SAUNA HEALING COURSE

10.-12. May 2024

Metsäkämppä, Rautavaara, Finland

Learn healing traditions in sauna with Justina Maslauskaite (Lithuania). Experience the traditional sauna of an old lumberjacks’ lodge by Tiilikkajärvi National Park.

Sauna and its magical healing powers were known for generations from the very ancient times and cultures. This topic could be discussed, researched, and nurtured with love and passion endlessly. The history of Sauna dating thousands of years show that a human being used Sauna for a shelter, warmth, and even food preparation. Yet, the Sauna space often was used for ceremonies, blessings, and various events of human’s life to be celebrated, sanctified, and strengthened. Many ceremonies took place in this small, dark, moist space of Sacred fires, Sacred waters and the magics of healing Löyly (sauna steam). From the Birth till the dying, we all come back to the embrace of Sauna to be strengthened, renewed, or healed from within.

When we have Sauna with healing purpose, we always align and embrace the unity between human being and Nature. Our Mother land offers us various ways to unfold our health and body wisdom through senses, touch, powers of plants, spells and songs, all other inherited knowledge. The steam room becomes a sacred space for a gentle transformation where we restore the physical and spiritual well-being. 

May we all explore how can we build up the healing magics in Sauna and what elements could be used? How do we understand and create the Sauna flow? What materials and elements are important? How we move and use the gifts of Nature for healing? How we use the Löyly and heat for our well-being?

I believe that the sauna is one of the strongest places for healing. And we go to it to wash our bodies as well as to wash from within. It’s like a mother's womb, where it is warm and safe to be your true self.

PROGRAM:

Friday

17:00 Gathering around Sacred Fires in Drums circle – Opening circle

The healing powers of Sauna on body, mind, and soul (2 hours)

Evening meal

Evening Sauna for relaxing and getting to know each other

Saturday

Morning meal

9:30 Meditation and connecting to the nature around us (1 hour)

Connecting to the Land for everyone – walk in Nature (1 hour)

How we built up the healing magics in Sauna and what elements could be used:

a.   preparation for Sauna

b.   our senses in Sauna are the vehicles for healing: touch, smell, taste, hearing, sight

c.   the healing power of water in Sauna

d.   the power of plants in Sauna and working with vaastas/vihtas, examples and learning to move in the oneness with plant

e.   the energy in Sauna and the element of Sacred

f.    the power of cleansing and nurturing elements for a human body

How we combine all these aspects of a-b-c-d-e-f described above and create a beautiful dance of Sauna.

(3-4 hours)

Lunch in between

Walk in the area and connecting to the families of trees, bushes, fields. If needed and felt - picking branches of trees and other plants for Sauna healing ceremony to be integrated. (1 hour)

Preparing for Sauna, getting ready all elements (1 hour)

Dinner (light meal)

Sauna healing ceremony where we all will be practicing what has been learnt (4 hours)

Sunday

10:00 Reflections of the experiences, questions and sharings 

Lunch and packing for journey home

14:00 Gathering around Sacred Fires in Drums circle – Closing circle

As the timing of May is Spring and the Nature is just waking up, it is likely that most plants will be in a state of blooming or preparing for this. It will depend what plants will be available in the Sauna and in which form. I invite You to look around into what You already have at home for Sauna purposes: dry plants, herbs, or any other materials that You like to use in Sauna? Please bring it with You.

Also, please make a little research within Your surroundings where You live or grew up: what spells and songs were used in the Saunas of Your mothers, grandmothers, fathers, and grandfathers Saunas. Please learn few of them and You will be most welcome to share in this course.

About the teacher:

Justina Maslauskaite:

Justina is a psychologist and body worker in massage therapy, where she applies different techniques when working with a person's physical, emotional and spiritual body. She is a practitioner of the Polynesian MA-URI®️ Healing Arts. For years, Justina has been interested in the cultures and practices of indigenous peoples and transmits the Baltic cultural heritage and wisdom. The sauna tradition is one of the most beloved ways to nurture and heal the human body and soul. She has learned about the principles of the Baltic sauna ceremony and how we can apply the forces of nature in the sauna. Justine spends most of her free time in the wild, exploring the wisdom of the land.

Justina is in love with northern nature, and she has traveled to Finland before, but this time the journey takes to the North Savo region.

"The sauna ceremony with Justina on the shore of Lake Munajärvi in ​​Lapland has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. I felt Justina's deep connection and understanding of the spirits of trees and their healing properties. Even though I have been in a sauna countless times throughout my life, I have never before experienced so much healing tree spirit and different ways of using wood in the sauna The way Justina used resistance when treating me in the sauna was sauna therapy or folk healing at its best.

It's interesting that he's a trained psychologist, and how he integrates everything he's learned into the natural world. In the Baltics, medicine, science, and folk healing are still in such a natural and beautiful synergy, from which we in Finland have a lot to learn.” Helena

Course location:

We will meet by Tiilikkajärvi National Park in Rautavaara, Finland.

The address of the place is Metsäkartanontie 700, Rautavaara.

The closest airports are Kuopio and Joensuu. The nearest train station is in Nurmes. You can only get there by private cars, but we help each other coordinate rides.

Metsäkämppa is an authentic lumberjacks’ cottage, located 1.5 kilometers from the main building of Metsäkartano (www.metsakartano.com). Built in 1955, the lodge has been modernised with electricity, heating, and running water. It is a very beautiful and safe place in the middle of the woods and by the lake. The traditional and big sauna building is perfect for our sauna healing course. Please notice, that there are no single rooms available; only shared rooms and bunk beds in traditional lumberjack style.

Registration:

The course fee is 270 EUR. You can sign up by paying the registration fee 50 EUR, which is reduced from the course fee. Please register here (see the language button on the upper right corner:

 In addition to this, there is accommodation in a cottage for 2 nights including lunch and dinner in each day (Friday: dinner, Saturday: Lunch and dinner, Sunday: Lunch) for a total of 123-153 EUR (incl. VAT) / per person (the final price will depend on the amount of participants). Everybody will bring their own breakfast items. Notice: Only shared rooms available!

The course fee does not include trips or travel insurance. Think carefully before signing up for the course, as there are binding registrations for the course. Please read reservation and cancellation terms and conditions and disclaimer rules: https://www.karhuntalo.com/booking-and-cancellation-conditions

Please note that this course has stricter cancellation conditions and binding registration due to the very small group and the travel costs of international guest. Thank you for your understanding! <3

Questions by email: info@karhuntalo.com

Have good sauna time, everyone!