The May Retreaters have sadly Retreated….

The May Retreaters have sadly Retreated….

I apologise for not having written for a few weeks now. It is not so much that the words have dried up, more that the hours of the day have disappeared in a haze of activity, laughter, Pilates, convivial meals, yoga & lots of new friends….

The last blog ended with the anticipation of the first guests and then of the May Yoga/Pilates retreats. Since then Le Pignoulet has been a hub of happiness starting with the celebration of my son’s birthday with several of his friends. They are all now working folk and were all in full appreciation of their surroundings – oh and the beer and wine!! 

This was soon followed by the arrival of our first retreaters – we hosted 3 gorgeous groups of folk who all enjoyed the new studio. Practise at Le Pignoulet whether yoga or pilates generally involves being close to

nature, sometimes in more ways than some would like! We had a nest of birds above us and the mother came frequently to feed her hungry squawking young. Dotty the Jack Russell featured heavily – joining whomever had chosen the sunniest mat which she always tried to claim as hers. However the abiding feature was the sound of birdsong, and tree frogs all singing

their songs and doing their own thing whilst we were focusing on our practise. The wildlife and occasionally the sound of rain on the roof gave a mesmerising quality to the studio and I think all who enjoyed it will agree that the new Studio “34” at Pignoulet is a pretty special place.

Kim delivered an amazing series of classes in her yoga practise – definitely reaching places/poses that individuals are generally unable to visit in a large class situation. I had the joy/job of converting some die hard Yogis to love Pilates also… I am not sure if I succeeded but I hope they went away eager to give Pilates another chance! I am sure I speak for everyone who stayed on the retreats  that they explored their own practise and enjoyed the luxury of time for themselves whilst they were with us. We of course look forward to welcoming you all again to Pignoulet very soon.

We have done a lot of work this year upgrading & re-decorating Le Pignoulet. There are six bedrooms and five bathrooms. All the beds are brand new and we have the option of doubles or twins in every room (plus a couple of triples if necessary). So I hope its safe to say everyone had a comfy bed, and a hot shower/bath. Food was plentiful and the wine sometimes flowed more freely than at other times, we also provided a huge variety of teas, oh and freshly baked cakes! or pick-your-own herbs for teas with fresh lemon and ginger. The accent of the food was on healthy, colourful and plentiful – we decimated the herb garden and I have had to re-plant it!!

To give you an idea of the structure, we offered 3 classes per day, each for a minimum of an hour.

In truth most days practise lasted upwards of 4.5 hrs (not compulsory!)  We were on hand to answer any queries or to help individuals explore issues/poses or talk about injuries etc – all in all lots of you time! Some visited markets or local landmarks, some swam and sunbathed, some walked or read in their spare time – but I think all found some space to truly relax.

I am including some photos of the retreats, I hope this will give you a flavour of our wonderful venue. Those of you who have been on a Pignoulet retreat – thank you – we hope it was a very special and memorable few days for you. Please get in touch if you would like to enquire about future retreats or about booking Pignoulet as an exclusive venue..

That’s it – watch this space – the next blog, the rose coloured specs are ‘off’ and I will share with you some of my more colourful experiences here since I arrived back in April