Pirts Practitioner Training in Latvia | Solstice Retreat June 2026

2026 Pirts Experience Retreat in Latvia

June 20-30, 2026 in Gulbene, Latvia

An Immersive Training in Latvian Sauna Tradition

Facilitators: Anrijs and Aija (click to learn more)

Total Estimated Cost: $1,405–$1,950 USD (click for more details)

Rooted in land, season, and embodied care

This Pirts Experience Retreat invites participants into the living lineage of Latvian pirts (sauna) tradition—where healing is relational, seasonal, and deeply grounded in place.

Timed with the summer solstice (Līgo) and Jāņi Dienas celebrations, the retreat bridges ancestral ritual with hands-on professional pirts training. Participants are welcomed into a paced, consent-centered environment that honors rest, presence, and honest communication as essential aspects of practice.

This is not a performance-based retreat. It is an immersion in culture, ethics, and embodied knowledge, guided by experienced Latvian pirts practitioners and held in regions where these traditions remain alive and intact.

A Consent-Based, Relational Container (a message from Aija Harrison, co-host)

You do not have to do anything you do not want to do.

Participants are never forced to engage in activities. You may rest, spend time in nature, change your mind, or choose your level of participation from day to day. All of this is welcome.

If something feels uncomfortable or difficult, participants are encouraged to speak directly with the facilitators right away. Honest communication is valued over politeness. The retreat is designed to be responsive, human, and grounded in care.

Retreat Structure

June 20–23, 2026

Solstice Cultural Immersion

Riga, Sigulda & Rural Latvia (Optional, Strongly Recommended)

The retreat begins with a shared cultural immersion centered on Līgo, one of the most sacred seasonal holidays in Latvian tradition. These days focus on acclimation, relationship-building, song, fire, wreath-making, foodways, and honoring the sun at its peak.

Rather than starting with technique, participants are first grounded in the cosmology, seasonal rhythm, and communal ethics that underpin authentic pirts practice.

June 23–30, 2026

Jāņi Dienas Celebration and Pirts Experience Retreat

Gulbene, Latvia

Following the solstice, the group gathers in Gulbene, a region known for strong pirts heritage. Here, participants start with a traditional celebration of Jāņi Dienas and then enter an intensive, four-day pirts experience immersion led by Aija and Anrijs.

Training includes:

Foundations of Latvian pirts philosophy and ethics
Preparation of space, fire, water, and plant allies
Birch whisk (vībotnes) knowledge and use
Practitioner presence, pacing, and client care
Safety, consent, and embodied awareness
Sound bath and integration practices
Some separate women’s teachings within the mixed-gender container

All sessions are offered in English. All genders are welcome.

Who This Retreat Is For

This retreat is well-suited for:

Sauna and bodywork practitioners seeking lineage-based training
Cultural practitioners and ritual leaders
Healers, facilitators, and guides working with embodied practices
Those called to learn pirts within its cultural and seasonal context

No prior pirts training is required. Participants should arrive with respect for cultural lineage, land-based knowledge, and embodied learning.

Dates & Location

June 20–30, 2026

Riga • Sigulda • Gulbene, Latvia

Registration & Practical Details

A $100 USD deposit is due by April 15, 2026 to secure your place. Final balances will be confirmed once accommodations are finalized.

Estimated Costs for Solstice Immersion (June 20–23, 2026)

The Solstice immersion in Riga and Sigulda is optional and will be booked separately with Maija’s guidance (she has reserved a block of rooms). To support your planning, we estimate that three nights (shared accommodations), daily meals, local transportation between Riga and Sigulda, and modest entrance fees for cultural sites will range between €450–€850 EUR (approximately $500–$925 USD), depending on your lodging preference (shared vs. private room), personal meal choices, and participation in optional excursions.

Pirts Experience Retreat (June 23–29, 2026)

The retreat fee is €720 EUR cash, which includes lodging, meals, and facilitation fees for the duration of the retreat. Additional, optional reciprocity offerings will be welcomed.

Return to Riga (June 29-30, 2026)

For participants returning to Riga following the retreat in Gulbene, we estimate an additional €120–€220 EUR for the afternoon and evening of June 29. This estimate includes: a seat in a shared passenger van from Gulbene to Riga, one night of lodging in Riga (shared accommodation) and dinner.

Full schedule, travel guidance, and payment details are provided upon registration. Travelers should plan on arriving in Riga by no later than Saturday, June 20, 2026, and to depart anytime on Tuesday, June 30,2026.

For those who plan to join for one portion of the retreat, please make a note of this in your registration form when you submit your deposit and Maija will reach out to you to discuss.

Total Estimated ~

€1,290–€1,790 EUR

Approx. $1,405–$1,950 USD

USD conversions are estimates based on recent exchange rates and may vary slightly at the time of payment.

An Invitation

“This retreat is spacious, relational, and real. It honors both ancestral Latvian pirts lineage and modern realities of bodies, boundaries, and learning styles. You are welcome exactly as you are.” - Aija Harrison

Registration Form & Deposit Payment

A $100 USD deposit is due by April 15, 2026 to secure your place. Final balances will be confirmed once accommodations are finalized. Use the form below to register and pay the $100 deposit to save your spot.

Meet The Facilitators

Maija West

Building a culture of trust, by following the lead of matriarchs and peacemakers

Maija is a dual citizen of Latvia and the United States. Her practices are related to her heritage on my mother's side and are beginning to also be influenced by the pre-Germanic roots of her father's side. Her mother's name is Laima Danilovs and she fled the occupation of Latvia by the Russians and Germans during WWII and settled in California with her family as a displaced person. Her mother's people come from near the Gauja River and the Aloja region north of Cēsis. The Latvians are land-based people who have survived 800 years of occupation, and make up five different Peoples.

She is currently living as a settler on the unceded lands of the Salinan, Chalon and Ohlone Peoples in California, in the United States. She is passionate to share what she has learned about her own cultural recovery for those who may benefit.

As the founder and managing partner of Matriarch Makeover, she champions women’s voices, believing that women’s leadership is vital in shaping the future. Her journey has also led to my lifelong commitment to bridging divides, strengthening communication, and creating spaces where transformation can take root.

Aija Harrison

Body de-armouring, pirts rituāli, apmācības, mandalas, veseluma atgūšana

Aija is learning how to live life easier, happier, healthier embracing self-discovery and self-growth. Aija’s passion is a Pirts (Latvian sauna) ritual, when the individuals can slow down and reconnect with their body. Her guided ritual is powerful, deep, nourishing and subtle at the same time. Aija is dedicated to help making the connection between mind and heart, to connect with themselves and the world, to activate the life force energy, to dive into the depths of their own awareness that may never have been, empowering people to reconnect with their inner strength.

Aija is passionate about the transformative power of Body De-armouring as well. With a focus on presence and deep connection, her guided de-armouring session allows people to express themselves, vulnerability, release the emotional armor held in the body for years and years bringing back inner peace, freedom and self love.

Anrijs Tamisārs

Anrijs is a certified Latvian pirts master with formal medical training, bringing together traditional Baltic sauna practice and a strong foundation in human physiology and health. His work is rooted in classical Latvian pirts protocols, which approach the sauna as a structured, intentional practice supporting physical recovery, nervous system regulation, and emotional well-being.

With training in anatomy, circulation, respiratory health, and thermoregulation, Anrijs applies a medically informed lens to heat exposure, breathwork, and pacing—prioritizing participant safety, consent, and individualized care. He works with traditional slotas (birch and oak whisks), herbal infusions, and guided rest to support detoxification, musculoskeletal release, and deep relaxation.

Anrijs is known for his calm, attentive facilitation style and his ability to adapt the pirts experience for a wide range of participants, including those new to sauna practice. His approach balances evidence-informed health principles with cultural fidelity, ensuring that the pirts is offered respectfully, responsibly, and in alignment with its Latvian origins.

He regularly works in retreat, educational, and small-group settings, offering a grounded and professionally held experience that supports restoration, resilience, and embodied well-being.