Horse Energy

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

From Alone to Aligned: How a Lakeside Cabin Taught Me to Listen

Not long ago, the thought of solo travel—or even a weekend cottage trip—made me pause. I was used to being surrounded: by people, work, responsibilities, the constant motion of a busy life. But before I even realized burnout was knocking, I sought space and solitude. Not just physical distance, but emotional space. Space to hear my own thoughts again.

I returned to something deeply familiar: the Finnish lakeside. A simple Blueberry Villa my father built in the 1990s. A silent forest—or so it seemed. I used to hate driving there alone, getting busy with the garden, treating the terraces and pier, or clearing the forest. We’re self-sufficient there: wood-burning oven, fireplace, and a lakeside sauna tucked into our own woods.

At first, I brought all my thoughts with me—the mental noise, the pressure to produce, the urge to fill the silence. But over time, the quiet worked its way in. While exhausting myself outdoors, I noticed the gentle fall of a pinecone, the texture of birch bark, the whisper of the lake, the humming of the tall pines on our land, a place we call the Pineman. The forest was not so silent after all.

I began to relax during my weekend getaways, becoming mindful of the path with its exposed roots leading from the villa to the lakeside, listening to the waves while sitting on the pier, simply enjoying the stillness. The traditional sauna ritual—throwing water on the hot stove, listening to the fire crackling beneath it, and dipping into the cold lake between steam baths—was profoundly calming. I swam in icy water, and something in me softened. I didn’t need to speak to belong. Nature welcomed me without needing me to be anything more than I was.

I realized I was alone, but I wasn’t lonely. I was part of nature—something bigger. I was beginning to feel again. I started journaling—not because I had to, but because my hands wanted to remember what my heart was trying to say.

Though the awakening during my sabbatical journey changed me, I realized I had already taken the first steps earlier. Transformation isn’t a single event; it’s a series of quiet, essential shifts. The times spent at our lakeside cottage reawakened my senses and kept me going. They gave me clarity—then and now. They reminded me of something vital: the journey back to ourselves often begins with the simplest acts of presence. Since I managed alone there, I could manage journeying anywhere. Everything beyond that only added to my contentment.

This experience became the foundation for my signature program at The Journey Studio: Back to Your Senses.

It’s a guided path to reconnect with what you may have lost touch with—your body, your emotions, your sense of wonder, and the clarity that comes from being truly present once you start to listen.

The program is built around five natural elements:

• Earth for grounding and physical awareness

• Water for emotional flow and softness

• Fire for courage and personal ignition

• Air for mental clarity and breath

• Space for stillness, intuition, and trust

You can begin with 1:1 coaching from anywhere in the world. Or, you can join me in Finland at a peaceful lakeside villa, embracing the roots of Finnish happiness—or in Spain, where we walk and reflect among mountain paths, citrus groves, and ancient watchtowers. Each experience is curated not just to inspire—but to help you listen.

Because when you start to listen, you start to return to yourself.

If you're navigating a life transition, healing from burnout, or simply feeling called to explore your next chapter more consciously, this program is for you.

Learn more about the Back to Your Senses Life Reconnection Signature Program or schedule a free clarity call at www.thejourneystudio.co