Just wanted to wish you, on behalf of the whole ménagerie ( the horses and the cats!) a very warm welcome.
Your retreat has been structured to provide you with lots of time for yourself – to slow down, unwind, chill out, decompress and sleep, as long as you need. I’ll be present in the background, should you need anything.
House Keeping
- As mentioned in the description of the 5-day retreat; we will be having dinner at one of Nogaro’s delightful bistros one evening, usually the evening of day 3 or 4. We will each pay for our own meal and wine, to support a local small business in these still challenging times.
- If you would like one or more massages during your stay (subject to availability) you’ll find Sarah Thacker’s contact details on the table in the corridor and you can arrange it with her. The costs of massages are not included in the cost of the retreat and have to be paid in cash after each massage.
- The wifi password is: 1026 1A26 3EC0 4F5A 2 E01 6073 A7. It sometimes takes a few attempts, but everyone has managed to log on so far. The 0’s are zeros, not the letter ‘O’ and there are no spaces between the numbers/letters.
- Even though you will not directly interact with the horses, please familiarise yourself with this page: Safety Precautions around Horses. Please do not under any circumstances feed the horses.
- There are no clothes washing facilities available on-site, in Nogaro there is an easily accessible laundrette at the Carrefour.
- The retreat ends at 11h00 on Day 7.
Program
Our program during your stay is simple, to allow you as much time as possible to relax, recharge your batteries and simply enjoy your surroundings.
Sunday
- 09h00 Esprit Meraki Morning routine
- 10h00 Journaling/Writing Meditation
- 11h00 Intermittent Fasting Discussion
- 12h00 Brunch
- 13h00 Transport to the day’s field trip
- 19h00 Dinner
- 21h00 Yoga Nidra (see instructions below)
Monday and Tuesday
- 09h00 Esprit Meraki Morning routine
- 10h00 Journaling/Writing Meditation
- 11h00 IF meeting/discussion
- 12h00 Brunch
- 12h30 Transport to the start of the day’s walk
- 16h00 – 17h00 Pickup at the end of the day’s walk
- 19h00 Dinner
- 21h00 Yoga Nidra (see instructions below)
The program is not set in stone and may be changed to make the most of the weather etc.
Your Camino de Santiago de Compostela Walk
Walking the Camino de Santiago can be a life-changing experience so take your time to get as much benefit from walking this part of it as possible.
Finding your way:
- You do not need a map, but you can download a couple of maps as pdfs, and find out more about the Camino, French phrases you may need, birds you may see, and download 2 free Camino guidebooks etc. by clicking here.
- Returning to the farm after your third walk: Aire-sur-Adour to Nogaro Bus Timetable
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The route is very well indicated, you’ll find the signs below every few hundred meters, so you can easily walk it without a map:
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Walking Meditation
It’s a great idea to fit in a walking meditation during your Camino walk. Full instructions on how to do this are available here: Walking Meditation Made Easy. During your walk, you can listen to a guided walking meditation like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXYFNmFb6zY
Writing Meditation
During the walk, later in the afternoon or evening, to enrich your experience, you may want to do a Writing Meditation (self-guided.) Click here for a variety of Camino-focused prompts.
Esprit Meraki Self-discovery Workbook
Yoga Nidra
I have made a recording of a yoga nidra session that you can listen to whenever you have a moment. Best time to do so is last thing at night.
Pick up points
Hope you’ll have a great time and see you at Lou ‘tit Mercat in Manciet on the first walking day and at Brasserie Les Cordeliers in Nogaro on the second and third walking days.
Sleep well,
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PS. Don’t forget to make and take some sandwiches with you at tomorrow morning’s brunch and if you have any questions, just ask!
I have an online retreat that might be of interest either during or after your retreat – click on the picture below to find out more:
If you have not subscribed to my Savoir Vivre Vignettes newsletter yet, I would hugely appreciate it if you would, that way we can stay in contact and you can get updates after your retreat has ended. Click below to subscribe and thanks in advance!
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