1
Pau Train Station - Jurançon Hills
After the welcome at Pau train station and the transfer to the farm (50 minutes), you'll put on your hiking shoes, pack your backpack with water, your picnic, and yoga mat, and set off for a hike between woods and panoramic views!
Indeed, the trail winds through the hills that roll at the foot of the Pyrenean wall. Here, the blue of the sky has an unmatched depth. And you'll realize just how much these green landscapes had been missed.
Naturally, imperceptibly at first, your body will relax thanks to the gentle walk. This will allow your mind to let go of its constant vigilance and admire the soft curves of the hills. The bright color palettes associated with the seasons. The subtle floral scents, the humus of the underbrush. The caresses of the tall grass in the meadows. The fluidity of the ancient trails.
In this idyllic setting, Céline will introduce the ancestral lineage of this Hatha Yoga (Krishnamacharya lineage). It will be the perfect opportunity to begin asana exercises.
And what better place than these natural sanctuaries to calm the body and awaken the consciousness!
Activity Time
3h minimum of walking.
Distance
10km approx.
Transfer Duration
50min.
Accomodation
Beautiful gite with a pool on the Bearn hills, for the entire duration of the stay.
Elevation
+100 m./ -100 m.
2
Lescun Cirque
The day will begin at 7:30 AM with a 30-minute fasting yoga practice.
Then, a 50-minute motorized journey will take you to the stunning and wild Aspe Valley in the Pyrenees.
From the Abérouat Refuge (1420m), the first high-altitude hike of the week will begin. And what a view! The Lescun Cirque is an exceptional site, a world within a world. The Billare (2312m), the Dec de Lhurs (2178m), the Aiguilles d'Ansabère (2362m), and the Pic d'Anie (2504m) surround this gem of agro-pastoralism, patiently shaped by farming communities of men and women for millennia.
Your legs, finally freed, will stride through beech forests and alpine meadows, under the calm gaze of cows and sheep. Up there, the first vultures, taking advantage of invisible air currents, will soar like skilled sailing ships in the ocean of the sky.
A short pranayama (breathing exercises) session will be offered before the picnic.
Upon returning to the farm, a 1h15 yoga practice will deepen relaxation and bring you back to a state of calm through conscious stretching movements.
Activity Time
4h de marche minimum.
Elevation
4h of walking minimum.
Transfer Duration
1h30 approx.
3
Lacommande village
The day will begin at 7:30 AM with a 1-hour fasting practice.
A 30-minute transfer will take you to the Commandery, a former military establishment, beautifully renovated, offering an immersive sensory and gastronomic experience around wine tourism (notably the famous Jurançon) and local cuisine. Asceticism? No thanks!
This place also has an unexpected and rare asset: an anechoic room. This term, perfect for lovers of complex words and Scrabble enthusiasts, refers to a room where ingeniously arranged materials absorb all sound. Here, silence is complete. It's an incredible place to calm your hearing senses.
It is in this room, depending on availability, that very gentle and slow practices of breathing and meditation will be offered.
In the afternoon, you will enjoy the presence of the Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle path to perform a mindful walk following the footsteps of the pilgrims of the past and today.
After returning to the farm, a relaxation session will conclude the day of yoga.
Activity Time
2 to 3 h of walking.
Elevation
+200 m./ -200 m.
Distance
10 km approx.
Transfer Duration
1h.
4
Aygues-Tortes Valley
The day will begin at 7:30 AM with a toning and purifying fasted practice. A transfer of about 1 hour and 10 minutes will take you to the Aspe Valley.
This will be an opportunity to cross the border into Spain on foot, just as those who sought to escape Nazi barbarism did in the past. The Aspe Valley, like many other valleys in the Pyrenees, tells stories that are sometimes tragic, but often heroic. Yet, there are also much happier stories that echo in the valley floors, those of shepherds, smugglers, and geologists. These stories are harmonized by the calls of marmots, the whistles of raptors, the chirps of crickets, and the crash of rocks dislodged by herds of wild goats in the distance.
The setting is the incredible Aygues-Tortes Valley on the Spanish side, where streams lazily weave in silver interlacing over red rocks. Powerful cliffs block the southern horizon and invite the gaze to extend westward towards other peaks with flawless aesthetics.
Activity Time
3h30 to 4h of walking.
Elevation
+350m./-350m.
Transfer Duration
2h.
5
Marlères Path - Oloron-Sainte-Marie
The day will start at 7:30 AM with a fasting practice focused on awareness of the foundation and direction of posture, accompanied by chanting exercises on our chakras (1 hour).
After a short transfer, the history of old trades awaits you on the Marlères path, which gently runs along rounded ridges above a mosaic of meadows, vine shoots, and woods. The marlères were quarries where limestone rock outcropped. Extracted and then transported to private kilns, it was transformed into lime. A visit to an arboretum will introduce you to the richness of tree species that traditional communities knew how to use, whether they were charcoal burners, carpenters, or farmers.
After lunch, a pranayama practice will help you refocus your vital energy.
Next, you’ll take a walking tour of the beautiful town of Oloron-Sainte-Marie, nestled on the banks of the Gave River. From the Sainte-Marie Cathedral (a UNESCO World Heritage site) to the Sainte-Croix district (which overlooks the city and offers a magnificent panorama of the Piedmont and the Pyrenees), you will discover the religious history of the pilgrims of Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, as well as many artisan activities of the area.
Upon returning to the farm, a yoga session will conclude the day.
Activity Time
3 h of walking.
Elevation
+200 m./-200 m.
Distance
10 km approx.
Transfer Duration
1h15.
6
Oloron-Sainte-Marie - Pau Train Station
After a complete morning practice (concentration exercises, pranayama, meditation, asanas) for 1 hour, it will be time to visit the beautiful city of Oloron and its famous market! Based on your preferences and culinary tastes, you can choose the delights for the picnic. Take the time to talk, and most importantly, listen to the market vendors. With their inimitable accent that turns every sentence into a song, you’ll continue your journey through the enchanting culture of Bearn.
In the afternoon, the focus will shift to craftsmanship, starting with a visit to Lartigue 1910 weavings: the fabric of espadrilles and the famous Basque linen (which isn't really Basque...), which has ensured the prosperity of the area for centuries. It could also include a visit to a beret factory - the famous Bearn beret - which has protected locals' heads for centuries (and all kinds of weather).
And asceticism? Still not! A visit to the famous Lindt chocolate factory is a must!
Finally, it will be time to return to Pau train station, your luggage filled with delicious local products!
Activity Time
De 4h à 4h30 de visites.
Distance
From 4h to 4h30 of visits.
Transfer Duration
1h.
