SUMMER ALIGNMENT YOGA RETREAT : Keep cool and thrive!
at the Ermitage de Pourville, Yoga Normandie, France
“When the seasons shift we experience a sympathetic internal shift. All life-forms open themselves up to receive cosmic redirection from nature during these transitions,”
About Seasonal Alignment
We come from Nature and as such are still subject to the changes that occur around us. In fact, when we look closely, we find that those changes also occur on a subtle level within us, and when we align ourselves with this inner and outer wisdom, the wisdom of Nature, we find greater balance, harmony and health in our lives.
About Summer Alignment
For most people, Summer is the season of fun - when our energy, like the sun, is at its highest. We are more active, taking advantage of the longer, warmer days. However, for many Summer can be a season of discomfort, too much heat, restlessness, anxiety and other symptoms exacerbated by the hot weather. In this retreat we will explore Summer from the perspective of the yogic and ayurvedic sister sciences, helping everyone to keep cool and thrive through this lovely season.
Please see below for more information on the schedule, activities and booking.
More about the retreat
During this yoga retreat Sara and Jean Philippe will guide you through physical and energetic practices, and traditional wisdom from yogic theory and Ayurveda lifestyle practices, to awaken your own awareness as to the unique challenges and benefits of Summer, to guide you into a process of loving self-care, including basic nutrition and meditation. You will leave not only refreshed and ready for this new season, but armed with essential information about how to actively make Summer a season that nourishes you, and helps you stay balanced through all the busy-ness of holidays, travel and fun!
Accommodation
We will stay at the beautiful, newly refurbished Ermitage de Pourville, a stunning 19th century residence on the beautiful and wild Normandy coast. Accommodation will be in generous and comfortable shared rooms, tastefully decorated in muted, natural tones, and warm, cosy furnishings. Meals will be served twice daily, with brunch after the morning practice, and an evening meal around sunset. There will be fruit and drinks available at all times.
About Sara and Jean Philippe
Sara and Jean Philippe have a combined teaching experience of over 40 years, with complementary practices in Kundalini, Sivananda, Sampoorna, Vinyasa, Hatha yoga, as well as many yogic and buddhist meditation traditions. Teaching together, they offer retreat students an opportunity to deepen both their practice of traditional yogic disciplines, and their understanding and knowledge of these ancient wisdom-based traditions. Their focus is always on meeting the student where they are, to offer an experience that is enriching, nourishing and replenishing - noone should ever leave a retreat feeling depleted.
Note that teaching will be in French and English and simultaneous translation for both languages will be provided if it’s necessary.
SCHEDULE
Monday 19th
- Arrivals
- 17:00 : Welcome meeting, introductions, yoga/meditation
- 19:30 : Supper
Tuesday 20th
- 09:00-10:30 : Morning practice with Sara
- 11:00-13:00 : Brunch
- 13:00-17:00 : Free time to relax, go to the beach, explore
- 17:00-19:00 : Evening practice with Jean Philippe
- 19:30 : Supper
Wednesday 21st
- 09:00-10:30 : Morning practice with Jean Philippe
- 11:00-13:00 : Brunch
- 13:00-17:00 : Free time to relax, go to the beach, explore
- 17:00-19:00 : Evening practice with Sara
- 19:30 : Supper
Thursday 22nd - afternoon off
- 09:00-10:30 : Morning practice with Sara
- 11:00-13:00 : Brunch
- 13:00-19:00 : Free time to relax, go to the beach, explore - NO EVENING PRACTICE
- 19:30 : Supper at a local restaurant (not included)
Friday 23rd
- 09:00-10:30 : Morning practice with Jean Philippe
- 11:00-13:00 : Brunch
- 13:00-17:00 : Free time to relax, go to the beach, explore
- 17:00-19:00 : Evening practice with Sara
- 19:30 : Supper
Saturday 24th
- 09:00-10:30 : Morning practice with Sara
- 11:00-13:00 : Brunch
- 13:00-17:00 : Free time to relax, go to the beach, explore
- 17:00-19:00 : Evening practice with Jean Philippe
- 19:30 : Supper
Sunday 25th
- 09:00 : Breakfast
- Departures
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Pourville is a beautiful little village set on the rugged and breathtakingly beautiful Normandy coastline. The ‘Ermitage’ is close to the historical village of Varengeville, once home to Krishnamurti as well as countless artists and writers who took advantage of its quietly inspiring beauty. Its church is worth a visit for the reknowned window designed by Braques, and also close by are the Manoir d'Ango, a castle from the time of King François the First, and the stunning botanical park of Bois des Moutiers.
For the ocean lovers, there is plenty of free time to enjoy the beach and the water. The sea in August is a fresh but pleasant 19/20°, lovely for a swim to cool off after yoga practice, or to refresh at the end of the day. There are also options for surfing, kitesurfing and we will advise on the local tides for those who wish to be more active. You can rent body boards, or even take a boat trip for a few hours. The long, shallow beach also lends itself to walks in the sea at any time and of course the entire area is ideal for sunbathing, reading and relaxing.
Away from the sea, there are some beautiful walks along the cliffs and hillsides, and we recommend visiting some of the typical local villages, which are dotted with well-kept and beautifully cultivated parks and gardens. For those who want to explore a little further and have a bit of fun, just 2k away is a mini golf range.
If you wish to venture even further afield, either in your own car, or organised with the group, there are some notable landmarks and places of special interest which you might like to visit:
Dieppe Museum and harbour
Veules les Roses, a nice village with the smallest river in France
Etretat and the famous cliffs
the quaint harbour town of Honfleur is a one-hour drive away for those who wish to take a day out and sample the local oysters and other specialities
Finally, always a favourite on yoga retreats, are body treatments and therapies. Isabelle, who lives close to the Ermitage is a trained and gifted reflexologist, and there are also other options for massage (booking in advance is necessary).
PRICES AND REGISTRATION
In order to secure your place we require a small non-refundable deposit of €200 (£175 payable by credit card in GBP sterling via the payment button below). As soon as we receive this we will contact you directly with further information regarding the retreat.
Total investment :
- €1200/£1080 in a private bedroom
- €980/£880 in a shared double/twin room
- €900/£810 in a triple bedroom
- includes six nights accommodation, all meals (brunch and dinner), water, herbal tea and fruits all day, and all yoga tuition. (Note : Thursday will be no yoga, and dinner will be in a local restaurant, not included in the price)
We will contact you for personal information, dietary requirements and travel information once we receive your payment. Please feel free to contact us here if you have any questions.
TRAVEL TO THE ERMITAGE
BY PLANE AND TRAIN
You can arrange flights to arrive in to either Paris or Brussels. You should then arrange to travel on by train to DIEPPE, the closest station to The Ermitage:
take the metro (if flying into Paris) or train (if flying into Brussels) to Paris Gare St Lazare, from which trains to Dieppe depart regularly. Trains take around 2 hours 20. You should arrange your travel to arrive in Dieppe on the afternoon before 4pm of Monday 19th August
Please provide us your train arrival time and we will ensure you are collected at the station free of charge.
BY CAR
If travelling by car please ensure you arrive before 4pm on Monday 19th August at the Ermitage:
- Address : 173 rue des Vert Bois, 76550 Pourville sur Mer
Please contact us
If you have any questions regarding this retreat, or any of our other events, please do not hesitate to contact us directly via email.
WHAT OTHER SEASONAL ALIGNMENT STUDENTS SAY:
“it was a lovely experience. I’m in a bit of a “wilderness” moment in my life currently so I was able to use the kundalini to process some unresolved emotional issues that have been coming up. I’ll definitely be continuing on this journey of health and well-being. ”
“I felt a definite shift after the retreat on Friday, toward the better. Thank you and Jeanphi for helping me shake off winter. It was a tough one for sure, so... goodbye!”
“Thanks to you both. It was a wonderful experience that helped me find out more about me.”
“I love that Winter is a time where I can take time for me - I never realised this, but it makes so much sense. I’m looking forward to winter this year more than ever. Thank you.”
“I realised that it’s not only OK to say ‘no’ to other people, but it’s my responsibility to do so if I know it is right for me. I will be practicing sitting at my ‘inner hearth’ and integrating the wonderful information and practices you shared to keep my inner light shining bright this winter.”
More about your teachers
Sara Campbell has been guiding people to discover their depths since long before becoming a world champion freediver. Her journey of self-healing from severe stress-related illness led her to become a Kundalini yoga teacher and ultimately brought her to a new life in the ocean. Here she truly began exploring the concepts of life, happiness, success and failure, and how to reach our human potential, both in and out of the water, on and off the mat. Sara looks to nature for the wisdom that it can impart, and how we can learn to live more in balance with ourselves and our surroundings.
Sara teaches yoga, meditation and freediving internationally, and also provides spiritual coaching to help people explore beyond their perceived limits. She has been involved in several TV documentaries on freediving and human potential, is the founder of Discover Your Depths, and has created her own online training programme, Yoga for Freediving.
Jean Philippe has been teaching gentle integrative and holistic yoga with a focus on therapeutic and restorative application (based on certifications in Sivananda, Sampoorna, Iyengar, Hatha and Vinyasa Flow) and meditation practice (Samatha, Vipassna, Dzogchen and Mahamudra) for over 20 years. Through his extensive experience he works intuitively with each student to guide them from where they are in the current moment, to a deeper awareness of the effects of conscious breath, integrated with the body and mind for an experience of deep relaxation, peace and connection.
Please contact us if you have any questions about this or any of our other programmes. We are happy to help you find the right programme for you, or even design a personal retreat that feels absolutely right for your needs.