Our place
Red Ladder Studio - Creative retreats in the beautiful countryside of southern Sweden
Red Ladder Studio is a lovingly tended house and garden in southern Sweden, where Dharma practice and creativity meet. Here, meditation sits alongside qigong, writing, and making — mornings begin in the meditation tent and unfold over long brunches under the pergola, before moving into deep Dharma study together. Evenings wind down with simple rituals and a woodfired sauna. It's a place to slow down, be nourished, and explore your practice — whether that's meditation, movement, or making — in good company.
See our 2027 programme here
“I love the peace of the beautiful surroundings and nature. The food was prepared with love and was consistently delicious, healthy and nourishing. The program was well balanced between meditation and teachings on the theme, wonderful qigong, and gardening practices, with a woodfired sauna as a relaxation each evening. Come!! It was so welcoming, a wonderful opportunity to meet and connect with others who are interested in deepening their Buddhist practice in a beautiful environment — and it was so easy to get to Sweden.”
The Venue
Red Ladder Studio is our retreat centre in the south of Sweden.
The property spans nearly two acres, with mature trees, a formal flower garden, a vegetable garden and a small patch of woodland. We’re surrounded by open fields — in summer you’ll often see horses grazing nearby, and occasionally a few curious cows.
Accommodation
The Main House sleeps three guests, with one twin room and one single.
The Guesthouse sleeps three, with one single and two loft beds.
The Bell Tent for those who enjoy being a little closer to nature, there will also be a bell tent tucked into the garden. It sleeps two in real beds with warm bedding and a view over the fields.
Meditation space
We’ve opted to create our meditation space in a large domed tent to be closer to nature. It has a wood burning stove and is kitted out with wool rugs, chairs, mats, cushions and blankets, but feel free to bring your own meditation gear.
A Treat for the Body
We believe a retreat should nourish both body and mind. In the evenings, guests can unwind in our small wood-fired sauna.
All retreats will offer optional guided qigong sessions, and there’s space and equipment available for yoga practice.
Food
We are passionate about good food — food that’s traditional, seasonal, and wherever possible, local and organic. All meals are cooked for you and will be simple but full of flavour and nourishment.
Our menu is vegetarian, with dairy and eggs, and we're happy to cater for vegans with advance notice. Due to the size of our kitchen, we're not able to accommodate other dietary requirements or allergies — if you're unsure whether this works for you, do get in touch before booking.
Work
We’ll create the retreat together and will ask for help with doing the dishes and some light cleaning. We’re also grateful for any help in the garden, the opportunity will be there on all our retreats for those of you who like to get your hands in the earth.
A typical day on retreat:
7.30 Meditation
9.00 Qigong, intro to the day's theme, and led meditation
11.00 The Big Brunch
12.30–2.30 Dharma teaching and meditation
Free time / meditation
5.00 Work period
6.00 Dinner
7.30 Evening activity
8.45 Closing ritual
The day begins either with a collective meditation or with open practice: time to design your own — whether that's meditation, walking meditation, writing, or bodywork. From there we move into qigong. Over the week you'll learn a flow, a sequence of movements to take home with you. Then comes led meditation, with an introduction to the day's theme.
Next is the big brunch: home-baked bread, eggs, cheese, kimchi, fruit, nuts, yogurt and kefir. Each day looks a little different, depending on what's in season and what we've been inspired to make.
Then it's the main teaching session. Depending on the theme, this might involve reflection, meditation or creative practice, with time built in for both meditation and discussion.
Afternoons are free to do what feels good to you — rest, go for a walk, or use the meditation space for your own practice.
Before dinner we come together for a work period: the small jobs that keep the community running, plus care of the garden. Cooking, though, is taken care of for you.
In the evening we gather for a leisurely dinner, followed by an evening activity, and close the day with a short ritual.
Book a place on one of our 2027 retreats
This year, each retreat has space for 8 participants.
Take a tour
The first is a garden tour taken in July 2026, suffering a little from the drought but still beautiful.
In the second video you take a tour of the main house and garden house as they were set up for our first ever retreat.
More videos coming soon!
“I had the best of times at this boutique retreat centre, where the meals were wonderful, the Dharma teaching was very moving, and I could share a beautiful room with my partner. The idyllic setting in the Swedish countryside and the expertly guided meditations led to very absorbed sits. The small group and the wise, engaging Dharma teaching resulted in profoundly transforming conversations and learning. Starting the day led in qigong movement symbolised how well the group was held throughout the retreat, and there were rewarding opportunities to review my practice with Vajradarshini and Dhammasiri, which I deeply appreciated. It was a relatively easy and low-cost trip to get to the centre, and we were able to take a few days’ holiday in sunny, cool Southern Sweden after the retreat.”