About The Studio Journal
The Studio Journal was born during a sabbatical that became something much deeper, a turning point.
What began as a pause from routine turned into a journey of unlearning, rediscovery, and reconnection. I wandered, I listened, I wrote. I stepped into unfamiliar places, both on the map and within myself.
This journal is a space to share what I’ve gathered along the way. It holds reflections from the road, questions from the quiet moments, and the stories that shape how we travel, live, and grow. You’ll find pieces of my journey here, but also prompts, insights, and encouragement for your own.
Because transformation doesn’t happen all at once. It happens in the in-between. And this is a place for that.
What You May Experience Through Luontopolku — Back to Your Senses® method
✔ A renewed connection to your own nature
✔ Greater clarity about what truly matters now
✔ Deeper trust in your direction and inner guidance
✔ Courage to move forward with alignment and intention
Horse Energy
Mirka, the tranformative travel coach on a horseback with Maiju, the Kannuskylä horse stable owner and riding instructor in Vitsai, partner at the Slow Travel Horse Holidays.
There are things that pull us, quietly, yet powerfully, drawing us closer to see, explore, and experience.
For me, that pull has always been horses.
My earliest memory is of holding onto the leg of an old workhorse, hugging him with complete devotion, to the horror of my grandfather, from whom I had escaped. A few years later, I climbed from that same leg onto the back of that great Finnish breed. From there, the path continued naturally: riding school, working at trotting stables, and eventually owning my own mare.
Growing up with a horse
As a teenager, growing up with a horse was an education in responsibility but even more so in relationship.
It meant learning nuance, presence, and trust.
Learning to understand another being beyond words.
My mare became a grounding force in my life. A companion on nature trails, a quiet friend I sometimes even slept beside. We learned to read each other, to respond to the subtle shifts in energy that each day brought.
A thread that follows
Life later took me across the world from studies in the United States to family and work across Asia and Europe.
And still, horses remained.
Sometimes close, sometimes more distant but always there, gently calling me back.
A western saddle, a dressage lesson, a bareback ride by the sea.
Back in Finland, returning to my lakeside summer place in Vitsai, I connected with a neighbour’s horses and began a long relationship with a gentle thoroughbred I rode for fourteen years.
The dream
For years, I had a recurring dream.
A horse in a barn; hungry, thirsty, waiting to be fed.
Each time I woke from it, I felt a quiet urgency. As if something in my life had been left unattended. A responsibility not fully met. A connection not fully seen.
Only later did I understand.
Returning after burnout
After my sabbatical travels following burnout I found myself once again close to horses and their owners. This time, I gave space to riding in a different way.
The more I responded to their presence, the clearer their “voice” became.
I remember guiding a tinker horse who seemed to long for movement beyond the stable. Together with his owner, we returned to the forest trails. It was a quiet triumph for all of us.
Since then, I have continued working with both horses and people supporting courage, presence, and the connection between them.
Horses in the Luontopolku® journey
As my coaching deepened, horses naturally became part of my Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® experiences.
From this, an opportunity emerged to co-create horse holidays with Pegasus.
It felt like a natural progression to bring together:
slow travel
Finnish nature
and the presence of horses
At my lakeside home, Blueberry Villa, built by my father in the 1990s, I now welcome guests to experience this way of being.
Here, on Taipalsaari island by Lake Saimaa, life slows down.
In Finland, horses spend their summers on green pastures. During our 5- and 7-day retreats, we collect our horses from the nearby field, walk together to the stables, and set out onto gently curving trails through birch and pine forests.
There is no rush.
Only presence, rhythm, and connection.
Feeding the inner horse
The dream of the hungry horse no longer returns.
Somewhere along the way, my inner horse was fed.
And perhaps this is what draws people here too.
Not only to ride but to reconnect.
To listen.
To respond to something within that has been waiting.
I hope to meet you there, by the lake, and to gently support you in feeding your own inner horse.
After all, it is a time to trust your energy and follow where it quietly leads.
If something in this story resonated, you don’t need to leave it here.
Each summer, I host Slow Travel Horse Holidays at Lake Saimaa, where you are paired with your own horse and guided through nature-based reflection using the Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® method.
This is not just about riding.
It is about reconnecting with nature, with the horse, and with yourself.
→ Discover upcoming Horse retreats at The Journey Studio
→ Or book a discovery call to explore if this experience is for you