Mindful travel is a practice that brings mindfulness practice into local or global travel experiences for greater awareness and presence. When we travel with mindfulness, we are able to be more present in our moment to moment experience. In being more present, we can observe the details of a place and our internal landscape in response to a place.
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. –Confucius
Whether you’re traveling across city, state or country borders or traveling across the street to your neighbor’s house or the local park, you can encourage a more wholesome experience by traveling mindfully.
As you travel from place to place, try to pay attention not only to the details of your outer experience but to the details of your direct experience internally. Try noticing the sensations, feelings and thoughts that arise with an attitude of nonjudgmental awareness and kindness.
If kindness toward yourself or another feels difficult, try cultivating an inner state of lovingkindness and compassion by recollecting a moment in which you previously felt compassion and then concentrating your attention on this felt sense of compassion. Now imagine this energy of compassion moving out of you from all directions, North, South, East, West, above and below.
As you to engage in mindful travel today, whether internationally or in your own neighborhood, try approaching your experience and those whom you encounter with nonjudgmental awareness and kindness. Try to notice the beauty around you and inside of you. Try being kind to yourself and the people you encounter. And remember, what we rest our attention on grows.
Jen Johnson is a mindfulness teacher, coach, and therapist teaching meditation for healing, creativity, and resilience. To learn more about mindfulness, register for Jen Johnson’s MBSR online course (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction)