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Non-profit retreat center with yoga and tantra at a former water mill in Orsennes, France

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    2 Feb 2026

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If you are not an EU Citizen and planning to visit France to work, volunteer or study, YOU WILL NEED THE CORRECT VISA. To find out more information please contact the embassy in your home country BEFORE travelling.

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Availability

  2026 

 Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Hello loving people,

    We are an enthusiastic open-minded retreat centre with yoga and tantra courses, a non-profit assosiation run by Tantra Yoga teacher Wim and art teacher and Tantra therapist Chandra.
    We like to bring people together in a green, calm and inspiring environment. You are more then welcome at our Centre for personal development and consciousness.

    Workawayers are part of a separate volunteer community hub with their own shared living spaces.
    Their activities focus solely on community life within this volunteer area and do not involve paid retreats or spaces used by paying guests.

    Our Volunteer Opportunities – Summer 2026
    Community living, learning & co-creation
    We invite volunteers who enjoy living in a conscious community and contributing to shared daily life. This Workaway experience is based on exchange: time, presence and participation in return for learning, connection and shared practices.

    Arrival dates
    27 June
    7 / 10 / 17 / 24 / 31 July
    7 / 14 / 21 / 29 August
    Departure dates
    13 / 20 / 27 July
    3 / 10 / 17 / 24 / 29 August
    5 September

    1. Community Preparation & Connection Week
    27 June – 13 or 20 July
    This period is about preparing our shared living spaces and land for the summer season, arriving, connecting and co-creating together. In a small group of around 6 to 12 people.
    Activities are hands-on and communal:
    • Setting up tents and shared areas
    • Decorating and shaping the place together
    • Caring for the land and common spaces
    Alongside this, there is space for:
    • A daily Tantra Yoga class
    • Dance, swimming in the lake and creative moments
    • Sharing, reflection and group connection
    A warm and grounded way to start the summer. You can extend your stay by joining option 2.

    2. Summer Volunteer Community
    2.5 weeks between Friday 10 July – Saturday 29 August
    During the summer you become part of a self-organising volunteer community within our retreat center, living together on site. The focus is on supporting daily community life and shared spaces.
    Typical activities include:
    • Caring for communal areas
    • Preparing meals together
    • Gardening and land care
    • Practical tasks that support group living
    Tasks are shared within the group and take about 5 hours per day, leaving plenty of space for rest, learning and connection.
    In exchange, you are welcome to:
    • Join a daily community day opening with dance
    • Participate in one daily Yoga or Tantra class
    • Share evenings and creative moments with the community
    • Explore co-creation and group processes
    The volunteer team consists of approximately 14–18 people. General arrivals in July and August are on Fridays, departures on Mondays.

    3. Closing & Integration Week
    29 August – 5 September
    This smaller week (6 volunteers) is about rounding off the summer together. We gently bring the place back into a calm, winter-ready state.
    Activities include:
    • Taking down tents
    • Cleaning and storing shared materials
    • Organising communal spaces
    There is a daily Tantra Yoga class and space for reflection, integration and connection.

    4. Volunteer Coordinator (community exchange)
    Within the volunteer team, there is space for someone who enjoys supporting structure, overview and group flow during a 2.5-week period. This is a voluntary community exchange, where you share your organisational and people skills as part of daily life together. Stay, meals and full participation in the community are included.

    5. Teacher / Facilitator (community exchange)
    We welcome facilitators who enjoy sharing practices and knowledge with the volunteer team during a one-week community exchange. You offer daily sessions in areas such as yoga, tantra, embodiment or personal development. Stay, meals and full participation in community life are included.
    Preferably, you join the volunteer community one week beforehand to get to know the place and the team.

    What’s included in all 5 cases:
    • Stay in a tent or dorm
    • All meals and drinks
    • Participation in daily workshops and classes
    • A community-based learning experience

    How to apply
    Send us your email address and WhatsApp number.
    You’ll receive more details from Fanny and an introduction video with Chandra.
    After that, you schedule an intake video call with Wim via WhatsApp, to connect and see if it’s a mutual match.
    If both sides feel aligned:
    • You choose and confirm your arrival and departure date together with Fanny
    • You complete a simple registration form
    • This completes your official registration as a volunteer within our non-profit community association, so everything is clear and well organised for your stay

    Do not forget that helping on and around the property is not more than moving a pile of stones from one place to the other. What's really important is YOU who's doing it, ..........and the most important Tantra lesson.... we expect nothing else than 100% of your presence.
    We work on normal speed to be able to be present in the here and now = not in slow motion, for we want to appeal to our full potential as a healthy human being, not in acceleration, for we want to be conscious of the steps we take along the way. Move flexibly like wheat in the wind. Be the stillness in the chaos.

    A stay here is all about being who you are. Being alive, awake, conscious, being present in the here and now. Putting as much love as possible in what you are doing.

    All meals are vegetarian and of course for free..... And YESSSSSSSS we have a sauna and a natural swimming pond ...)

    For the safety and peace of our 2 cats and the chickens, we can't allow dogs on our property.
    The minimum age is 25 years.
    Important, we say NO to alcohol and drugs (incl. plant medicine etc), it is a reason to ask you to go somewhere else.
    Let us know if you are up for this once in a life time experience!

    WE HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON,
    WITH LOVE.

    Chandra and Wim

    Office/administration: Fanny

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • Interests

    Interests

    Events & social
    Vegetarian or vegan
    Sustainability
    Self development
    Drawing & painting
    Cooking & food
    DIY & crafts
    Art & design
    Dancing
    Nature
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Come and live with us for a while in a warm, supportive community, surrounded by green, rejuvenating nature.
    You’ll experience daily life as part of a volunteer team, sharing responsibilities, meals and moments together.

    Life here is about connection, presence and shared experience — living in the moment, learning from one another and creating a meaningful rhythm together. As part of the exchange, you are welcome to join a daily yoga or tantra class, as well as moments of dance, reflection, sharing and co-creation.

    This is an opportunity to explore community living, deepen your personal practice, and connect with people from different backgrounds in a conscious, open-hearted environment.

  • Help

    Help

    You are welcome at our 350-year-old watermill and retreat centre, surrounded by nature. As a Workawayer, you become part of our volunteer community, sharing daily life, meals and activities together.

    The support is varied and community-based, and may include:
    -Preparing meals together for the volunteer community
    -Supporting shared spaces used by the volunteer group
    -Light maintenance and practical projects around the property
    -Gardening and caring for the land
    -Contributing to the rhythm of community living

    Alongside this, there is a strong focus on personal growth and connection. Volunteers share experiences, learn from one another and take part in daily practices such as yoga, tantra, dance and reflection.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    Dutch: Fluent
    French: Intermediate
    German: Beginner

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    You will stay in a tent, or you are welcome to bring your own tent or campervan if you prefer.
    From 27 June to 12 July and during the first week of September, it is also possible to stay in a shared room.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Property: 4 big buildings on 4 hectare land, in the middle of France, in the countryside, surrounded by green nature. With small river, swiming lake, sauna, hammocks, silence, milky way

    LOVE

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    We are a perfect place for digital nomads! We have a fast wifi connection for larger groups of people. During summer retreats your effort to the community is 5 hours.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    You are welcome to park your camper on our 4 acres and we provide electricity.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • My animals / pets

    My animals / pets

    Profile photo of Zaza

    Zaza

Host ref number: 525813565793

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