Christmas Holiday Retreat

If you are looking for a Christmas retreat in France, the Christmas Holiday Retreat at Healing Spring Monastery in Thénac, in the Dordogne, is a mindfulness retreat in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, known to his students as Thay. It is held over the Christmas period and offered by Plum Village, the community of monks and nuns that carries his teachings forward. It suits anyone who wants to spend the holiday slowing down rather than rushing through it.

The retreat is described as a time to come home to ourselves and to touch the peace and clarity already within us. The emphasis is on mindfulness practice and simple living, shared joyfully with others. People breathe together in mindfulness and let the pace of the days be set by the practice, not by the usual holiday demands.

What to Expect

Plum Village retreats are built around the ordinary things of daily life done with attention: sitting, walking, eating and resting in community. Christmas here is not a festival of activity. The invitation is to put down the year's busyness, to look deeply at what is happening in ourselves, our families and our wider world, and to be nourished by the company of a practising community.

Retreats in this tradition are generally kept simple on purpose. A simple program leaves room to rest, to be quiet, and to experience togetherness without having to perform or produce anything.

The Setting

Healing Spring Monastery is one of the Plum Village monasteries, and it sits in Thénac, in the Dordogne region of southwest France. It is a practice centre where monastics and lay visitors live and practise side by side, so a stay here means sharing the rhythm of a working monastic community rather than visiting a hotel or a conventional retreat venue.

Before You Go

Plum Village welcomes people who are new to mindfulness as well as those with an established practice. The offering is rooted in the tradition's own approach, so you do not need to bring prior training in meditation, only a willingness to take part in the shared life of the community and to let things be simple.

Stays at Plum Village monasteries are only possible within the dates the community sets for each retreat, so plan to arrive and leave with the group rather than on your own schedule. Registration is required in advance, and the places on offer for this season are limited.