YOGA - x-mas yoga

To celebrate this wonderful time of year and
find inner peace come together at
the yoga shala at La Vudèle for
x-mas YOGA

hatha, Iyengar, meditation
calmING & relaxing
 

  Friday, 18.12., 10h
Wednesday, 23.12., 17h
Wednesday, 30.12., 17h
Saturday, 02.01., 17h
 
after each session we share a cup of warming Zen tea
1.5 hours ~ € 10 ~ mats provided
for beginners, regular practitioners and non-yogis
drop-in class, no reservation required

*** wishing you light, prosperity & happiness ***

RECIPES - a vegan Christmas

Winter offers a cornucopia full of delicious fruits and vegetables, accentuated by legumes, nuts, grains and essential oils: we can make use of these fantastic ingredients. Why not incorporate that into a delicious vegan holiday dinner?

As we promote a vegan lifestyle here at La Vudèle we would like to give you some ideas for the holiday table. When busy cooking for our guests at our table d'hôtes we tend to forget to take photos of our creations... Fortunately our guest Solli from Sweden/Paris took some during her two stays this year and last and posted the recipes on her blog; these dishes work really well for a fancy dinner with friends and family and are all animal cruelty-free.

Along the same lines is thoughtful gift giving. In this world of materalistic abundance it's a smile, a gesture, a thought which makes a difference... Bonne fête!
 

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The starter: a warming flageolet bean soup with freshly sprouted alfalfa

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The main course: slow-cooked risotto with freshly cracked linseed

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The dessert (to be dressed up with sparkle and glitter, of course!):
lavender custard with cranberries

Enjoy your home-cooked meals
and thank you for thinking of the animals that did not
have to suffer and were not killed for this meal!

Jim & Claudia
 

EXTRA - new retreat: yoga & vegan cooking

Based on the success in running our yoga retreats for several years now and on the positive comments we received from our guests dining with us at our table d'hôtes we decided to combine our two passions, yoga & cooking, and will offer 3 dates in 2016 for yoga & organic vegan cooking weekends:

20.- 22. May * yoga & organic vegan cooking *
1. - 3. July * yoga & organic vegan cooking *
16. - 18. September * yoga & organic vegan cooking *

Here is the program for these weekends
Friday arrival after 17h and installation in your rooms
18h workshop on healthy, clean, organic vegan cooking and introduction of this weekend's menu
19h classic Provencal apéritif dinatoire: a dinner with several different dishes, to explore the flavors and aromas of Provence
Saturday 7h30 - 9h energizing morning yoga outside in nature, followed by a copious organic vegan breakfast
10h visit of the local farmers' market in Riez with guide to our organic producers
16h -18h preparation of dinner: cooking course with fresh ingredients from our own vegetable garden and purchased at the market in the morning. Practice of mindfulness, kindness & ahimsa, nonviolence, one of the yamas of yoga. Awareness meditation: the love we place into the preparation is the love which nourishes us
18h30 gala dinner presenting the bounty of our cooking experience accompanied by wine tasting of local organic wines from Quinson, cultivated right behind La Vudèle
Sunday 7h30 - 9h energizing morning yoga practice outside in nature, followed by a copioous organic vegan breakfast
9h workshop on ideas for a healthy breakfast and recipe book
afterwards departure or possibility to extend your stay in our B&B

2 nights accommodation in our organic B&B or guest house including our copious organic vegan breakfast and 2 dinners including wine tasting € 580 / € 770 for two

These workshops will give every participant the opportunity to learn how to prepare delicious vegan food using fresh, organic local products which are in season at that moment. Learn how to include healthy seeds and herbs and make a delicious meal. Claudia is very creative in using all kinds of ingredients and loves to share; likewise this will be an opportunity for foodies and hobby cooks to share their knowledge with the group.

***

Of course we will also hold our regular yoga weekends and two 5-night/6 day retreats. For these the meals will be prepared for you by Claudia but of course you are free to watch or participate in the preparation and even learn how to bake your own sourdough bread!

dates for 201620. - 22. May: yoga & organic vegan cooking
12. - 17. June: yoga retreat
1. - 3. July: yoga & organic vegan cooking
4. - 9. September: yoga retreat
16. - 18. September: yoga & organic vegan cooking
7. - 9. October: yoga weekend

We are very  much looking forward to hosting
individuals from all walks of life: omnivores, vegetarians, vegans

Bon appétit & namasté!

EXTRA - yoga retreats 2015

* yoga retreats 15.-17. May * 21.-26. June * 11. - 13. September *

 

For 2015 we not only offer the usual weekend retreats in May and September but also a 6-day/5-night yoga week in June! We chose this date to offer our yoginis the unique opportunity to experience the fantastic sight and scent of lavender in bloom, usually from the middle of June until the end of July

A holistic time, where we take care of ourselves from the inside, be it through
* yoga practice
* delicious organic vegetarian food: seasonal, fresh, Provencal with an international touch
* meditation
* time to explore and relax, take a typical Provencal afternoon siesta, swim in a lake, go for a walk
* time to enjoy an in-depth practice, yoga philosophy, spirituality. Focus will not only be on various asanas but on advancing on the path of yoga
* mats & material will be provided

YOGA - winter detox sequence

Winter is the time when our system slows down, naturally, and we should give it - and ourselves - the time and space to do so. It all starts with taking the time out of one's busy schedule, to make space for oneself. Mindfulness.... awareness...

A winter detox is a wonderful thing where we can give ourselves as a present. Personal. Unique. Inspiring. Relaxing. Mind-opening. Challenging. Heart-opening.


It all starts with choosing the correct detoxification for the season, particularly a detox which is warming and nourishing in the winter's cold. In traditional medical systems such as Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine paying attention to "food energetics" is an important part of restoring health. In cold weather it is considered important to consume warm-natured foods to preserve the body's optimal metabolic state.

A lovely "guide" for a weekend detox is on the vegetariantimes.com which I have followed a couple of times. It not only gives ideas for recipes but also helps stick to activities and rest periods which are beneficial to a detox. http://www.vegetariantimes.com/article/weekend-detox/

For your yoga detox practice find a warm cozy spot where you can spend time by yourself, undistracted by your daily life.

Choose a soft blanket or yoga mat which is placed on a warm surface so that your body stays warm.

* * * Sit down in a comfortable position, one in which you can stay a good five minutes without moving or shifting. This will take a while to find; give yourself the time to find it. Start by simply being. Breathing. Thinking. Feeling. Let your thoughts wander and learn to accept this natural state of mind. When you are ready close your eyes. When you feel ready start observing your breathing, without forcing it in any direction or way. Do a 3-3 pranayama, also known as So-Ham, followed by a 4-8 pranayama. Returning to regular breathing formulate your wishes for this yoga sequence.

I would like to direct you now to a web site which, along with beautiful photos, put together a lovely detox yoga sequence. Do this at your own pace, stay in the poses for as long as you can. Watch your breathe: once it becomes forced you leave yoga and enter effort so that is the moment to release out of the pose.
http://www.doyouyoga.com/8-yoga-poses-to-detox-your-way-to-a-fabulous-new-year/

* * * At the end of this sequence come back into a comfortable seated position, close your eyes one more time and reflect on this sequence: which aspect did you enjoy? Which postures helped you relax? Which postures made you feel positive? Take this into your daily life, this realization. Now turn your focus on the wishes you had formulated at the beginning of this sequence and reflect on them. Slowly open your eyes and find yourself back in the here and now.

namasté

and  may peace be with you