Community, Nature, Practice
Spectacular Location… Kadermo Island is a peaceful, untouched and idyllic surrounding.
A home for yoga practice… For more than 25 years, Kadermo retreat has invited people from around the world to share yoga
Stay as long as you like… you can come for a week or stay up to several months
Sanctuary & Silence… set in a protected oak forest area of the island where some of the oak trees are 300-500 years old
Kadermo Retreat Finland
Dates in 2025 :
July 27th – August 1st
August 17th – 22nd
Cost: €600 per week (staying longer gets cheaper…)
Getting there: Fly to Helsinki, train to Hanko & there we pick you up
Retreat Vibe: Communal… this is beautifully traditional retreat centre, we share all of the facilities & accommodation and take turns washing the dishes.
Yoga: This Ashtanga practice each morning then breathwork, mobility and restorative yoga in the afternoons.
Highlights: Night swimming in the Baltic Sea and the sauna which is hot, hot, hot…
ABOUT THE VENUE
This is a very secluded retreat centre on Kadermo Island which offers a unique opportunity to experience yoga.
During summertime the days are long and the sun barely sets.
The retreat is Stefan Engström’s home for most of the year. The main student accommodation is in the ‘Summer House’, an old fashioned traditional villa that was common in the 20’s in Finland.
FACILITIES
Everyone stays twin share unless a private room is requested, accommodation is in two big villas or in little cabins around the island.
There are two beautiful practice spaces; one for the daily yoga posture practice and another for meditation and pranayama.
There is a library with yoga books and a Wi-Fi connection for those studying or working remotely.
A cute little cafe is open daily near the yoga shala offering coffee and cake. There is sometimes piano played inside the cafe in the evenings, especially when the sauna is on so you may have a turmeric latte after your night swim.
The wood heated sauna is offered a few evenings a week and it’s traditional to get nice and hot in the sauna (usually naked but this is optional of course..) then walk down to the sea and swim in the starlight.
The stunning shower house looks across the forest to the sea, these are communal. The retreat is off grid and the toilets are modern composting loos.
GETTING THERE
Fly to Helsinki then catch a train with other guest to Hanko. At the Hanko train station you will be picked up by our taxi and taken to the private boat which brings you all the way to the retreat centre.
If you haven’t visited Helsinki before we recommend staying a couple of nights there, it’s a beautiful city with amazing food and sightseeing. You could also stay an extra night in the pretty village of Hanko before or after your retreat at Kadermo Retreat.
FOODY VIBES
Breaky: We have a smoothie and some fruit straight after the morning yoga practice in the cafe.
The cafe serves espresso coffee, hot drinks and tea, healthy cakes and sweets are available for purchase in the cafe when it is open during the day.
Lunch & Dinner: the two main meals consist of generous vegetarian buffets in the summer house overlooking the water. We all pitch in and do the dishes after the meals.
Herbal tea is available all day and there is a guest fridge if you have anything you’d like to bring with you to eat, share or snack on.
FAQ
Do I need to be experienced at Ashtanga Yoga?
This retreat is suitable for both beginners and experienced practitioners as there are two morning sessions taught daily at Kadermo. If you are new to this practice you can join the guided Ashtanga yoga sessions, if you are experienced you can join the Mysore style sessions.
Please note: You will need general fitness to attend this retreat. That means you need to be able to get on and off a boat independently as well as able to walk across the island on uneven ground for meals and activities.
Is there internet and Mobile connectivity?
You can get mobile signal in many parts of the island and there is WIFI available in the library if you need to connect. The signal may not always be strong enough to do a video call and we dissuade using the WIFI for downloads and streaming.
What is the best travel plan?
We recommend staying in Helsinki or Hanko for an extra night either side of your retreat so you can feel very relaxed about getting to the island and back in time for your flights.
What kind of people join Kadermo Retreat?
People from all over the world come to Kadermo retreat, you will almost certainly meet some Finnish people too! Some people who come have never practiced yoga, some have practiced other forms of yoga but have not practiced Ashtanga yoga before, some have been teaching Ashtanga yoga for years… We love the diversity of the yoga interests, languages and cultures we find at Kadermo.
Languages commonly spoken around the dinner table at Kadermo are English, Spanish, Finnish, Swedish and German.
