Arriving Home :: Meditation Travel Essentials
With a cross-country teaching schedule these last six months, I have been more nomadic rather than based in a cozy homestead like I am used to. Much of my own personal practice has been centered around making meditation a seamless part of the daily routine - a ritual even. This has included making welcoming home practice spaces in each place I have lived over the last 10 years. In some homes, I made an altar with items that held meaning and inspiration to me and for my practice. In other homes, the view was my “altar”, or I would simply choose to sit in the same place each day that felt best within the space.
This last decade I have become more of a homebody. It’s almost a balancing act from my teenage years and early 20s, where being on the road was second nature. I have been to 48 of the 50 states in the US, have driven across the country half a dozen times and am an intuitive traveler. Meaning traveling comes easily to me, and I gain a lot of inspiration and fulfillment when I spend time in new places. Having so much of my own meditation practice hinged to a daily morning routine and a home-based living experience has made the last 6 months of sabbatical and travel a wonderful opportunity to re-establish a solid mobile meditation practice. So upon request from you, I have dedicated this ‘Arriving Home’ to sharing my top ways to travel mindfully and to share my favorite meditation travel essentials.
How To Stay Consistent When Traveling
A very common question I get asked from beginning meditation students is about staying consistent with daily meditation while you are traveling or on a holiday with your fam. You are already off of your regular routine, so how do you still fit meditation in when your schedule is completely different than normal?
My number 1 tip for keeping up with your meditation practice while traveling is to make your practice time another one of the fun “new” activities you plan for the day. Not only does this ensure you still get your meditation in, but it also can strongly reinvigorate your practice by adding more intention and dedication to it than you normally would have if you were at home.
My second tip is to add in some fun meditation-centric stops or destinations into your travel schedule. As many of you know, I am really big on taking mindful pauses throughout the day in the form of mindful matcha moments. Whenever I am in a new city or town, I will make it a point to find a local teahouse and try a matcha there while grounding and centering myself in a mini-mindful moment. These days you can also visit new meditation studios or more well-established traditional centers like zen, buddhist or yogic-temples. Adding in a meditation specific destination not only guarantees you will get your meditation practice in, but you may also meet a new teacher or gain some new helpful teachings by meditating with local practice communities.
My Meditation Travel Essentials
The past 6 months, I have definitely landed on my go-to meditation travel essentials. Items that either support my actual meditation practice or some of my favorite products that give me a mindful moment of grounding and self-care - no matter where I am.
My Go-To Mindful Matcha
You can bring a tin of matcha with you easily in your carry-on luggage or simply in your everyday handbag. My favorite travel matcha is from my friends at Matcha Bar.
Their matcha is light, airy, very high quality and always brings me right back to my center in the midst of a lot of travel and movement.
I also love to have matcha on hand when I am flying, as all you need to do is ask for hot water and whisk in your matcha for an in-flight mindful matcha moment.
Travel-Sized Meditation Bench
If you were following along on my instagram stories during my recent Miami trip to The Sacred Space Miami, you may remember my delight with Stoolyoga’s meditation bench. It fits perfectly in a carry-on, folds up easily and is a perfect prop to get you excited to meditate when you are out and about.
Mindful SkinCare Moments
Keeping my skincare routine up while traveling is also part of my mobile mindfulness practice. Taking the extra time to still practice your self-care while you are on the go really contributes to your wellbeing and heart’s fulfillment.
I have shared about my dear friend Kat Rudu’s special skincare products before on my instagram stories. Her products are highly intentional, medical grade, naturally sourced and very high vibe.
Using the same skincare products that I have at home also gives me a sense of grounding while I am on-the-go.
Arrival Mindful Matcha Mask
A favorite “arrival” practice of mine and a skin saver after a long flight.
I put this mindful matcha honey mask on by the delicious Portland-based skincare line Berlin Skin after I do any air travel. It is only a 2-3 minute mask and it completely rehydrates my skin back to its normal state of being.
They also use Portland-based Mizuba Tea matcha powder as part of their matcha honey mask.
HOME Audio Meditation Timers
A necessity for me while traveling are my audio meditation timers.
These are the timers you set right as you begin your meditation practice that let you know when your 20 minutes of meditation is up with the sound of a beautiful bell.
BEGIN - our 7 day audio meditation series comes with two audio meditation timers you can stream right from the member site or download to your phone. Whether you want to use the timer with our original AGM meditation music or the silent timer with just bells is completely up to you. Either one is a homey supporter to your meditation practice while you are on the go.
Use code AGMFAM for 15% either HOME or BEGIN in our online practice space.