchen which is at your disposal. Friday night is a farewell dinner, and as with the activity of Friday, the whole evening takes the flavor and ambiance that the group brings to it. There are often games involved, a huge amount of laughter, and a bit of a party!
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Brunch
- Dinner
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Coffee
- Tea
- Alcoholic beverages
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten Free
- Organic
- Lactose Free
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
Things to do (optional)
- Use your free time to explore the beautiful village of Saint-Jeannet, wandering around its narrow medieval streets. Make this even more fun by participating in a wonderful treasure hunt organised by a local young entrepreneur that will take you around the secret places of the village and immerses you into the legend of the alchemist.
- Meditate on your balcony watching the sea, or take a walk into the nearby Mediterranean hills… (free of charge!)
- Explore the must-see places of the French Riviera, or take a trip to relax on local beaches, using your own car, public transport (buses and trains) or the service of our local taxi driver.
- Go to see other hill-top villages, including the famous St-Paul-de-Vence, offering an array of art galleries and gorgeous sunsets
- The islands of Lérins in the bay of Cannes
- Monaco, Eze village, Saint -Jean Cap Ferrat and Villa Ephrussi, the Chapel and the private villa Jean Cocteau
- Grasse perfume factories
- Glass-blowing workshops of Biot
Outdoor activities
- Canyoning
- Hiking in the Mercantour national park
- Rafting
- Rock climbing
Vineyards and wine sampling
- Visits and wine sampling in the local village vineyard
- Wine is provided during three of the dinners. It is available to purchase at cost price during others, or to take home.
Spa treatments
You can book a massage (extra cost) with The FrogS' House's local professional masseuses:
- Claudia, specialised in oil relaxing massage, Tuina (Chinese) and Reflexology (Thai),
- Myriam, specialised in Shiatsu,
- Florence, a physiotherapist specialised in Californian massages, including Tibetan bowls and sometimes voice, too.
Or discover the amazing effect of a Tibetan sound massage with Jean, a certified sound healer.
What's included
- 6 nights accommodation
- All yoga and meditation sessions
- Daily organic breakfast or brunch
- Homemade and organic lunch on the picnic day (see program)
- Organic homemade dinners on all nights other than on Thursday
- A French gastronomy workshop with a professional French chef
- Welcome buffet and farewell dinner
- Wine from the village vineyard accompanying 3 of the dinners
- A professional and certified guide for activities
- Hiking trip in the Mediterranean hills around Saint-Jeannet or in a local gorge/canyon to enjoy swimming in ponds and waterfalls on summer days
- Compassionate communication workshops (based on non-violent communication)
- The “free flow day” activity (see program), unless it is to a ticketed venue
What's not included
- Airfare
- Airport/train station transfers
- Additional activities other than those specified
- Some lunches and one dinner, see programme
- Entrance to museums and ticketed optional excursions
- Personal expenses
How to get there
Recommended Airports
NCE
Nice Côte d'Azur Airport
10 km
Transfer not provided
Arrival by plane
Please book your flight to arrive at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE). You can get to us from the airport by taxi or Uber, or indeed use public transport. We will send you instructions and options to share transport with other guests before the start of your retreat.
Arrival by bus
There are two Lignes d’Azur buses that serve Saint-Jeannet:
Bus N°54 starts from the CAP3000 Shopping Centre or Grand Arenas, both near the Nice airport. From Saint-Jeannet, bus N°54 takes you back to Nice connecting with the city’s transport (city Tram) or any other city along the coast.
Bus N°54 also passes Saint-Laurent-du-Var along the way, a train station with a direct connection to Nice or any other city along the coast by train (Antibes, Cannes, Monaco, Menton).
The second bus is bus N° 47, connecting Saint Jeannet with Carros in one direction and Vence, and eventually St-Paul-de-Vence (connection with bus N°9) in the other direction.
Arrival by train
The closest train station is Saint Laurent du Var, only eight minutes away from Nice Central Station and only 20 minutes away from Saint-Jeannet by car. You can also catch bus N°54 just outside Saint Laurent du Var train station.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 14% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 14 days before arrival.
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