Flow State Swimming
Train your body. Calm your mind. Find your flow.
Évian-les-Bains, France
May 2027
Click here to secure your spot
Flow State Swimming is an immersive training experience designed to harmonize the mind, body, and nervous system for open-water performance. Blending ancient yoga philosophy with modern-day neuroscience, the camp explores how awareness, breath, and movement can deepen your connection to your body and the water. It is more than training; it is a transformative experience that helps swimmers cultivate presence, resilience, and flow, whether your next challenge is 5 km or 70 km.
Who is Flow State Swimming For?
Flow State Swimming is for anyone who wants to build confidence, improve their swimming and discover what they're capable of achieving in the water.
Whether your goal is to experience open-water swimming for the very first time, feel more comfortable and confident in the water, complete your first 5 km swim or take on an epic challenge like crossing Lake Geneva, this camp is designed to help you take the next step.
You don't need to be an experienced open-water swimmer or an elite athlete to benefit. Everyone has their own goals, challenges and starting points, and our aim is to help you achieve yours.
Through individual assessments, practical coaching and personalised guidance, you'll learn techniques to build confidence, develop physical and mental resilience, and overcome the barriers that might be holding you back.
Whatever your starting point, whatever your goal, Flow State Swimming is about helping you find your flow and achieve what matters to you.
Meet the Coaches
Led by Neil Gilson and Andrew Blake, this camp combines elite endurance experience with cutting-edge human performance coaching.
Neil Gilson is a world-class ultra-endurance swimmer and two-time Guinness World Record holder, best known for his record-breaking swims across Switzerland's largest lakes.
In 2024, Neil broke a 38-year-old record for swimming the 70 km length of Lake Geneva, completing the crossing in just 22 hours and 9 minutes. In August 2026, he completed his extraordinary Legend of the Lakes challenge, becoming the first person to swim the ten largest lakes in Switzerland, holding swimming records across all ten.
Driven by a desire to raise awareness of PANS PANDAS, Neil has demonstrated the extraordinary power of physical endurance, mental resilience and purposeful preparation.
At Flow State Swimming, Neil shares the practical lessons learned from some of the world's most demanding open-water challenges, helping swimmers develop their technique, endurance, mental strength and confidence in the water. His approach is grounded in real-world experience, showing how preparation, mindset and the ability to remain calm under pressure can make the difference when pushing beyond perceived limits.
Andrew Blake brings a holistic and dynamic coaching approach that blends physical strength, mental resilience, and mindful recovery. With a rich background in fitness, yoga, coaching, and sports therapy, he has worked with a wide range of athletes and organisations, including England Rugby, professional big-wave surfers, Red Bull mountain bikers, Olympic canoeists and the Bath and Exeter Chiefs rugby teams. He specialises in helping individuals manage stress, prevent injury, and unlock their performance potential. At the retreat, Andrew will lead sessions on mindset training, breathwork, and mobility to complement the swim and endurance work. His expertise helps participants build strength in the water while developing the clarity and recovery strategies essential for long-distance open-water swimming.
Together, Neil and Andrew will guide participants in developing strength, focus, and flow both in the water and in everyday life. Through a combination of daily swims, yoga, breathwork, strength training, and mindset sessions, you will learn to train, prepare, and recover with greater awareness and purpose, using your breath and nervous system to find balance under stress. Over years of collaboration, Andrew’s methods have played a key role in advancing Neil’s own swimming performance, making these approaches truly tried, tested, and proven to deliver results.
Participants will receive individualised assessments and tailored future programming to help them embody and apply the principles from the retreat into their ongoing training.
RETREAT GOALS
Prepare the mind, body, and nervous system for long-distance swimming.
Learn techniques that make your swimming feel effortless, fluid and meditative.
Discover how to train your mind for focus, recovery, and adaptability by combining awareness, breath, and science to enhance both your swimming and your life.
Develop injury resilience and understand periodisation for sustainable endurance.
Receive individual assessments for breath, nervous system health, movement, strength, and stability with personalised guidance for future training.
Cultivate an abundant growth mindset. A mindset of lack is infectious and so is a mindset of abundance and joy.
Build a strong mind, healthy movement patterns, and lasting stability for swimming performance, longevity, and injury resilience.
To create a flexible nervous system capable of calmness under stress as well as an ability to recover and down regulate for a swim and for overall health & wellness.
SCHEDULE
Day 1
Check-in
Welcome dinner
Meet & greet
Day 2
Morning mindset, yoga and breathwork
Breakfast
Screening
Lunch
Swim Session 1
Wisdom Seminar 1: Mindset for endurance swimmers
Guests are on their own for dinner
Day 3
Morning mindset, yoga and breathwork
Breakfast
Swim Session 2: “Meditation” - applying the theory
Lunch
Wisdom Seminar 2: Nervous system flexibility
Injury resilience strength & conditioning
Guests are on their own for dinner
Day 4
Morning mindset, yoga and breathwork
Breakfast
Swim Session 3: Hypoxic, hypercapnic & breathwork for performance
Lunch
1-1 discussions w Neil & Andrew (integration/ future training/etc)
Breathwork for down regulation of nervous system
Guests are on their own for dinner
Day 5
Pre- anticipation practice routine
Breakfast
Optional supported open water swim (Additional costs apply)
Put Your Preparation into Practice
Looking to complete a long-distance swim or an official English Channel qualifier, but struggling to find the right location, time or support?
Participants can finish their Flow State Swimming experience with an optional supported open-water swim on beautiful Lake Geneva, organised by the experienced team at LGSA.
Whether you're looking to challenge yourself over a distance of your choice (within an eight-hour time limit) or complete your English Channel qualifying swim, this is an opportunity to put everything you've learned into practice.
Additional costs apply. All swims are subject to weather conditions, safety requirements and the relevant qualifying rules.
Click here to secure your spot.
FAQ
● What does “Hold Deposit (refundable) means?
It secures your spot today while we finalize event cost and arrangements.
100% Refundable: Cancel anytime before 1st February 2027 for a full refund, no questions asked.
Guaranteed Refund: If minimum participant numbers are not met, your deposit will be automatically refunded in full.
Next Steps: Once the event is confirmed, your €200 will be applied toward the total balance, and standard booking terms will apply.
● How much swimming and yoga will there be? Each day includes both a swimming session and a yoga, mindfullness, and breathwork session designed to match your level. All swims are held in the 50m pool at the Centre Nautique in Évian, and you’ll also join morning and evening sessions on priming state and down regulating the nervous system.
● Are sessions mandatory? No, everything is optional.
● Do I need equipment? Please bring at least one swimsuit, goggles, swim cap and clothing for yoga and exercise sessions. Yoga equipment is provided but you’re welcome to bring your own. We recommended a DryRobe or similar and warm hat to keep warm after your swim.
● Do I need insurance? Yes, all guests are required to purchase personal travel insurance that includes emergency medical coverage, including provisions for injury during sporting activities, and emergency medical. The coverage must explicitly include participation in physical activities such as swimming and yoga.
● Age requirement? Participants must be 18 or over.
● Are there any requirements to participate in this retreat? In addition to being 18 years of age or older, participants must also be able to complete a continuous swim of at least 2 km (1.2 miles) in a pool or in open water.
● What safety support is provided for the optional open water swim? The swim will be supported with a motorised safety boat and support kayakers.
● Will the supported swim be certificated? Yes. After your swim, you will receive an official LGSA certificate confirming the distance and time you swam, along with the date, location, and water temperature. This can be used as evidence for your Channel qualifying swim or simply kept as a record of your incredible achievement.
● Could the retreat be cancelled? The retreat requires a minimum number of participants to run. In the unlikely event that this number is not reached, all deposits and payments will be fully refunded.
Click here to secure your spot
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UESTIONS?