Studies Show: More Mindfulness Leads to Less Stress.
“Mindfulness” is a buzzword currently being used extensively, almost excessively. The industry or niche is virtually irrelevant. But those who dismiss mindfulness practices as spiritual nonsense are quite mistaken. Time and again, studies prove that a mindful attitude and daily mindfulness practices positively affect well-being. Stress can be reduced, and the risk of burnout can also decrease.
The concept of mindfulness has its roots in Buddhism and is intended to encourage individuals to focus on the present consciously. In the 1960s, mindfulness practices entered Western culture and increasingly lost their connection to religion. Today, mindfulness is still associated with spirituality in certain places, but it has long since arrived in Western living rooms through yoga, journaling and meditation.
Mindfulness on Holiday – Sustainable Relaxation.
I need a holiday from my holiday.
This statement is one you hear again and again. Maybe it’s because of too many adventures or experiences. Far more often, however, it is the stress level that does not subside and the continuous release of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. These are released, for example, by the thoughts of an overflowing inbox or tasks left unattended. The body cannot withstand this constant fire. The consequences of permanent stress are damage to the immune system, sleep disorders and functional impairment of the organs.
Holidays are an excellent opportunity to learn and establish new habits and small mindfulness practices to counteract stress. Retreats and offers range from single sessions to several days or even weeks. The most important thing, however, is to take what you have learned back with you into your everyday life to benefit over the long term from the mindfulness practised on holiday.
Learn Mindfulness Practices While on Vacation.
Meditation offers in sustainable hotels.
The ADLER Group hotels offer retreats with renowned and certified teachers yearly. Guests can register for yoga retreats with different focuses according to their needs or participate in the activities program, including yoga sessions and meditations.
Tip: In November, the ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA is hosting a retreat, especially for women. The focus here is on female sacral yoga and the connection to female energy. At the ADLER Lodge RITTEN, yoga and meditation sessions are firmly anchored in the daily schedule. Retreats are also offered regularly in the magical surroundings of the Ritten.
The Hotel Klosterbräu in the Tyrolean resort of Seefeld is also dedicated to mindfulness. In the yoga room, the former refectory of the 500-year-old monastery, guests relax during guided meditations and dive deep into their dreams and thoughts.
Tip: The meditation sessions are perfectly complemented with a forest bathing tour on the Pfarrhügel and in the Eigenwald. The Naturalists Nadine and Andrea regularly lead these.
Few places slow us down more and allow us to be more in the moment than the great outdoors. This is the premise under which the Allgäu wellness hotel HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio designs its activity program. Exercise in the fresh air at 1044 meters, enjoy nature bathing with guide Wolfgang, herbal walks, meditation and yoga sessions, which in summer always take place outside on the platform at the natural bathing lake, are firmly anchored in the hotel’s plan and philosophy.
The team at the Eco-Aparthotel, The Dreamer’s Club, has a similar view. Numerous outdoor lounges invite you to consciously switch off and enjoy the idea of the natural garden and the ancient trees. Yoga sessions are offered on the hotel’s own terrace, which allows you to gaze out into the distance to the Mediterranean Sea. Meditation spaces in the forest and by the natural bathing pond also invite guests to pause at the Guntrams estate in Austria.
Places of Energy with a Special Impact.
The Klosterhof – Alpine Hideaway & Spa in Bayrisch Gmain even invites guests to hand in their mobile phones at the beginning of their stay to enjoy the time consciously and without digital disturbance. The perfect place for this is the nearby “Heart Stone”. This is considered a place of power with unique properties, where meditations are particularly effective and the mind rests.
Such places of energy or power can also be found around the Hotel Weihrerhof on the Ritten in South Tyrol. During a walk to one of these places, mobile phones, tablets, and the like should stay in the hotel room. For this purpose, there is the Digital Detox Box, in which the devices can be safely stored. In addition, a booklet suggests what you can do with the time you have gained, apart from enjoying walks to the places of power.
Forest Bathing
Shinrinyoku, or forest bathing, originates from Japan and refers to mindful wandering and consciously experiencing the forest. Forest air has been proven to have a unique effect on humans, precisely what forest bathing takes advantage of.
At Gut Sonnenhausen, certified forest experience guide Claudia Müller regularly accompanies guests to the Sonnenhaus forest for forest bathing. Her aim is that participants do not simply stroll through the woods but perceive it with all their senses. This includes walking meditations, exercises for sensory perception and taking time to stop and listen.
Mindfulness practices are also a part of the CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt. The unique hotel offers the perfect setting for yoga and meditation. In addition, forest bathing in the Swiss Alpine forest and walking meditations are also part of the program. Perfect for learning mindfulness techniques to take home.
In the heart of South Tyrol, guests experience an exceptional vegan hotel. Nestled between the mountains of Val Venosta, LA VIMEA invites guests to experience pure relaxation. The Adults Only Hotel aims to provide its guests sustainable and holistic relaxation. This includes sound massage, yoga sessions at the natural bathing pond and guided forest bathing in the nearby woods. The aim is for guests to let their senses recommend them, to feel the here and now and to surrender to the “healing power of the trees”.
“The messenger molecules of the trees, the so-called terpenes, are responsible for the positive effects of forest bathing,” explains the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA team. Just 15 minutes of walking in the forest reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and heart rate and reduces the stress hormones in the blood.
“Black Forest bathing” is an integral part of the wellness hotel in Bad Herrenalb and is also part of the fasting treatments, for example. In addition, the hotel’s Selfness Centre specializes in stress management and offers yoga and meditation, resilience courses, and special mindfulness weeks.
Japanese forest bathing is not only gaining popularity in Europe. From this year on, travellers to Thailand can look forward to a special offer at the luxurious Keemala. Since very few trees were felled during the hotel’s construction and the natural landscape was preserved mainly, guests can enjoy ancient trees and a magical jungle. Bathing in the “Enchanted Forest” is a unique experience that also helps to decelerate and, above all, to take this relaxation home with you or on your further journey and reap the lasting benefits.
And now it’s your turn: Stop for a moment. Breathe in. And exhale. Listen to your inner self. Consciously feel the temperature around you, the feel of the desk and the chair you are sitting on. Listen to the sounds that surround you. Breathe in and out. Welcome to the here and now.
