Journaling to Enrich Your Journeys

Journaling to Enrich Your Journeys

Jun 30, 2022 | Mindfulness

Journaling to Enrich Your Journeys
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The Power of Journaling

Research shows that journaling can ease anxiety, increase emotional intelligence and even strengthen the immune system. If nothing else, I’d say that’s a pretty persuasive argument for developing a journaling practice, but there is really so much more to it than that, and the power of journaling goes far beyond those benefits mentioned. Journaling allows us to enrich our inner and outer journeys by helping us create a record of the present and make sense of the past, while also holding space for our dreams of the future. That makes for a pretty powerful tool in our arsenal of self-discovery and self-awareness.

Perhaps unexpectedly, journaling can be a powerful tool for meditation. It’s a way to engage in a more active form of meditation, as we anchor our thoughts into the pages of a journal, giving us a tangible representation of the feelings, beliefs and patterns that we live our lives by. Having this physical expression of our innermost landscape before us can create an opportunity to go deeper, develop greater insight into ourselves and, perhaps, use that new knowledge to make the changes we wish to see in our lives. Getting our thoughts and feelings out of our minds and onto the page is also a way to unburden ourselves and helps to create space within for flashes of inspiration or bursts of creativity that might otherwise be lost in the melee of our brains.

 

 

Journaling ritual


These days I’ve developed a pretty consistent journaling ritual.

My Journaling Journey

I recall how thrilling it was to receive my first diary when I was a child. It was one of those “secret” diaries that had its own key and everything, and the suggestion that I, at such a young age, would have secrets important enough to keep hidden from others’ prying eyes was the epitome of excitement. I don’t remember if I ever actually used those secret diaries or if just the idea of it is what made them so coveted, but as I got a bit older I do remember starting to journal in regular old notebooks (for some reason, not so worried about those prying eyes anymore). As I became a preteen, journaling turned into a crucial companion on my journey into teenagedom and continued to be so as I journeyed into adulthood.

My high school years were some of my most prolific journaling years and although I seem to have gotten rid of most of my journals from those days somewhere along the line – nobody could accuse me of hoarding – I recall with alarming clarity all the angst and crises of confidence that filled their pages. Being a teenager is hard and journaling was one way for me to navigate those difficult waters without capsizing.

 

“Journaling allows us to enrich our inner and outer journeys by helping us create a record of the present and make sense of the past, while also holding space for the future.”

By the time I got to college, time for journaling seemed to escape my grasp as attending lectures, researching, and writing papers took precedence but, every now and then I would return to a notebook and jot down some random thoughts about how lost I felt, question every decision I had made in my life up to that point, wonder what the hell all of this was for and complain about college life in general. I don’t have many of those journals left over either. I think I may have subscribed to the idea that once you got your angsty thoughts down on paper, it was best to make them disappear as quickly as possible instead of returning to them again years later. Although, I do wonder sometimes if there might be any gems living on those pages that I so carelessly threw away when I thought they no longer served me.

So, journaling has pretty much been a part of my life, in one way or another, since I was young. In the past few years in particular – well into adulthood – my journaling practice has become a cornerstone of not only getting to know myself better through deep and honest self-reflection, but also as a means to cultivate daily gratitude, as a method to organize my time and energy effectively and, crucially, as a way to more deeply connect with my travels. 

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Journaling journey
Mindful journal

Travel Journaling

Travel journaling can take many forms. The most well-known type of travel journaling is probably scrapbooking, which entails keeping track of details like meals you enjoyed, sites you visited and activities you participated in while on your travels, as well as collecting accompanying items like ticket stubs or restaurant menus that you can then use to create an album of your trip upon your return. This album also often includes details of events or experiences of particular note during your trip, and any photographs you may have taken that are connected to those experiences. Scrapbooking is a wonderful travel journaling technique that will create tangible memories from your travels that you can return to again and again to recapture the feelings your travels evoked.

A different kind of journaling practice that people might take on their travels with them takes a more journalistic approach. This type of travel journaling relies more upon meticulously taking notes on everything you did, saw, ate and visited, almost as if you were a journalist gathering information for an article about that particular destination or experience. It is also another good way to keep track of the details of your travels and provides a tangible recollection of everything you experienced during that trip that you can look back upon later. This is also a useful approach for travel bloggers or travel writers that can later draw upon their journal for the information they need to populate their travel writing.

Some people may just take their regular, daily (or weekly) journaling practice on the road with them when they travel and this is certainly another valid option. It may be a simpler option to start off with, if you are just going to give travel journaling a try for the first time. All that is required is that you bring your normal notebook or journal from home and just maintain your usual practice – whether that’s journaling first thing in the morning, or writing snippets of thoughts throughout the day, or journaling in the evening before bed – in whatever destination you happen to be visiting. In this case, interspersing some musings about your travel experience in your daily journaling practice may come very naturally and feel very organic, so there is no need to foster any other journaling techniques or add anything to your regular practice beyond what you already do that feels comfortable and familiar.

Travel scrapbook
Journaling stories
Travel journal

Creating a Mindful Travel Journal

And then there is mindful travel journaling, which I would say takes a bit of a more intentional approach to keeping a travel journal. When we take our journal on the road with us and use it to intentionally deepen and enrich our experience of a destination and all of its facets, that practice can add a whole other dimension to our travels. Mindful travel journaling might perhaps take a bit more of an effort than other types of journaling, in the sense that it asks for greater awareness and presence from our travels and, also, from our journaling practice, but it helps us to create more space for the travel experience to unfold.

When I think about using mindful journaling to create more meaningful travel experiences, I first set about laying out my intentions for a particular trip. I reflect upon my Core Values and how I can apply them to my travels, and I use these values to inform the intentions I choose to set for my travel experience. This allows me to go into the experience with a more purposeful, grounded and connected state of mind, which in turn helps me to remain more present and open while on my travels. As part of a mindful travel journaling practice, I review my intentions every morning before setting out for a day of exploration and discovery, helping me to stay connected to myself while I explore. It can also set a theme of sorts for your travels, which may be a good way to open yourself to new experiences that you may otherwise not have sought out or been willing to engage in.

I find that keeping a mindful journaling practice during my travels also inspires my curiosity and sparks my creativity. By getting our thoughts and feelings out of our heads and onto the page in an intentional and mindful way, we make room for ideas to emerge that might otherwise have been stifled in our ever-busy minds. Suddenly, we may find ourselves more open to stepping out of our comfort zones, showing up in new ways and engaging with the world in a way we never have before. This, in turn, fosters myriad opportunities for new ideas to be born and expressed from within us.

The deep awareness that mindful travel journaling can bring also encourages us to keep our hearts and minds open, to lean into our curiosity and to more fully accept ourselves, thus increasing our capacity for more fully accepting others. It gives us plenty of opportunity to explore how similar we truly are as humans – despite cultural, religious, ethnic, national differences – and sheds light on all that we actually share. This practice nurtures a powerful and impactful approach to travel that is founded upon experiencing a destination and all of its facets as fully and consciously as we possibly can. And when we use mindful travel journaling to achieve this, we not only enrich our journeys, but we also enrich ourselves.

Travel Journling is one of the tools I teach in my Mindful Travel Coaching programs. If you’d like to learn more about how you can enrich your journeys through journaling, sign up for a free discovery call here.

 

 

Written By Camila

Seeker, Storyteller and Mindful Traveler

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Magical Ecuador: Short Breaks from Quito

Magical Ecuador: Short Breaks from Quito

Apr 18, 2022 | Destinations

Magical Ecuador: Short Breaks from Quito
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Despite an incredibly rich heritage and some of the most diverse natural landscapes on the planet, Ecuador is often bypassed for its more well-known neighbors of Peru and Colombia. In my opinion, a bit of a tragedy, since it is a destination unlike any other and has much to offer to travelers of all kinds. As an Ecuadorian by birth and heritage – though I haven’t lived there since I was little – I have made it a point these past few years to visit my country of origin more regularly, in order to get to know it better. This has primarily taken the form of short breaks and weekend getaways from Quito, where I stay with family when I visit, and it is opening my eyes to the unique magic of this very special country.

About the same size as the state of Colorado, Ecuador is one of the most geographically diverse countries on Earth. It’s location on the Equator, and the Andes mountain range that splits the country down the middle, create three distinctive regions, each with its own climate, flora and fauna, even culture and food; the Costa or the Pacific coast lowlands, the Sierra or Andean highlands and the Oriente or Amazon jungle basin. This uniquely blessed geography and rich cultural heritage make Ecuador a traveler’s dream. In a relatively short period of time you can get from the tropical humidity of the coast where banana plantations and golden beaches abound, to the dry, cold altitude of the mountain passes that weave between fields of green quinoa, purple amaranth and the snow-covered peaks of some of the country’s most magnificent volcanoes. And, of course, that’s all before you even start talking about the Amazon basin’s rich biodiversity or the world-famous Galapagos Islands, where Darwin developed his theory of evolution.

Ecuador’s capital, the Andean city of Quito, is not only home to one of the best preserved historic colonial centers in the Americas – one of the first UNESCO World Heritage sites –  but it is also the second-highest capital city in the world at 9,350 feet above sea level. The city is well-located for various short breaks and weekend getaways, giving visitors plenty of opportunities to experience the diverse landscapes and colorful cultures that this special country has to offer. Thus far, in my explorations, I have been privileged to experience the engineering marvel that is the Devil’s Nose Train, the breathtaking beauty of the Andean plains, the exquisite arts and crafts of Otavalo, and the all-encompassing aliveness of the cloud forest. Although these journeys may all have been only a few days in length, the discoveries I made about my country of origin along the way have left me keen to continue my explorations and see what I might discover next.

Quito historic center

Quito’s beautiful historic center

“It’s small size, developed infrastructure, uniquely blessed geography and rich cultural heritage make Ecuador a traveler’s dream.”

Alausí and the Devil’s Nose

Located about a five-hour drive south of Quito, taking mountain roads that, at times, reach almost 10,000 feet in altitude as they wind their way through magnificent scenery, the small town of Alausí emerges from the low-hanging clouds, charming and picturesque, settled into a valley and surrounded by green and golden mountains. This Pueblo Mágico – a government initiative that designates certain towns as noteworthy destinations due to their unique cultural and natural heritage – is the gateway to the Naríz del Diablo (Devil’s Nose) train, a unique marvel of engineering that links the coastal lowlands with the Andean highlands. 

Short breaks in the Andes


The central square of the charming pueblo mágico of Alausí

Alausí is a quaint little train town known for its colorful and historic architecture. It is a very walkable and friendly place, and offers some interesting sights; including the local church, La Matriz, built  in the 18th century and located by the pleasant Parque 13 de Noviembre, which serves as a sort of central plaza. It’s worth wandering there at night to witness the beautiful lighting with which the church is decorated once the sun goes down. Another unmissable sight is the Monument to Saint Peter, patron saint of the city, which is easily seen from any vantage point in the city due to its strategic location and large size. But the true draw for this town is the railway station, home to the world-infamous Naríz del Diablo railroad.

In order to achieve the descent of 3,300 feet in less than 7.5 miles of track – the steepest descent of any railroad track in the world – a series of switchbacks were carved into the mountainside, a sheer, almost vertical wall of rock. In practice, this means that, after a few minutes of traveling on the track in one direction, the train stops, the track is changed manually and the train reverses to continue either climbing or descending the mountain, which resembles a nose hence its name. This leaves you watching from the train windows as the track you were just traveling on a moment ago disappears above or below you. It’s a pretty spectacular round trip journey of two and a half hours that includes a guide in each train car, a visit to a small cultural museum displaying the Nizag indigenous community’s way of life and a folkloric dance by members of that community. The refurbished train cars, originally from the mid-20th century, provide a nostalgic yet comfortable ride, the scenery along the way is absolutely spectacular and, occasionally, nerve-wracking, but the experience is one not to be missed.

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Devil's Nose tracks
Devil's Nose
Nariz del Diablo train

San Pablo Lake and Otavalo

A relatively easy two-hour drive heading north from Quito will bring you to Laguna de San Pablo, a scenic and popular recreational lake located right at the foot of the majestic Imbabura volcano. The surrounding area is home to various indigenous villages – a wonderful opportunity to experience cultural immersion – and plenty of outdoor pursuits including; hiking, biking, horse riding and, of course, water sports. The lake is a popular destination for locals, who travel here for a relaxing or adventurous weekend break, as well as for tourists, who often base themselves out of the plentiful accommodations around the lake in order to visit the nearby city of Otavalo, where the country’s largest artesanal indigenous market takes place. 

An interesting side-note about Laguna de San Pablo and the sort of unique experiences you can find in Ecuador; it is possible to go scuba diving in the lake. It won’t offer much in the way of an interesting under-water world (it’s quite dark), but will give you the opportunity to scuba dive at 8,700 feet above sea level, which, let’s face it, is not your typical scuba-diving experience!

Quito short breaks to the lake
Otavalo market
Andean lagoon

Otavalo

Otavalo is located about a 10 minute drive from San Pablo Lake. The charming town is home to a legendary crafts market that springs to life on Saturdays around the Plaza de Ponchos, where the indigenous vendors sell all sorts of beautifully-designed, handmade woolen, embroidered and artesanal items, ranging from blankets to sweaters to blouses to the eponymous ponchos, as well as carvings, paintings, jewelry and much more. It is a truly beautiful testament to the incredible skill of the Otavaleños. Haggling is the norm, prices are very reasonable and payments are made in cash, so make sure you bring plenty with you. If you’re looking for traditional, authentic souvenirs or gifts from Ecuador, this is the place to visit for sure and you’ll also be gifted with an insight into one of the most prominent indigenous cultures of the Andean region.

Cuicocha Lagoon

About a 45-minute drive from Laguna de San Pablo, you’ll find some of the area’s best and most stunning hikes. The Ecuadorian highlands are renowned by hikers and adventurers for their myriad trails, criss-crossing the wild beauty of the páramo – the alpine tundra ecosystems common to the Andes mountains – before guiding you to hidden gems, such as mountain lakes of unfathomable azure waters. One such crater lake is Laguna Cuicocha which, although perhaps not a “hidden gem” since it hosts quite a few trails that are regularly enjoyed by locals and tourists alike, is certainly a site to see. The main trail around the lagoon is an 8.6 mile loop that starts off at almost 10,000 feet in altitude (make sure you get plenty of hydration along the way!) and has an elevation gain/loss of about 1,500 feet. The altitude can make it a challenging hike, but the gorgeous flora along the trail and the spectacular views of the lagoon, with its verdant islands floating serenely in the middle, make the effort well worth it. 

Mindo and the Cloud Forest

The Ecuadorian cloud forest is unlike anything you could imagine. Lush and green and teeming with tropical flowers, colorful birdlife – it offers some of the best bird watching in the world – prolific fauna of the amphibious and insect variety, swimming holes, waterfalls, beautiful butterflies and so much more…a true jungle paradise. The drive from Quito to Mindo is a two-hour revelation, as it makes its way out of the city and meanders through changing scenery that shifts from the vast, windswept mountain valleys to hillsides covered in rich, green vegetation. The temperature changes as well, from the colder, drier environments of the mountains to the temperate humidity of this type of forest. 

Mindo butterfly center
Birdlife of Mindo
Birds of Mindo
Short breaks to the Cloud Forest

The center of the cloud forest is the village of Mindo, a small but lively town with a boho vibe and plenty of activities on offer, including tubing down the river and zip-lines that take you flying through the jungle canopy. The primary activity for the many travelers that come out this way, though, is exploring the bountiful forest and all of the unique animal-life, plant-life and bird-life it hides within its dense foliage. There are plenty of well-marked hiking trails that will take you into the forest and deliver you to hidden swimming holes featuring fresh waterfalls you’ll share with a host of colorful butterflies, or to prime bird-watching spots, where avid birders are sure to check off some of their bucket-list species. 

One of the highlights of a visit to Mindo is taking the unmistakable yellow tarabita – a sort of simple, small, open cable car powered by a diesel truck engine – that carries you high above the forest floor, through the canopy. It is an exhilarating and fun experience, which sets the tone for any visit to this area. Another fun and educational experience is the Butterfly Farm, Mariposas de Mindo, located just on the outskirts of town, which offers a comprehensive overview of the life-cycle of a butterfly – with plenty of live representations – and a diverse collection of colorful butterflies fluttering their way from one vibrant orchid to another. It only adds to the magical paradise vibes of this unique region.

Baños, the Adventure Capital

About a 3-hour drive south of Quito, the popular tourist destination of Baños beckons adrenaline-junkies and wellness-seekers alike (foodies should also take note because, for a fairly small town, the food options are surprisingly gourmet). Located in a small valley surrounded by lush green mountains, the Pastaza River and some thundering waterfalls, Baños sits at the base of one of the country’s most active volcanoes, the temperamental Tungurahua. It is not uncommon to witness the Tungurahua spewing bits of lava and smoke from its crater, a sight that can be a bit alarming to visitors but that the locals seem to take with rather a lot of calm. 

The town’s official name is Baños de Agua Santa – translating to Holy Water Baths – because of the many mineral-rich hot springs that can be found in the area. Wellness-seekers have a host of hotels and spas to choose from, offering rejuvenating treatments both in and out of the water. Meanwhile, adventure-seekers have a plethora of adrenaline-pumping activities on offer in the surrounding mountains and rivers, ranging from fairly mild hikes to visit the many roaring waterfalls – El Pailón del Diablo is particularly impressive in its mighty power – to zip-lining through gorges, white-water rafting, mountain biking, bungee-jumping and braving one of the various giant swings, perched precariously on the mountain edge, so that when you are pushed, you are essentially swinging over the abyss below (full disclosure: I did NOT give this a try). 

The town itself is quite picturesque and walkable, with many restaurants, cafes, boutiques, souvenir shops and artesanal stalls lining its well-kept streets and plazas. The nightlife is particularly renowned here but, for me, the food was a true  highlight. In the space of two days, I had three excellent meals – at Amarelo, Haycha and Pappardelle. At Haycha, the very original menu highlighting the traditional foods from each region of Ecuador – the Sierra, the Costa and the Oriente – took me by surprise with its creativity and deliciousness. I would rank it as one of my top 5 meals ever. Definitely worth a try!

 

Baños adventure break
Baños short break views
Baños short break
Baños short break meals

More Short Breaks Coming Up

Just these four short getaways in my last couple of trips to Ecuador have truly awakened my desire to get to know every region of this small but exceptional country. I am eager to continue my explorations and see what else I might discover and experience on my visits down there from Los Angeles. I know there is so much more to see and learn about – from the gorgeous beaches and thriving fishing villages of the Pacific Coast, where I spent many a holiday as a child, to the south, where the cities of Cuenca and Loja are located, often referred to as the cultural capitals of the country, to the Amazon jungle and its inhabitants, which is a whole other world entirely… Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to return to the Galápagos islands after thirty years, and it turned out to be one of the most magical and mindful travel experiences of my life! Ecuador has captured my imagination, as well as my heart, and I will most definitely be continuing my explorations of my country of origin for the foreseeable future.

Written By Camila

Coach, Storyteller and Mindful Traveler

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Quito short breaks

 

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My Mindful Morning Routine

My Mindful Morning Routine

Jan 25, 2021 | Mindfulness

My Mindful Morning Routine
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Curious about morning routines and interested in getting started with your own Mindful Morning Routine? Sign up here to get access my free guide that will give you some quick and simple steps you can take today!

I am not a morning person. I am not by any stretch of the imagination an early bird. In fact, I would go so far as to say I am an anti-morning person. Sleep is one of my true loves and I can easily go for a 10-hour stretch, no problem (sadly, this does not occur often in my life). The idea of waking up earlier to implement some sort of Mindful Morning Routine — or, really, any kind of morning routine — into my life was pretty much anathema to me for quite a while. I’ve spent most of my life struggling to wake up in the mornings, despising my alarm clock and wondering what kind of hell this is where you are required to leave the cozy, blissful, peaceful cocoon of your bed to greet the harsh light and imposing demands of the day ahead. The notion of adding extra items to be completed first thing upon waking, in my sleepy, motor-deprived state, just seemed like absolute insanity to me. Why would I willingly subject myself to that torture? So, it’s a wonder to me that I have now had a much-loved and very appreciated Mindful Morning Routine for over a year…and I’m finding that I can’t live without it!

 

A Mindful Morning Seed is Planted

Like everything else on my journey towards a more mindful life, it all started with yoga. During an 8-week yoga and mindfulness program a few years ago now, my teacher, the infinitely wise and deeply compassionate Deirdra Martinez, recommended that I adopt a Mindful Morning Routine to help me feel more awake, present, grounded and intentional before starting my day. It seemed a bit suspect to me, this idea of waking up even 15 minutes earlier just so that I could do some breathwork, a meditation and maybe some gentle yoga, in the hope that it would set me up for a better day. Sleep seemed like a better alternative, in my opinion. Nevertheless, since I was committed to this program and I trusted Deirdra’s judgement, I agreed to give it a try. It was not a successful experiment. 

Mindful morning routine


Beginning your day with a Mindful Morning Routine can ultimately become an act of radical self-care.

I so resented everything about the practice from day one. I couldn’t fathom why anyone would do this to themselves on purpose. I was deeply upset about losing 15 minutes of sleep and felt grouchy upon waking. I didn’t want to get out of bed and resorted to doing a few minutes of meditation while prone, but that would just result in me falling back asleep. I barely gave the breathwork or the gentle yoga a try, opting instead to continue my habitual morning practice of snoozing for 20+ minutes, forcing my body out of bed only when my bladder was screaming at me, and trying to get my brain to coordinate with my hands so that I wouldn’t mistakenly shove my toothbrush up my nose. In short, it was not a pleasant sort of experience. But, it was my life-long experience and I stubbornly held onto it, even though I had an inkling somewhere in the back of my mind — or, more likely within my heart — that this was not a beneficial habit. This inkling was borne out by the fact that I often complained about being tired and unable to feel fully awake until lunch time. Mornings were rough for me.

“Ultimately, having a set of morning practices that you do every single day is all about creating space first thing — before the rest of the world has a chance to usurp your energy and attention — to dedicate some time to the most important person in your life…YOU.”

Mindful morning greeting


Mornings have alwasy been rough on me but having a Mindful Morning Routine has helped me greet the day with more positivity, energy and gratitude.

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Mindful Morning Seeds Are Watered

My second attempt at implementing a morning routine came about a year later when I was working with another rockstar of a woman, the entrepreneur coach extraordinaire Bri Seeley. At the time, Bri was still doing life-coaching and I was working with her one-on-one for six months to try to get my shit together. I was in a very transitional period of my life and she was helping to guide me through it. I had made a big personal and financial commitment to this coaching program, so when Bri suggested I get started with a Mindful Morning Routine, despite my previous misgivings, I felt that I should give it a serious try (again). This time around, though certain practices — meditation, visualization, journaling, inspiring playlists — were recommended as a way to get me going, it was left to me to choose activities that felt right and in alignment with my truth and what I desired for my life. But I was still at a loss. 

At first I struggled to get anything going and started to feel that same resentment I had experienced during my first attempt. Sleep deprivation was not a good look on me. And I felt overwhelmed by the idea of having to do all the things that are “recommended” by morning routine gurus who have studied the morning rituals of highly successful people and suggest upwards of an hour spent on everything from meditation to journaling to working out to yoga to setting intentions to planning out your day and on and on. Noticing my discomfort, Bri reminded me that a morning routine, especially a Mindful Morning Routine, really has to be geared towards you — what you want to get out of it, how you want it to make you feel, how you want it to set you up for the day ahead.

Ultimately, having a set of morning practices that you do every single day is all about creating space first thing — before the rest of the world has a chance to usurp your energy and attention — to dedicate some time to the most important person in your life…YOU. It’s a chance to connect with your deeper self and your body, take note of how you are honestly feeling and do some self-reflection. It’s an opportunity to check in with your goals and intentions, and evaluate whether you are taking the inspired actions that are going to get you there. It’s a space where you get to give yourself permission to just be, as you are in the moment, without the expectations of the world weighing on your shoulders or the pressure to be “doing”, to be productive, to be more. In essence, a Mindful Morning Routine is really a radical act of self-care.

Mindful mornings
Mindful morning vibes
Morning mindfulness

Having come to this realization and feeling some of the pressure to do “all the things” ebb away, I began very cautiously and with zero expectations. At first I just listened to an Abraham Hicks 10 minute morning meditation in between snoozes. That seemed like a fairly non-threatening place to start. After a week or so of this, I noticed I was feeling more awake and aware during those 10 minutes. I was actually present for the meditation, I wasn’t snoozing every few minutes and I suddenly found I had the urge to write down some of the insights that were emerging within myself as I was guided in the same meditation every morning. That is how I came to start a journaling practice as part of my mindful mornings.

Once I was on a roll with the meditating and journaling first thing (almost) every morning (I won’t say I didn’t succumb to snoozing and getting some few precious minutes of shut-eye now and then), I discovered that waking up an extra 15-20 minutes earlier wasn’t so bad after all. Not when the practices that had replaced my 15 minutes of snoozing were making me feel so much more alert, energized, present and in a positive mindset to get my day started. Before I knew it, I had added some gentle movement and a bit of breathwork to my morning rituals. Within a month, my Mindful Morning Routine consisted of meditation, visualization, journaling, setting intentions and choosing affirmations for my day, foam rolling and a bit of breathwork. I even started to consider taking my dog out as part of my morning routine when I began listening to inspiring podcasts during our walks. All in all, I was spending about 30-45 minutes on a set of morning rituals and though I did miss that extra half-hour of sleep occasionally, I could tell that the benefits far outweighed the costs.

 

Mindful morning journaling

Mindful Mornings Flourish

Over the next year, my Mindful Morning Routine changed and adapted based on my physical, emotional and spiritual needs. I paid attention to what rituals and practices were really serving me, nourishing me, replenishing me, choosing to spend more time on them, and I released some of the other practices that didn’t feel quite as aligned. Eventually, I settled on a version of the morning routine I have now, which has remained pretty steady for the past 6 months or so and has impacted my life dramatically. Every morning looks a little bit different and I will admit that there are even days when I still opt for that extra 30 minutes of sleep and skip my mindful morning practices altogether; but I undoubtedly show up to my day with more clarity, purpose, energy, passion, focus, positivity and presence on the days that I spend the first hour and a half of my morning dedicated to the mindful rituals that resonate with me. 

It blows my mind to say this, but, yes…my Mindful Morning Routine is now ordinarily over an hour long. In fact, it is closer to an hour and a half on most days. It has become such an anchor for me and such a necessity in getting my day started — not to mention that it is the most blissful practice! — that I would gladly spend 2 hours immersed in mindful practices every morning of my life. For me, it has truly become that radical act of self-care. And I have gotten very serious about my self-care…especially throughout the train-wreck of a year that we just experienced. It is often in the most challenging times that these practices are most useful, and this proved true for me as I navigated 2020’s unprecedented downs and, well, black holes. I leaned heavily on my Mindful Morning Routine to keep me sane, grounded, (somewhat) positive and grateful.

It should go without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that the worst way to get your day started is by getting sucked into your smartphone soon after waking. Once you find yourself caught up on social media or checking emails or catching up on the news, your day is no longer your own. You have given others — work, people on social, the news cycle — permission to dictate what you should be focusing your attention on and how you should be spending your time and energy. Bottom line, keep your phones as far away from your morning routine as possible! (Full disclosure: I do use mine to wake me up and to use some meditation apps, but I NEVER use it for anything beyond that until way later in my morning.)

 

These days, my Mindful Morning Routine goes something like this:

Gentle Wake Up

I use the Sleep Cycle App to wake me up gently and naturally over a 30-minute period (this is a recent development and is so much nicer than being shocked awake suddenly by the jarring alarm on my iPhone…I highly recommend!).

Hydrate

First things first; I guzzle about half a liter of water. I keep my 32 oz. reusable bottle ready to go so that I can replenish my hydration after a long night of no water intake. Seriously, guys, hydrating well in the morning will make a huge difference in how your body (and brain) feels!

Intuitive Dance

Next up is a sleepy, mini dance party. I have a high-vibe playlist ready to go and just let loose for about 5 to 10 minutes. I drop into my body, let it move however it feels like moving and enjoy! This is such a joyful and playful way to greet the day and does wonders to vanish the vestiges of sleep stubbornly clinging onto my psyche.

Breathe

Then it’s time for some breathwork that helps stimulate my sympathetic nervous system so that I feel more awake, energized and ready to get my day started. I use a yoga breathing practice known as Breath of Fire. I usually do this sitting on the edge of my bed for about a minute. 

Self-massage & Meditation

Still sitting on the edge of my bed, I use my Yoga Tune Up Therapy Balls (they are magic!) to massage my sore feet (I suffer from Plantar Fasciitis) while meditating to a 10-minute affirmation meditation on Insight Timer (my favorite meditation app). This whole ritual is just bliss!

Morning Pages

I take the next 20 to 30 minutes to do my Morning Pages practice, as taught by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way. Morning Pages is essentially a free writing practice that helps invigorate your intuition and inspires your creative process.

Yoga

For about 10 minutes or so, I’ll do some gentle morning yoga poses and maybe a few sun salutations to greet the day. At this point my brain is pretty awake but my body takes a bit longer, so this practice helps to further wake me up physically and also gets me into a more present state of mind.

Foam Rolling & (more) Meditating

Next, I like to stretch out my back and neck using a foam roller. I can get pretty comfy on this thing and will often meditate while laying on it lengthwise and spreading my arms out wide to open through my heart. I tend to do a 10-minute mindfulness meditation in this position, sometimes guided, sometimes not.

Journal

At this point in my practice, I feel connected, grounded and present enough to do some serious self-reflection and crack open my journal. I check in with myself honestly and then free write for as long as I feel the need (probably about 15 minutes, on average). Then I write out my intentions, affirmations and gratitudes for the day.

Plan My Day

The final step in my Mindful Morning Routine takes me about 10 minutes. I use the Best Self Journal to help me plan out my day, writing out what my goal for the day is, what inspired actions will get me there, what tasks I have to complete and I schedule it all in. My days don’t always go according to plan, but it helps to have something to guide me and keep me accountable. 

 

Mindful morning yoga
Mindful morning items
Mindful morning dance party

I recognize, of course, that not everyone has the luxury and the benefit of being able to take 90 minutes out of their mornings to dedicate to a behemothic Mindful Morning Routine like the one I just laid out (for starters, I don’t have kids, which can change one’s mornings significantly). I wouldn’t have been able to make it work either, if not for the changes in my lifestyle that the global pandemic forced upon me — like no longer having a traffic-filled LA commute, or all my travel plans for the year getting canceled and postponed (so, there is actually something to be grateful to 2020 for, I guess). Having said that, it’s not necessary to spend an hour of your morning in mindful practices in order to reap the benefits of a Mindful Morning Routine. As noted, when I first started, I started with 15 minutes a day, and even those 15 minutes quickly added up to a noticeable impact on my mindset, energy, focus, attitude and overall wellbeing.

If you feel inspired to get started with your own Mindful Morning Routine, sign up here to get access my free guide and see how easy it is to adopt a few mindful morning practices that can set you up for a more aligned, energized and positive day!

 

Written By Camila

Seeker, Storyteller and Mindful Traveler

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My Journey Towards Mindful Living: Part III

My Journey Towards Mindful Living: Part III

Oct 13, 2020 | Mindfulness

My Journey Towards Mindful Living: Part III
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Creating a Mindful Life

Mindfulness and meditation can do a lot of things for a person. They can help you develop a relationship with yourself and with the present moment. They can promote healing from past trauma, as well as personal transformation. They can bring peace, gratitude and a sense of well-being into your life. They can create a feeling of spaciousness and clarity that often leads to deeper insight and acceptance. They can alter your perspective, change how you see and engage with the world. They can bring about a heightened state of consciousness that allows you to experience life more fully. In short, mindful living that incorporates a regular meditation practice can have a significant and noticeable impact on your life. It’s certainly had an undeniably positive impact on my life.

 

According to multiple medical and scientific studies that have been conducted over the last 30 years or so, mindfulness practices have myriad benefits, including but not limited to (Positive Psychology): 

  • Stress reduction and, as a result, reducing inflammation in the body. 
  • Improved working memory (and, honestly, who doesn’t want to have better memory?).
  • Heightened metacognitive awareness — basically an increased ability to detach from one’s own feelings and mental processes. This, in turn, can help to decrease patterns of negative thinking.
  • Lower levels of anxiety (and, again, in this day and age, who doesn’t want to feel less anxious?).
  • Reduced emotional reactivity (so that you don’t just blow up at others impulsively when a disagreement or conflict emerges).
  • Enhanced attention and improvements in awareness, concentration and focus.
  • A more developed ability to manage chronic pain, helping to improve a person’s quality of life overall.

So, basically, there are many highly positive benefits to adopting a mindfulness and meditation practice and, as interest continues to grow around mindful living, who knows what other benefits future scientific studies may discover.

Mindful Be Here Now sign


A mindfulness practice teaches you how to be present, in the moment, to more fully appreciate life.

“That’s not to say that I’ve mastered mindful living in every single moment, not at all. I am just striving to practice more mindfulness, to be more present, to cultivate some loving awareness across my life overall…and, with gentle curiosity and radical compassion, see where it leads me.”

In my case, yoga brought me to mindful living, and mindfulness then introduced me to meditation. I first learned how to be in stillness, not just physically but mentally, through my yoga practice, on the mat, but it was mindful meditation practices that taught me that in that stillness an inner voice starts whispering to you, guiding you, comforting you… At first, I didn’t know what to do with those inner nudges. They were so difficult to discern and they made me uncomfortable, so I shied away from them, allowing myself to get caught up in the ramblings of my mind as I struggled to meditate. Eventually, though, after allowing myself to surrender to the moment, to release any judgement of what was happening within and without me, to just observe and let it be what it was, I learned how to listen to that quiet inner voice…and I began to learn more and more about myself.

Insight from mindful living


Meditation promotes deeper insight and a connection to my inner wisdom, my intuition.

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When I allow myself to give in to this experience — which certainly does not happen every time I sit down to meditate — it helps me to be still, gives me permission to just “be” instead of feeling like I have to “do” all the time; it helps me connect to my truth and illuminates my inner wisdom. Meditation brings me stillness and peace, connection and insight, acceptance and trust. But it is not always an easy process, it does not always feel easeful. In fact, there is almost always some resistance…especially at first, when I initially settle myself with an intention to meditate. I rarely find myself letting go and dropping in, sinking into the moment and the stillness beneath without somewhat of a struggle. I have to breathe my way into it. I have to remind myself that there is no need to clear my mind, that it’s alright if I still have thoughts floating through my head on some kind of repeating loop, trying to get my attention; that instead of fighting with myself to ignore them, I can just observe my thoughts, acknowledge they are there and then let them float on by out of my consciousness.

Mindful living and intuition
Mindful living and singing bowls

On the days that I am successful in sinking, in surrendering, meditation allows me to go more deeply into that quiet within myself and just listen. Listen for what my true self — call it my intuition, my deeper Knowing, my inner wisdom — is whispering to me in that moment. Meditation helps me create a space for my unapologetic truth to emerge and be embodied. I still have to fight to maintain that truth, that reality — born of my imagination, of my dreams, of what my Soul cries out for — once I come out of meditation and step back into my conscious mind, conditioned and indoctrinated to have certain beliefs and ideas about myself, my life and the world. That is the hardest part of the whole process for me…somehow managing to hold onto that piece of stillness and peace and inner Knowing, my truth, once “reality” slams back into my life. But, as the wise writer and unparalleled truth-teller Glennon Doyle says in her wildly resonant book Untamed, “we can do hard things”. And it’s true, we can all do hard things.

Mindful living journal
Mindful moment reading
Mindful living tea breaks

These days, mindful practices, including meditation, have become essential to my mental, emotional, spiritual and physical wellbeing. As part of my Morning Routine I meditate first thing after waking up. My favorite meditation tool is the Insight Timer app, that has thousands of guided meditations, music, soundscapes and talks from teachers around the world to choose from. I also tend to meditate before I go to bed, as I’ve found it really helpful for the quality of my sleep. Other than that, I have a daily journaling practice to help me integrate and connect with any insights that come up during my meditations, I do my yoga practice a few times a week and I try to use breath work in moments of high stress, anxiety, overwhelm, or when I feel triggered in some way. I make sure to take time out for some self-care when needed, often turning to one of the many things on my Joy List (basically exactly what it sounds like, a running list of all the little and big things in life that bring me joy). This can be anything from reading a good book to drinking a nice cup of tea to going for a walk in nature. I also try to approach the mundane daily tasks of my life with some mindfulness, some increased awareness, a sense of abundance and acceptance, instead of resistance. Tasks such as driving around to run errands or preparing a meal, which I used to do on autopilot — in other words, completely mindlessly — can now take on a whole new feel when done mindfully. That’s not to say that I am living mindfully in every single moment, not at all. I am just striving to be more mindful, to be more present, to cultivate some loving awareness across my life overall…and, with gentle curiosity and radical compassion, see where it leads me. 

Where do you think mindful living could lead you?

 

Click Here for Part I of My Journey

Written By Camila

Seeker, Storyteller and Mindful Traveler

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My Journey Towards Mindful Living: Part II

My Journey Towards Mindful Living: Part II

Sep 21, 2020 | Mindfulness

My Journey Towards Mindful Living: Part II
Categories:

Opening the Door to Mindfulness

Yoga was the first step on my journey towards mindful living. I approach yoga as a moving meditation, a doorway into mindfulness. I have come to believe that yoga is the ultimate teacher. In fact, yoga never stops teaching. You never stop learning from yoga. Every time you step onto a yoga mat, something new is discovered, a revelation is made. And that novel discovery, whether a minuscule detail of pose technique or a grand epiphany about your purpose in life, will undeniably change you and bring you closer to a mindful life…if you allow it to. I guarantee it. 

 

When yoga first came into my life, I must admit that I did not recognize its power. I did not yet have an understanding of the tremendous potential that a consistent yoga practice can have to nurture connection, compassion, clarity and calm within. How it could seep into every fiber of my being, even those places my conscious mind was blind to — especially those hidden places — and shine a light upon all of it, illuminating the truth about me to myself. That has been, in my experience, the ultimate power of yoga; creating that inner awareness, that deeper knowing about ourselves, that space for mindfulness, and it is something I am grateful for every day.

Mindfulness, Yoga and the Divine

Yoga is the union of the human spirit with the divine spirit.

Yoga means to yoke. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, yoga is defined as the union of the human spirit with the divine spirit. Yes, yoga is in fact, originally, a spiritual practice at its core. It wasn’t until yoga was brought to the West in the early 20th century that the physical practice, the postures and poses known as Asanas, gained prominence. Up until that point, and remaining to this day in many yogic traditions in India, its mother country, yoga is very much still more of a spiritual philosophy and way of life. But that is not how I initially came to yoga — though the spiritual aspects of the practice have undeniably taught me more at this point than the physical side of it.

“Yoga has taught me to become more aware of my breath and my body. It has taught me to be present; empowering me to show up as my true, authentic self and encouraging me to cultivate self-compassion, acceptance and a deeper connection.”

If memory serves, I took my first few yoga classes as a high schooler and all I really recall from those experiences is feeling supremely inadequate in the face of the challenging poses that others in the class could, by the looks of it, easily perform. I decided yoga just wasn’t for me and I left it at that. Until a few years later in college when, driven by some unknown need, I once again attended a few yoga classes through my university. This time the focus leaned more towards the spiritual side, as the instructor had us spend plenty of time learning Pranayama, breath work, that we then paired with gentle movement, mantras and some meditation. At that point in time I had no clue what meditation was or how to approach it, so that part of class felt completely foreign and useless to me, but Pranayama was interesting. It awakened something within me that I couldn’t quite grasp or define, but it was there…one of those novel discoveries. For the first time, I felt a stillness within.

Signs for Mindful Living

Once I became more open and receptive, I found myself on the path towards mindful living

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I attended yoga classes off and on for the next fifteen or so years, but I never stuck with it. I never truly developed a consistent practice or allowed it to lead me deeper. I would just show up at random yoga classes in different studios with varied traditions and teaching methods, and I would approach it as an addition to whatever my current exercise regimen was. The harder and more challenging the class, the better, so that I could feel like I had fulfilled my workout goals for the week. Power Yoga was good, but Hot Flow Yoga was better. Hot Yoga with weights, well, that was the best…even though it made me feel nauseous and brought back those feelings of inadequacy. But, no pain no gain, right? At least, that was my mentality at the time. Today, I fortunately benefit from a very different relationship with my yoga practice; a relationship based on compassion, acceptance and presence. 

I got certified as a yoga instructor earlier this year…one of the most profound and impactful experiences of my life. I wouldn’t dream of doing a class with weights these days. That’s not what yoga is about for me anymore. I no longer regard it as another workout. Instead, I value it more for the inner peace and awareness, the insight, that it brings into my life. I tend to gravitate towards slower Hatha flow classes, though when I venture to do a more challenging Vinyasa or Power Yoga class, I certainly appreciate the strength I feel building and the control it fosters over my body. And it’s always fun to build up to a more difficult expression of a pose you’ve been working on for a while. But more than that, I adore the feelings of lightness and connection, of length and spaciousness, the sense of embodiment that stays with me even after I step off my mat. I try to take those feelings with me into the rest of my day, and into my daily life, really. 

Mindful living through exercise
Mindful living compass
Yoga and mindful living

It took over a decade of random yoga classes and some deep inner work acknowledging how unfulfilled and disconnected I felt, before I began to approach yoga with this changed mindset. Three years ago, I signed up for a semi-private eight-week Yoga and Mindfulness program that a friend was guiding. It was probably one of the best decisions of my life. We gathered together in a small group twice a week at a home studio to learn about and practice yoga, with an emphasis on both Pranayama and Asanas. We learned about yogic traditions, we learned about meditation and we embarked upon a fairly extensive exploration of mindfulness. That was my first true introduction to mindfulness, what it was about and the impact it could have on one’s life. I am so grateful for that experience and the path it set me upon. Since then, yoga has taught me to become more aware of my breath and my body. It has taught me to be present; empowering me to show up as my true, authentic self and encouraging me to cultivate self-compassion, acceptance and deeper connection. For me, yoga opened the door to a life lived mindfully.

Click Here for Part III Of My Journey

Written By Camila

Seeker, Storyteller and Mindful Traveler

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