New Mayapur

A remarkable Gothic castle with an 80-hectare estate is nestled in the peaceful countryside of the Central Loire Valley, between Luçay le Mâle and Ecueillé.

In 1975 a spiritual community, temple, asram and eco village, dedicated to the Bhakti Yoga Vaisnava lifestyle was established: simple living, high thinking. A life in harmony with nature and respectful to the environment.

The castle, a true gem built in 1895 by the Marquis de Preaulx, has been renovated with funds of the community. The estate also houses an ecological and animal-friendly farm where animals are protected throughout their lives, and a variety of seasonal fruits, vegetables, and grains are cultivated.

Our estate has all the necessary infrastructure to accommodate our volunteers: a guesthouse with comfortable rooms or the option to camp, a restaurant in the castle offering hearty vegetarian meals, mainly organic and locally sourced.

We do NOT cook VEGAN meals, only vegetarian meals.

We also have a shop offering a selection of rare and unique items, a library filled with exceptional and valuable philosophical works, a yoga room and equipment, a rose garden, numerous enchanting forest trails, vegetable gardens, a stable where our cows and goat live lovingly, and high-speed WiFi.

We also offer volunteers enriching content, including discussions, guided tours of the castle and estate, yoga sessions, lectures, singing, and dancing, all led by our team of certified yoga instructors, Vedic philosophy and agriculture experts.

Lakes, rivers and french castels at few km...

We accept stays for a minimum of 7 working days (excluding the days of arrival and departure), we ask for 5h service per day with two days off per week. If you wish to stay living and serving with us long term, we can work out a personalized framework for you in our daily activities.
For the seniors +50, special conditions are applied, please contact us (Individual rooms are mandatory).
For adults accompanied with children, special conditions are applied, please contact us (Individual rooms are mandatory).

We look forward to welcoming you to the estate and sharing an experience rich in learning and exchange. Join us for this exceptional adventure!

Ongoing projects: -Eco house building - Organic gardening (fruit, vegetables and flowers), - Renovation project (painting, insulation, plumbing, electricity, tiling, roof); - Cleaning castle and guesthouse; - DIY project : home-made cleaning products and cosmetics ; - Cow and goat protection and care; - Forest maintenance and wood manutention. Upcoming projects : - Realisation of workshops about various topics relative to ecology; In order to maintain an atmosphere that is conducive to spiritual growth we ask everyone to follow the principles of goodness during their stay : - Refrain from eating non-vegetarian food (meat, fish or eggs) nor alliaceae (garlic, onion, shallots, chives, leeks). - Refrain from taking intoxicants such as tobacco, alcohol, drugs, nor tea, and coffee. - Refrain from gambling or make risky investments. - Refrain from flirting or having intimate relationships outside of marriage. We also ask that you bring modest clothing, cover chest, shoulders, legs at least until the knees, and avoid tight cloths. If you are interested or curious in discovering our values and way of life, we hope that you will visit us soon!