the oceantree | Forest Retreat – The Feminine at Work

Immersed in Nature, we will dive into our own nature to connect to our inner power and to learn how to integrate it into our daily life and work.

The Forest Retreat is in a magical place in the Cevennes Mountains in South West France. The untouched landscape, pure water, clear air and old chestnut trees make it the perfect place to stop and disconnect from the busyness of daily life and technology. It is a space for just being and allowing the elements to be our teachers.

It’s an invitation to let go of the Masculine principle of “driving forward” and “making life happen” for a time and to allow the Feminine principles of being and receiving to emerge. In a society where the Masculine principle is over emphasised our relationship to the Feminine is often hidden, repressed, ignored or simply unknown. In our experience, this raises challenges in our daily and professional lives and in our relationships to ourselves and to others. To learn more about what we mean by the Feminine and Masculine principle click here.

This special environment creates the space, time and energy for women to reflect, explore and enquire into their relationship with their deep nature.

We believe that it’s within a group of women that we can liberate our true inner power and recognize that power in others.

It’s in a circle of women that we create new meaning, rewrite our story and weave a renewed connection with each other and the Earth for the benefit of all.

What are we going to do ?

Our facilitation is based on a deep listening to the needs and rhythm of the Group.

Below is an overview of the main themes of the Retreat that we will adapt according to what emerges in the process:
- Understanding and connecting with the cyclical rhythm of our body and the power and wisdom we hold in ourselves.
- Daring to fully follow our deep instinct and intuition to unleash our creativity.
- Discovering new tools to navigate in the constant changes in our experience of being a woman.
- Becoming aware of our limiting beliefs, covering strategies and what we do to hide in response to societal norms
- Exploring a woman’s life timeline and her different initiatory moments
- Learning about menstrual cycle wisdom and its’s impact on our wellbeing and creativity.
- Being inspired from stories and myths to better understand our own story and fully inhabit it.

How are we going to do it?

During the workshop we will explore different ways of accessing what we know:
- Sensory awakening through the contact with nature.
- Group activities: discussions in the circle, self-awareness exercises.
- Body work, inspired by different yoga and dance practices.
- Walks in the Forest to sacred places.
- Magic meals, how we nourish ourselves with energetic food and the pleasure of tremendous taste.
- Personal thinking and reflection time.
- Journaling and guided writing exercises
- Music.

Where does it take place?

Nestled in the heart of the Cevennes mountains, there’s a magical place called les Ouches.

The rhythm of this place is still paced by the light of the day and the darkness of the night.
Spring water runs from the mountain very close to our location. The sound of the wind, the warmth of the fire, the flow of the waters and the richness of the earth are a daily, embodied experience.

Accommodation is very basic and beautiful, allowing you to soak deeply into the natural environment. No electricity and no Internet connection reach this wild land offering you an amazing opportunity to detoxify from technology and the urban pace of life.

“This retreat is a real gift, that I gave myself, to help me to better understand and respect

what my body as a women goes through without me even paying attention to it.

I took this decision after a difficult period in my life (professional exhaustion) after which I felt quite lost.

This has been an important step in my personal journey, immersed in a very special place,

allowing deep encounters with the other participants without any mask or judgment

with two wonderful guides to show the way. So thank you, thank you very much for that.

This retreat is a key to open new doors on my path, giving me a better consciousness of myself.”

Accommodation and Food

Shared bedroom for two people in clay and straw bale cabin. Shared accommodation in yourte, tepee or nomadic tent.

All meals will be entirely organic and vegetarian with vegan options. For any other dietary requirements (soy free, diary free, gluten free, etc..), please let us know as soon as possible, there are no shops in the area.

The Banyan’s cuisine is inspired by Sam and Marta’s travels and also by their passion for wild cooking with natural untransformed produce. Every meal is an opportunity to go back to the biodiversity of flavours that Nature offers: grains that we are not used to eating, flowers and aromatic plants mixed with traditional dishes of Southern Italy or the Middle East, reinvented for a special meal.

Giving Back

A percentage of all payments goes to the Giving Back fund to pay for Retreat places for those who are working in the not for profit sector, are on low income or in other situations that mean they would struggle to pay for a Retreat or Personal/professional development courses.

We thank you for this contribution.

You have the possibility to extend for one or two days post retreat to rest and digest.

This would include food, accommodation, two individual sessions, one with each facilitators.

Please do let us know on booking if you are interested.

All enquiries