Traditional Hatha Yoga, Mindfulness & Stress Reduction
A retreat focusing on cultivating grounding presence, calm and stability.
September 24th - 27th, 2020
W. Dr. Julie Moltke & Stefan Sartori Olesen
This retreat will be in Danish, or English if non-danish speakers are participating.
We closely follow the development of the guidelines regarding COVID-19 to make sure you can feel safe on your retreat.
A 4-day Traditional Hatha Yoga and Mindfulness Retreat
On this retreat, we offer you the chance to cultivate grounding, stability, and balance with specially tailored mindfulness practices, stress reduction techniques and yoga sequences with breathing techniques and meditations. The retreat will be held in the natural and beautiful surroundings and with the luxurious background of Margreteholm Mindfulness Manor. These past months have been characterized by change and uncertainty beyond our control. We have been offered a chance to face our lives differently, at a different pace and maybe we are not the same people as before this all began. Change can bring many beautiful things, but changes can also be accompanied by frustration and a sense of losing control. But we can find balance in change; we can use it as a vessel to travel even deeper into the core of our being and connect with a strength and resilience we did not know exist. Join us for a long weekend of yoga, meditation, mindfulness, nature, sauna, and human connection.
Book your stay here.
About the Retreat
The big yoga shala at Margreteholm.
The Yoga Practice: The commonly accepted, but somewhat limited, western idea that yoga is about flexibility is a modern misconception and maybe a phenomenon and consequence of the rushed nature of our lives today. Traditionally the aim of Yoga is more about the development of an increased conscious awareness that is anchored in the NOW, by releasing tensions held in the nervous system, body, and mind. This leads to a happier, more grounded, relaxed, and fulfilling relationship with oneself.
“Yoga Citta Vritti Nirodha”
– The practice of yoga is to still the mind, which is always turning.
(Sutra 1.2 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali)
Yoga, as it was described in the ancient manuals, begins when we slow down to calm and stabilize our minds. Then when the mind is stilled we can get a glimpse of the part of our Self that lies beyond the noise and distractions. With consistent and balanced practice, we start becoming aware of a point of inner stillness and silence, which is always within us. We then begin to remember our true peaceful nature and connect to the light inside us that allows emotional suffering to dissolve.
We use the gift that nature gives us, together with yoga, mindfulness, sauna and meditation to connect to a our inner wisdom which we all posses.
Our intention on this retreat is to give an experience and understanding that yoga is more than just the yoga postures (asana) which we do on the mat. That asana is one of the preparations we do so energy or life force (prana) will flow more freely to aid us in later stages of the yoga practice like Pranayama, (breathing techniques) and Meditation where the more powerful potential for transformation and evolution lies.
We use our body (asana) to connect with the breath (pranayama), use the breath to connect with the mind (meditation), use the mind to connect to the Self.
Yoga retreats are often described as a way for you to recharge your batteries. In this retreat, our goal is to help you not only do that but also provide you with a set of tools to keep them charged, even when returning to your everyday life. To teach you to apply very simple practices to your daily routine, which can improve your general physical and mental health and thereby increase happiness and your ability to stay centered and focused in your everyday busy life.
By referring to traditional and systematic approaches to hatha yoga it is Stefan’s intention in this retreat to show you the possibility of progression in one's yoga practice over time and introduce you to knowledge on how to wisely sequence and structure a yoga practice with a very specific effect and result.
The library/mindfulness and meditation room at the manor.
Mindfulness & Stress Reduction
Mindfulness today is based on a meeting between old spiritual teachings and western science. This is why it immediately felt natural for Julie with her medical background and yet holistic approach. The Buddhist practice for developing mindfulness is called vipassana, which means “clear insight” or “seeing clearly” in Pali, the language of the Buddha. The nature of the mind is to wander and what we practice in mindfulness is simply to turn our awareness to the present moment, again and again, and again.
In the 1970thies Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn was among the first people to bring mindfulness to the western world and he has since used it with thousands of patients suffering from chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and other physical and mental illnesses. He describes mindfulness this way:
“Mindfulness is the awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally”
Since the introduction of mindfulness, countless experiments have been conducted and they show that mindfulness can help reduce many mental and physical problems while increasing resilience, focus, and joy among others. The scientific understanding of the brain and our behavioral patterns are now a big part of the mindfulness teaching of the west. Yoga and meditation might teach you that you are not your thoughts while mindfulness theory will teach you WHY you are not your thoughts. Understanding the basic workings of our mind can be the first step towards becoming the observer of your thoughts, emotions, and physical reactions. In this way mindfulness, as we teach it at the manor, goes hand in hand with the yoga and meditation practices taught by Stefan.
On this retreat, Dr Julie will teach you the science of mindfulness and we will go through a series of mindfulness meditations and exercises to make you more familiar with your own mind and with your body. Julie will also teach about effective stress reduction methods, natural supplements, and mindfulness techniques that you can take with you and use in your everyday life, and you will learn how to incorporate mindfulness into all the little moments that make up a day.
Your Hosts
Dr Julie Moltke
Julie is the owner of the Mindfulness Manor and a medical doctor working with holistic medicine.
Julie Moltke is the owner and founder of Margreteholm Mindfulness Manor. As a medical doctor, Julie developed a strong interest in mental health problems and stress therapy. Working as part of the traditional medical system, it became clear to her, that she believes in practicing holistic medicine, treating her patients as a whole person and not just a symptom. Searching for answers, while also dealing with personal stress, Julie found a deep interest and love for mindfulness and yoga, leading her to become a yoga teacher and a mindfulness instructor. Julie has specialized in mental health and stress reduction and she is currently based in London, from where she is the editor in chief of an online health platform that explores the world of cannabis science and general health. For a long time, Julie imagined the beautiful manor house and its calming lake surrounded by forest as the perfect setting for luxury and mindfulness retreats, and when she realized that there is no better moment to start living your dreams than now, the Mindfulness Manor was born at Margreteholm.
Stefan Sartori Olesen
Stefan is a yoga teacher and the co-founder at Mindfulness Manor. He is schooled in traditional Tantric Hatha Yoga from his teachers Octavio Salvado (The Practice, Bali, Indonesia) and David Goulet (Pyramid Yoga, Koh Phangan, Thailand). Stefan is traditional and systematic in his approach to his yoga practice and sequencing. He is particular in his approach to teaching that yoga and asana is not the same thing. An effective yoga-practice includes a specific set of organized asana sequences tailored to gain specific energetic results, but these are merely understood as effective preparation techniques towards pranayama and meditation where the real potential in yoga lies. Practicing with pranayama and meditation is a journey inward towards the more subtle layers of our being, which can open one to sensing and experiencing a higher level of consciousness and the feeling of finding your way “home” inside yourself. Stefan is a Yoga Alliance® certified yoga teacher with more than 1000 hours of teacher training experience.
Program
(may be subject to change)
Day 1
From 16:00: Arrival and check-in.
Relaxation time. Tea and a light snack in the red living room.
17:00: Red living room: Introduction to the retreat and opening circle.
18:00: Tour and story of Margreteholm.
19:30: Relaxed dinner.
Day 2 & 3 (subject to change)
7:30: Wake up
8:00: Yoga + Pranayama + Meditation with Stefan
10:00: Breakfast
11:00: Mindfulness & stress reduction exercises with Julie
13:00: Lunch
14:00: Relaxation time
Optional mindful walk with Julie (day 1), Sauna (day2)
16:00: Yoga + Pranayama + Meditation with Stefan
19:30: Dinner
20:30: Evening session (sauna, workshop, yoga nidra or meditation e.g based on the energy of the group)
Day 4
7:30: Wake up
8:00: Yoga + Pranayama + Meditation with Stefan
10:00: Final Breakfast
11:00: Exercises to take with you home with Julie
12:30: Lunch
13:30: Packing, goodbye, and departure
The lake is usually warmed up in July and you can swim to the raft in the middle of the lake.
The Retreat includes:
- Bedding and two towels
- Bathrobe for sauna and lake
- All meals, snacks & drinks
- A notebook
Please bring:
- Swim wear
- Shoes for walking in nature and slippers for the lake
- 1 extra towel for the sauna
- Water bottle
- Comfortable clothes for yoga and meditation
- A pen for writing
All food is vegan and organic when possible
The Food
The food we serve is prepared with love and will be organic when possible, primarily vegan and healthy to support your practice, but also gourmet and rich in taste. We can cater for special dietary needs. Let us know in a minimum of 1 week before the retreat. Stefan has a deep passion for nature and its many qualities, especially the edibles in nature. Stefan used to work in the organization Byhøst which is communicating the many qualities and consciousness of our nature around us in guided tours, dinners, and various events with “wild food” on the menu.
The Yoga Shalas
(places where you do yoga, meditation, and other spiritual practices)
There are 2 yoga shalas at Mindfulness Manor: The Yoga Barn, and a smaller cosy room. As the larger Yoga Barn is not heated and is only available when the outdoor temperatures allow for it. We will be using whichever shala is best suited at the time.
Location and Logistics
Mindfulness Manor is located 3 ½ hours from Copenhagen or Stockholm. You can either go by car or train to Mullsjö Station (5 km), where we will gladly pick you up if necessary - please inform us 1 week in advance.
More information about getting there can be found here.
Prices
(Prices are charged in SEK through the mindfulness manor, conversion rates may vary)
Single Room: 4500 DKK / 6400 SEK
From August 1st: 5000 DKK / 7100 SEK
(One single room in the manor house)
Double Room: early bird 4000 DKK/ 5700 SEK
From August 1st: 4500 DKK / 6400 SEK
(for 2 simultaneous registrations and 2 persons sharing the same double bed in the manor house)
Twin Room: early bird 3800 DKK / 5400 SEK
From August 1st: 4200 DKK/ 6000 SEK
(Shared large room, 2 single beds. Can be either on the farm or in the manor house)
Book your stay here.
After having sent the booking request you will receive an invoice from the mindfulness manor. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us on mindfulnessmanor@gmail.com
Cancellation policy
Cancellation up to 1 month before retreat start: you get 1/3 refund.
Hereafter no refund but you can sell/transfer your ticket for the retreat to another person.
Sauna is good for your health. Ours has a beautiful panorama view over the lake.