Bonjour and a warm welcome to my Substack….
I’m Tamsin Jardinier, a Yoga Teacher, Intuitive Coach, Ayurvedic Cook and Potter based in Southwest France. From this quiet corner of the countryside, I share practices for living well: an embodied path toward emotional balance, authenticity, and inner purpose.
I never planned to call the quiet village of Montesquieu home, but arrived here after losing my mother in 2008. She had purchased this house before her illness, and after completing my 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training in India I felt compelled to spend some time here as it offered me both refuge and a new beginning. What started as a temporary pause became Little French Retreat, an intimate sanctuary where I teach yoga, host retreats, and coach women who want to reimagine the next phase of their life and work.
My home is set into the old stone ramparts of the village, a place steeped in the legacy of the French philosopher Montesquieu. His family once owned the hunting lodge that stood here, long before it became the ruins and walls that now shelter my studio and living space. Though he emerged from relative obscurity, Montesquieu’s work helped shape political thought across France and even influenced the American Constitution, an unexpected echo of how meaning can grow from quiet, humble origins.
My own journey began in the arts, training in Wood, Metal, Plastic, and Ceramics before specialising in ceramics and printmaking. This creative grounding led to a career in luxury interior retail, where I worked in senior management turning underperforming stores into thriving businesses.
But after my mother passed away, I stepped away from corporate life and followed a quieter path, one that brought me here. Today, I bring together my experience in leadership, creativity, yoga, and holistic practices to support women who have achieved much; leaders, creatives, and entrepreneurs who sense that true success now lies in alignment, not accumulation.
When I’m not coaching or teaching, I’m making pots, writing, taking photographs, or cooking. And every morning, I walk with Edie, my ageing yet endlessly energetic hunting dog, always hoping, rarely succeeding, in wearing her out.
Why subscribe?
You receive a bi-weekly newsletter that covers varied topics within my field of knowledge from wellbeing to creative living.
You can discover more about my work here:
Little French Retreat - Wellbeing experiences, Online Daily Yoga, Coaching
Tamsin Jardinier - Pottery
