Past Retreats Home Autumn Retreat, Provence, France (Sept 2007) - page 2                                page 1 | page 2 What a marvellous week it was. The venue was stunning: private, tranquil, beautiful, and the perfect place to lie on a hammock with a book or get slowly cranially-sacrally rewired. Lizzie's food was, as always, spectacular. I particularly loved the lunch that she made for the silent day, which was so sensuous and gorgeous to look at and taste and savour (since we couldn't talk about it). I felt really inspired by the food and how much love and artistry Lizzie put into it, and I had a big shock last night when I ate a (homemade) chicken sandwich and was disappointed by how gross it tasted in comparison to what I'd been eating all week. I doubt that I'll ever become wheat or dairy or gluten free, but I think after four experiences of Lizzie's food, I'm finally ready to start making some changes to my diet. The treatments were all great. Helen's feet are genius and I want to live under them for ever, and I really liked Tanya's work - very gentle and peaceful and very much in keeping with the environment and the silent day (when I had my treatment). Aaah yes. The silent day. In the beginning, I really resented having to do this. What I've always liked about Reclaim Yourself is that nothing is enforced and you're never made to think that you have to do something or behave in a certain way. One of the reasons that I wanted to go on the retreat was so that I could be silent, but I wanted to do this on my terms (as always!) With something like a silent day, there really wasn't any way that you could have organised this to be optional - especially as we ate together. Anyway, my original plan was to spend most of the day on my own, singing loudly and talking to myself and not go to the classes or the treatment, and just turn up for meals. As it was, I slept through Chi Kung and yoga anyway, but when I came down for breakfast, I was really impressed at how quiet and calm everyone was, how respectful of each other everyone was being, and how peaceful and lovely everything was. It was the perfect environment for me to unwind and calm down which lead to a very powerful treatment with Tanya, and a very pleasant afternoon. I was really impressed at how seamlessly the team worked together and everyone seemed very chilled. Obviously I didn't get to see all the work behind the scenes but bravo to you all for making the retreat such an effortless experience to be part of. John Forde   © Reclaim Your Self 2005