Have you ever dreamt about going to India to practice traditional Yoga, from it’s origins?
- This year, in September that dream of yours can come true, at home!
For the first time will bring a piece of India to Smögen, by inviting the Indian Yoga teacher Sujeesh Jayakumar to share traditional Yoga practices and philosophy with us here in Sweden.
A unique, traditional Indian Yoga Retreat and experience at Smögen, in Sweden
During the retreat you will be guided and supported by both our Indian teacher Sujeesh and local teatcher Fannie who are co-teaching and creating this experience for you. They include Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga, YinYoga, philosophy, meditation, breathwork and chanting in the schedule in order to give you a unique experience of what traditional Indian Yoga can feel like. The mix of classes will give you a wholesome experience during the retreat, with a beautiful balance between mind and body work/practice.
"The retreat will give you a great opportunity to explore a broad range of practical techniques that you can bring in to your every day life for more balance and better wellbeing."
Most of the classes will be taught like workshops and there will be lots of opportunities to ask questions and adapt the practice to your body - no matter your level of experience.
Meet your teachers
Sujeesh Jayakumar is an insightful Yoga teacher with in a deep passion for Yoga and Vedanta (Jnana Yoga) from Kerala, South India. He has dedicated over twelve years to studying yoga and Vedanta under the guidance of many different Guru's (masters) in India. He began sharing his knowledge and experience in Yoga over seven years ago.
Over the years he has developed a versatile teaching style by mixing different Asana styles and practices, including Breathing techniques and Kalari (Martial art). He is a certified Yoga Alliance teacher with knowledge of Ayurveda and shares all his knowledge in his classes, which are suitable for everyone, regardless of their level of experience.
What makes Sujeesh teaching different from others, is his human way of communicating and inclusive way of teaching that makes him approachable and easy to learn from. He will always greet you with a smile and make you feel challenged yet comfortable on the mat.
Fannie Elveljung is a local teacher, from the Island Smögen in Sweden, who has been a Yoga Alliance certified teacher since 2019 after she did her first Yoga Teacher Training in South India. She has been sharing her teaching in Europe, Central America, Africa and Online ever since and are specifically passionate about Hatha Flow and YinYoga.
In 2023 she went back to India for her Advanced 300hour Teacher Training at Mathatitu Yoga Ashram in Varkala, where her main teachers Anil Kumar and Sujeesh Jayakumar teach.
Fannie is always making sure her classes are suitable for every body as she loves to share the important and beautiful techniques that she has learnt in India with her students, in an exciting and accessible way - adjusted to the more typical western body and mind. Making sure you will leave the mat with a smile, feeling more at peace with yourself.
Sujeesh and Fannie
Fannie got to know Sujeesh during her first Yoga Teacher Training in Varkala, India 2019. Until today, he is one of her main teachers. And has been an important person and friend on her journey.
Fannie and Sujeesh already started planning this specific retreat when practicing together in Varkala again in 2023, while Fannie did her Advanced 300hour Yoga Teacher Training in Varkala. Finally, the timing is right and Sujeesh has his VISA secured to come to Sweden and share his teachings with us.
Location, Yoga Shala and food
The retreat will be hosted in the heart of Smögen, at the beautiful Hotel Smögens Hafvsbad. With a short walk distance to the rocks and ocean, the tourist attraction "Smögenbryggan" and cute shops and cafés. We have secured their magical shala, with a lush green view for all our classes and a balcony for ourselves where we will meditate in the fresh air if the weather allows us to.
If the weather is nice, we will walk out to the cliffs for some moments during the retreat as well.
All the meals are prepared by the chefs in the Hotel, where we also will enjoy their breakfast buffet at Saturday and Sunday morning. All the meals are vegetarian and will be enjoyed in the beautiful dining area of the Hotel, with panoramic views over the ocean.
Accommodation from Friday to Sunday:
You stay at an accommodation at your own choice as we want you to have to possibility to sooth your own needs and also to be able to stay at your own place if you live close by to Smögen. But we do warmly recommend staying at Smögens Hafvsbad as this will be the location for all the retreat activities and meals, and we do have an exclusive 15% voucher if you choose to book your stay at Smögens Hafvsbad - let us know if you plan to do so and you'll get more info.
An example of the schedule
Friday 13th
Opening ceremony - Yoga - Dinner
16:00 Greetings and a beautiful Opening Ceremony
17:00 Hatha Yoga practice
19:30 A first dinner together
Saturday 14th
Meditation - Yoga - Philosophy - Alignment - Pranayama
08:00 Meditation and Hatha Yoga
09:45 Breakfast Buffet
11:00 Yoga Philosophy class
13:00 Lunch
14:30 Alignment and Adjustment - Asana Workshop class
16:00 Fika followed by a 20 min walk over the cliffs, to Hrönns Massage
17:00 Pranayama, kirtan, chanting and Yoga Nidra (at Hrönns Massage)
19:00 20 min walk back to Smögens Hafvsbad to have dinner together
Sunday 15th
Ashtanga/Vinyasa or Hatha Flow - YinYoga - Q&A
08:00 option to choose between a challenging but fun Ashtanga Yoga practice with Sujeesh or a softer Hatha Flow practice with Fannie
09:45 Breakfast Buffet
11:00 Meditation and YinYoga
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Q&A Workshop / Philosophy / Alignment and adjustment in Asana (positions)
16:30 Fika and Closing ceremony
Ending at about 17:30
Practical information
Accomodation
You stay at an accommodation at your own choice, and be able to stay at your own place if you live close by to Smögen. Thats why we don't include accommodation in the fixed price for our retreat.
But we do warmly recommend staying at Smögens Hafvsbad as this will be the location for all the retreat activities and meals. Also, we have got an exclusive 15% discount code from the Hotel. So let us know if you want to book your stay there!
If you have any questions regarding the accommodation please reach out to us.
Included
2x Breakfast
2x Lunch
2x Swedish Fika
2x Dinner
8 classes: containing teachings of Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga, YinYoga, Philosophy, Meditation, Breathwork and Chanting.
A beautiful shala, with a lush green view, and the ocean just 500 meters away - in the heart of Smögen, at Smögens Hafvsbad. Where all the meals are served in the beautiful dinnerarea with panoramic views over the ocean.
Investment
Full retreat experience:
Early bird until 12/8: 4400 SEK per person
Original price: 5500 SEK per person
Your registration fee of 2600 SEK is paid after filling in your booking form to secure your spot - the rest of the amount if paid at latest 31/8.
Kindly note that accommodation for the nights is not included in the price, but all activities and food of course! We will later confirm the value of the included Goodiebag and gifts.
Also, please be aware of that Sujeesh is traveling all the way from India in order to come and teach here at our small Island on the west coast of Sweden. This is one of four lucky locations that he will be teaching at during his travel to Scandinavia. And we do have a limited amount of participants for this retreat, so make sure to secure your spot in time.
Goodiebag and gifts
We will do our best to gather some of our favourite products to give you an extra warm welcome to the retreat. We will gift you a notebook and unique workshop sheet where you get some of the included workshop material and information gathered in short, so that you easier can remember what you've been taught during the retreat.
Questions and answers
For whom is this retreat?
The retreat is designed so that both beginners and experienced yoga practitioners can participate and get as much as possible out of the retreat. There will be several options in all the classes so you can adjust the level of the exercise according to your body.
As an experienced practitioner, you will of course have the opportunity to be challenged and develop your practice.
We welcome you as you are!
Where is Smögen, how do I travel there?
Smögen is an Island at the Swedish westcoast, located about 2 hours from Gothenburg. For those of you traveling long distances, we recommend a train or bus to Gothenburg, and from there (Nils Ericssonterminalen) a Bus via Västtrafik to Smögens Busstop.
Download the App "Togo, Västtrafik" for the bus schedule and tickets.
If you travel by car, there are parking slots just by the Hotel Smögens Hafvsbad.
What are the booking conditions?
The registration fee of 2600 SEK is paid to secure your spot. This is a non-refundable fee as we plan and prepare the retreat with full dedication and expect that the participants who intend to come will come. Of course, we understand that life happens, regardless of plans. So if you have to cancel your spot, you can hand over the place to another participant (either someone on a possible waiting list for the retreat or someone you know yourself). In that case, we have the option to charge that participant instead of you - and then pay the full amount back to you. But if we do not manage to fill your place, we cannot pay back the registration fee, only the remaining amount.
