Back to nature at Viveka Yoga, France

Lured by the promise of yoga immersion, tranquility and outdoor living  at the Viveka Yoga Centre in South west France, YA editor Lucia Cockcroft, heads to Carcassonne by train.

We are driving along a bumpy, apparently endless track in the depths of Languedoc, south-west france.

Around us is a hilly, picture-postcard landscape of woodland and vineyards. The Pyrenees are under two hours away by car, and on clear days, the foothills are clearly visible.

But now is not the time to admire the scenery - our hired renault needs my full attention if we are to reach Viveka Retreat Centre, along this off-the-beaten-track lane, in one piece.

Eventually, we come to a clearing in the trees, and a sign marked 'Welcome' marks our arrival at our home for the next week.

We climb thankfully out of the car and venture through a wooden gate, and up a tiny track through more woodland.

We spot a couple of white bell tents nestling under the trees a few hundred metres away and know we have arrived at the right place.

Back to nature

A week at Viveka is a genuinely back to nature experience. Guest accommodation is in one of three luxury tents sleeping between one and four, or in a cosy, nifty wooden cabin for one, sporting wonderful views from its private mini-terrace.

The nearest large town, Limoux, is a good half an hour's drive, and there are no shops in the tiny, pretty village of Festes-san-Andres, a few minutes away by car.

For city dwellers, the rural backdrop comes as a pleasant jolt to the system - there is no ambient light; no road noise, and no electricity in the tents or cabin: before-bed reading is simply by candlelight, or with the help of a torch. Life is pared down to basics here - the clutter that complicates daily life at home removed.

We here are here, primarily, for the yoga, of course. Viveka's week-long yoga courses run from June to September every summer, held in what is referred to as 'the dome' - a large, raised tent at the top of the site boasting wooden floors and a side canopy that can be removed on hot days to expose the meadow below.

It is a lovely space - especially when the sun is beating down, and the sides of the tent are opened up, revealing the surrounding countryside.

The main house, and retreat living areas (kitchen, tables and chairs outside) are owned by Sophie and her German husband, Jo.

Sophie takes the daily afternoon viniyoga class, while Ronnie, originally from Austria, leads the 10am ashtanga class.

Yoga immersion

I am looking forward to some yoga immersion, and glad to have a rest from yoga teaching: without fail, I find this kind of holiday, where yoga and healthy living are the order of the day, a revelation, and hugely helpful in improving my practice, as well as collecting ideas for teaching.

Any misgivings I had harboured about camping for a week - I've had plenty of sleepless nights in drafty, pokey tents - were dispelled with one look at our bell tent.

There's plenty of room to stand up, and alongside two very comfortable mattresses, raised by wooden slats, a large wooden coffee table, an urn full of spring water and three candles sitting on carved wooden holders. This is camping, but with comfort - and an individual, pared-down sense of style - firmly in mind.

My fellow retreatants, Ruth and Paul, and equally pleased with their accommodation, and thrilled at the rural setting. Paul, an affable French-Canadian, is in France on a month-long visit to see his sister and her family. He has returned to Viveka for another week, after enjoying his first week earlier in the month. I take this as a good sign.

It doesn't take long to slip into a relaxed, lazy routine: ashtanga yoga at 10am until around 11.45am; lunch, cooked wonderfully by Sophie, at 1pm; the afternoon free for lounging before Sophie's viniyoga class in the later afternoon.

More food is dished up at around 7.30pm: the quality and range is, without fail, outstanding - imaginative, tasty, wholesome, and entirely vegetarian.

Both Ronnie and Sophie, who normally cook a meal each a day, have a chef's knack for throwing together simple, flavoursome, food - home made chunky bread; brown rice with ginger; salad with a simple home made dressing; goat's cheese lasagne; broad bean taponade to name a few of the dishes.

We eat with Sophie's family (13-year old Lucy and eight year-old Bouyan) on a low, custom-made table outside - in true yogi style, there are no chairs, just low benches, tailor-made for sitting on in easy pose, or, if you can do it comfortably, lotus.

Plans are in progress for an extension of the communal living areas - Sophie and Jo (he is a baker by trade) are building an on-site bakery, and a large, covered area for reading and socialising.

One of the joys of this set-up is the easy contact guests have with Sophie and her two children: they are a friendly, delightful family, and although conversation between mother and children is in french, both are fluent in English, and engage happily with guests.

Sophie is a mine of information about local places to visit, and guests with cars could happily visit towns and vineyards within an hour's drive in between the two daily yoga classes.

We did exactly this on the first day, but after this, were content to sink into the easy rhythm and relaxed pace of practising yoga, eating, reading and lounging.

Staying put

After a while, the thought of straying any further than our immediate surroundings felt too much like hard work. This is a retreat, after all - and unless you are desperate to do your own thing, and explore the (beautiful) surrounding countryside, my advice is to forgo the hassle and expense of a car hire.

Sophie will collect guests from Limoux (there are regular trains from Carcassonne, easily accessible from the UK by train or plane) or, for a charge, from Carcassonne, an hour's drive away.

The daily combination of ashtanga and viniyoga worked well - the rigour and energy required for ashtanga is best suited for a morning practice, despite the body's relative stiffness at this time of day.

Ronnie led us through the ashtanga Primary Series each morning: I enjoyed sinking into the familiar poses, though would liked to have seen more focus on instruction, modifications and explanation, especially for beginners. 

The more gentle late afternoon yoga session with Sophie was a lovely counter to  the dynamic morning practice. Sophie teaches in the style of viniyoga - the yoga brought to the west by Desikachar, son of Krishnamacharya, whose famous students included Pattabhi Jois and BKS Iyengar.

There is much emphasis on linking gentle movement with breathing - the soft, mindful approach encourages the practitioner to be as fully aware of their current experience; a task that is made easier by the wonderfully quiet, natural setting.

Before each asana session, Sophie talks about some aspect of Patanjali's seminal Yoga Sutras - a pivotal yoga text that can seem unapproachable.

In soft, fluent English, Sophie does a wonderful job at bringing some of the meaning alive - and reminded all of us that yoga is primarily about mastery of the mind, not the body. 

After a gentle, though challenging, asana class, followed by Savasana, Sophie talked us through a different, accessible pranayama technique each day, before leading us into a short period of sitting meditation.

It was a wonderfully rounded approach that brought together the key threads of yoga - philosophy and lifestyle; asana practice; pranayama and meditation.

I found myself wishing that more classes took this rounded philosophical approach, rather than focusing 100% on the physical aspects of yoga.

And so the week passed. The days were long, uncluttered and (despite, or perhaps because, of the yoga) thoroughly restful. By the end of the week, I felt physically and mentally rejuvenated, and just about ready to venture out into the real world.

Once again, I was reminded that life is at its most vibrant, and enjoyable, when it's kept simple - we don't need much to live well, and, as yoga itself teaches us, all we need is already inside us. Helped along, of course, by a stunning natural setting, lots of yoga and plentiful helpings of memorable food.

The facts:

Viveka Yoga Retreats run throughout every summer. A week costs 470 euros, including all food, accommodation and yoga. Accommodation is in luxury bell tents or a one-man wooden hut. For more information see www.franceyogaretreats.com

For environmentally friendly transport to nearby Carcassonne, take the train. The journey from London to Carcassonne by train costs from £109 and takes around 10 hours. Book through Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk).