Frequently Asked Questions
Looking for reasons to start yoga?
Besides increasing strength and flexibility, yoga can lessen chronic pain, lower blood pressure, reduce insomnia, and help you cope with the effects of stress. Combined with meditation and breathwork, it facilitates a clearer mind and an experience of living more grounded in the present moment.
On its root philosophical approach, yoga provides and opportunity to come out of our busy schedules and concern ourselves with the deeper aspects of our psychology and our essential nature.
And above all of that, yoga is essentially a life path that connects you to others on a conscious journey towards living your fuller self.
No worries!
Our teachers have you covered.
All of them are highly experienced and are used to dealing with different levels in the class.
Always remember to go towards your comfortable edge, it doesn’t matter how others are performing;
what is important is your own expansive journey.
If you have never practiced yoga before, please let us know on your booking email so that the teacher can keep it in mind when leading the class.
We would be most honored for you to start your yogic journey with us!
Making a booking at Shambala is easy.
All bookings are made online: Simply click of the “Reserve Your Spot” button on our event pages, or send an email to the teacher.
We understand that life can be unpredictable, and we’re here to support you in every way we can. However, as a small business, we must ensure our sustainability, so we’re unable to offer last-minute refunds. Thank you for your understanding.
• Cancel up to 3 months before arrival for a full refund.
• Cancel up to 14 days before arrival for a 70% refund.
• Cancel up to 6 days before arrival for a 50% refund
• If you decide to cancel 5 or less days before arrival, 0% of the total cost of the retreat will be refunded.
To view our treatments, please click here
To book your treatment, simply send us an email at shambalagathering@gmail.com
Please do so well in advance, as slots tend to run out quickly.
Unless otherwise arranged with the teacher (which will be clearly stated in the retreat description and welcome letter), the times are as follows:
Check-in: 15:00 (3:00 PM)
Check-out: 15:00 (3:00 PM)
The first meal is dinner, and the last meal is lunch.
Unfortunately we are not able to accommodate early arrivals or late departures. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to hosting you!
Unfortunately, we do not offer electric car charging facilities at Shambala yet. However, the nearest charging station is just a short distance from Shambala.
Here is the Google Maps link to the location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/t9SnyjYCTBkBWKRq7
Unfortunately, it is often not possible to stay an extra night. This is because our team typically has little time between retreats to rest, relax, and prepare the center for the next guests.
To simplify things, we ask that guests depart on the planned departure day. As a community-run center supported by volunteers, we aim to organize the calendar to give our dedicated team extra downtime whenever possible, as they already work hard most of the time.
We hope you understand!
It is a custom in Sweden to bring your own sheets and towels to hostels.
We feel this is an excellent initiative in order to reduce the energy usage in laundry. A much more eco-friendly approach, we feel.
Please note that you will need to bring a set of:
- Pillow case,
- Bottom sheet,
- Duvet cover
- Bath towel
- Sauna towel
Alternatively, you are welcome to rent the entire set from us for only 200kr for your entire stay.
During the summers in Sweden, evenings tend to be quite bright due to the beautiful midnight sun.
We do have blinds in the rooms, but the light can at times still enter the room.
If you are a sensitive sleeper, please bring an eye mask and ear plugs.
We do have a supply of yoga matts, bolsters and props at Shambala. However, during the summers, do bring your own yoga matt when possible as there may not be enough for everyone.
We tend to go naked to the sauna and lake. However, do feel free to bring a bathing costume if you prefer.
There are beautiful forest walks around Shambala.
It is a good idea to bring some good walking shoes and rain gear, just in case.
Please make sure you bring all the cash you need for the payment of the retreat as well as for any extra snacks or treatments you wish to enjoy. There are no card payment facilities at the centre and the nearest ATM is not convenient to get to.
The feeling in Shambala is that of being a community space, for this reason you will be expected to share a room with a fellow yogi. Unless otherwise stated in your booking, the couples will be placed randomly but of the same gender. This is a wonderful opportunity to have deep connections that could otherwise have never been planned.
At Shambala we have the following types of accommodation:
SoulPad Glamping tent (May – September)
Twin room shared
Triple room shared
4-bed dorm
Bring your own tent (June – August)
Single rooms can be booked with an extra charge when available, please inquire for your retreat. All accommodation has shared showers and bathrooms.
During the summer months, with a few exceptions, we aim at holding paralell retreats. We have two yoga salas and we are used to serving two compatible retreats simultaneously. We feel that this adds to the atmosphere and brings the opportunity for beautiful exchanges between the two groups.
In the winters, we mostly aim at having single retreats.
We have an international group of teachers that come to share their wisdom with us and hence most retreats are held in English. Please check each event page however as there are some exceptions where the retreat is held in Swedish.
We love children and would so like to be able to host parents and young kids.
However, so far it doesn’t work to have young children onsite, and keep the peaceful retreat space that so many need and long for.
This means that courses, unless mentioned, need to be for adults only or for young adults above 12 years old. If the child is taking part on the retreat, they will receive a 30% on the course fee to ease the burden on the parent. Please note that this will need to be agreed with the teacher and will be dealt with case by case.
If the child is not participating on the retreat, they will pay for food and accommodation only, with a 10% discount.
Thank you for your understanding.
At Shambala we aim at having our breakfast in silence, to ease the day in softly. We also hold silence after 22h in the dormitory area.
We love animals. But due to the fact that some people are allergic, we cannot have animals inside the buildings, we discourage guests to bring their own.
To support a calm nervous system, we serve brewed coffee only once a day, during breakfast. If a teacher prefers not to serve coffee during their retreat, we will honor their request.
Please note that even though our intention is to be as gluten free as possible, there may be traces of gluten in the kitchen. Our kitchen should be safe for those that are gluten intolerant, but we cannot guarantee there is no contamination for those that are celiac.
Our kitchen is designed to keep most common allergens away from our ingredients list. However, please let us know in advance if you have any allergic reaction to food. For those with an extended list of allergies, we provide one basic meal each day that consists of steam-boiled vegetables and boiled rice.
We have a lot to offer for you in your spare time.
You can take walks in the forest, take one of our guest bicycles for a ride, take a canoe trip around our late, take a dip in the lake, share silence or an interesting conversation in the electric or wooden floating sauna, read some good books from our library or take a treatment. If you have a car and enough free time in your schedule, you can also visit the nearby spa Färna Härgård (10mins drive).
The journey from Arlanda to Shambala (Skinnskatteberg Station) takes around 3 hours, and it’s quite straightforward. You can search for and purchase tickets at www.sj.se.
Please note that the full train schedule is only available 2-3 weeks before your desired travel dates, so there’s no need to book earlier than that. There are several routes to choose from, and we recommend selecting the one with the shortest travel time and the fewest changes.
As there are no direct trains, you will need to take a combination of trains and/or buses. Once you arrive at Skinnskatteberg Station, we’ll pick you up, and it’s just a 7-minute drive to Shambala.
Unfortunately there isn’t a direct train from Arlanda Airport to Shambala in Skinnskatteberg, but you can easily reach your destination with a combination of trains and/or buses. Here’s one example:
1. Train from Arlanda Airport to Stockholm Central Station:
Take the Arlanda Express or a regional train from Arlanda Airport to Stockholm Central Station. The Arlanda Express is the fastest option, taking about 20 minutes.
2. Train from Stockholm Central Station to Köping or Västerås:
From Stockholm Central, take a train towards either Köping or Västerås. Both cities have connections to Skinnskatteberg.
3. Train from Köping or Västerås to Skinnskatteberg:
Once you arrive in Köping or Västerås, you can take a regional train or a bus to Skinnskatteberg. The journey from Köping takes about 40 minutes, and from Västerås, it takes around 50 minutes.
4. Shuttle to Shambala:
Please let us know your arrival time at least 48 hours in advance, and we will arrange your pickup. This service is free of charge, and the ride takes about 10 minutes.
We can arrange a bus pick up service from Arlanda Airport for large groups at an extra cost. Please inquire with us.
* Large bus (up to 40 people): 7500 sek inc vat
* Small bus (up to 16 people): 5500 sek inc vat