hips don't lie: Yoga breaks in Provence: Heir"s artistic hamlet makes idyllic setting for luxury getaway

By

Deni Kirkova

PUBLISHED:

09:17 EST, 2 July 2013

|

UPDATED:

10:09 EST, 2 July 2013

Waking to the gentle chime of Tibetan bells, a smile instantly spreads across my face as I look forward to another day of yoga, walks and delicious meals.

Hidden among the famous lavender fields of Provence, 300 feet above the Basses-Alpes, in Luberon, lies the magical medieval hamlet where I’m staying for a week-long yoga retreat.

Having explored the practice in many sweaty

studios in London, I had grown to love yoga but my daily life

was never far away. It’s hard to reach zen when you can hear the traffic outside.

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Smells like relaxation: The idyllic retreat takes place among the lavender fields of Provence

So the opportunity to head abroad to an almost isolated paradise

to try and achieve some inner calm seemed just the ticket.

A refuge from the world outside, Le Grand Banc is transformed into a

yoga retreat for seven weeks each year and is run by Jonathan and

Rosie Miles, who have been running similar retreats for over a decade.

The story is an intriguing one: in 1963, intrepid Englishman Jeremy Fry – of the chocolate dynasty – bought a cluster of hillside cottages, abandoned in the First World War, for a price in the region of £7,000.

An inventor and philanthropist, he

rescued the site from ruin, organising an approach road and mains

electricity, renovating it completely.

Half a century on, the site now comprises eight beautiful,

individual stone houses, a heated outdoor swimming pool, three large kitchens, a breakfast room, a stunning outdoor dining room

and – best of all – an open-plan lounge complete with roaring fire, heavy art books, curious sculptures and doors that open onto a glorious hill view.

The property remains in the family to this day, owned by Jeremy’s son Cosmo, who has transformed it (with not too much work) into a zen zone that is run by yoga specialists Kaliyoga.

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Open plan: The lounge has a roaring fire, large, expensive art books, curious sculptures and doors that open onto the most beautiful hill view

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Lit up at night by fairy lights, the stony pathways of Le Grand Banc meaner through the build

For many years, the property served

as a community for famous artists and intellectuals who wanted to work

away from distractions. Reportedly, fashion heroes Mario Testino and Jasper Conran holiday here, as well as actor John

Malkovich.

I love that scenes from cinematic versions of Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources

were shot in the surrounding countryside, and bury myself deep into

the large, expensive art books on the coffee table during afternoon tea

time.

The 400-acre

structure sleeps up to 30 and those lucky enough to land a space on a

Kaliyoga retreat can spend a week in this cobbled paradise.

The interiors combine a wealth of wonderful paintings, sculptures, books and

furniture, predominantly from the 1960s and 70s. Each house is decorated in an individual, simple yet eclectic style.

Jonathan and Rosie have been running the first Kaliyoga retreat in Spain for over a decade so have managed to really

fine-tune their particular recipe for a relaxing, reviving retreat.

The name Kaliyoga was dreamed up in

reference to the Hindu goddess of the name Kali, associated with

empowerment. She is the goddess of time and change.

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Leaning back into a Cobra pose, teacher Lisa guided us through a restorative session

Learn the yogi language: Five basic moves

Savasana – Resting or corpse pose. Lying flat on your back with your feet falling away from each other and your hands by your side palms upwards

Balasana – Child’s pose. Sit on your heels then slowly fold forward bringing your chest to your thighs and forehead to the ground

Tadasana – Mountain pose. Feet together, toes spread and rooted to the ground. Standing tall with arms by the side palms facing forwards

Bandas – Your core. To activate gently suck in your belly button and lift your pelvic floor. Helps support your posture during yoga

Namaste – Said at the end of the class. It essentially means ‘peace go with you’

At their Spanish branch they

offer a range of retreats such as Improve Your Yoga, Juice Fasting

Detox, Christmas and New Year Retreats while the new

French venture at Le Grand Banc only currently offers Dynamic Yoga Hill

Walking.

They struck up

the idea for opening the French branch after meeting Cosmo, proud owner of Le Grand Banc.

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And stretch: Teacher Lisa Butler was patient and intuitive. She allowed students to stretch as far as they were ready to

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Winning smile: One half of the Kaliyoga super team, Rosie, beams at the camera during lunch

While yoga is not competitive in nature,

it was slightly daunting for me to venture to a retreat abroad. Would they all be acrobatic

professionals?

Jonathan and Rosie’s approach to

yoga is to preach ‘mindfulness, breathing and letting go of mental and

physical resistance without unnecessary force or effort’.

During

my visit we had the pleasure of being taught by Lisa

Butler, a patient and intuitive teacher who allowed each student to

stretch (mentally and physically) as far as they were ready to.

A

yoga student for 14 years, Lisa has trained with many teachers and

within different schools. She specialises in Ashtanga vinyasa, Iyengar,

Satyananda and Anusara yoga.

We

practiced indoors but the retreat also has a stunning outdoor yoga

space for when the weather is warm and sunny. A week-long Kaliyoga retreat included three luxurious hours of yoga per day. An hour and a half class enjoyed before breakfast at 8.30am and one in the evening, at around 6pm.

Wholesome, healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners were cooked freshly by the in-house chef Sophie every day.

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Eat, love pray: While you could quite happily roam the huge property alone most of the day, meal times offered a chance to be sociable

In the morning, I’d

wake half an hour before yoga to sit in the breakfast room with a brew

and banana and chat to whoever was around. The surroundings, smells,

views and atmosphere were more than enough to get me out of bed at

7.30am.

The predominantly vegetarian cuisine was cooked from locally sourced produce and in the traditional Provençal style; it was flavourful and satisfying. Endless varieties of freshly baked cookies were also served at afternoon tea.

Every evening we

drank champagne and crème de cassis cocktails before supper. The evening

meal was a joyous, social occasion which always ended with an indulgent

dessert.

‘Home

away from home’ is the feeling they hope to achieve, and Rosie and

Jonathan certainly got very close. My room was plush, modern and cosy,

and Rosie would place a hot water bottle under the duvet at night.

Massages

and treatments with local therapists were booked on arrival and carried

out post-walk each day. I went for a sensual Ayurvedic Indian massage:

an all over oily rub stimulating lymph glands and working with the form

of your body.

They also offer reflexology, osteopathy, deep tissue massages and much more starting at €50 (£42).

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In this region of France, you’re never far from a lavender or rapeseed field, and the aromas are intoxicating

The four guided walks, which are included in the programme, proved

good exercise and we learned lots about the area’s history and

accolades from the guides as we walked through the hills where rapeseed and lavender grows.

In this region you’re never far from the intoxicating aromas of thyme or lavender. Walks are optional so if you’re zoned out from a relaxing massage or just fancy loafing about, there’s no need to go.

The Oppedette Gorge was everything you could want from a walk. It was pacey and

adventurous (with some necessary rock climbing!), yet not too challenging.

With

a bubbling rock face covered in blooming foliage it scored points for

scenic, breathtaking views, making it all the more rewarding as we climbed elevated rock faces – and avoided looking down.

Though

slightly nerve-wracking for the more height-sensitive, there’s plenty

of strategically placed metal bars to hold onto, positioned there by

mountain goat farmers who know the routes off by heart.

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Our group was lucky enough to be accompanied by Cosmo (left) who briefed us before the ascent

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There’s plenty of strategically placed metal bars to hold onto, positioned there by mountain goat farmers

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Halfway up the climb on the gorge walk, the group take a breather and take in the stunning views

If you get any down time, perhaps on an afternoon off from a walk, I recommend venturing into one of the neighbouring villages.

I went for a lovely evening meal at La Pastorale in Cereste, a quaint little restaurant run by a Dutch/French couple. A three-course feast for two including scallops, lamb steak and meringue, plus wine, cost a very reasonable €45 (£38).

After a week in this paradise, I came back not only relaxed and restored but more vivacious and productive in my London daily life.