Are you stressed?
Our Connect with Horses Mindfulness and Meditation Workshops in the south of France can empower you to use stress as a stimulus for personal growth rather than a trigger for burnout.
The people of Gascony, an unspoiled and mostly undiscovered region in the south-west of France, are famous for living long, healthy and happy lives. Many esteemed scholars have studied their lifestyle to determine the secret of their happy and healthy longevity. They have come to the conclusion that the people of Gascony have got stress management down to a fine art.
Now you too can discover their secret, by attending a Connect with Horses Workshop right in the very heart of Gascony.
- Imagine discovering that stress is not an enemy but an ally and how to use stress to become more resilient,
- Imagine sleeping so peacefully at night that you wake up each morning bursting with energy and optimism,
- Imagine loving what you do so much that you jump out of bed every morning because you can’t wait to get started,
- Imagine having solid and supportive relationships to fall back on when the going gets tough and to celebrate with when you succeed.
You will be able to do the above as soon as you find out how to control the effect that stress has on your body and on your mind and how to use stress to your advantage.
You may not even be aware of it, but stress might gradually and insidiously be destroying your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
- Do you get palpitations, panic attacks or chest pains?
- Do you have indigestion, heartburn, nausea, diarrhoea or constipation?
- Do you have eczema or urticaria?
- Do suffer from insomnia?
- Do you frequently have blinding headaches?
- Do you catch every cold and then struggle to get rid of it?
You may desperately need to take time out to immunise yourself against the devastating effects that stress can have on your short- and long-term health.
When you attend a 4/8-day Connect with Horses mindfulness and meditation stress management workshop in the sun-drenched south of France, you will firstly, be able to rest, relax and recharge your batteries.
Secondly, you benefit from attending this workshop because
- You will discover how to get the most from every single moment in the day,
- You will have a new set of skills to help improve the quality of your life.
Introducing our
Connect with Horses
Mindfulness Meditation Workshops
My name is Margaretha Montagu. I am a medical doctor with many years’ experience of treating stress-induced disease. I live in the sun-blessed south of France with my husband and 6 horses. We live in a lovingly-restored, 200-year-old farmhouse with a bit of land.
Due to a debilitating eye disease, partly stress induced, I had to retire early from medical practice. Horses had always fascinated me, but due to the pressures of work, I never had the time to explore this interest. I needed a new career so I decided to combine my medical training and experience with my interest in horses. I retrained in equine-assisted psychotherapy and experiential learning.
Why would you want to attend one of MY workshops?
- Because I understand what you are going through. I have been there. I remember what it felt like to be tired all the time. I am familiar with the indecision, the fear of change, the uncertainty about the future.
- Because I am personally and professionally well-qualified to help you. I am a retired medical doctor with many years of experience helping patients manage stress.
- Using equine-assisted experiential learning, I know how to help participants maximise their potential and create the lives they have always dreamed of living.
- Articles about my work have appeared in Horse and Rider magazine and in Chronicles of the Horse. I am a published author with 5 books under my belt.
This is what makes our workshops UNIQUE.
You will be accompanied by six horses in your search to find more effective ways to manage stress and to use stress to your advantage.
One thing I need to make very clear:
There is
NO
horse riding during our workshops.
Instead, and in addition to mindfulness meditation training, our 4/8-day Connect with Horses workshops offer you:
- an affordable escape from the always escalating demands of everyday life,
- a safe haven in one of the most beautiful parts of France, secluded but not isolated,
- fresh air, clean water and scrumptious food to nourish both your body and your mind
- the opportunity to walk part of the possibly life-changing Way of St James, to follow in the footsteps of pilgrims who have passed this way for a thousand years on their way to Santiago de Compostella in Spain.
- a wine tasting visit to the wine cellars of the nearby Saint Mont vineyards, including a visit to the Saint Mont monastery and the medieval village that clings defiantly to the slopes below it – a place where mindfulness and meditation have been part of daily life since the 12th century,
- a visit to a fresh food market in a neighbouring village, where you will be able to observe French housewives mindfully choosing the ingredients they use to cook the mouth-watering meals characteristic of Gascon gastronomy and where you will have the opportunity of mindfully following their example and a visit to an ancient lake hidden deep in the heart of an even more ancient forest
- the option to discover the confidence-boosting benefits of equine-assisted experiential learning.
The duration of the workshop determines the number of mindfulness field trips and meditation methods included.
Dates:
Workshops can be booked from May to November (4/8 days and nights from the start date of the workshop.) Workshops start at 18h00 on the first day and end at 11h00 on the last day.
Please contact us with the dates that will suit you at welcome2gascony@gmail.com to inquire about availability.
Rates:
Your investment in yourself and in your future:
- 8-day workshop: start at £995
- 4-day workshop: start at £395
Do you feel stuck in a rut and desperately long to escape?
If you do, then a Connect with Horses Workshop at Les Sources Sacrées here in the sun-blessed south of France might be exactly what you need right now.
So seize this exceptional opportunity to spend a few nights with us NOW…to help you make your trip a special one, please let us know you are coming by making a reservation.
A warm welcome awaits you amidst the Saint Mont and Madiran vineyards in the sun-blessed south-west of France.
Interested? Contact us NOW on welcome2gascony(at)gmail.com or fill in the form below.
A simple inquiry will put you under no obligation.
Privacy notice: We take your privacy seriously. Your email address is not passed on or sold to any third parties whatsoever, you are not subscribing to any mailing lists and we promise to only use your details to contact you directly ourselves.
Your Accommodation
Les Sources Sacrées is a location with a history – the 6 natural springs feeding our 2 acre/1 hectare lake are reputed to have healing properties. Pilgrims on the St Jacques de Compostelle pilgrim’s route have been making a detour here for centuries, to “take the waters” and pray in the adjacent chapel.
The farm, deep in the heart of Gascony, 90 minutes’ drive south-east of Bordeaux, is located on 20 acres of lush, green meadows and is surrounded by vineyards, woods, orchards and sunflower fields. Secluded but not isolated, this 200-year-old farmhouse is 3km from a typical local village. Here, you can lie back in a sun lounger on the deck by the lake or sit in a deckchair with a pot of Redbush tea or take pictures of Les Source Sacrées’ gorgeous Friesian horses…but more about that later.
Your Meals
We believe in feeding the body as well as the mind – while you are finding out how to make the changes you want to make in your life, you will be indulging in the food and wine of our region: crunchy French bread, jam made from the fruit grown in local orchards, vegetables just-picked in our potager and pure, fresh water…you will also be introduced to the famous gastronomy of Gascony: paella, couscous Gascon and Tarte Tatin à l’Armagnac and have the opportunity to discover the excellent wines of our region.
The Workshop Leaders
Prepare yourself for a big surprise.
Your workshop leader is yours truly and my assistants: six well-trained and well-behaved horses are going to help you put everything you learn about mindfulness and meditation into practice.
If you are ready to make changes, but you do not feel confident /smart /inspired /motivated /supported /attractive enough, you may want to try an optional equine-assisted experiential learning (EEL) session. EEL will help you:
- free yourself from immobilising fear and dramatically increase your self-confidence,
- discover simple techniques to easily and effectively deal with stressful situations
- communicate more efficiently and with more assertiveness,
- find out how to accept and appreciate yourself,
- strengthen and deepen relationships at work and at home,
- eradicate limiting beliefs and replace them with empowering beliefs that inspire you,
- develop more successful problem-solving skills,
- thrive on changes and challenges and
- gain a solid understanding of who you are now.
These sessions are optional and not included in the price of the holiday.
Intrigued? Contact us now on welcome2gascony{at}gmail.com
What is included in this workshop:
- Comfortable accommodation in a private wing of an 18th century, half-timbered, authentic Landaise farmhouse in single or twin bedrooms with shared bathroom.
- Delicious breakfasts under the 200+-year-old oak tree in the front courtyard.
- Delightful picnic lunches: a picnic basket for you to enjoy anywhere on the farm: there are several seating areas scattered around the house, in the woods, next to the paddocks, by the lake and on the island in the lake.
- Scrumptious dinners featuring the food and outstanding wine of our region
- Tea and coffee making facilities available 24/7 in the kitchen of the private wing .
- Transport during the wine tour/village market visit/Camino walk.
- Meditation sessions based on a variety of meditation techniques – walking, writing and working meditation – as well as equine-guided meditation. All sessions are based on information provided online: articles, videos, TED talks, blog posts etc.
- Free Wifi.
What is NOT included:
- Transport costs to local airports and train stations – there are 5 international airports less than 2 hours drive from Les Sources Sacrées
- Transport from local airports and train stations to the farm
- Personal Health Insurance and/or Travel Insurance (we highly recommend insurance cover in case you need to cancel)
- Dinner on your half-day off (8-day workshops)
- Your Equine-assisted Experiential Learning sessions. A session costs 45 euro and lasts 30-60 minutes.
The workshop is the practical part of the book Mindfulness and Meditation in the south of France, written by Dr Montagu as a workbook to accompany her workshops. Each participant receives a free e-book copy 2 weeks before the start of the workshop. The book also functions as support for participants once the workshop is over, with several links to useful articles, websites, TED talks, Facebook groups, guided meditations etc. used during the workshops.
To make 100% sure you benefit from this retreat, there is still MORE.
- To facilitate transport arrangements, or to explore the region, you are welcome to arrive a day or two early or leave a day or two after the workshop – we also offer additional accommodation on a day-to-day basis, but only to our workshop guests,
- Non-participating partners are very welcome, there is a lot for them to discover and do in the immediate vicinity.
By coming to a workshop here, you will be contributing to the well-being of the local community because we believe in sustainable tourism. We believe that we have a sacred duty to preserve the farm, the land, the lake and the springs for future generations, so we do everything we can to make as small a footprint on our land as we can, including limiting the number of guests we receive per year.
To ensure everyone gets individual, quality attention and the time to ask questions, we limit our groups to a maximum of 10 guests – which means you will need to reserve early to be one of the fortunate guests who come to Les Sources Sacrées this year.
Ready to make a reservation? To pay your deposit, secure your spot and read our terms and conditions
CLICK HERE
