That last entry here reminded me of this short piece that I wrote a few days before leaving for the airport. It’s a way that I benefit from preparing for travel, and I thought it might be helpful to you too. 

As we get closer to a trip, it is pretty common to see ourselves getting involved in thoughts about what is to come. There are so many practical things just to begin with. We have to consider what clothes to bring, to remember to pack all of our necessities, arrange details at home before we leave, and the list goes on and on… The process can sometimes be draining. 

We get so caught up in the future that we forget that we are here! More specifically, we lose the connection between the mind and body, almost as if we are only a mental creature. So, what if we sometimes used this situation as a reminder to cultivate harmony? I find that when I set an intention to do this, I conserve energy and actually begin to benefit from moments of daily life that previously seemed mundane. I don’t have to force this. I can take simple steps to register things like my body moving as I take out my suitcase or fold a shirt. It is not a big deal when I notice that I have forgotten, because I can always start. Bringing the mind to the activity of the body is at the heart of our practice in Breema, and gradually we begin to have experiences of how this can move us from complication to simplicity. The process of trip preparation can even become like a playful game as we forget and then remember again. And just to be clear, I do forget - plenty - and you will see that you do too. Thankfully, as long as each of us has a physical body, we can come home to that. We can know and experience that there is breath or that the body has weight on the ground. Of course, regularly practicing Self-Breema exercises and receiving or giving Breema partner bodywork are essential support for taking steps in our daily lives. Both Self-Breema and the bodywork include a diverse variety of nurturing and even vitalizing movements, brushes, holds, tapping and supported postures. 

Hopefully you can join us here at True Nature in Ohio, make a trip to the Breema Center in Oakland, California or even find a Breema practitioner in your neighborhood. The Breema Center also has a regular schedule of online Self-Breema classes if you can’t immediately connect with anyone in-person. I wish you well on your journey, and don’t forget your tooth brush.

Thank you for reading,

David

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David Pratt is the co-founder of True Nature Holistic Retreats in Holmes County, Ohio, which has been supporting guests to lead more balanced, harmonious lives since 2010. He first experienced Breema: The Art of Being Present in September of 2001, and has benefitted from practicing and teaching this holistic system for many years. The simplicity of Breema allows students to take simple, practical steps to being present and bringing that nurturance into everyday life. The next Breema Retreat in Peru’s Sacred Valley is August 1-12, 2024. Get all the details here.