Your inner child is asking you to stop, admire a rose, pick up the most beautiful color you can find and smear it all over a canvas. We mix play and exploration with tangible art practices, yoga and sharing circles, and really good food.
No art experience needed. Come let your inner toddler out.
WHAT WE’LL DO
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creative play
we explore shapes, colors, textures and techniques without expectations on the results. from tangible exercises in landscape painting and abstract art to exploring different paint mediums and creative tools, we give you the means and you decide on your process.
want to focus on one painting through the whole retreat? you’re our guest.
want to try many different types of mediums and explore how you can get your creative vision from your mind’s eye to your canvas? amazing!
toddler you will thank you for honoring your process and your inner artist, however s/he wants to appear.
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sharing circles & shedding rites
in daily sharing circles & shedding rites, we will share what is holding us back from our creativity, what creative habits we want to start tending to, and what habits and / or stagnant beliefs need to be shed in order to let your inner artist break out.
we will also take a deep and intimate look at the art we’ve created together and what it means to us.
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yoga & breathwork
your body is sensory, sensual, and stores so much information; from trauma and grief to power and possibility.
in order to let your inner toddler out, and find your creative self, we hold sessions of breathwork and yoga during the retreat. moving the body, and finding the keys to release stored emotions, will also help you find the opening to more fully savour your time in this intimate circle and the sensory input you get from beautiful ranarpskvarn and the colors and tools you’re using.
MEET YOUR TEACHERS
Anna Arvidsson
Foto: Patric Johansson
teaches art & creativity
Anna in her own words: I have been creative for most of my life, exploring different forms of expression along the way. I played in the band chic habit, worked with photography, ran a vintage store, and eventually found my way into painting.
Today, I run a studio on hornsgatan in stockholm, and am the responsible art facilitator at misa konst & grafik. Developing my artistic practice and creating my own studio has been an important tool for me as i found my way back out of burn-out. Art is a tool for managing my restlessness - painting allows me to focus completely on one thing - and there is something very calming about being able to disappear into the creative process.
My work has been shown in galleries, interior design stores, exhibitions and magazines. interior stylist lena nyholm purchased seven of my larger manies for the interior of the swish headquarters in stockholm. My work has also been featured in sköna hem, and STIM’s art association purchases my work for their art lotteries.
As an artist and a teacher, I believe in letting whatever comes, come, without trying to control it too much. I think it is important to let go, to not care whether someone else will like what you create or not, and instead focus on what you yourself get from the process. To let it flow and see where it takes you. Rather than teaching a particular way of making art, I want to create a space where creativity can be awakened and explored.
What you can expect from Anna
Through creative exercises, time in nature, sketching and painting, we will look for shapes, colours, textures and unexpected sources of inspiration. I will share some of the ways i work, while leaving plenty of room for everyone to find their own expression.
See you in may! ❤︎ Anna
Stephanie Sanders
teaches yoga & breathwork
Steph Sanders is a yoga and breathwork teacher, retreat facilitator, and someone who has always been curious about what helps us feel more connected to ourselves, to each other, and to the lives we’re living.
Originally from the mountains of Colorado and now based along the coast in southern Sweden, Steph has been practicing yoga for more than 20 years and teaching for over 16. Along the way, she studied at university in Australia, backpacked through Central and South America, worked with a nonprofit in rural Uganda, and eventually built a life and family in Sweden. Those experiences, along with motherhood and all the different seasons life brings, have shaped the way she sees the world and naturally find their way into her teaching.
Her work brings together yoga, breathwork, meditation, mindfulness, self-inquiry, and community. More than any one practice, Steph loves creating spaces where people can slow down, get curious, connect with themselves and others, and experience what can shift when we give ourselves the time and space to truly be present. Her offerings are a mix of movement and stillness, meaningful conversation, reflection and rest, good food, and time together. At the heart of it all is something pretty simple: creating a little space away from everyday life to connect, be curious, and come back to what matters.
Connect with Steph on Instagram at @stephsandersyoga or explore more of her work at stephsandersyoga.com.
What’s included
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Yum Bjäre fare
Bjäre is a veritable cornucopia of delicious local foods, and together with our trusted chefs, we gently caretake this treasurechest of ingredients from farm to table.
We serve mouthwatering fare that specifically caters to the lushness of the region and utilizes all the beautiful local veggies, berries and greens we can find. We especially have a thing for soulfood, and cooking food that will feel warm, filling and nourishing, from the inside out.
Every retreat includes full board with a generous selection of breakfast items, lunch, and dinner, as well as fruits and snacks for the day. When possible we collaborate with our neighbour, the strawberry farmer, to bring some of the sweetest and juiciest strawberries to our guests.
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Private or shared room
Enjoy a restful night’s sleep by the ocean in our newly renovated, colorful British country-style villa.
All room types have access to a lush and large, joint livingroom area where there is a kettle of tea a’brewing and access to snacks and fruits. You also have access to a large, newly built shower room with an ocean view and a laundry room, if need be.
There are no private bathrooms in the villas. The rooms (6 in total) share access to 5 separate showers and 3 toilets.
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Rituals & sessions in historic mill
All our sessions and rituals are performed in our historic watermill-turned-studio, a space where the elements invite you to introspect, shake, dance, speak, listen and connect - with yourself and with others.
This space has been used since the 1700s and has carefully been recrafted into a retreat space using inspiration from both local history and japanese temple architecture.
We enjoy spectacular sunsets and the sound of the stream (Möllebäcken) to the west and a warming fire in the heart of the room. In here you also find everything you will need for the session; from yoga props to warming blankets.
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Scenic Bjäre nature
The Bjäre peninsula is one of the most popular vacation spots in Sweden, for good reason. This beautiful, womb-like space is often referred to as the “Tuscany of Sweden” for its rolling hills, proximity to the ocean and rich farmlands.
Ranarpskvarn is nestled in the heart of the Bjäre peninsula, just by the ocean, in an area that is protected as a natural reserve. We share this space with many endangered and protected bird species, two major streams, and many seals and foxes. The biggest takeaway from Ranarp is really mother nature herself.
The villas have access to a private trail leading down to the ocean through a little enchanted forest of our own. There’s also a private garden with ocean views and plenty of resting spaces to withdraw and unwind.
“in filling the well, think magic. think delight. think fun. do not think duty. do not do what you should do—spiritual sit-ups like reading a dull but recommended critical text. do what intrigues you, explore what interests you; think mystery, not mastery.”
book your room, come play with us.
Sleep safe and sound in one of our 4 single rooms. You’ll have access to a beautiful, shared livingroom area in British style, a garden with ocean view, full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea and snacks) as well as all teaching materials needed to participate in the retreat. Yoga mats and props are available on site in the yoga studio for yoga & breathwork sessions. Showers & bathrooms are shared.
Sleep safe and sound in one of our 2 double rooms, which you’ll share with a magical co-creator at the event. You’ll have access to a beautiful, shared living space in British style, a garden with ocean view, full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea and snacks) as well as all teaching materials needed to participate in the retreat. Yoga mats and props are available on site in the yoga studio for yoga & breathwork sessions.
Payment plans available.