Vandring, Yoga och Meditation i svenska fjällen – Mountainjourney

Enjoy your summer and spring, hope to see you soon!

/Sanna & Sky

 
Here is the info from last year:

“For 2 years now we’ve had really lovely mountain retreats – we hiked 14 km into the wilderness, away from electricity, cellphone-connection and busy life. There, camping by a comfortable hut with the luxury of a wood-fired sauna by the flowing river, we stayed and enjoyed dayhikes with meditation, yoga and silent moments in the arms of mother nature. There’s a different quality of the meetings between people when no other distractions are there, it’s like everything comes more alive and more meaningful. And I feel like the connection to life itself deepens when we head down to the river, carrying all the drinking- and washingwater in buckets straight from her icecold river. I think we all looked many years younger after such a rejuvenating week!” /Sanna

Photos from last years hike here
Photos from 2015 here

Info

The mountains are calling… a Pilgrimage to your heart. This is a time to walk and reflect in the glory of nature, to breathe in the freshest air and take reviving river baths.   

Our aim is to make this a truly inspiring journey, clearing our minds, filling our hearts, strengthening our bodies and honoring the wonderful mountains. This is a pilgrimage to our hearts, through our bodies and through nature.

Everyday will include contemplative meditation sessions outdoors, stunning hikes, yoga and inspiring talks (yoga & meditation outdoors at mountain conditions).

Bringing in the mindfulness and teachings of Yoga can add so many benefits to one’s life. We take care of our joints, backs and shoulders, stretching out from head to toe, opening the breath and spine and truly enjoying the simplicity and flow of walking. Making stops by rivers and high up on mountain ridges, we meditate and appreciate the greatness of all that’s given.

Sweden is blessed with beautiful mountains and well maintained huts where one can access the glories of the alpine environment with the support of a warm and dry place to cook, sleep and keep your backpack. The nature is clean – you can take a dip in and drink directly from a fresh mountain river. Our basecamp gives the opportunity to hike with light daypacks, have a sauna at the end of the day, or to stay back and rest.

About your Guides:

Manereia and Sky share their combined passions for teaching Yoga and Meditation blessed by the backdrop and freedom of the great outdoors.

For the past 23 years Sky has studied and taught yoga around the World. He teaches yoga most days, one of his main practices is serving up a deep and balanced yoga classes that everybody can feel comfortable with themselves the whole way through.
Spending 13 years with a Swami has strongly influenced his life and attitudes and given a much clearer understanding of how yoga works. Drawing from Ayurveda and Qi gong as well as traditional Hatha yoga, his classes flow through innovative sequences, each pose leading into the next gracefully and nicely balanced. One of the greatest gifts Sky passes on is how to take care of the body while discovering the real harmony of relaxing emotional pressures.

Manereia has since childhood spent lot of his time in the outdoors and in the mountains. It is there he found G
od, practice yoga and devotion and ground himself. His long mountaineering experience and love to God will be to great help serving the group with both mountain knowledge and bhakti. Manereia loves to lead mantra singing, guided meditations and sharing his bhakti.

Practical information:

Program (subject to be adjusted due to weather)

Meeting point: Vålådalen mountain station 10 am 28 Aug. Please note that you have to book bus in advance if you want to arrive with local bus. More info here

• Sunday 28 August 10:00 am. Trekking to Stensdalen, carrying your own stuff and common food. 13 km trek. Approx. 5 hours walk + rest for lunch.
• Monday 29 August. Half day trek or relax at surrounding of the mountain hut.
• Tuesday 30 Sep. Day trek.
• Wednesday 31 Sep. Long day trek, possibly to a mountain peak.
• Thursday 1 Sep. Trek back to Vålådalen, early start. Arrival before 14.20 in Vålådalen to be able to catch bus back to Undersåker.

A typical day will include a mixture of meditation, yoga, trekking, cooking, devotion, sauna and river bath. Please note that all yoga and meditation will take place outside at mountain conditions. We will conveniently stay all nights at the same mountain hut.

Sky will lead most of the physical yoga classes, Manereia may lead some classes too. Manereia will lead the major part of the trekking. There will also be some morning Puja, stop for short mediations etc.

Food

All food is included during the trek, but not breakfast before the trip or dinner after the end of the trip. Some snacks is included, but at limited amount. The major part of the food will be carried up to the mountain hut by the participants. Expect to receive and carry a 4-7kg food package from the starting point the 13 km to the mountain hut. We will distribute the load in the group as fair as possible so everyone feel comfortable with his/her share.

We will cook all food together. Small cooking groups will be defined how alternatively cook and serve the rest.
The food will be vegetarian with vegan possibilities. If you have any food allergies let us know so we can discuss how to solve that.
There is a small kiosk at the mountain hut where some snacks and food can be purchased at mountain price level.

Accommodation

We will stay all 4 nights comfortably inside the Stensdalen mountainhut, or if you prefer, in tents outside. A basecamp gives the opportunity to hike with light packs, have a sauna at the end of the day after a dip in and drink directly from a fresh mountain river, or to stay back and rest. The hut is open for other trekkers who want to stay there and our group may not have the hut for our own. It is not possible to pre book the hut.

2 options for accommodation (the prices are from 2015, but it will likely be the same again):
– A bed in a share room inside the hut. Cost approximately: 350/450SEK/night
– Tent 100-200 meters out from the hut. Cost approximately: 100/150SEK/night

To get the lower price you have to be a member of Svenska Turist Föreningen (STF), which cost 295SEK/year (2016).

You can pay the accommodation (and membership) directly in the hut, but with cash only (Swedish currency), credit cards not accepted. It is also possible to prepay the accommodation and buy membership trough STF’s webpage www.svenskaturistforeningen.se and print out at voucher to bring the hut. That will give you 50 SEK discount per night (for indoor stay). It is not possible to prebook the hut, but everyone who shows up there will be let in, independent if prepaid or not, this is a rule for mountain safety so that no one will be left out

You have to bring your own sleeping equipment. If you stay in the hut you only need to bring a light sleeping bag or sheets. Blankets and pillows are available to use. If you stay in tent you have to bring all equipment for that, you cannot borrow blankets and pillows from the hut.

Travelling

You can book your trip on www.sj.se  For best price book the train and taxi-bus together as one journey all the way to Vålådalen. The earlier you book, the better price you get.

You may want to arrive the day before and stay the night in Undersåker, Vålådalens mountain station or at Vålågården. 

The trek will start 10:00 from the STF mountain station at Västra (West) Vålådalen Sunday 28 August, which makes it possible to arrive with the morning bus from Undersåker, and the night train from south Sweden.

More detailed options for travelling:
Start:
The trek will start 10:00 Sunday 28 August at Vålådalen Mountain station (Vålådalen Västra). You can arrive by the morning bus/taxi from Undersåker leaving 08:50 or arrive by the evening bus/taxi Saturday 27 August and stay overnight at the camp ground at Våldalen Östra or in the mountain station at Vålådalen Västra.

Finish:
Stockholm: There is a good bus/train connection from Vålådalen to Stockholm leaving Vålådalen at 14:20 Thursday 1 September, so we will make sure to arrive at Vålådalen in time to reach that bus.
Gothenburg: There is also a good train connection Undersåker – Gothenburg leaving Vålådalen 06:55 Friday 2 September, but this require that you take the bus down from Vålådalen to Undersåker on Thursday 14:20 or 16:45 and stay overnight at Undersåker. There is a camp ground called Vällistegården (tent and camping hut) in Undersåker at walking distance from the train station, see http://www.camping.se/sv/campingar/2670/Vallistegarden/, telephone 070-5265752.

Mobile phones

There is not full coverage for mobile phones in the mountains. Signals may be found on some good locations (mountain tops) but not everywhere and not for every operator. There is no electricity available to charge phones or computers during the trip. Take the opportunity to be mobile free during the trip. You can bring one but keep it off. The trip leader will bring their own phones for emergency use and will keep them turned on until everybody has shown up at the starting point where the phones work.

If you have troubles on your travel to the starting point you can call:

Sky: 0730-747 604
Manereia: 0767-825 777

Equipment

Below find a list of suitable equipment. Pack smart, every extra kg feels heavy the last km. The weight of the below list should be around 10-14 kg if you pack smart, on that you have to add the food package, and for tent campers the extra equipment for that. Remember that it can be freezing cold, heavy rain or sunny during a mountain trip so bring warm clothes in thin layers that can be taken on and off to control the temperature.

• Backpack, 60 liter or larger
• Lightweight camping mat to use for yoga and sleeping on if you’re in a tent
• Walking boots, (runner shoes not suitable)
• Walking pants
• Lightweight rain gear, trousers and jacket. Rain jacket can be used also as walking/rest jacket even when not raining.
• Warm underclothing (long johns/functional clothing’s) for trekking
• T-shirts
• Shirt, long sleev
• Thin sweater
• Thick sweeter or fleece
• 2-3 pair of socks
• Under wear
• Yoga clothes/relax clothes (for indoor use in hut)
• Woollen hat
• Glove
• Sunglasses
• Sun protection
• Toilet paper
• Mosquito repellant
• Mosquito net for the head
• Soap and towel
• Swimming suit for sauna and river if not nuking
• Water bottle 1 liter
• Thermos
• Cup for tea and water during the trek
• Snacks

Links to pictures, info of huts, maps etc.

http://www.svenskaturistforeningen.se/sv/upptack/Omraden/Jamtland/Jamtlandsfjallen/Bilder1/

http://www.svenskaturistforeningen.se/sv/upptack/Omraden/Jamtland/Fjallstugor/STF-Fjallstuga-Stensdalen/

http://www.svenskaturistforeningen.se/PageFiles/7865/jamtlandNy_Stor.jpg

Application

Apply and pay before 1 Aug. Your place is secured only after payment, no refund will be given on cancellation, unless you find someone who takes your place. Group size is limited to 12 persons, the trip is expected to be popular, so to get a place, book early.

If you wish to share a car ride or a tent with someone in the group, tell that in the application and we will make a mail list for those people for their own arrangements.

You pay your own accommodation, either in advance through STF’s webpage and get 50 SEK in discount per night, or directly to the hut but in cash only. We recommend paying in advance to make it smoother on arrival.

Apply to: yogadeepening(at)gmail.com

Price: TBA
The cost of your accommodation in a room or tent you pay directly to the mountain hut.