Mindful Travel

This mindful meditation offers travelers present moment awareness throughout life's journeys. Guided awareness to breath, body and thoughts allowing for grounding and curious exploration of the habits of the mind and body during travel. Recommended for any meditator traveling, preparing to travel or welcoming themselves home again.

Transcript

Welcome to a mindful meditation for travel. As we set times to leave our routine and embark on travel and vacations, This meditation seeks to continue in a mindful way, Starting with the sound of the bell, Letting the sound signify a shift into being, Bringing attention to the breath as the body settles into stillness. Perhaps the mind is jumping from thought to thought, Or maybe you're pulled to the next thing on your to-do list for your upcoming journey. Maybe you're in the midst of your journey and the brain is quite excitable. Or perhaps you're returning back and rehashing all that was, Just noticing the habit of the brain, The habit of the mind now, And then gently bringing your attention to the breath. When you are in your home routine, Maybe this process seemed a bit easier. In the midst of change, It can be difficult to return to this breath, This moment, Noticing the quality of this transition for you, And seeing if you can do so without judgment, Befriending the process. And as you come to the breath, Maybe noticing the rhythm, The intensity, Maybe even the depth of your breath in this moment. Taking a learning approach to dropping into your body during these times of change and seeing what's here. Being curious and investigating to learn what happens during these transitions. And maybe even taking a few deeper breaths to soothe and maybe exhaling with an intentional release, Knowing this breath, This body is going through the change with you. Even if travel is welcomed, It's still a change. Opening now from the focus on the breath to include focus, Expanding awareness to the whole body as it's here now. Doing this by either going to an area that is most calling your attention or maybe scanning the body, Starting with the feet, Looking ahead at your own pace. Again, Exploring the sensations that are present in the body during times of transition. There may be familiar or unfamiliar tightnesses, Tensions, Maybe a sense of release or comfort. Perhaps this travel is restorative and there are areas of the body that recognize this. Exploring the body now as a way of listening. No response needed. A quiet curiosity for all that is carried here in the body. Where is the mind now? It's traveled away from the body. From the sensations in the body, Gently asking it to return. Knowing that this body will go or has gone on this journey with you and often will have a story to tell. Bringing to your awareness there's a heaviness or depletion in the body, Cultivating a kindness toward the body as it is now. Noticing if there's an enrichment in the body, A sense of recovery or gratitude for the rest provided during this journey. The body has a neutral tone, Neither depleted or restored. No right answer here, Just noticing. Moving now from attention on the body to focus on the thoughts. And as you bring attention to your thoughts, You may notice some loudness or chaos or maybe even some scattering of the thoughts when attention is brought to them. It's all okay. As the thoughts come in and go or scatter or all chatter together, Maybe imagining these thoughts as a waterfall and watching from somewhere behind the waterfall as the thoughts come and go, Cascading. No need to change the waterfall of thought here during times of transition and travel. Maybe this waterfall is a trickle. Maybe it's a raging waterfall or something in between. Seeing if you can be with the waterfall of your thoughts without judgment, Just noticing the way in which your thoughts are here with you now, Showing up and falling away. You find yourself underneath this waterfall of thoughts being battered by thought after thought after thought. Imagine taking a step backward and allowing that waterfall of thought to drop in front of you. Maybe even physically leaning back a bit if that feels right to you. There are so many plans and ideas and thoughts in trips and journeys. Spending some time here noticing the habits of your mind with this waterfall of thought. Taking an approach of equanimity, Not seeking to shut off the thought or change it, But just noticing and curiously exploring. When you feel ready, Shifting attention from the thoughts back to the breath, Noticing the quality of the breath now. Maybe feeling the breath as it enters, Coolness in the throat, Expansion of the chest, The belly, Slight pause and a contraction in the belly, Chest, Warmness in the throat and the nostrils, Maybe even a slight sense of the breath on the upper lip. If it feels right to you, Practicing some body breathing, Inhaling the air through the body all the way to the soles of the feet. Then imagining exhaling from the soles of the feet, The legs, Torso, Arms, Neck and head and out through the crown of the head. Inhaling back through the crown of the head all the way down through the body, Soles of the feet and exhaling from the soles of the feet back out through the crown of the head. This body breathing all the way to the soles of the feet and from the soles of the feet back out through the crown of the head as if every cell in the body is breathing. If you're selecting body breathing, Imagine inhaling to every cell, Organ, Bone in the body and exhaling, Releasing anything that's no longer needed. Using the breath to wash the body. Taking our last body breaths here and shifting now into feeling the breath in the body where you feel it the most. And maybe if you'd like sensing into the heart center, You might even feel your heart beating. Taking a moment to acknowledge this journey that you are about to take or maybe are in the middle of or perhaps could be in the middle of coming to the end of this travel. This heart, This breath goes with you. Maybe in times during this journey when you're seeking to be present, Coming back to this breath or this felt sense of your heart beating to remind yourself this is now. Seeking to be present on a journey is important. It allows for sensing into each stage and recognizing what's happening now. Maybe taking a moment here in gratitude for choosing during this time of change to enrich yourself in this way, To really listen to what is happening in the mind and the body as you journey in your life. Maybe saying to yourself, Bon voyage or right here or welcome home. Maybe you can hear from my environment a plane taking off right on time. The sound of the bell.