Love for Asahi in the heart of Slovenia!
Margaret Vainio 
Teaching Asahi as an ERASMUS+ lecturer at the Maribor Vocational College for Hospitality and Tourism where wellness and sustainability are core values
Jernej, who was student host for the Tuesday press conference by the door of the Vocational School
The Maribor Vocational College for Hospitality and Tourism really knows what hospitality means! I got pampered in many ways during my stay: a relaxing massage, a luscious lunch of asparagus soup and spelt risotto garnished with pickled white radish slices - new experiences for me. But that wasn't the main point of the visit to Slovenia. This story starts three years ago:
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Two women from Maribor, who were already trained forest bathing leaders, also became interested in Asahi and signed up for the online Asahi training. In a blog interview, which you can read here, Jasna Markuš and Jerneja Lešnik Cotza tell what it is about what inspired them to become Asahi teachers. Jerneja taught some Asahi sessions to her students at the Vocational College last year, and Jasna started a group for seniors more than a year ago, which we will hear more about later on in this blog. Jasna and Jerneja, together with Mihaela Škrlj Brglez formed a non-profit organization named Zavod ENO. The abbreviation ENO stands for "Education, Nature, and Relationships." The word ENO also means "unity" in Slovenian, and happens to be "one" spelled backwards. And unity is their mission. Zavod ENO embraces the Asahi practice because it is accessible to people of all ages and in all states of health. They also appreciate that Asahi is ecological and sustainable and can be done out in nature with no extra equipment.
A DREAM COME TRUE
These women's strong desire to have an Asahi head trainer come to Maribor lined up with my dream to return to Slovenia someday, and finally this became possible in May when another Asahi workshop was requested in southern Austria. All three enrolled in Asahi Nordic online training courses. Jasna and Jerneja completed their B-level advanced training and Mihaela completed the C-level beginning training before I arrived. On Sunday we had a chance to review the course materials together.
THE THREE-DAY ERASMUS+ PROGRAM
Thirty-five students from the Maribor Vocational College for Hospitality and Tourism participated in a three-day introductory course in Asahi, which was made possible by a grant from the European Union educational exchange program ERASMUS+. Mihaela and the Zavod ENO planned and carried out the project beautifully in cooperation with the Director Mojca Polak, the ERASMUS coordinator Mitja Petelin, and the sports teacher Tatjana Klakocar from the Vocational College.
Anja, a Vocational College student, was my personal translator for the whole three days. She did a wonderful job!
The first day, Monday, was an introduction to Asahi Series One, plus information about Asahi's health benefits and history. The students were especially interested in applications of Asahi, such as the Wellness Tours that the Asahi Nordic Association organizes yearly for its members. You can read more in the Asahi Nordic May 2025 Newsletter for a report on the most recent Wellness Trip to Athens. These Asahi membership tours combine wellbeing and tourism, both important topics of study at the vocational college.
Students practicing the 3rd module for the lower back and legs.
The students were divided into groups and each group was assigned one of the four modules of Asahi to prepare and present to the rest of the class. All the groups had a chance to practice demonstrating the moves at the end of the lesson.
After the first day at the Vocational College, Mihaela took me on an afternoon hike up to the top of one of the vineyard-covered hillsides overlooking the city where there used to be a castle. A shrine to Virgin Mary is at the very top of the hill, which has a bell to ring. The local people say if you make a wish and ring the bell, the wish will come true. It is usually a beautiful spot to get a grand view of the city, but this time there was a thick layer of fog. But the moisture in the air enriches the oxygen content, so we had a very healthy hike!
A class photo with teachers Mihaela Škrlj Brglez and Tatjana Klakocar.
Tuesday the students participated in a press conference about Asahi, which was held at the Vocational College. A student graduating from the Wellness Department, Jernej Erjavec, did a great job of planning, organizing and running the press conference as his final school project. The speakers in addition to me were VSGT Director, and two teachers from the school, Mihaela and Tatjana. At the end of my comments, I presented the school library with a copy of the book "Asahi - the Nordic Health Practice."
The plan was to go to a nearby park for an outdoor Asahi practice, but since it was raining, we held the practice right in the lecture hall. Afterwards, the press representatives interviewed both Mihaela and me personally and we did take a quick photo in the park with the students, despite the rainy, cold weather. An article about Asahi appeared immediately on the newspaper's webpage and in the print version the next day.
Out on a rainy day to get at least one outdoor photo for the press!
That evening we got to visit the home of one of the founding members of the Zavod ENO NGO, Jerneja Lešnik Cotza, who is on maternity leave from the Vocational School at the moment. Her Sardinian husband prepared a wonderful pasta delicacy for us. There I had the honor of presenting them with their Asahi instructor diplomas. We discussed future plans for another ERASMUS + project for next year, possibly including other smaller European countries such as Estonia, for example. We also weighed the possibility of publishing materials in the Slovenian language, possibly the 22-page Asahi brochure before attempting to translate the whole Asahi guidebook.
Slovenia's top-notch Asahi teachers, Jasna, Mihaela and Jerneja
Wednesday morning we met at the UNIFIT gym at the foot of the grand Pohorje mountain with the Vocational College students for a final review of Series One. Then it was the students' turn, group by group, to present an Asahi module to the rest of the class. All the presentations went well! The students had embodied the principles of going slowly, combining the slow movements with the breath, paying attention to body alignment, paying attention to the chain of joints, moving in spirals, and staying in the flow. Many even seemed to be enjoying Asahi's mindfulness aspects.
The UNIFIT gym on the outskirts of Maribor, where Jasna teaches Asahi to seniors every Wednesday.
At 10 am Jasna's regular senior group came for their weekly practice. Many of them had been in the group since the start. It was obvious that they have a great teacher, since everyone moved so gracefully and executed the moves with care.
Mihaela led a panel discussion on what exercise means to senior and to students
At 11 am the students joined the seniors in the practice room to listen to a panel discussion with representatives from the senior group and the student group. Each panel member shared what kinds of exercise they do, why exercise is important to them and what keeps them motivated to exercise. The seniors got good tips from the younger generation, and vice versa!
Wednesday afternoon Jasna took me on a great hike up the back way to the first level of the ski slopes on Pohorje mountain. Again, the weather was a little overcast, but still it was a beautiful view of the city of Maribor below.
Asahi B-instructor Jasna Markuš was my guide up to the first level of the ski slopes on Pohorje
Thursday provided one last opportunity to discuss in person possible future projects with two members of the NGO Zavod ENO as they drove me closer to my next destination in Austria. (You will hear more about my Austrian adventures in the next blogpost) Just that morning in the hotel in Maribor, I met a Turkish man who organizes international ERASMUS+ educational exchanges, so he may be a good reference person as plans move forward.
Jasna and Jerneja flying the Finnish flag, since Asahi was developed in Finland...
The only place I had visited in Slovenia previously was Bled, which is a very picturesque place. Maribor was equally beautiful. It has a long and rich history displaying many architectural styles and an abundance of lush parks full of chestnuts and many very old trees. At the same time, it is a very progressive city with projects to promote sustainability. One project along the riverside is reinstating native plant species to the city by planting them along the riverside. A bicycle trail that stretches from Slovenia's Croatian all the way to the Austrian border crosses through Maribor. The city seems to empty out on the weekends, because so many people like to get out biking or hiking in nature!
A view across the Drava River, which flows through Maribor's center
Trips like these don't end when you leave the country. On the contrary, now all kinds of new ideas have begun to take sprout and grow. We will be hearing more from Slovenia soon, I am sure!
Displaying the Slovenian t-shirt, and the children's book by Jasna Markuš that I was given. Slovenia is a land of hospitality, indeed!
Categories: : Asahi & ERASMUS+, Asahi and Nature, Asahi Around the World, Asahi keeps you young, Asahi Nordic for All, Asahi Throughout the Day, Asahi vs. Stress, Forest Bathing, Slovenia