Hourra! The summer holiday has come! Being a committed mindfulness practitioner, you wonder if going on holiday may bring a halt to your well-formed mindfulness daily habits? No panic. Practice everywhere! There are so many mindfulness activities you can do during your summer holiday, whether you’re at home or traveling. Check out my 7 fun and easy mindfulness exercises.
Fun mindfulness exercise #1
It’s the cheapest, fun, and easy activity for a holiday! Bring with you just the coloring book, color pencils, and here we go! Nearby a swimming pool, on the beach, at home in your garden… Everywhere you go, it can be a great place to do mindful coloring.
As a fact, known among informal mindfulness training, mindful coloring brings our awareness into the present moment by consciously focusing on coloring.
Not surprisingly, in a recent study conducted by the University of the West of England, mindful coloring is more effective than reading. Compared to reading, coloring reduced higher levels of anxiety. It also has greater improved mindfulness!
Therefore, don’t wait to dedicate a cute moment during your holiday, for mindful coloring, if you miss out ideas.
Fun mindfulness exercise #2
What is the beauty of mindful walking? Wherever you are, you can walk mindfully. And what is more fun than walking mindfully in a breath-taking landscape during your holiday?
We often dream of being under a magnificent waterfall, or nearby a beautiful river. But most often, the day when we are there on holiday, we rush so much into activities. And the moment comes, we don’t even appreciate it mindfully. Sounds familiar? I know, because I was often too.
Therefore, my advice is, slow down. During holiday time, there are chances that you are surrounded by nature. Don’t rush just to do too many activities. Instead, take time, and do mindful walking in nature.
Walk only for walking, to enjoy each step. You will see a difference. When we walk mindfully, we fill the air in our lungs. Our feet touch the Earth and we simply know it. Our ears hear each bird singing. A nature habit brings calm, reduces stress, and helps cultivate our profound joy.
“Walk as if you kissed the Earth by your feet”.
Thich Nhat Hanh
We never say it enough. Reconnect with nature is a simple way yet most effective way to be mindful. Don’t miss the opportunity to contemplate the supreme intelligence and loving energy from nature. Slow down and observe. It’s one of the few ways Deepak Chopra recommended to connect with our inner silence and reach our higher self.
Will we just not forget this, during our holiday time?
Fun mindfulness exercise #3
Try once to swim, not as a sportive, but as a mindful practitioner! You will see the wonders of mindful swimming.
How do you do mindful swimming? Well, very easy, though it takes some attention and practice. Swim slowly, mindfully, and open all your senses. Do you feel the water caressing your whole body? Will you notice its warmth or cool sensation?
Lucky to be on the sea, a lake, or on an open-air swimming pool? Then appreciate deeply the water sparkling under the sun. Even in an indoor pool, if you see deeply, you see its colors and beautiful little waves.
Only on Earth across the Solar System can you have an abundance of water around. Take a second to recognize how lucky you are to be able to swim in this beautiful water. It represents life itself! A wonder of the cosmos. It’s such a magnificent feeling.
So if you are on holiday, where you can swim, swim mindfully! I can assure you, it brings so much more of that present moment. It’s one of my best fun mindfulness exercises!
Fun mindfulness exercise #4
If you don’t travel during holiday time, creating a calm space at home is a great fun mindfulness exercise.
Mindfully create a beautiful corner with flowers, plants, and garden decorations. You can also fabric some decorations. You will see that they are fun, cost nothing, and are nature-friendly. For example, collect some branches, leaves, or feathers during your daily walk. Paint them, and make a dream catcher or a window pendant.
Feel the creative energy, a rare fun moment, and at the same time, beautify your house.
Fun mindfulness exercise #5
Smile to yourself when you wake up, and this, every day, especially during holiday time!
One day, I went to a retreat in Plum Village. One of the sisters suggested that, before leaving our bed in the morning, smile. “If you forget to do this, return to your bed, and smile”. Everybody was laughing, thinking it was a joke. But she was serious. And today, I understand why.
A morning smile is a great habit to have. In the morning, when you open your eyes, the first thing to do is to smile. Tell yourself that it would be a wonderful day. Smile really. Try it and see how it brings you so much positive energy.
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
When you meet someone, give them also a smile, and a silent wish. Do you know that the universe is functioning by dynamic exchanges of energy? That’s the reason why by giving, you are ready to receive.
“Today, I give to the world what I want to receive”
Deepak Chopra
Fun mindfulness exercise #6
Accompanying your kids for crafting activity during the holiday? Do it mindfully. Allow you time and energy, whether you do this with your kids or alone. Also, you can do many small crafting activities at home, such as sewing, fabricating small decorations stuff.
Sewing, for example, is an important Zen practice. “It’s not just sewing! One stitch. Tiny stitch. If you count all the stitches, you say, ‘I cannot do it!’ But, one stitch continuously, you will finish…That is your life” (BrooklynZen).
Similarly to mindful coloring, mindful sewing and crafting bring calmness and focus to our minds. It is the same for many crafting activities. So take good advantage of these during your holiday, to train your mindfulness.
Fun mindfulness exercise #7
When you are on the beach or in your garden, try this exercise. Each sense at a time! Firstly, close your eyes and listen mindfully to all sounds that come to you. If you are lucky to be on a beach, listen to the waves while closing your eyes. It’s a wonderful moment!
Then open your eyes and now, only pay attention to what you see. A leave falling, the waves, the sky. What and count the clouds…
The next minute will be for what you hear. A bird singing, the sound of the waves, a bicycle that passes… Open your senses and benefit from these moments of absence of your thoughts.
Being lucky enough to be on the beach with a watermelon or a coconut juice? Don’t waste the moment to practice mindfulness. Pay full attention to your taste.
And lastly, Feel. Feel the breeze of cool wind on your face. Feel the contact with your chair. The sand or grass under your feet. Warm sun on your face.
Do this 5 sense exercise once in a while during this summer holiday. I’m sure those are wonderful moments of mindfulness and calmness.
Bring your mindful practices on vacation
During this wonderful summer, will you take your mindful practices on vacation with you too? Yes, I’m sure you will be able to do this. Your holiday will not bring a halt to your well-formed mindfulness daily habits! Try these 7 fun mindful activities.
- Mindful coloring
- Walk mindfully in nature
- Mindful swimming
- Create a calm space
- Mindful hugs and smiles
- Mindful crafting
- Open 5 senses
I hope you like them. If you have any other ideas, share them with me!
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