1. How do I get to the French Pyrenees retreat?

• By car: any GPS can take you there (gps coordinates and address are on the website)
• By train: The nearest train station to the Domaine is Coarraze/Nay (10 minutes away from the Domaine). You can get TGV trains from almost any European capitals to Paris or Bordeaux. In Paris or Bordeaux, you can take a direct train to Pau. And from Pau a city train to Nay.
• By air: You can fly from all major cities in the world to Paris, to Pau, to Tarbes/Lourdes (these 2 airports are 30 minutes away from the Domain) or Toulouse (in Toulouse you can take the train directly to Coarraze/Nay).
• Please notice that there is no public transportation directly to "Le Domaine des Deux Eaux".

If you need help planning your trip or to pick you up nearby, just let us know.

2. How do I get to the Southern Portugal retreat?

By air: It will be optimal that you fly into the Faro airport, which is about 1 hour away from the villa. Lisbon airport to Faro is about 3 hours away.

Please send us your flight information 30 days before your arrival. We will arrange a luxury private airport transfer. Roundtrip transfers to and from the Faro airport are included.

If you need help planning your trip, just let us know.

3. At what time should I arrive to the retreats? When does it finish?

Arrivals on day 1 of all retreats are between 17.00 and 18.00 hours. During that hour we will process your arrival and settle you in your room.  Please let us know if you are arriving earlier then 17.00 hour or later than 18.00 hour on the 1st day.

On the last day of all retreats, we will have breakfast followed by a last farewell group session and lunch. After you are free.

4. Is it possible to arrive earlier or to stay after the retreat ends?

Yes, but please let us know if you are arriving earlier or if you want to stay a few more days, for us to be able to help you.

5. I want to go with my partner can we share a room?

Yes, if your partner or friend wants to join the retreat just give us his/her name in the retreat application form. The price is per person.

6. Is there wifi and mobile phone connection?

Yes, but our advice is not to use your mobile phone during the retreat. Just leave it in the room and forget about it. In the end of the day, it is still there, and you can talk to your family.

7. What do I need to bring?

We have all the equipment you need for horse riding, sailing and meditation/yoga, but you are welcome to bring your own gear, especially if you have your own horse-riding material (boots and helmet), sailing material or your favourite meditation cushion (zafu) or yoga mat.

We would advise to bring harm and comfortable clothes for the Pyrenees and Portugal retreats.

The rooms have bed sheets, towels, blankets, but you should bring all the toiletries that you usually need (e.g., shampoo, soap, etc). Also bring comfortable walking shoes to use on the gardens/forest.

8. Do I have to have experience in horse riding? I NEVER DID IT!

It's your first time horse riding? You will love it! The Pyrenees horses are special ones. These are strong but gentle horses, accustomed to the mountains, they are part of them and will make you feel comfortable.

There will be an introduction and a short demonstration of the riding techniques used. We mount up and ride for a bit in the ring for a brief evaluation to make sure you are well matched with your horse, and after we go on a trail ride in the scenic wilderness surroundings.

Trust us. It is as simple as that. It happened to us. And you are going to feel improvements and progression every day.

There are endless interesting destinations with varied walks to be explored and you will have the opportunity to meet one of the most interesting men of the Pyrenees,  Jean- Louis Birou.

9. Do I have to have experience in meditation?

No! And that is the beauty of mindfulness meditation. You don’t need anything to start doing it. Just an open mind and the desire to slow down.

Do you sometimes feel that you need a button in your head to disconnect your mind and control your thoughts? Well, guess what… mindfulness meditation might be that button. Give it a chance.

10. What exactly is Mindfulness meditation?

It’s most commonly defined as “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”

Mindfulness meditation practice couldn’t be simpler: take a good seat, pay attention to the breath, and when your attention wanders, return. By following these simple steps, you can get to know yourself up close and personal.

It was popularized by a Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and American Doctor Jon Kabat-Zinn over the last 40 years. Mindfulness meditation is acclaimed by many as the very best tool for mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness.

Anyone can practice it. Mindfulness meditation transcends all religious and cultural backgrounds.

Benefits of practicing mindfulness meditation:

• Improves well-being: makes it easier to savour the pleasures in life, helps you to become more engage with activities, and creates a greater capacity to deal with adverse events.
• Improves physical health: lower stress and anxiety.
• Improves mental health: improve sleep, and by focusing in the “here and now” you are likely to be less caught by worries about the future or regrets of the past.
• Feel more connected to all living things, with more love and compassion.
• Quiet down the “mind monkey”, resulting in inner peace.
• Powerful intuition, accurately guiding you through life. Clear, lucid thought, with creativity.

11. How do horse riding and Mindfulness meditation work together?

There is a synergy between these 2 activities. By getting rid of all the extra noise we make horse riding an even more special experience. Our natural tendency is to be noisy and too active with our minds and bodies. When we work with horses, we can slow things down and practice just being in the moment.

We can develop greater self-awareness, by becoming mindful of our breath, our emotions, body language, touch, smell of nature, and everything actually, when working with horses.

But don’t worry you are not going to meditate on top of horses.

It needs practice but we will share our experience and teach how to apply the ideas. It's going to be a relaxing and a pleasant journey for you.

12. Yin Yoga what is this? I have never done Yoga before.

Yin Yoga is a soft Yoga that releases the muscles fascia’s, improve joint mobility and flexibility and balances the internal organs.

With the Yin Yoga exercises in the end of the day you will have the stretching that your body needs for the physical demands of the day.

13. Why should I go to a retreat?

Because sometimes the boldest move you can do is to rest.

14. Upss.. I need to cancel.

Just let us know. Take a look at our cancelation policy at "Terms and conditions".