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Reading Retreat Workshops & Activities: Creativity, Mindfulness & Breathing
Expand Your Literary Journey with Creative Workshops and Mindful Moments
Don't miss creative art sessions, mindfulness practices and serene village exploration designed to inspire and rejuvenate. Whether a passionate bibliophile or casual reader, this intimate retreat offers warmth and inspiration in an enchanting setting. Enjoy a hands-on creative workshop, mindfulness and breathing techniques led by expert facilitators, providing simple, practical methods to deepen focus, calm the mind and enrich both reading immersion and everyday well-being. All workshops are included in your retreat package.
Intimate workshop setting with max 15 participants ensures personal attention.
Workshops held in our comfortable spaces, with some mindful practices outdoors in the gardens
Workshop Schedule at a Glance
• Creative Art Workshop: Hosted by local artists or onsite (no prior experience necessary)
• Mindfulness Workshop (30-45 mins): Early in retreat to support deep reading
• Breathing Techniques Workshop (30-45 mins): For cognitive clarity and emotional calm
• Daily Mindfulness Moments: Gentle practices throughout the retreat
All workshops included in your retreat package.
Mindfulness Workshop (30-45 mins) and Practice
Early in the retreat, Sophie leads a mindfulness workshop focused on cultivating attention and presence, tailored to support deep and immersive reading. Guests learn to enhance both focused, narrow attention for sustained reading and wider, open awareness to relax the mind between chapters. This dual practice helps reduce mental fatigue, increase enjoyment and deepen comprehension.
Sophie highlights that mindfulness isn't just about developing focused, narrow attention but also cultivating wide, open awareness. This dual approach helps readers improve mental clarity, expand their perception and enhance overall well-being.
The workshop explores various mindfulness practices and their effects on reading immersion and mental performance, equipping attendees with practical tools to integrate mindfulness seamlessly into daily life and reading. Throughout the retreat, Sophie facilitates gentle daily mindfulness moments, encouraging a calm and attentive mindset that enriches reading and reflection during your stay.
Guests leave the retreat with a fresh, empowering perspective on mindfulness that enriches both reading experience and everyday life.
What You'll Learn:
• How to use narrow vs. open attention to sustain focus during long reading sessions and relax between chapters
• Simple techniques to stay present and immersed in your book
• Tools to integrate mindfulness into your daily routine beyond the retreat
Led by Sophie - Nonverbal Communication Specialist and mindfulness practitioner
Breathing Techniques Workshop (30-45 mins)
Sophie guides participants through breathing exercises that support cognitive clarity and emotional calm, essential for sustained concentration and relaxation while reading. Drawing from embodied cognition principles, this workshop explores how varied breathing patterns can reduce stress, boost mental focus and create balance, enhancing both your reading experience and everyday well-being.
Similar to mindfulness, Sophie's aim is to broaden understanding beyond common notions of breathwork, equipping guests with practical methods to leverage specific breathing techniques for different purposes, such as calming anxiety, enhancing concentration or boosting energy.
Guest participants will gain insights into how mindful breathing activates neural pathways that regulate stress and emotions and how these subtle shifts in breathing can foster improved cognition and emotional balance.
What You'll Learn:
Calming breathing technique
Energising breath techniques to boost mental clarity
Practical breathwork you can use beyond the retreat
Led by Sophie - Expert in embodied cognition and body-mind connection
Creative Art Workshop
Enjoy a hands-on creative workshop designed to inspire and complement your literary experience. Hosted either by local artists or led onsite, this relaxed session encourages self-expression through artistic activities connected to the themes explored during the retreat. No prior experience is necessary — just bring your curiosity and imagination!
Daily Mindfulness Moments for Enhanced Reading
Throughout the retreat, Sophie facilitates gentle daily mindfulness moments, encouraging a calm and attentive mindset that enriches reading and reflection during your stay. These brief practices help guests cultivate greater body awareness and calm—empowering them to relax deeply and engage fully with their reading and surroundings.
Ready to Experience This Literary Adventure?
Join us for a retreat that combines restful reading, medieval village exploration, creative workshops and mindful practices you'll use for life.
Additional Reading Retreat Activities
Beyond our structured workshops, your retreat includes plenty of opportunities to relax, explore and recharge:
🏊 Pool Access for Relaxation
After morning village excursions, cool down with a refreshing swim in our outdoor pool. The perfect way to relax while enjoying the peaceful French countryside. Pool towels provided.
✨ Nighttime Star Gazing (Weather Permitting)
End your evenings under the vast Occitanie sky. Far from city lights, Belvèze offers spectacular views of the Milky Way and constellations—simply lie back and soak in the wonder.
🌿 Free Time Exploration
Each day includes unstructured time to:
Find your perfect reading spot in medieval village cafés or scenic locations
Relax in the gardens with a book
Take scenic walks through the surrounding countryside
Connect with fellow readers over coffee or wine
Simply rest and reflect
Optional Add-Ons (Arranged in Advance):
Potential extended stay before or after the retreat for independent exploration (subject to existing bookings)
All activities are entirely optional—you're free to participate as much or as little as you like. This is your retreat to design according to your needs.
For the complete day-by-day schedule showing when workshops occur, view the full itinerary →
Meet Your Workshop Leader
Sophie -Mindfulness & Breathing Workshop Leader
MSc(Dist) Communication, Behaviour and Credibility Analysis
Former Professional Artist (Ceramics & Wood Carving, 15+ years)
Sophie's career began as a professional artist, spending over 15 years specialising in ceramics and wood carving. During this time, she created commissions for museums and galleries, ran workshops and received multiple awards, with sculptures still held in Wolverhampton Art Gallery's permanent collection. Following her artistic career, Sophie transitioned into the field of nonverbal communication, completing a master's degree and becoming a specialist in embodied cognition and behaviour analysis.
Now combining her artistic sensibility with scientific understanding, Sophie explores how the body directly influences mental and emotional states—a principle she applies to help readers harness mindfulness practices for greater focus and well-being. Her approach to mindfulness breaks away from traditional meditation stereotypes, offering accessible, varied techniques that work for busy lives and active minds.
Sophie's breathing workshops draw on neuroscience research, showing how intentional breathwork activates specific neural pathways to regulate stress, sharpen focus or boost energy. With her warm, engaging teaching style and dual expertise in creative expression and body-mind connection, Sophie ensures everyone—from complete beginners to experienced practitioners—gains valuable tools that enhance both reading immersion and everyday well-being.
Experience Reading Like Never Before
Our unique combination of medieval village exploration, creative workshops and mindful practices creates an unforgettable retreat experience in the heart of Southwest France.
From €1,350 per person | Limited to 15 Guests
Common Questions About Our Workshops
Q: I've never done mindfulness/breathing work before. Will I feel lost?
A: Absolutely not! Sophie designs her workshops for complete beginners. No prior experience needed.
Q: Are the workshops mandatory?
A: While we highly recommend them, all workshops are optional. You're free to rest or explore instead.
Q: What if I'm not artistic? Can I still enjoy the creative workshop?
A: Absolutely! The creative workshop is designed for everyone, regardless of artistic experience. It's about exploration and self-expression, not creating masterpieces.
Q: Can I get one-on-one support?
A: Yes! Sophie is available throughout the retreat for personal questions and guidance about mindfulness, breathing techniques and creative expression.
Tips for an Amazing Experience
Before You Arrive:
Bring your favourite books or discover new ones—we have a small library too
Pack comfortable walking shoes for medieval village exploration
Optional: Bring your gladrags and dress up for dinner if you like—an opportunity to feel elegant and celebrate the evening in style
Bring a journal or notebook if you enjoy reflecting on your reading
Don't forget comfortable clothes for relaxing and casual creative activities
During Your Retreat:
Embrace the workshops with an open mind—even if you're new to mindfulness or creativity
Find your favourite reading spots—in the gardens, by the pool or in cosy corners
Connect with fellow book lovers—share recommendations and literary discoveries
Take photos but also put the phone down and be present with your book
Feel empowered to slow down, take time for yourself to rest, pause activities, or enjoy a rejuvenating afternoon nap
After Your Retreat:
Continue the mindfulness and breathing practices at home
Share your experience (tag us @rossignols.artdevivre)
Stay in touch with your reading retreat community
Keep a reading journal to capture the calm you discovered here
Consider booking your next retreat adventure with us!
Ready to Experience This Adventure?
Join us for an unforgettable week of reading, mindfulness and medieval village exploration in the heart of South West France.
Limited to 15 guests