occitania retreats
Situated in the department of Haute-Garonne, one hour from Toulouse and its international airport, Château Rieucazé is nestled at the top of a hill, offering captivating views of the valley and the Pyrenées mountains to the south. Located on the edge of a tiny village, the main house is backed by a courtyard of eighteenth century barns and enjoys 10 acres of park and gardens ensuring complete privacy.
The historic château was constructed in 1786, just 3 years prior to the outbreak of the French Revolution, belonging to the family of the Comte Du Pac until 1960. The property encompasses a sprawling park with gardens designed under different themes: French, English, Asian and Mediterranean. The grounds also include a large pond where koi fish and wild ducks swim, a salt-water pool, a handmade mosaic steam room, a weight room and a large greenhouse.
The château can host up to 14 people in 8 rooms, with either private or shared bathrooms. The interiors of the house have been meticulously restored, preserving numerous period features, including intricate plasterwork, marble fireplaces, wainscotting and beautifully detailed hardwood floors throughout the main rooms. The house has been artfully revived to recapture its authentic charm and elegance, balanced with modern elements and imbuing it with the enduring ambiance of a genuine home.
From June to October all retreats run from Saturday to Saturday and include two daily classes and two vegetarian and organic meals. The program throughout the week has a strong foundation in meditation, pranayama and asana infused with eastern philosophy & spirituality.
The morning asana practice will be dynamic Vinyasa style designed to refine the biomechanical actions of establishing a strong foundation, powerful core integration and individual expression in each pose. The evening session will be a gentle Yin & Restorative yoga class to calm the mind and relax the body after a day of sightseeing, hiking or mountain-biking. Both yoga classes are open to all levels of experience or fitness and will be offered in English.
Sample Daily Schedule:
8:00 to 10:30 Meditation, pranayama & dynamic asana practice
11:00 to 12:00 Brunch
12:00 to 18:30 Free time to enjoy the property or sightsee
18:30 to 19:30 Gentle yin & restorative practice
20:00 to 21:00 Dinner
Discover the beau5y of the Pyrenées region and treat yourself to a week of transformative yoga practices, delicious healthy meals, relaxing facilities, historic surroundings and meaningful connections to like-minded people.
The following weeks are available:
June 8 to 16, Meditation, Pranayama & Mantra Teacher Training
June 29 to July 6
August 10 to 17
September 7 to 14
September 14 to 22, Yin Yoga Teacher Training
RATES
All rates are per person, per week, and include:
7 nights accommodation, from Saturday to Saturday
6 dinners, from Saturday to Friday, except Tuesday night to explore dining out
6 brunches, from Sunday to Friday
1 breakfast on Saturday morning before participants leave
2 daily classes from Sunday to Friday
Use of all the outdoor amenities: gardens, swimming pool, gym, steam room (up to 2 times per week, when more than 4 participants are interested)
Not included in the price
• Flight or train to Toulouse
• Rental car or transfer to/from the property
• Day trips
• Bike rentals
• Massages
Cost per person in Euro
Euro 1,400. - For shared accommodation in a dorm of 4 beds
Euro 1,800.- for shared accommodation in a double room
Euro 2,200.- for private accommodation in a single room
Check in / Check out
You should aim to check in on Saturday after 16:30. Occitania Retreats is unable to receive guests before that time, so please organize travel arrangements accordingly. There will be a meet & greet at 7:00 pm, followed by an opening dinner.
Your first class will be on Sunday morning.
Check-out is the following Saturday at 10:30.
Flight / Transfer
Occitania Retreats is located one hour south from Toulouse airport, with direct flights to 83 cities in 20 countries. Book your flights far in advance to take advantage of better prices. For those coming by public transportation, you can take a direct bus from the airport to Toulouse main train station (Toulouse Matabiau) and from there a one hour train takes you to Saint Gaudens, a town just 10 minutes away from Occitania Retreats. Finally from Saint Gaudens, you can book a 10-minute taxi in advance to Rieucazé.
Rental car
We definitely recommend that you share a car rental with other participants for this week, and we can help you coordinate that. Occitania Retreats is wonderfully secluded in nature, surrounded by rolling hills and forests that are great for hiking or biking through lovely villages, fields, and forests. The cities of Toulouse and Lourdes are also easily explored in an afternoon, as they are each just an hour away.
Bookings & Deposit
A non-refundable/non-transferable deposit 300 EUR/per person is required to save your spot. The remainder is due one month before the retreat starts.
The Importance of Retreating
By Gabrielle Harris
Running my fingers down the hallway in the dim morning light, like braille to guide my steps I consider how we only half see things as they really are. But I know the hallway well so I am on auto-pilot, moving physically through my life without thought. It is not until the sun illuminates my path that I can see more clearly.
We can spend our lives like this half awake, half asleep, not seeing the big picture, getting caught up in a limited binary vision of our life.
Until we step out.....until we take stock and try to see our lives more globally, more holistically, a helicopter vision, seeing the trajectory of our life behind us, in front of us and all around us.
A retreat gives us the time, the focus, the softness to be with ourselves. A chance to assess what is important or understand what is bugging us. To shine a spotlight on our incessant internal dialogues, our values and our goals.
Jon Kabat-Zin's book title 'wherever you go, there you are' reminds us that there is no such thing as escaping ourselves. The temptation is always there to 'run away' or 'start afresh' or 'leave everything behind' especially in testing times or when we have fallen. Physically removing ourselves from our lives can have some short term benefits however in the end we are still ourselves and carry our emotional, mental and personal luggage wherever we go.
We can take refuge by pausing in small daily retreats such as meditation, asana or long slow walks or by creating a special place in your home to just 'be'.