What is Mindful Travel and how can it change your life?
Mindful travel - It’s about what you carry home with you
Recently, I was interviewed by Caroline Howley of National World, who asked me about Mindful Travel and how it can change our lives. I share about my upcoming retreats and how, if you feel that you desperately need a holiday to reset, that mindful travel may just be the ticket!
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“A lot of people will go on holiday because they need to decompress, destress, and then come back recharged in order to go again. That’s quite revealing - the idea we need to get away from our life in order to come back and deal with it.”
I’m chatting to Briony Gunson, mindset coach, breathwork facilitator, and meditation teacher, who runs retreats both in the UK and internationally.
I want to find out more about mindful travel; it’s not a type of travel I’ve ever deliberately embarked on, but - like many people - over the past few years I’ve been craving distance from screens and more time spent in nature. So how does mindful travel differ from a standard holiday? And what do its devotees get out of it?
“Mindfulness is all about dropping into the present moment and being here now with whatever’s unfolding,” Briony explains. “Sometimes it can be tricky to see with new eyes when you’re in the same environment day in, day out, with similar pressures, in the same routines.”
“This is where mindfulness and travel go so well together - when we shift our external environment, that can support a shift in our internal environment, our emotional and mental state.”
The disconnection from the daily grind offered by mindfulness retreats can be like a breath of fresh air, Briony says, and gives attendees the opportunity to think about what they may want or need to change in their lives.
“What about our lives is so draining or challenging?” she asks. “Mindfulness in beautiful environments, spending quality time with like-minded people who are asking similar questions about life, can support people in feeling more connected and less alone in their struggles.
“It is so healing to spend time in community - especially over a meal after a long hike or sitting around a roaring fire to warm up after a lake swim - and to share our stories. Ideally, retreat attendees carry home a fresh awareness and the motivation to integrate learnings and make meaningful shifts in their lives."
Reconnecting to the nature of our bodies
Briony began running mindfulness retreats inspired by her passion for connecting with others through healing work and personal development, and a deep love for nature. Nature, she says, is the perfect setting for this work.
“Creating safe and loving spaces in nature allows people to drop deep into their experiences. Nature can be there to hold space for us too, to allow us to have very frank and vulnerable conversations. The softening and decompression that occurs in natural settings gives our nervous systems a chance to shift out of fight-flight, and reconnect with our animal bodies.”
Historically, Briony’s retreats have revolved around the theme of ‘create your own reality’ - a combination of meditation, breathwork and mindset workshops.
At retreats in North Wales, there were barefoot hikes and waterfall dips, and group meals which practised mindful eating, with a chef to explain the seasonal and local elements of the plate. A seven-day retreat in the Mayan jungle in Mexico earlier this year focused on breathwork, meditation, and trauma processing, with daily workshops diving into different topics.
Coming up in July 2023 is a rewilding retreat in Cornwall, where participants will stay in yurts by the coast and spend time practising breathwork and surfing. “You need to be in your body and present while surfing, it's more of a feeling process than a thinking process,” Briony explains. Later this year, she will co-lead a US mindfulness retreat aimed at entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, a second ‘Awakening Through Trauma’ retreat is scheduled for Barcelona in May, where horses involved in equine therapy will be part of breathwork sessions.
“That’s gonna be a really special experience,” Briony says. “Many animals - in particular ones we’ve evolved alongside and had close relationships with for thousands of years - communicate on an emotional level with us. It can be a powerful partnership.”
Check out this Instagram Reel showing a breathwork session Keli Carpenter lead with horses in B.C. Canada.
Mexico Breathwork, Somatic Movement and Trauma Processing Retreat with Keli Carpenter and Briony Gunson
What does Briony hope attendees will take home from the retreats?
“It depends on the individual, but hopefully people feel a renewed sense of self, greater clarity on where they’re at in their life, and the ability to feel confident about the next steps they want to take. I don't want people to have a peak experience, where they’re like ‘that was great’ but nothing really changes in their life,” she explains.
Connection to nature and mindfulness are experiences that should be accessible to everyone, Briony emphasises, noting she has been running local workshops for years.
“If you can’t get abroad, there’s plenty in the UK, from Cornwall and Wales to the Lakes and the Peaks. I’ve even done a meditation walk in a park in Manchester. Think about what nature is accessible to you - preferably a big open space - whether a local park or a short train ride somewhere green. Consider joining a hiking group, or a cold water swimming group.”
One important thing to remember when embarking on a retreat is not using it to run away from your day-to-day life, Briony says.
“You may need a break in the moment, but if we’re habitually running away from our lives, realise this: you take the same you everywhere you go. Mindful travel can provide a space for people to get clear on what they feel they need to run away from, have the courage to lean into the deeper reasons on why that is - and then free themselves from that.”
“After all, everywhere you go, there you are”.
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DO YOU WANT TO WORK WITH ME?
I got a whole bunch of tasty things coming up, and ways you and I can explore life together! Check out my events page and what’s coming up below.
Breathwork + embodiment workshop - 5-9pm BST Saturday 6th May 2023 - if you are feeling stuck or needing support in your life right now but don’t know where to start, this workshop is going to be a great support for you! Join me + Keli Carpenter for this free online training: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/how-to-embody-the-inner-work-instead-of-just-processing-it-tickets-410989690227
Breathwork [subscription]: I am launching a subscription soon, so you can take part in regular online breathwork with me. Keep your eyes peeled for email updates on that!
Mindset + Business Coaching: My 1:1 coaching supports you through career transformations, leveling up your income and healing your money stories so you break the cycles of your finances being in a state of fight-flight. Get in touch! ♡
“Awakening Through Trauma” Retreat: Barcelona, May 2023 - (5 Days) - after a roaring success in Mexico, Keli Carpenter and I will be hosting this retreat again! You can be held by us in this transformational 5-day retreat in Barcelona, Spain. Secure your spot here for CAD$3,300 (roughly £2,050) What can you experience at our retreat? Check out a video of our Mexico retreat we just hosted here!
Surfing + Rewilding Retreat: 4th - 9th July 2023 - (5 Days) - £825 in Newquay, Cornwall. I’m hosting breathwork sessions during this amazing, all inclusive breathwork, yoga and surfing retreat! Check out the details and get your ticket here: https://www.rewildingsurfretreats.com/retreats
