Yoga teacher: Matilde Wergeland - Holistic health expert, Pilates & yoga teacher

Tell us a little about yourself Matilde!

I’m Matilde, a Swedish-Norwegian yogi from Sweden’s west coast, but currently living in Stockholm after having lived abroad for many years (I’ve previously lived in London, Paris, Sydney, and New York). I love Sweden, but also have a passion for travelling and exploring our beautiful world. Being able to follow and honor my passions is something that is very important to me, so I have worked really hard to be able to include them in my lifestyle and in my job. In addition to traveling, I also love pretty much everything within health and wellness, which has resulted in educations within yoga, Pilates, barre, health coaching, sound healing, reiki, and hypnosis.

I consider myself (and often hear that I am) a very calm and grounded person, yet I am quite fiery and love to get things done (I am an Aries). Therefore, I can’t really pick one type of yoga practice I love the most, and would say that both yin and vinyasa are my favorites! I discovered yoga when I was 14 years old and needed a complement to the running and soccer I was doing a lot of back then. I really loved it but fell out of practice during high school. Then, when I moved to New York, I found a wonderful studio I went to several times a week, so I picked up the routine again. I took my teacher training a few years ago and am so happy to be able to include yoga in my work today since I love it – both the philosophy and history around it, as well as the asanas and the physical practice.

You run several wellness projects, please introduce us to them.

Of course! I have worked in the publishing industry since 2015 when I got my first job out of university, which was at Vogue in New York. Today, I contribute as a freelance writer to Vogue Scandinavia and Hip & Healthy, where I write articles within health and travel. I am so thankful for this project since I love to write!

In addition to that, I work with a company I started last year with my friend Rosanna, which is an education center within Reiki, called In Spirit Reiki. We host reiki trainings throughout the year, which has been both incredibly fun and rewarding! Reiki is definitely something that is growing a lot, and we have had so many applications (I believe it is over 100 now) since we started, not even a year ago.

Lastly, I have also quite recently launched an online membership platform, called The Retreat, where members can get access to content within holistic health. The aim is to inspire my members to create sustainable and healthy routines, as well as making wellness something enjoyable we want to include more often in our lives, such as experiencing retreats.

What is your driving force to start and run these businesses?

I have had to gone through some very difficult events and times in my life, and turning to these practices within holistic health have always helped me so much. Not just helped and got me “back on track”, but also transformed me and helped me live a better life than before the difficulty. Therefore, I really want to share these practices and tools with others since I believe we are many that need them and could benefit so much from them. Not only when things are tough, but in our everyday life. Additionally, like I’ve mentioned, these are also things I really love and enjoy doing, so spending my days working with all these things create so much joy within me as well.

Have you figured out yet what really makes your heart tick in business, you know when you forget that you actually work? 

Yes, when I am creative and when I write, as well as when I practice yoga or any other form of physical activity.

What is your latest business The Retreat about?

It is a membership platform where you get to explore content within holistic health, such as videos of meditations, yoga, and Pilates, journaling exercises, examples of rituals (morning- and evening rituals, full moon ritual, etc.), healthy recipes, self-care practices, and manifestation tools. You can also book reiki- and hypnosis treatments as well as live classes and events on the site, and there is also a curated shop. My aim is to make a holistic lifestyle more easily accessible, sustainable, as well as enjoyable, and inspire my members to use the content to create healthy routines as well as create their own retreats anywhere and anytime. For example, either taking time for themselves during a day or maybe even a weekend, or gather friends and family and include all these tools and practices in their own retreats.

Have you always been interested in health and wellness, how did you end up as a yoga teacher, holistic health coach and even reiki and hypnosis facilitator?

Yes, health has always been a passion of mine and I just love to learn as much as I can within this field. I was a very active kid and tried almost every sport there is. Spirituality and practices like hypnosis and energy work have also always fascinated me so these are definitely true passions. However, it took a few years to stop listening to what others told me was a “real” and “successful” occupation and path in life. I’ve always loved to study and when things went well in school for me as a kid, I had a lot of pressure put on me to become something that society and people around me considered to be the “best” type of job. However, I then realized that the only thing that matters is that you enjoy what you do – that is what I believe is going to make us happy, which is success according to me.

What wellness and yoga products do you use in your daily life?

I have Yogiraj’s wool mat, bolster, and meditation cushion in my living room. They have become their own piece of furniture and I love that yoga corner. I also have the Organic Premium Mat and Natural Studio Mat (this is also the mat I always travel with) underneath the wool mat, so I can do my yoga or Pilates practice there as well. I also love the massage ball from Yogiraj – it is amazing when any muscle is sore! In addition to those yoga products, my entire home is filled with crystals, superfood powders, scented candles, incenses, essential oils, singing bowls, books within health and spirituality, as well as a couple of buddha statues! But what I use the most is probably candles, incenses, and room sprays. Scents are very important to me and I genuinely feel good when my home smells good.

You travel frequently to different countries. What is your favourite places/countries to go to for yoga?

The best yoga classes I’ve tried have been on Ibiza, Mallorca, as well as in Cape Town and New York. I like going to studios in cities, but also love to do yoga out in nature.

What is your idea of a perfect weekend?

The perfect weekend would start on a Friday afternoon where I would, after having been quite productive during the day, be able to both work out and rest. I would then enjoy some delicious food, followed by tea and chocolate covered goji berries (my all-time favorite snacks). The weather would ideally be warm and sunny, so the evening would be spent outside with friends, talking and drinking tea with lots of candles. The weekend would then continue to include the elements of both physical activity and rest. Preferably yoga in the morning, and then maybe a long walk, in the afternoon, in addition to reading in the sun or enjoying some self-care, like a bath or a massage. Delicious food is also very important.

I realize now that this is exactly like a retreat with friends, hence, my idea of a perfect weekend is actually to enjoy a retreat with people I love, like the idea with my platform, The Retreat.

Your best five in life (anything goes!)

1. Chocolate covered goji berries
2. Yoga and other physical activities
3. Reading a really good book
4. Swimming in the ocean
5. Music

Motto or wise words to live by? 

I really like the serenity prayer and believe it is a good reminder I often think about:

“Grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, The courage to accept the things that I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.”

If you wish to know more about Matilde and her retreats please visit healthbym-theretreat.com @healthbym