New Year Holiday Retreat – 5 days at Healing Spring Monastery

The 5-Day New Year Holiday Retreat is a mindfulness meditation retreat held at Healing Spring Monastery, part of the Plum Village community in Thénac, in the Dordogne region of France. It is offered by Plum Village, the monastic tradition founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, and it suits anyone who wants to spend the turn of the year in quiet practice rather than in the usual holiday rush.

The retreat runs for five days across the end of one year and the start of the next. The organizers describe it as a precious time to come home to ourselves and to touch the peace and clarity within us. The practice at its centre is simple: breathing together in mindfulness, in community, in the Plum Village way. Newcomers and people with an established practice are both part of that shared rhythm, and the emphasis is on slowing down and being present rather than on achieving anything.

Plum Village runs several holiday gatherings around this season, including a Christmas retreat just before and a longer New Year's retreat of about a week. This one is the shorter option of the New Year period, a good fit if you can step away for a few days but not a full week.

What to Expect

As with other Plum Village retreats, days are shaped around shared mindfulness practice rather than a packed programme. Expect time to sit, to walk, to eat and to rest alongside others who are doing the same. Practising in a monastery setting means the surroundings themselves support the quiet: the pace is unhurried, and the invitation is to arrive fully and let the year turn without distraction.

The Setting

The retreat takes place at Healing Spring Monastery, within the Plum Village community in Thénac, Dordogne, in south-western France. Plum Village monasteries welcome visitors only during the dates they publish, so this retreat is a defined window in which to join the community, not an open-ended stay.

Before You Go

The organizer invites people to register in advance through Plum Village. Because the retreat is five days long and sits in the busy holiday period, it is worth arranging your travel to the Dordogne early. For practical details such as accommodation arrangements, what to bring and the daily timetable, follow the guidance Plum Village sends to registered participants.