About The Retreat
2024 Dates
2nd – 7th November
This is a very special retreat: an invitation to go inward during this time of year. We will focus on an itinerary of true renewal with yoga, breathwork, daily ceremony (cacao, water, fire, altar-making), and some nature and element-focused outings including forest bathing. Join us for this intimate week and come with an open heart.
Our week will be based around the chakras and elements which will provide a framework for this special itinerary.
We will start the week with an opening sharing circle to set the space and intentions for the retreat, and end our time together with a closing circle as well to recount some of the things we will take away with us. Below is a list to give an idea of the special activities that we’ll be partaking in during this themed itinerary:
ROOT CHAKRA / EARTH ELEMENT
Morning yoga, Forest Bathing Meditation Walk, Altar-making Workshop, Olive Oil Tasting
SACRAL CHAKRA / WATER ELEMENT
Transformational Breathwork Session, Water Ceremony at Thermal Spring, Luxury Thermal Spa Day + Treatments
SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA / FIRE ELEMENT
Morning yoga, Cooking Class, Sacred Cacao + Fire Ceremony
HEART + UPPER CHAKRAS \ AIR + ETHER ELEMENTS
Mandala Creativity Workshop, Daytrip to Hilltop Town, Guilded Walk with Vistas, Yoga Nidra + Soundbath
Accommodation
This retreat takes place just into the Umbrian side of the Tuscany/Umbria border and allows for us to enjoy both regions during our week. Our home for the week, Villa LeMura is located in a picturesque village in Umbria overlooking Italy’s fourth largest lake, Lago di Trasimeno. Known as the “Green Heart of Italy”, Umbria is also considered to some as Italy’s soul with mystic roots.
From saints and mystics including St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare, and St. Valentine who all roamed its wildflower pastures in spring, and explored its mist-shrouded forests in the autumn. Our week in this region will give us the chance to walk in the mystic footprints.
Our Villa, located in a small hamlet just on the outskirts of the picturesque Umbrian village of Panicale, is called LeMura and it offers sweeping views across the hills and Lake Trasimeno. From a noble country home worn away and forgotten in time to the careful and loving restoration a few hundreds of years later, Villa LeMura shares its story with each visitor and guest who walks through her doors.
Originally the summer residence for a noble family from Perugia, Villa LeMura started out in 1690 as a working farm and over the years was gradually transformed into the stunning villa you can still experience today with many of its original features painstakingly restored.
The surrounding land was used mainly for tobacco, silk , wine and grain and in the tower of the villa it is still possible to see where the tobacco was dried and where the silk worms hatched.
The interior frescoes were painted by Mariano Piervittori who worked on many of the historic buildings all over Umbria and also on the most important residences in Perugia. The current owner discovered this forgotten gem in sad repair over 20 years ago and set out to bring it back to its former glory, transforming it back to a place of beauty and comfort, in a way to experience Italy at its finest.
Designed and decorated in the eclectic Empire Style, the exterior boasts warm, glowing hues of apricot and melon and the interior invites you in with a mix of international antiques, playful pastel colour schemes and original frescoes. The villa is filled with interesting vignettes, corner scenes and contemplative vistas wherever you look.
Each bedroom is unique and allow for various themes and motifs to be enjoyed – all with views over the grounds, private bathroom, and comfortable furnishings. The grand sala is where some of our yoga classes will be held with fresco ceilings above us, and the stone entrance hall is where we will set up our opening circle and alter for the week.
The gardens are beautiful and will give us space for an outdoor fire ceremony as well as the start to our forest walk in the area, and a place to gather for cozy evenings or cool autumn afternoons.
Cuisine
Healthful, local food is part of the retreat experience. The food is simple, delicious and Italian, using fresh ingredients from the local markets and prepared onsite at our villa. Breakfast is provided at the villa each morning and our dinners and lunches will be either enjoyed on site or out on our day trips. There is one lunch where guests are free to explore on their own.
Other than our primary meals we will enjoy other taste experiences such as a welcome reception, an olive-oil tasting workshop, a cooking class during the week, and and we will participate in a special cacao ceremony one evening, and a prosecco brunch.
*Provided meals are vegetarian with a couple of them having a pescatarian option. There is a lunch where guests are free to eat where they choose, and other opportunities on day trips for guests to supplement with extra dishes if they wish. Special allergy and dietary restrictions can also be noted and taken care of.
Wellness and Ceremony
Daily practices will be offered in a way to relax, stimulate, and help guests grow in the mindfulness nature of the trip. Classes are open to all levels, beginner to practiced, and can range from gentle, restorative, and vinyasa flow. Plus meditations such as yoga nidra, guided meditation, and walking meditation will be offered.
Style and class levels will be determined and moulded to fit participating students’ needs, and with a small intimate retreat class size, students will be able to get personalized attention and comfortability to deeply explore their practice.
Our yoga and meditation classes during our time in Umbria will take place at beautiful setting in the grand sala with frescoed ceilings, while some of our ceremony spaces will vary between the garden, thermal springs, outdoor fire circle, and even the stone entrance room of the villa.
Our sessions of movement, yoga, breath, and ceremonies will be led and shared by our two facilitors: Special Guest Collaborator, Michele Anne Barocchi, and EPM Founder, Erin Lewis – both who are based in central Italy not far from our retreat location.
Activities
Not only will we take advantage of the amenities and beauty of our villa and its sprawling gardens, but we’ll enjoy some cultural activities on top of our ceremony and ritual classes throughout the week. The main focus of our time together will be the exploration of an inward journey through the tools of movement, breath, and ceremony – with the backdrop of nature to guide us.
We will enjoy daily yoga / meditation and various circles in theme with the elements – from a forest bathing meditation walk and breathwork, to a cacao and fire ceremony, yoga nidra and soundbath.
Then mixed in we can indulge in some cultural enrichments from this beautiful area of Italy – from an olive oil tasting (fresh from the harvest happening during this time of year), and a cooking class, to a visit to a luxury thermal spa with treatments and a soak in the health-enriching waters, then a visit to the picturesque hilltop town of Cortona (of Under the Tuscan Sun fame).
We will criss-cross in and out of the regions of Tuscany and Umbria throughout the week and enjoy the rolling hills, beautiful villages, and rich culinary heritage.
Retreat Leaders
Michèle Anne Barocchi MPH PhD (Scientist, MAPS Italia – President, Transformational Breath® Facilitator, MAPS MDMA-AT trainee, Teacher and Founder of Inbodhi Yoga, E-RYT500, Certified Vedic Chant Teacher) defines her experience as a long journey that, through different disciplines and techniques, has led her to work with the human body and its capacity for self-healing.
The journey began with a PhD in Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the University of California, Berkeley. The lifestyle of a medical resident can be very stressful, and Michèle found relief in the regular practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga at a small studio in San Francisco. She soon realized that she had found a simple yet powerful tool for connection.
In August 2015, Michèle personally experienced the importance of the teachings she had learned, especially the power of breath. Involved in a nearly fatal car accident, she used breath to stay conscious and survive until help arrived. The accident resulted in the amputation of her left leg and confined her to bed for 8 months, giving her the opportunity to explore non-physical forms of connection and healing.
A year after the accident, she encountered Transformational Breath®, a technique that deeply supported her journey towards reclaiming her personal power and helped her let go of a toxic relationship and any remnants of victimhood. Once again, breath saved her life.
She soon completed professional training as a Transformational Breath® facilitator and studied healing techniques from Amazonian tribes, such as the Paqo Andino – Despacho rituals – from the sacred mountain traditions of Peru. Her mission as a facilitator of these practices is to support others in learning the necessary means for healing, thus making each individual independent in their transformation journey.
Currently, Michèle is collaborating on the creation of MAPS Italia, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about psychedelic medicine, research, and therapy in Italy.
This initiative has the potential to significantly contribute to the advancement of psychedelic science and its therapeutic applications in the country. It is essential to support and collaborate with initiatives like MAPS Italia to promote dialogue, research, and education on psychedelic substances and their potential benefits for mental health and well-being. What matters is not what happens to you, but what you do with that experience.
ERIN LEWIS
Erin is the founder of EAT.PRAY.MOVE and now calls Italy home. She loves to share this amazing country with guests and finds that there is a yogic spirit of connection (to oneself, others, and the present moment) by traveling and experiencing new things.
In addition to carrying this practice throughout the week and allowing our senses to be heightening with our activities, meals, and time together, Erin will also offer yoga to help us relax and restore and reconnect. Besides teaching in studios, Erin has led thousands of guests around the world for over 12 years on yoga retreats.
She continues to evolve in her personal practice which naturally makes its way through her teaching. She loves sharing not only the asana (movement) limb of yoga with others, but also the many other facets which lead to life-changing shifts in our daily habits.
Retreat Investment
6 days / 5 nights (Nov 2-7, 2024)
Inclusive Retreat Price = $3195 (shared room*), +$350 (single room supplement)
EARLY BIRD PROMO: SAVE $200 UNTIL JULY 15
Deposit to hold space = $950
Max # Guests = 10
Max # Guests = 14
Includes
- Private villa accommodation
- Daily yoga class
- Daily ceremony
- Daily breakfast
- Daily dinners and selected lunches
- Welcome reception
- Forest bathing meditation walk
- Altar-making workshop
- Olive oil tasting + aperitivo
- Guided Tranformational Breathwork® session
- Water Ceremony at natural thermal spring
- Luxury Thermal Spa Day + Treatment
- Film night
- Cooking Class
- Cacao + Fire Ceremony
- Daytrip to Cortona
- Yoga Nidra mediation
- Soundbath meditation
- Creative Mandala workshop
- Transport during day trips
- Group transfer from nearby translation on start and end days
- Taxes
How to get here
Countryside on border of Tuscany and Umbria
Nearest town: Panicale, Umbria
Nearest major airports: Fiumicino Airport (FCO – Rome), Galileo Galilei Airport (PSA – Pisa)
Nearest local airports: Sant’Egidio Airport (PEG – Perugia), Florence Amerigo Vespucci Airport (FLR – Florence)
Nearest train station: Chiusi-Chianciano Terme
One group transfers will be offered from Chiusi station to villa at 2pm on arrival day, and one transfer will be offered on departure day from villa to Chiusi station at 10:00am. For guests arriving or departing outside of these times, taxis are available. Single and group airport transfers are possible and pricing discussed upon request. Train transfer from all airports is quite easy, and we will help guide you on the directions.
Have a question?
Drop us a message via the form below to get in touch and book your spot!
