👉 This article is taken from the12th edition of our newsletter, Les carnets de La Plagne. To subscribe and receive it directly, click here. Enjoy the read!
Weightless
What better setting than the mountains to reconnect with yourself? Taking quality time for yourself has become a luxury in our ultra-busy lives.
A fasting retreat at the edge of the Vanoise National Park, aerial yoga for body and mind, a change of scenery far from the world in a mountain hut, or a simple meditative hike at high altitude— here’s our selection of ideas, some of them unexpected.
1,001 Ways to Unplug in La Plagne
or how to rediscover your center of gravity.
Fasting: Living on Hiking and Fresh Water
The combination of fasting and hiking is the secret behind these week-long introspective retreats, designed for physical and mental detoxification. In Champagny-en-Vanoise, they’re led by the family-run company Chemin de la Santé, which operates in four exceptional locations across France.
The combination of hiking and this gentle regimen based on water, herbal teas, fruit juices, and vegetable broth has very tangible health benefits (lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, pain, allergies…), which explains why about half of the participants return each year.
The stays also include workshops, wellness classes, and spa treatments; they are supervised by the facility’s naturopaths. The Champagny-le-Haut location was chosen in 2014 for its beauty, tranquility, and cool climate… and its distance from the city’s culinary temptations!
Stays are available through the end of August.
Aerial Yoga with a View
An innovative discipline typically practiced in urban settings, aerial yoga is now taking root in the mountains. By utilizing weightlessness, it promotes the flow of energy and makes complex poses easier to achieve without straining.
Far removed from any notion of performance, aerial yoga encourages you to slow down. A fitness instructor since 2016 and a passionate yoga teacher, Nathalie had the idea of bringing aerial yoga back outdoors, on a panoramic terrace in Plagne Centre, facing Mont Blanc.
A serene setting where this practice truly comes into its own. Since childhood, this young Belgian has had a special connection to La Plagne, where she took her first steps on skis with her family; she considers the resort with the red hat to be her “second home.”
Every week, all summer long.
A Safe Haven
When it comes to introspection and getting back to basics, the mountain refuge is the perfect place, combining thoughtful simplicity with an exceptional setting. La Plagne is home to no fewer than seven such refuges within its borders.
Each has its own distinct character, inseparable from that of its caretakers. On the front lines of the effects of global warming, these refuges serve as outposts for resource conservation and responsible tourism practices: shower time (which may be cold) is limited, the food is sourced locally, the cuisine is “homestyle,” and Wi-Fi depends on the whims of the solar panel.
You literally unplug, without sacrificing the pleasure of enjoying some time to yourself—or sharing it with others if you wish, especially during meals at the communal table.
Open through September, depending on the lodge.
Today’s number
This is the number of hectares of forest covering the La Plagne area, from the valley up to an altitude of about 2,000 meters.
One more reason—if you needed one—to try forest therapy in Montalbert or Montchavin–Les Coches with Karine, a ski instructor in the winter and a sophrologist.
Through visual and then tactile contact with the trees, the therapeutic benefits are tangibly felt, particularly on mood, but also on the nervous and immune systems. The larch, in particular, has soothing and balancing properties recognized by herbalists.
