Yoga / Rolf Movement Retreat 2026

“Learning to Move With More of Myself”

A Wisdom Embodied Yoga and Meditation Retreat

06 – 11 OCT 2026

location: Bonnevaux, Marçay 86370, Nouvelle Acquitaine, France

Please see here for prices and how to book. bonnevauxwccm.org

24 places are bookable in single and double rooms (most en-suite)

“Wisdom is not knowing more; it is knowing with more of your self.”
— Cynthia Bourgeault

What does it mean to move with more of ourselves? What might be the benefit?

Come to Bonnevaux this October and explore that question through the ancient symbolic art of Yoga Asana, the contemporary science of Rolf Movement™, meditation, the slow reading of Wisdom texts, conversation and time in nature.

This semi-silent retreat is for beginning and ongoing yoga students, and for those interested in deepening their movement practice who may not have done any yoga before. It is also for those who are curious about the relationship between our embodiment and meditation practice.

Over these days together in silence, movement and meditation, we will explore, among other themes, the dynamics of rest, recovery and repair as wisdom skills; what it means to be “wired for connection” to self, other and Spirit; and what our embodied connection to Creation might mean.

At the heart of this year’s retreat is a question about the relationship between two ways of talking about ourselves and the world around us. 

We tell stories using the symbolic language of Creation, and we investigate ourselves and our world using the language of contemporary science. Rather than setting these languages against one another, what happens when we allow both to speak fully, without reducing one to the terms of the other?

What might happen when we move with them, rather than simply thinking about them?

The cosmic language of Genesis, the Upanishads, the Gospels and other Wisdom traditions can breathe and move alongside the language of human embryology and physiological and psychological development, the science of the nervous system, posture, gesture, sensoriality and perception.

What does science tell us about how human beings become vertical, develop a midline, move in a world and so come to know and tell stories about it and themselves?

And what might the symbolic language of the Wisdom traditions and Yoga tell us about the same “midline” — “heaven and earth” — through the fractal images of the Tree of Knowledge, the Mountain, the Fountain and the River? What might these images reveal about Creation, within and around us, as an intelligible world, with a heart, inviting discovery?

We will explore these questions through movement and perception; some theory and discussion; journaling; images from anatomy, art and nature; and Wisdom texts.

“Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
and she is easily discerned by those who love her,
and is found by those who seek her.
She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
The person who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
for they will find her sitting at their gates”

— Wisdom 6:12-17

Becoming Vertical: Ground, Space and Midline

Yoga Asana & Rolf Movement™: the “backbone” of the retreat.

During morning and afternoon sessions each day, we will use the standing and upright balancing poses in Yoga as a framework for understanding how other yoga poses develop.

We will use movement theory, anatomy and art to explore principles like “ground and space,” “midline,” “posture as a potential for action,” and “spirals,” to name some.

“Standing up tall” in the rich variety of standing poses will provide the springboard for looking at walking, breathing and gesturing, as well as sitting poses, backbending, twisting and spiralling movements.

Through this exploration, we will ask not only how we move, but how awareness through movement changes what we can perceive, feel and do — and what it might mean to move and know with more of ourselves.

From Protection to Connection

Embodied cues for coming to rest, recovery and repair.

We will explore the autonomic nervous system as the “hearth” of our embodiment, and how it works closely with the heart, face and voice in regulating our capacity to protect, connect, mobilise, rest and recover.

We will explore how our bodies are places of oscillation, rhythm and contrast. We are constantly rocking and wobbling as we breathe, balance, digest and move. We are resonating water worlds.

We will explore questions like:

• How can movement and yoga nourish health, wholeness and integration?
• What happens to our bodies, nervous systems and ways of seeing the world when we have been overwhelmed, and what might repair look and feel like?

Four Blossoms in Wisdom’s Garden

Yoga and meditation as two dimensions of contemplative practice.

We will explore what contemplative and monastic traditions can teach us about silence, listening, rhythm, stability and transformation, as well as other tools for contemplative living.

We will explore questions like:

• What is the relationship between wisdom, Creation and embodiment?
• What might be the tools of contemplative practice?
• Who is my neighbour, and what does it mean to love and serve the other?

And as we allow the symbolic and scientific languages to dance together, we will look at these four Heart Blossoms on the Tree in Wisdom’s Garden:

Consent “Here I am / I am here.”

Welcome “Can I welcome what is here?”

Repair “Touching and being touched.”

Create “I and thou together.”

Contemplative Rhythm of the Retreat

A sketch of our retreat schedule

The retreat begins on Tuesday afternoon and runs to Sunday lunch.

The mornings will be in gentle silence from the first meditation session until lunch, with conversation opening up into the afternoon and evening.

There will be four meditation sessions each day, Lectio Divina — a quiet, reflective time with texts from the Wisdom tradition — and Yoga/Rolf Movement™ sessions.

Time will be given for discussion, journaling, rest and integration.

Tracking insights from our practice sessions will be encouraged, so please bring a notebook and coloured pens or pencils to explore this way of working.

There will also be time for walks in the beautiful woods of Bonnevaux and its rolling hills, ancient trees, and vibrant birdsong.

Tuesday

13:30 -15:30 check-in

17:30 Welcome and Intro to meditation

18:00 Meditation and evening prayer

19:00 dinner

20:15 Intro to retreat and quiet evening practice

Wednesday to Saturday

7:00 meditation optional 

7:45 meditation and morning prayer

8:30 breakfast & work period

9:30 – 12:00 movement practice, theory & discussion

— refreshment break included

12:15 meditation and midday prayer

13:00 lunch

14:30 – 17:45 movement practice, theory & discussion

— refreshment break included

— afternoon session length will vary from day to day to allow for rest and repair

18:00 meditation and evening prayer

19:00 Dinner

20:15 – 21:00 lectio, discussion, winding down practice

— time for questions and discussion

— not every evening; this will vary according to the needs of the group

Sunday

7:00 meditation optional

7:45 meditation and morning prayer

8:30 breakfast

9:30 – 11:30 closing session and discussion

12:00 Eucharist and meditation

13:30 lunch and farewells

Bonnevaux is an interfaith Christian community living in the spirit of Saint Benedict and his monastic tradition. Through the practice of meditation, the community is open to all people in search of a spiritual path for healing ourselves, the world and peace.