Our team
Helen Baldwin
Qualified mindfulness & lucid dreaming teacher
Helen has been practicing mindfulness and lucid dreaming for over 15 years. She is British, has lived in France for 30 years, and is perfectly bilingual.
Helen has a PhD is psycho-pharmacology, specialised in anxiety and addiction. She had a successful career as a business leader in the field of medical writing. Nevertheless, she decided to leave that all behind in order to achieve her new life's purpose: teaching mindfulness and lucid dreaming and turning her idyllic home in the South of France into a retreat centre.
Helen trained and qualified as a mindfulness teacher at the Mindful Academy Solterreno, Spain. She also qualified as a lucid dreaming facilitator following a 6-month training course with Charlie Morley.
Helen has participated in numerous international meditation retreats and received teachings from several great spiritual masters. In particular, she is inspired and guided by:
- Thich Nhat Hanh: beloved Buddhist monk, mindfulness teacher, founder of Plum Village, author and poet
- Eckhart Tolle: spiritual teacher and author of "The Power of Now" and "A New Earth"
- Jon Kabat-Zinn: founder of the 8-week course "Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction" (MBSR)
- Charlie Morley: author and lucid dreaming teacher
- Andrew Holecek: author and teacher of lucid dreaming, Buddhism, death and dying
- Rupert Spira: author and teacher of non-duality
- "A Course in Miracles", dictated by Jesus and transcribed by Helen Schucman.
Nina Ferreira da Silva
Clinical psychologist and psychotherapist
Nina is a qualified psychologist with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology (University of Nice) and a Master's degree specialised in gerontology (University of Tours).
Her passion for travel and discovering different cultures has deeply influenced Nina's life and professional practice. She embarked on a journey around the world for 2 years, an adventure that enriched her mind and broadened her understanding of the world around her. Open-mindedness is a value that accompanies her daily life and which she uses to offer effective and inclusive support to her patients, regardless of their age, life journey, cultural background, or sexual orientation.
Nina has dedicated part of her time to serving vulnerable communities, notably by working with refugees in Greece. As a volunteer for local associations, she was able to provide psychological support to individuals and families uprooted by war and conflicts.
Nina also lived for 3 months in a Buddhist center in Arizona, where she had the opportunity to explore the teachings of meditation and mindfulness. This experience helped her deepen her understanding of the connection between the body and mind, as well as the importance of compassion and mindful presence in the healing process.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nina provided support to residents, families, and caregivers of two nursing homes. At the forefront of an unprecedented health crisis, Nina offered psychological support to the elderly, often isolated and anxious due to the situation. Her specialisation in gerontology is now a real strength in her practice, allowing her to understand each individual in their entirety and singularity in relation to their unique life experience.
Woofy
Meditation student (beginner level)
Our Cavalier King Charles, Woofy, is very keen on our colorful meditation cushions!
However, he is not allowed in the meditation studio during the sessions as he has not yet learned how to stay still for more than 5 minutes.
Luckily he almost never barks (except when he sees Twix the cat!)
Twix
Zen Master
Twix is not allowed in the meditation room or the apartments as we are aware that many people are allergic to cats.
Anyway, he doesn't need meditation classes because he's already totally zen (like most cats!)
