Easter Retreat of the Heart 2.-5.4.2026

Easter comes at a time of year, when after the winter, the days are longer and the sun has risen again to nourish our bodies and minds. There is a lot of symbolism and archetypes associated with Easter. Its meaning involves an inner letting go and the birth of something new.

Letting go and finding inner peace

When we want to walk the path of love, to be open and honest with others and ourselves, we must and inevitably let go of the many kinds of “own limits”, self-centredness and self-interest that prevent us from experiencing our deeper Self as the Heart of Compassion. Our natural state of consciousness is a flow of giving of ourselves. We experience pain when we are unable to be flowing because our minds cannot settle into the moment, into our Self, but are constantly projecting desires and wishes onto the outside world and other people. The path of love is not a search for “good vibes”; it takes will, courage, perseverance and patience to confront again and again the rigid and resistant structures and insecurities of the mind and to commit to accepting and loving them so that a true new birth is possible.

Meditation creates a quiet space to let go of clinging to different mental and emotional states. Letting go allows for a momentary rest in the Center, from which comes an innate compassion for different mental and emotional states – whether they occur in oneself, in other people or in “the world”.

The theme of the Easter retreat is letting go and birthing something new. Letting go is not scary when we are aware that there is something real in us, a deeper I-ness that remains and does not disappear, even if some things in us or in our lives “die” or become less dominant. The deeper I-ness rests within Itself, is calm, happy and loving. Meditation is the path to the recognition of the deeper I-ness. The retreat allows you to withdraw for a few days away from everyday chores and to settle down with the Self to empower yourself from within.

Retreat programme and practical arrangements

Programme:
The retreat consists of meditations (50-60 min at a time, for a total of about four hours a day), silence, being, walking meditations, breathing, opening the body and teaching sessions. A more detailed schedule will be provided on site. We will spend most of the retreat in silence.

However, you can ask questions and share your experiences during the sessions. You can also talk privately with teachers Leena and Hans Christian about meditation issues and get support for your practice and being during the retreat. Bring warm clothing for the outdoors as well.

Meals:
For lunch we prepare a shared salad with warm side dishes and for dinner a vegetable soup. Bring salad and soup ingredients (including your preferred vegetable protein) for 3 days. Bring your own picnic for Thursday evening. Bring your own breads and spreads. Heartland will provide coffee and tea and coffee milk (bring your own side dishes e.g. cream etc.). In the morning we serve breakfast porridge. Bring your own toppings for the porridge, e.g. berries, fruit, nuts, etc.

Price:
170 EUR/155 EUR (incl. 25.5% VAT) Unemployed and students with no income other than basic unemployment allowance or study allowance. 155 euros for those coming from more than 400 km. Payment before the start of the retreat to Heartland-Sydanmaa FI40 8954 0710 1011 62. Write in the message: Easter retreat. The payment can also be made in two instalments by separate agreement with Heartland. The price includes overnight stay either in beds or on mattresses.

Place and time:
Heartland – The Place of Silence, Illintie 51, Pahtaja, Rovaniemi. We start on Thursday 2.4. at 19:00 and end on Sunday 5.4. at 16.

Registration:
Please register as soon as possible, preferably by 14 March at [email protected]. Note. The maximum number of participants is 12. The retreat must be attended in full from start to finish.

Teachers

Teachers Leena and Hans Christian Hansen have been dedicated to the study of spiritual traditions, yoga, meditation and spiritual living for over twenty years. They have both taught in the late Asger Lorentsen’s trainings and run their own courses and retreats for over fifteen years. Currently Leena and Hans Christian are students of the American spiritual teacher Mark Sullivan and the Indian teacher Sri M.(Sri M is a student of the legendary Himalayan spiritual teacher Sri Guru Babaji). Both teachers support the Bodhisattva School and other Heartland trainings. The training is essentially not about the knowledge or vision of individual teachers, but about a broader impulse from multiple spiritual traditions and masters. The course is not an invitation to follow any one teacher or spiritual tradition, but rather to provide a rich and practical daily experience of finding one’s own inner connection to one’s own inner spiritual home through sustained practice. The languages of instruction are Finnish and English, translated into Finnish if necessary.

You are warmly welcome to our trainings and retreats, if your heart is in it! Feel free to pass on information about them.