The spirituality of travel

I’m back to traveling again! This time to Medellín and Bogotá Colombia.

My life partner, Larry, and I have been dedicated to South America during our winter season. We’re both Spanish students, so aside from the annual trip to Mexico, we’re covering as many países hispanohablantes (Spanish speaking countries) as we can.

Travel as a spiritual practice

In the many years that I taught yoga, I’d get asked if my travel was for work (i.e. retreats). The answer was no. I’d also get asked if I visited kundalini yoga studios when I traveled. Sounds awesome, especially since I hear that the kundalini practice is quite big in Latin America; but also no. I do, however, get up early before the start of my day to meditate in the convenience of my hotel room every morning.

While I’m sure it’s AMAZING to experience (or lead) yoga retreats and classes around the world, yoga is quite utilitarian for me. I don’t do yoga to experience more yoga. I do it to experience more life. So I wake up to meditation (a form of yoga) to get me started on the right footing and mindset so that I can upgrade my life experiences with my travel partner and other travelers around the world.

Yoga (and meditation) means connection. It means to surrender, aka embrace, aka be present to, the unknown; to recognize and let go of one’s own resistance, and do what you have to do next without creating drama. This is what yoga is there to teach you.

Traveling is yoga. It doesn’t require adventuring to another country. It could be to a nearby town. Larry and I have been known to hop on the highway, drive for a bit, and then get off at a random exit to explore a town.

In the context of destination travel, everyone you come into contact with is a yogi, out in the world, open to experience new things and new people and forge new connections. You meet them at airports, restaurants, tours, and other venues, like cooking classes.

You talk about the food you’re eating, where you’ve gone, and where you are going, before the question of what do you do when you’re not traveling? ever comes up, if ever. Which is why, in travel, people like each other. We connect as humans. We stop judging and we delight at the differences while at the same time noticing how alike we are. We ask questions and soak each other in. We are more open to learning…. We let flow. We expand into unfamiliar territory, and through this, we get to know ourselves better.

Doing what the Romans do. We taste the culture. Meet the people. Walk their cities. Hike their mountains. Talk to their drivers. Enjoy their street art, music, and dance. We take in their language. We enjoy being a foreigner, a child filled with a mixture of wonder and perhaps a little bit of frustration at not being able to fully express herself to get what she wants. Don’t stress; instead, gain appreciation of what it’s like to be a fish out of water. It’s quite brave and adventurous.

While the best meditation is to sit in silence, the other best meditation is to fully engage and play with the world around you. It’s good to do both. If you meditate alone and then protect yourself from the world, then what’s the point of meditation?

Travel isn’t a getaway. It’s a reminder of what life is: an adventure. And it comes with risks. You can lose your luggage, experience delays, and dislike the room and service they give you. You can get your phone stolen. The money exchange can make you feel richer or poorer. The language can remind you that you are indeed in a different world. You’re unfamiliar with the neighborhoods and the customs, so you ask questions, research, and learn. You aren’t sure how you’ll do with the food and water there. You must navigate consciously instead of on auto-pilot. You might even worry that you’ll miss something important back at home (hopefully not, come on, you’re on vacation, stop it). All that, and your mindset is still different from when you experience challenges back at home. With agility, you figure out the tipping rules and customs. You complain much less about how things should be. You accept what is. You get over yourself and persist in having the best time of your life because that’s what you’re there to do.

Bring that sense of agility back home with you. Accept what is, invite the unfamiliar with a sense of adventure. Yes, cultures are different from country to country, and so are each of us, from people to people, with our unique histories, struggles, and potentialities. At home, you have the advantage of familiarity. How powerful is that?

My simple practice away from home:

It’s like a macro habit stack while traveling.

1. I start the day with meditation. It’s a familiarity you get to plug into while away, the best and portable home all of us have, and it grounds and centers you and sets the mind to be more decisive, playful, and open to new things and new possibilities. It does that because meditation delivers you to your highest sense of self, and that uplifts the vibe on everything else.
2. Larry and I connect with nature. We take long walks to meet the neighborhoods, and we hike when it’s an option. Even in cities, you can find nature. On this trip to the two largest cities of Colombia we’re visiting a coffee farm, doing two hikes, and seeing an underground salt cathedral built by miners long ago wanting a place of worship.
3. I try what the locals eat. Food is a delicious way to connect with the culture you just dropped into. It’s an intimate way of participating and understanding through diet. It’s a food meditation, a union of sorts. Try a little bit of everything. Don’t overeat, no matter how delicious; this is when we’re likely to get into some trouble. Be mindful and open.
4. When it’s time to adventure, we adventure. Be present. Don’t busy your mind with other things, or with worry. While sitting on our hotel balcony we were curious about what’s going on in this building across the street with its crazy lights on the top floor. We walked across the street to check it out and found a most delightful Latin Indian rooftop restaurant that never showed up on our Internet search for great places to eat.
5. We talk to hospitality, locals, and travelers. Larry’s expert at this (he’ll talk to anyone), so he typically leads the way, and I’m (almost) always happy he did. While the practice of meditation connects you to you, in living your day, the practice is to connect with others. This practice makes you feel so much less like a stranger and more like a participant. It expands your world.
6. There’s always a mid-day moment where we go back to the hotel and rest. Like a savasana or siesta. It’s good to take. It’s a time to recharge with a nap or a short meditation. Or to do a little writing, checking in at home (or work), hydrating (important!) and reflecting on your day’s experiences.
7. I’ve found that getting to bed relatively early supports the energy, digestion, and mental flexibility and harmony necessary for optimal travel experience, so it isn’t worth it to me to stay out late, and then sleep in, just because I’m on vacation. Unless you’re in your 20s, and you’re going to Berlin, let’s say, to experience their iconic nightclub scene, you’re not missing as much as you would by waking up needing to recover from whatever you did until the wee hours.

Even when you’re not traveling to different parts of the world, as long as you are practicing conscious living, you are adventuring your inner world while simultaneously connecting with the world around you and seeking your best life. You can apply much of this to your home life, it works just as well.

Bon voyage to your day. To this moment. Make it a good one.

Love, Savitree

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