Our accommodation at the Summer House presented some minor challenges. There are the typical noises that come from a hand-made timber home; the creaking of the floor boards and the deep moans of the joists in the ceiling as the house adjusts to the windy elements surrounding it. Your room mates, even though sleeping in separate areas move and make sleeping noises; and unless you were brought up by the Waltons it can take some getting used to.



The house has such a lovely homely feeling to it that those challenges are easily met after the first night. The 'typical' Finnish composting toilet took a little longer for me to get used to, and then again the view from the 'loo' through Pine trees to the sea is so spectacular that it makes up for the 'earthiness' of the lavatory.



Stefan's yoga shala has a lovely light atmosphere with the floorboards, made from recycled local timber, being soft to the touch. At nine sharp Stefan enters the room and leads us in the Ashtanga chant. Finland is experiencing a heat wave and soon we are all drenched in sweat, just as we like it. I find that sweating is one of the most cathartic elements of the yoga practice and as such is seen as one of the elements of purification of the bodymind . Stephan observes more than he interferes with our practice, letting us know that if we wish for extra pointers or adjustments to ask.





On the Wednesday I decide to take a 'Lady's day' and Stefan allows me to take photos of the class. Having received the okay from everyone during the past couple of days I tread lightly around the room. As I observe the group I find myself steeped in an enigma of feelings. On one hand the practice can be so challenging at times that I am battling to stay on the mat and other times so exhilarating that I want to just keep going. As I watch the practitioners fully immersed in their practice I feel a tug of envy and almost  put my camera down to join in.



The typical day goes by surprisingly fast, considering we are marooned on an island. There are taxi boats that will take you into Hanko, but the cost outweighs the need to touch base with the 'outside' world. In actual fact it doesn't even cross our minds to do so, as the retreat has its own cafe. The small timber building accommodates two white-clothed tables, a piano and old worldly decorations. Sami, barista extraordinaire, serves cappuccinos, lattes and Ayurvedic lattes to the sounds of Billie Holliday or 1950s Jazz classics. For those starved of sweet things, healthy cakes and biscuits are available as well. Within the first few days the 'cafe culture' quickly awakens amongst our group and the daily latte in the afternoon becomes habit, following along with Sri K Pattabhi Jois's tongue-in-cheek saying "No coffee, no prana".





Then at 3.30 pm we practice Yin Yoga and pranayama. Then dinner is ready at 6.30 pm and the day comes to an end. The midnight sun gently illuminates our surroundings with a soft light until 10.30-11 pm when finally most of us go to sleep.



I must agree with Stefan, one week is not enough in this wonderful place. Many come for several weeks and return year after year. After 16 years Stefan keeps improving on the retreat without overdoing it. More accommodation is planned for the future and Stefan's vision is of a place that incorporates old world charm with the stunning natural environment. I believe he has achieved most of that already as well as integrating yogic philosophy and practices into the curriculum. In the end the things I loved the most about the retreat were also my biggest challenges, namely sharing my living space, Karma yoga and, believe it or not, the 'loo with a view'.