The Spirit of Work: The Integrated Professional
The Spirit of Work: The Integrated Professional
Bonnevaux, Marçay, France
Up to 20 in group
July 3 - 6, 2025
Retreat Highlights
- Sean Hagan distils his long experience at the top of global organisations like the International Monetary Fund.
- With wit and wisdom he shares how he discovered the deeper value of work after he began to meditate.
- He will explore how regular practice catalyses personal and professional growth in the liberating experience of work as service.
- While his approach will be a secular one, he will speak on how a commitment to a regular practice can help one develop a stronger sense of othercenterdness.
- We will also discuss how meditation can develop deeper professional relationships that make for more effective leaders.
- Finally, we will see how a life integrated by a contemplative practice ensures that our work in life is adequately aligned with our ethical values.
- This retreat is open to everyone.
- Instruction will be given to those new to meditation.
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Sean Hagan has been a member of the Community since 2007 and has served as a Trustee and a member of the Guiding Board. He is currently a Professor at SciencesPo in Paris. Prior to his arrival in Paris, Professor Sean Hagan was the IMF’s General Counsel for fourteen years (2004-2018). In this capacity, Sean advised the IMF’s management, Executive Board and membership on all legal aspects of the IMF’s operations, including its regulatory, advisory and lending functions. Prior to beginning work at the IMF, Mr. Hagan was in private practice, first in New York and subsequently in Tokyo. Professor Hagan is married with three children
Details of this retreat
Explore how a contemplative practice can enable us to experience greater stability, strengthen our relationships and help us become more effective leaders.
Sean Hagan distils his long experience at the top of global organisations like the International Monetary Fund. With wit and wisdom he shares how he discovered the deeper value of work after he began to meditate. He will explore how regular practice catalyses personal and professional growth in the liberating experience of work as service.
While his approach will be a secular one, he will speak on how a commitment to a regular practice can help one develop a stronger sense of othercenterdness.
In his warm and engaging way, he will lead participants to see how an underlying contemplative practice makes for a stable personality and enhances better judgement. We will also discuss how meditation can develop deeper professional relationships that make for more effective leaders. Finally, we will see how a life integrated by a contemplative practice ensures that our work in life is adequately aligned with our ethical values.
This retreat is open to everyone.
Instruction will be given to those new to meditation.
Sean Hagan distils his long experience at the top of global organisations like the International Monetary Fund. With wit and wisdom he shares how he discovered the deeper value of work after he began to meditate. He will explore how regular practice catalyses personal and professional growth in the liberating experience of work as service.
While his approach will be a secular one, he will speak on how a commitment to a regular practice can help one develop a stronger sense of othercenterdness.
In his warm and engaging way, he will lead participants to see how an underlying contemplative practice makes for a stable personality and enhances better judgement. We will also discuss how meditation can develop deeper professional relationships that make for more effective leaders. Finally, we will see how a life integrated by a contemplative practice ensures that our work in life is adequately aligned with our ethical values.
This retreat is open to everyone.
Instruction will be given to those new to meditation.
Schedule
07:00 – 07:30 Meditation (optional)
07:45 Morning prayer and meditation
08:30 Breakfast
09:40 – 10:30 Yoga and Breathe
10:30 coffee/Tea break
11:00 – 12:00 Talk
12:15 – 13:00 Midday prayer and meditation
13:00 Lunch
15:00 Coffee/Tea break
16:00- 17:00 Talk
18:00 Evening prayer & meditation
19:00 Dinner
07:45 Morning prayer and meditation
08:30 Breakfast
09:40 – 10:30 Yoga and Breathe
10:30 coffee/Tea break
11:00 – 12:00 Talk
12:15 – 13:00 Midday prayer and meditation
13:00 Lunch
15:00 Coffee/Tea break
16:00- 17:00 Talk
18:00 Evening prayer & meditation
19:00 Dinner
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Bonnevaux Centre for Peace, Bonnevaux, Marçay, France
Directions
Bonnevaux is near Poitiers, France, southwest of Paris. It is 20-minute ride from Poitiers Airport and train station. The journey by train to Poitiers is about 90 min from Paris (Montparnasse).
By Road
5 hour drive from Paris along the A10. Parking is available at Bonnevaux.
Directions
By Air
Fly into Poitiers Airport, served by low-cost airlines. The airport is a 20-minute drive from Bonnevaux.
Poitiers Biard Airport
By Taxi
The train station of Poitiers is approximately a 20-minute drive to Bonnevaux. There are several independent taxi companies you can contact to book your ride:
gosebdriver.fr
allocab.com
poitiers-taxi.fr
taxipoitiers.com
Car Pooling
BlaBlaCar
By Road
5 hour drive from Paris along the A10. Parking is available at Bonnevaux.
Directions
By Air
Fly into Poitiers Airport, served by low-cost airlines. The airport is a 20-minute drive from Bonnevaux.
Poitiers Biard Airport
By Taxi
The train station of Poitiers is approximately a 20-minute drive to Bonnevaux. There are several independent taxi companies you can contact to book your ride:
gosebdriver.fr
allocab.com
poitiers-taxi.fr
taxipoitiers.com
Car Pooling
BlaBlaCar
Accommodation
Single room with ensuite bathroom, Single room with shared bathroom and Shared twin room with ensuite bathroom
Single room with ensuite bathroom
Single room with shared bathroom
Shared twin room with ensuite bathroom
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
Bonnevaux (Bonne Vallée , or Good Valley) is set within a beautiful valley formed by the river Rhune (la Rhûne) which descends past the Chapel and the 12th-century Abbaye, emptying into the lake beyond. The beauty and peace of Bonnevaux´s 65 hectares (160 acres) reflects the contemplative life lived here from its foundation as a Benedictine monastery in 1119 until the French Revolution. The community is continuing this policy as a living witness to the link between ecology and the human spirit.
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
At Bonnevaux, we aim for healthy, well-rounded, and nutritious meals. Indicate your meal preference (non-vegetarian, vegetarian). Unfortunately, we cannot cater to specific intolerances and allergies
What's Included
- This retreat is both for the beginning and ongoing meditators. There will be four periods of meditation a day to accommodate your level of practice. Mornings will be in silence through breakfast and lunch, with the afternoon opening to times of rest and solitude and a convivial dinner where you can get to know your neighbour.
What's Not Included
- Airfare or any cost with transportation, any health insurance or travel insurance, any extra activity that the person intends to do around the region.