Yoga with ElinMaria has been good for my fibromyalgia, that I feel stronger and relax better in my body. When you have pain in your body, you tense up, but after yoga I feel really light
Every semester Korpo Kommunalgården and Nagu Framnäs
Land with yourself and fill up with new energy and presence! We do yoga through the whole body with well-balanced yoga sequences to become stronger and more mobile and to create greater access to ourselves.
Location: Skärgårdscentrum Korpoström
Location autumn and spring: Korpo Kommunalgården and Nagu Framnäs.
• Content: The class is based on the biomechanical themes of Virya yoga, where you get to know the positive effects of movement theory and how position (asana), breathing (pranayama), movement (vinyasa), presence (mindfulness) and philosophy work together in our relationship to ourselves and life. Each class offers philosophical thoughts for the possibility of new perspectives and with a curiosity about how we relate to yoga.
• For whom?: Welcome both the seasoned yogi and the one with little experience. The class is structured according to opportunities to immerse oneself regardless of previous experience in technology, biomechanics and philosophy. The intention is that everyone can take something useful from the mat into everyday life.
• What to bring?: Bring your own mat, yoga-blocks and band
• Booking here (link)
Strengthen your body and soul through conscious and gentle movements and gain recovery body awareness, where modern knowledge from stress management, somatics and physiotherapy is mixed with yoga’s traditional breathing exercises and methods for deep relaxation.
Location: Skärgårdscentrum Korpoström
Location autumn and spring: Korpo Kommunalgården and Nagu Framnäs.
• Content: Welcome to land with yourself in the middle of everyday life. This class offers a breathing space where we gently strengthen body and soul through conscious and gentle movements. We create an experience of presence, balance and fill up with new energy. We do yoga through the whole body with a great emphasis on presence, where we get to know the positive effects of gently strengthening the body through inner listening. The focus is on recovery and body awareness, where modern knowledge from stress management, somatics and physiotherapy is mixed with yoga’s traditional breathing exercises and methods for deep relaxation. Each class offers philosophical thoughts for the possibility of new perspectives and with a curiosity about how we relate to life. We partly do yoga on a chair, standing and on a yoga mat.
• For whom?: This class suits everyone, regardless of body type and the experienced yogi as well as the one with less experience.
 • What to bring?: Bring your own mat, yoga-blocks and other props.
• Booking here (link)
Let yourself rest in silence and experience the natural magic of the Archipelago Sea National Park up close and personal. Sea kayaking and yoga in nature offer the opportunity to relax our nervous system and fill our whole being with new strength and inspiration.
Time and place: Starting point of the tour Korpoström Archipelago Centre. Schedule of the excursion from 11.00 – 17.00. See more detailed travel instructions to Korppoo here
Suitability of the trip: Suitable for everyone, no previous experience of paddling or yoga is required.
The price includes: Guides, kayaking and yoga instruction, sea kayak and other kayaking equipment, picnic lunch on the island.
Kayaking equipment: We paddle SeaBirds Expedition and Scott sea kayaks, which are highly reliable kayaks designed for sea conditions. These kayaks are stable and comfortable to paddle.
Take with you: Weather-appropriate clothes, one change of clothes, a water bottle, a swimsuit and a towel.
Archipelago Sea: Read more about our kayaking destination here
Before and after the tour: At the Korpoström Archipelago Centre you will find quality food and accommodation, a shop, an art exhibition and a children’s club. Read more here
If you wish, the tour includes possibility to combine with other programmes, e.g. sea kayaking training, mindfull nature walks or private yoga lessons.
All the information and bookings here (link)
Private classes individually or in groups
Book a yoga tailored to you and your needs! During a private lesson, we adapt the yoga according wishes and needs; with focus on strengthening the body with more physically demanding or more gentle mobilization. Re-boot and balance your nervous-system, and get more tools for stress-reduction and postural health. The class offers philosophical thoughts for the possibility of new perspectives and with a curiosity towards every-day life approach. Indoor classes are held on Skärgårdscentrum Korpoström or on request in nature/other location, depending on wishes.
Book for yourself, with a friend or together with a small group.
Price:
– 50€/pers (2-6 pers)
– 350€/group (7-10 pers)
If you want, you can also inquire about private yoga from the contact form that you can find in the footer of this page.
Land in the being of the body, bathe your senses in all the impressions of nature and give yourself a space to gently strengthen body and soul with yoga and mindfulness.
• Content: Yoga creates an experience of presence, balance and fills up with new energy. The retreat provides extra focus on recovery, relaxation and gently strengthening body and soul from the inside out. Our philosophical theme concerns compassion and exploring bodily resources for stress management and recovery. The day gives space for silence; both internal and external with gentle guidance and space for contemplation.
Part of the day we are outdoors to unwind and take in the healing powers of nature. Studies show, among other things, that after just fifteen minutes in the forest, our blood pressure is noticeably lowered. Amazing isn’t it? By consciously slowing down and resting in all the impressions of nature, we can regulate the nervous system and recover from stress, strengthen our immune system, reduce anxiety and exhaustion, and access better cognitive ability and creativity.
Mindfulness exercises create a space to unwind and to feel and experience nature through our senses; we “bath” in all the sounds and impressions of nature; in the lapping of the sea and the silence of the autumn forest, the gaze rests on the tops of the trees and notices details. We create a respite where our constantly solution-oriented mind can rest in the being of the body and nature, if only for a moment.
• Program
12-13.30 Mindfulness and Nature Bath
13.30-14 Break with silence
14-16 Yoga indoors
17 Dinner
18-20 Sauna by the sea
•For whom?: You don’t need previous experience to participate, come as you are!
• Language: Swedish with possibility of translation into English. If you speak Finnish, we try to help each other.
Spend an unforgettable day in the archipelago kayaking and doing yoga on the desert islands. Sea kayaking and yoga in nature offer the opportunity to relax our nervous system and fill our whole being with new strength and inspiration.
Let yourself rest in silence and experience the natural magic of the Archipelago Sea National Park in close connection.
Time and place: Starting point of the tour Korpoström Archipelago Centre. Schedule of the excursion from 11.00 – 17.00. See more detailed travel instructions to Korppoo here
Suitability of the trip: Suitable for everyone, no previous experience of paddling or yoga is required.
The price includes: Guides, kayaking and yoga instruction, sea kayak and other kayaking equipment, picnic lunch on the island.
Kayaking equipment: We paddle SeaBirds Expedition and Scott sea kayaks, which are highly reliable kayaks designed for sea conditions. These kayaks are stable and comfortable to paddle.
Take with you: Weather-appropriate clothes, one change of clothes, a water bottle, a swimsuit and a towel.
Archipelago Sea: Read more about our kayaking destination here
Before and after the tour: At the Korpoström Archipelago Centre you will find quality food and accommodation, a shop, an art exhibition and a children’s club. Read more here
If you wish, the tour includes possibility to combine with other programmes, e.g. sea kayaking training, mindfull nature walks or private yoga lessons.
Archipelago Center Korpoström. (in case of bad weather indoors)
TIME 9-10
JULY Monday – Saturday
10 euros/occasion mobilepay or cash
ElinMaria facilitates this classes on the dates: 15-20.7, 24.7, 26.7, 29-31.7
During morningyoga, our attention shifts from dynamic movements, breathing exercises, sound bowls and contact with nature to respectfully listening to the body’s needs.
Everyone can participate! You can participate with a low threshold, just as you are, without requirements and achievements! You don’t need any previous experience
No separate registration required, bring a yoga mat. If necessary, carpets are available to borrow.
Morning yoga at the archipelago center has been a tradition for 7 years! We are now four certified yoga teachers offering our expertise! Welcome along!
Nina Jaatinen – Soft dynamic hatha, holistic yoga.
Janina Achren – Vinyasa Flow.
Johanna Freudenthal – Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Rocket, Hatha and Yin.
ElinMaria Sydänvirta – Dynamic Hatha/Viryayoga, Somatics and Mindfulness.
More information: nina.jaatinen@elisanet.fi
Forest, peace and vitamin sea! Recover, rewind and nourish in the peaceful archipelago by forest and sea-side location of Korppoo.
Yoga creates an experience of presence, balance and fills up with new energy. The retreat provides extra focus on recovery, relaxation and gently strengthening body and soul from the inside out. Our philosophical theme concerns self compassion and inner recilience, applying resources for stress management and recovery. Unwind in natural surroundings and sauna by the sea and rest into the silence of winter.
Contents; atmospheric archipelago-surroundings, Gentle dynamic yoga, restorative yoga, yoga nidra, selfcompassion-practices, mindfulness in nature, sauna with ceremony, fireplace, candlelight, local vegan food and a small and attentive group to share the day.
For whom
The retreat is for everyone, regardless of body or previous experience. The classes provide multi-layers of the practice, with possibility to deepen and pick up on your own phase and need. Come as you are!
Program
10-12 Yoga class nourish and balance, soft flow
12 Lunch
13.30 Mindfulness i nature
14.45Â Tea and snacks
15.15 Restorative yoga and Yoga Nidra
17.30 Dinner
19-21 Sauna by the sea, ceremony and mantra singing
Time and place
January 25, 10 pm – 21 pm, Villa Markomby, 21710 Korpo
Online course (zoom)
Thursdays 19.15-20.45 (finnish time)
18.15-19:45 (swedish time)
With gentle guidance, practically applied resources for:
– Recovery
– Stress management
– Self-compassion and inner resilience
YOGA NIDRA is a guided meditation technique for deep recovery/rest and stress management. The technology is based on the body’s natural and biological processes for recovery through states between wakefulness and sleep. Yoga Nidra is performed in an undemanding spirit and in a comfortable position, often lying down.
SELF-COMPASSION We practice to be friends with ourselves in the same way we treat and approach others we care about. Self-compassion allows our nervous system to create safety in contrast to the mechanisms our bodies use when we are under stress. By cultivating caring as a response to what we experience we increase our sense of support, resilience and ability to recover. Together with yoga nidra and gentle body oriented movement we can increase our sensory awareness and ability to sooth and support in day to day moments.
SANKALPA AND METTA/LOVING KINDNESS
In Sanskrit, ‘San’ means ‘to be in touch with one’s highest truth’ and ‘Kalpa’ means ‘promise’. As part of the tradition of yoga nidra, a self-designed sentence is often used as a way to put into words an intention or longing you have for your life. On this course, you get to try to design your sankalpa with inspiration from the Buddhist meditation technique Metta bhavana or “loving-kindness”, or loving benevolence in Swedish.
CONTENT and structure at each meeting.
– Guided Yoga Nidra with the theme of self-compassion.
– Resources for stress management, somatic tools to create care and invite recovery.
– Create your own room for care, rest and replenishment.
– Sankalpa as loving kindness/metta phrases
– Soft somatic yoga and mindful movement
– Stress physiology, self-compassion and the effects of yoga nidra – an introduction
– Reflection in conversation and/or writing
– Practically applied exercises in everyday life
– Free resources of Yoga Nidra
YOGA NIDRA AND SELFCOMPASSION
Online Course
Tuesday 29.10
18-20 (Finnish time)
17-19Â (Swedish time)
Cost: 25-35€
With gentle guidance, practically applied resources for:
– Recovery
– Stress management
– Self-compassion and inner resilience
YOGA NIDRA is a guided meditation technique for deep recovery/rest and stress management. The technology is based on the body’s natural and biological processes for recovery through states between wakefulness and sleep. Yoga Nidra is performed in an undemanding spirit and in a comfortable position, often lying down.
SELF-COMPASSIONÂ We practice to be friends with ourselves in the same way we treat and approach others we care about. Self-compassion allows our nervous system to create safety in contrast to the mechanisms our bodies use when we are under stress. By cultivating caring as a response to what we experience we increase our sense of support, resilience and ability to recover. Together with yoga nidra and gentle body oriented movement we can increase our sensory awareness and ability to sooth and support in day to day moments.
SANKALPA AND METTA/LOVING KINDNESS
In Sanskrit, ‘San’ means ‘to be in touch with one’s highest truth’ and ‘Kalpa’ means ‘promise’.
As part of the tradition of yoga nidra, a self-designed sentence is often used as a way to put into words an intention or longing you have for your life. On this course, you get to try to design your sankalpa with inspiration from the Buddhist meditation technique Metta bhavana or “loving-kindness”, or loving benevolence in Swedish.
CONTENT and structure
– Guided Yoga Nidra with the theme of self-compassion
– Sankalpa as loving kindness or Loving kindness/metta phrases
– Soft somatic yoga and mindful movement
– Stress physiology, self-compassion and the effects of yoga nidra – short introduction
– Reflection in conversation and/or writing
ElinMaria Sydänvirta Well versed in a wide range of schools in yoga and meditation with daily practice and studentship since 1996. Educated among others at Nordiska Yoga-institutet Viryayoga-teacher(RYS200h), Yoga nidra teacher (RYS30h) Mindfulness Center Sverige (MfC), ISLO Dance and Somatics and Somatic (1 year fulltime program) and as well Somatic selfcompassion® with trauma Informed Approach (100h).
Values and focus shared with my facilitation:
– Yoga as a practice where we gain access to more and more subtle levels of our body and consciousness.
– Increase an understanding of the connections between mind, thoughts, feelings (mindfulness), breath (pranayama), position (asana), movement (vinyasa) and gaze (drishti).
– To facilitate a safe and sustainable practice of yoga, with building blocks also from physiotherapy and movement theory. To gradually build up the fundamentals and development of each asana and transitions in between.
– To offer philosophical nuggets and themes where I convey philosophy with an investigative approach to enrich and create a curiosity and wonder about yoga and life and to skip dogmatic signs.
– A healing space; to integrate compassion and care for our body- and mind and its ever-changing rhythms. To find an approach in practice where we can learn from our body and heart’s and dare to be transparent with different needs in different moments.
– The joy of movement and a space of inner and outer freedom. Learning new skills can be playful and fun!
I found yoga as early as 14 years old through my curiosity about new views and approaches to life. Yoga became for me, together with other somatic practices, an important resource in dealing with my rheumatic pain and recurring depressions, and even today, yoga can keep me both pain- and symptom-free most of the time.
I am versed in many different traditions, such as Satyananda Yoga, Kundalini yoga, Iyengar yoga, Acro yoga, Yoni Shakti Yoga Therapy, yoga nidra and for many years Astangha vinyasa Yoga. With Virya Yoga I found my home as a yoga teacher and it’s humble approach based on the latest findings within movement analyses, bio-mechanics and history research and with a joy and playfulness in both philosophy and practice. Other practices that strongly influence my yoga teaching are compassion, somatics (such Body Mind Centering, developmental movement patterns), nature and mindfulness.
On this page you can read further about my approach with yoga! You will recognize the style of hatha, vinyasa and more gentle approach such Yoni Shakti Yoga. You will get familiar with somatics and mindful movement as well get some food for your philosophical thoughts!
Warmly welcome, ElinMaria
Well-balanced sequences with the foundations of Virya Yoga. Get to know the positive effects of movement theory and how position (asana), breathing (pranayama), movement (vinyasa), presence (mindfulness) and philosophy can work together in our relationship with ourselves, each other and life.
Each class provides principles for understanding themes of biomechanics for a healthy and multi-layered practice. With me you get to approach the breathing in a gentle manner and with an somatic understanding of it’s connection to our nervous system.
In my classes I offer philosophical thoughts and themes for the possibility of new perspectives and with a curiosity about how we relate to both yoga and life.
“Viryayoga stands for a modern and learning yoga, with building blocks from physiotherapy and movement theory where old knowledge is questioned and new experiences are incorporated. ..It’s about how force and movement affect the body, short and sweet movement theory, and how we use the body in a healthy way. ..As much as we constantly update ourselves with current knowledge in movement theory, we are equally devoted to yoga’s thousand-year-old philosophical roots. Viryayoga is a philosophical yoga, but at the same time undogmatic.”
/Nordiska Yogainstitutet Virya Yoga
Yoga with a focus on integrating presence and an increasingly subtle awareness of body and mind. We get a respite for recovery where we can gently strengthen ourselves through conscious and gentle movements; a meditation in movement and breathing. When we create an awareness of ourselves, the nervous system is given a space to heal and we increase our ability to be with life as it is. The focus is on recovery and body awareness, where modern knowledge from stress management, somatics and physiotherapy is mixed with yoga’s traditional breathing exercises and methods for deep relaxation.
Embodiment and somatics is an approach to integrate our whole being; our mind and body in relation to the earthly matters and forces. We will engage in practices that settle us deeper in relationship with gravity, ground reaction force, our hearts, center and breath. While coming at home in our bodies and it’s relation to the Earth our perception changes and we get a wider access to what we are and what yoga can be. With a somatic approach to yoga we may give the possibility to direct our practice to bring freedom and easy to our body rather than the traditional approach where yoga is practiced in order to control the body.
ElinMaria draw inspiration from Body Mind Centering, developmental movement-patterns, Mindful movement and a deep curiosity of the wisdom of our bodies. I give the same value to building blocks from physiotherapy and movement theory as well from the inner understanding, listening and felt experience of the body and body-consciousness. From this rich soil I build up a curiosity towards our body-systems and changing rhythms of our living breathing bodies.
“Where is the alignment of the inner vinyasa? How do we accept the alignment that we have so that we are the most balanced in the body that we have at the moment? Not the body that we used to have or the body that we want to have or the one we see the picture of the ‘right’ form, the ‘right’ shape, the ‘right’ hair color, the ‘right’ sized foot.”
– Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen
Bathe your senses in all the impressions of nature, anchor your body’s landscape with nature’s and give space for the experience of contemplation and vitality. When we do yoga in nature, we are invited to land with the present and we become naturally integrated with changing surfaces and sensory impressions. The focus is on grounding ourselves in ourselves and integrating the experience of nature in and around us, recovering the nervous system from stress, increasing cognitive ability and creativity and building presence, balance and new vitality.
ElinMaria roots her own yoga practice partly outside, in the nature and in different seasons. I love the creativity and possibilities that nature offers; how it breaks my habits and bring me to the present moment. With nature I have a lot of fun; making body-puzzles with my body and interesting nature surroundings, expanding my mind to all the impressions of nature. How about asana balance with the gaze resting on the water or changing clouds? Arm-balance on top of a stone? Or adjusting my inter-versions with a branch in the tree? Rest upside down on rocky hill or smell the moss in i moist forest? To contemplate of nature inside of my and it’s interconnection to nature around me support me stay humble and full of wonders!
Yoga can provide a space for our human drive to seek meaning, context and value in this wondrous experience which is life. With yoga, we can explore philosophical and ethical approaches that can nourish this longing. Yoga can touch on more existential questions that touch on ethics and our place in the world or questions that touch our health, for example.
Yoga’s rich philosophical tradition has its origins in Eastern philosophy, where Hinduism and Buddhism influenced and developed the multi-faceted approaches to yoga that are practiced today. Classical Yoga literature and philosophy are around 2500 years old and are based on traditions that can enrich and give new perspectives to Western perspectives on existence. In the East, a holistic view of human dominates; where body, soul and intellect are a whole and in a constant interaction unlike in Western culture where they are considered as separate entities that many times have nothing to do with each other.
Classical Yoga can be described as a way to gain insight into oneself and life, where the physical practice is only a small part of what coin the concept of yoga. Modern yoga has developed around the physical yoga exercises and their positive effects on well-being, stress management, fitness and health. Yoga is today strongly connected with an ideal of beauty and the idea of the perfect body. By including philosophy in our yoga practice, yoga can gain a value base that is not based on disciplining the body to perfection but instead exploring possible approaches to ourselves and life. Perhaps this is where yoga can be different from other physical forms of exercise or today’s today’s capitalist body culture; even existential aspects of existence are allowed to take place and a holistic view of being alive is examined.
ElinMaria’s yoga teaching integrates an exploratory and philosophical approach to life’s big or small questions where there are no obvious answers. I think it is just as important for us humans to create room for existential wonder as it is to consolidate resources for well-being in life. I’m curious to make a holistic approach graspable for the context we now live in and then practically feasible; through body and mind. The philosophical nuggets that I share here are not only from the classical literature of yoga, but have their inspiration equally from modern Buddhism, mindfulness and somatic practice. I convey philosophy with an investigative approach to enrich and create a curiosity about yoga and life and I skip dogmatic signs. In my classes, a humble exploration of both body and bud is encouraged, where not infrequently humor is also given space when we engage with philosophical statements and approaches.
What I hope when you come to yoga with me is that you get a space to most of all just be; into the body and the present where there is an experience of consciousness that is not just the constant default mood of the intellect. At the same time, I want what you take with you from the yoga mat to be grains of thought and questions that can create a curiosity and wonder about how you want to live your life.
With me you may, if you wish, explore;
– What do you hold sacred and how do you want to take care of what you love in your life?
– How do I relate to myself and what I experience here and now; in the body, mind, thoughts and feelings?
– How do I experience it when I deepen my contact with body, movement, breathing, position and gaze?
– What happens when I contemplate a holistic approach to body and soul; myself in interaction and relationship with the outside world?
– How can compassion and non-violence change my perspective and approach to life?
– In what way can yoga be a resource for facing life as it is with all its moments of both suffering and happiness?
– How can Eastern philosophies be an inspiration to create more wonder, care, compassion and meaning in my own life?
Difficulties and suffering in various forms is something that unites us humans. Compassion makes us aware of how we belong to each other and can create meaning and connection with the world around us. When we cultivate empathy, we open doors to better understand the situation and suffering of others and it gives us the joy and strength to respond to it in compassion.
A fundamental approach in Eastern philosophy is to understand how we all, both humans, animals and nature, interact and influence each other and therefore it is ethically valuable to take care of each other, to cultivate a concern for others. Buddhist tradition, witch has roots in the yoga philosophy, calls for compassion for all sentient beings as a basic approach in living. Ahimsa, the first ethical guideline in Yoga Sutra, is a Sanskrit word commonly translated as non-violence. I’m curious how to integrate teachings of compassion into the yoga-practice, allowing us to feel co-related and understand the foundations of interconnectedness, in our attitudes and our bodily matters.
Compassion is today a proven and research-based method in the West as a way to increase well-being and resilience in the midst of life’s challenges. Self-compassion is used both as a therapy and as a method to increase the quality of life and create social change.
“Somatic Self-compassion is understanding the stressful world we live in today, and a desire to find tools to understand and remain grounded and nourished in these difficult times.” /Kristy Arbon.
Self-compassion is a radical way of recognizing suffering as part of being human and an understanding that being our ally rather than our enemy leads us to more constructive and sustainable ways of dealing with life. We practice being our friend, even when we need it most. With compassion, we can build a foundation for inner support in our learning processes and a sense of belonging, with the ability for our nervous system to create security in contrast to the survival mechanisms our bodies use when exposed to stressors.
“In the presence of one firmly established in nonviolence, all hostilities cease” /Yoga Sutra Sutra 2.35
I aim to integrate a pedagogy of compassion into all my teaching as a recurring approach to ourselves and each other, both through attitudes and specific exercises. Practicing yoga with compassion and non-violence is a corner-stone for the ability to integrate presence and be with ourselves, so to say the very central practice of meditation. Without compassion, being with discomfort becomes to hard and will guide us rather to dissociation than wholeness and connection. As an ethical direction, compassion can give our yoga practice a wider dimension where our care for ourselves generates care for others as well. When we recognize our place in life as part of a community, perhaps our yoga can contribute to a greater peace, not just our own.
“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” /Buddha
More info coming!
Plant a seed – Loving kindness meditation 6 min (in english)
Yoga Nidra – tend with care and deep recovery 20 min (in swedish)
Sensoriska resurser – Practice to explore sensory resources for being and keeping company with ourselves 13 min (in Swedish)
Sensory resources – Practice to explore sensory resources for being and keeping company with ourselves – 13 min (in English)