7-Day Embodied Movement for Women: Way Back to Yourself in France

There comes a point when the life you have built no longer feels like yours.

When you’ve been so busy holding everything together the job, the family, the endless list of things that need doing that you’ve forgotten what it feels like to just be yourself.

This retreat is for you.

The Way Back to Yourself is a 7-day women’s retreat at La Commanderie — a former Knights Templar estate in the rolling hills of the Gers, South of France. Through women’s circles, somatic movement, yoga nidra, breathwork, ritual and ceremony, you will journey through six themes that take you from where you are now — disconnected, uncertain, exhausted — to where you are going: back to yourself, and forward into who you are becoming.

You’ll leave with:

A felt sense of who you are beneath all the roles you carry
Clarity about what you want from this next chapter of your life
A body that feels alive, grounded and truly yours again
A sisterhood of women who walked this journey with you
Simple daily practices to carry the transformation home
Set at the historic La Commanderie in the Gers — with a saltwater pool, meditation chapel, jacuzzi, sauna and nourishing organic meals — this is an invitation to slow down, soften and remember what it means to be fully alive.
Hosted by Catja at La Commanderie, a peaceful historic estate in the Gers region of Southwest France. All meals are 100% organic, plant-based, gluten-free, and dairy-free. No prior yoga or meditation experience required.

Each day moves through a new theme — building gently from arrival to integration, so that by the time you leave, you haven’t just rested. You have returned to yourself.

🌑 Day 1 — Landing in This Transition Arriving, settling, releasing what you’ve been carrying. A welcome dinner and opening circle to bring you home to yourself.

🌒 Day 2 — Reconnecting to the Body Somatic movement, breath awareness and body wisdom. Learning to listen inward again.

🌓 Day 3 — Desire and Clarity What do I actually want — beyond roles, expectations and what I should want? A deep dive into your own truth.

🌔 Day 4 — Self-Worth and Voice Taking up space. Speaking your truth. Expressing what has been held back.

🌕 Day 5 — Pleasure and Aliveness Rediscovering joy as a compass. Feeling alive in your body — not as something to chase, but something already available to you.

🌖 Day 6 — Integration and New Direction Who am I becoming? What do I take forward? A closing circle to honour how far you’ve come.

Each morning begins with meditation, breathwork and gentle movement (07:30–09:00). After a slow breakfast, we’ll meet in circle (10:00–12:00). Afternoons are completely free — pool, sauna, walks in nature, rest, journaling. Evenings gather around shared organic dinners, with selected evenings for ritual and ceremony.

No prior experience needed. Just a willingness to show up.

The afternoons are yours to spend time by the saltwater pool, take a walk in the surrounding fields, rest, or use the sauna and jacuzzi.

Late afternoons bring embodiment workshops, deep rest rituals, and women’s circles in the retreat’s beautiful stone chapel.

Evenings gather everyone around the table for shared, organic plant-based dinners, with one special dinner out at a local restaurant on Thursday evening.

The practices you’ll explore include somatic movement, yin yoga, restorative yoga, yoga nidra, breathwork, sound, touch, and body-led expression, all gently guided and adapted to your level and needs.

No prior experience is needed; just an openness to slow down, listen, and feel.

The week closes with a celebratory final dinner and a closing circle, and participants receive a follow-up online group session after the retreat to support integration back into daily life.

Imagine waking slowly with the sun, your bare feet touching cool stone.

You move through a gentle morning practice, not to fix or perform but to feel.

Your body unfolds like a breath.

You follow sensation.

No pressure. No perfection. Just presence.

You sip tea in the courtyard, the warmth of the cup in your palms, birdsong overhead, the scent of herbs on the breeze.

You take your time.

Later, you walk barefoot in the grass.

You notice texture, temperature, and the way your breath moves in rhythm with your steps.

You remember the world is alive, and so are you.

In the evening, soft music and candlelight welcome you into a space of deep rest.

You lie down. You let go. You listen.

And in that stillness, something inside you shifts not because you tried, but because you allowed.

Throughout the week, you’ll be gently guided back to yourself through:

Somatic movement and sensory-based awareness
Breathwork and body-led expression
Restorative practices like Yoga Nidra
Subtle rituals and moments of quiet reflection
Time in nature and unstructured spaciousness
A kind, respectful group that holds space without expectation

You’ll leave with a felt memory of what it’s like to be truly at home in your body.

What You’ll Experience

Embodied movement practices that invite you to slow down, listen inward, and move from sensation
Somatic explorations that help you reconnect with your body as a source of wisdom, creativity, and truth
Gentle yoga like yin, restorative, and yoga nidra to soothe the nervous system and restore your natural rhythm
Touch, sound, breath, and movement as portals into presence and pleasure
Optional journaling or reflection practices
Moments of stillness and silence, both in nature and within, where deep integration and clarity can arise
Supportive group energy that honours your individuality, boundaries, and need for solitude or connection
A spacious rhythm with plenty of time to rest, wander, reflect, and simply be.

What sets this retreat apart is its rare blend of historic beauty, genuine warmth, and deeply intentional programming.

La Commanderie, a former Knights Templar estate in the French Tuscany, offers a truly immersive setting that already carries a grounding, sacred energy.

The retreat is led by Catja, who creates spaces where women can arrive exactly as they are, move at their own pace, and feel genuinely held throughout the week.