Podcast: Light Watkins, Travel Light With Spiritual Minimalism
What is spiritual minimalism, and how do we decide what to carry with us through life? Meditation teacher and author Light Watkins shares what he's learned.
Pushing your boundaries, travel, and ideas for recharging.
Join our ongoing adventure for a life truly worth living. Also, be entered to win a 12-month All-Access Pass to Spirituality & Health online courses - a $225 value! We will select one winner on the 1st of each month.
Over the Border Healing
Spa aficionado Mary Bemis checks out the new alternative health retreat in Baja.
I Don't Just Take Photos
Christopher Briscoe also practices the art of giving them away.
Delightfully Deep in the Weeds
Our lead digital editor spent a week apprenticed to a master seaweed harvester—and learned much more than how to gather kelp.
Hawaii Was Hell Until Ho'oponopono Ke Ala
When Olympic gold medalist Oliver Fix moved to Hawaii, the way he had learned to do things did NOT work.
The Preidlof Way
Spa aficionado Mary Bemis visits a magical retreat in Italy’s South Tyrol.
Sacred Space Crashing
Looking to travel to holy sites? Explore sacred travel etiquette and learn how to make the best of your experience.
10 Tips for the First-Time Retreat Goer
Considering taking a retreat? These ten tips will help you prepare for the experience of a lifetime.
23 Great Places to Pause, Reflect, and Renew
Our 2023 Retreat Guide features 23 unique retreat centers design to help you heal, restore, and connect with your highest self. Where will you retreat to this year?
Alice Peck Explores 80 Spiritual Places
What makes a place spiritual—and how can we benefit from spiritual places? Author Alice Peck dives deep.
4 Ways to Cleanse Post-Vacation Negative Energy
Not feeling quite right after a get-together? Cleanse the bad energy.
Embrace Lostness to Find the Way
“Instead of getting scared or beating yourself up, consider that the feeling of lostness is your intuition telling you there’s something better for you out there, full of surprises.”
Holy Habitats
Instead of traveling to distant spiritual sites, what we if we found such sanctuaries in our own selves?
Book Review: Around the World in 80 Spiritual Places
Defining spiritual places is the first order of business, a task made joyful by the abundance of landscapes, locales, buildings, and sites to choose from. A highlight of the book’s…How to Turn a Wine Tasting Into a Spiritual Experience
A spiritual wine tasting experience connects nature and winemaking in revelatory communion.
Balance Is as Close as Your Body’s Rhythm
“All of your biological subengines are interdependent; eating patterns affect sleeping patterns, sleeping and exercise patterns affect alertness and metabolic health, and so on.”
7 Hacks to Cultivate a Travel Buzz Without Traveling Far
Being a traveler is a state of mind. Discover how to access the travel buzz anytime.
Searching for Nature’s Medicine
A trip to the Sharri Mountains in the pursuit of folklore about plants.
A True Respite: The Retreat Costa Rica
It may sound trite to write that a location is magical—but this one is.
The Spiritual Meaning of Slow Travel
Slowing down can allow our habitats to renew and our fellow earthlings to thrive.
Noah Time Like Today
Sometimes you just need an Egyptian vulture named Bob to lead you in the right direction.
Tags:
• Animal Wisdom
• Travel
• Play
• Pilgrimage
• Spiritual Journey
• Animals
• Animal Wisdom Collection
The Camino Vibe
Can’t head to Europe for the Camino De Santiago? You can craft a small pilgrimage close to home.
6 Secrets for Planning a Retreat for a Group of Friends
You’ve envisioned it for ages—escaping for a retreat with a group of dear friends. Here's what you need to know to finally get it planned.
Redoing Retreats
A retreat, in every definition of the word, may be unattainable in your corner of the world. But retreat centers are anticipating your visit in 2021.
When You Finally Go on a Retreat ...
What to keep in mind—and what to steer clear of when deciding on a retreat.
Six Secrets for Planning a Retreat for a Group of Friends
Stop talking about it! Here’s how to make a group getaway actually happen.
Soul Companion: Journeying With Another At the End of Life
“Many therapists work to help clients create a better life—a Soul Companion works with clients to create a better death.”
The Sweet Smell of Success
Tom Frei went from engineering rockets to thriving as a lavender farmer and wedding planner.
The Way of the Soul
Inspired by Rumi’s poetry, deep curiosity, and a wish to learn more about Islam, Kate Green Tripp, a Santa Cruz-based editor and yoga teacher, traveled to Turkey.
Returning Home: An American Expat Evacuates India During COVID-19
Read about a difficult journey home from India during the COVID-19 pandemic.
5 Stretches for a Long Plane Ride
Contorted into a plane seat? Here are a few (discreet) stretches you can do to keep your blood flowing, calm your nervous system, and release tightening muscles on a long plane ride.
7 Ways Solo Travel Helps You Uncover Joy
Shannon Kaiser thought she was traveling the world to check off items on her bucket list, but what she found was a sense of belonging.
5 Stretches for a Long Car Ride
Long car trips can leave us feeling sore and exhausted. These five stretches can keep your circulation and digestion humming along, ease lower back pain, and unwind sore shoulders.
Poem: The Suitcase
"But where he was welcome most / Was often where he was his worst."
Science & Spirit: Travel Tips, Cool Off Pitta, and Circadian Weirdness
This week discover advice for summer travelers, ways to cool the Pitta Dosha in hot months, and the fun fact that your liver can keep time. Want to know more? Read on.
Can Travel Help Us Stop Hating Ourselves?
Seeing the world can help you see yourself in a new light.
If You Want To... Immerse Yourself In Another Culture
Journeys That Are Truly Transformational
Tags:
• Travel
5 Expert Tips on How to Choose a Retreat
“Listen to your heart,” advises this seasoned pro.
Tags:
• Travel
Film Review: Strangers on the Earth
TRISTAN COOK’S intriguingly conceived documentary follows the American cellist Dane Johansen as he treks the famous pilgrimage path known as the Camino de Santiago, which stretches…
5 Ways to Recharge Your Batteries
Reconnect with yourself and feel more alive again.
5 Ways to Deal With Jet Lag Naturally
Help to rebalance your body’s schedule, gently.
The Commons: “Lettuce, Turnip, the Beet!”
Sing the fight song of Community School 55, the happily growing Green Bronx Machine.
This Goddess Is Never Not Broken
In search of the meaning of Khodiyar Ma
How to Follow Your Dreams
A retreat can bring more balance into our lives so we can move boldly towards our biggest dreams.
10 Ways to Simplify Your Next Trip
See the world without losing your mind or your way.
The Heart of Money: The Best Financial Practice for Moving Abroad is Nonattachment
When you move abroad, especially to a different culture like Uganda’s, normal just ain’t normal. My family and I have lived in Kampala, Uganda, for three years, and I just re-renew…
Breaking Borders
Exploring Colombia's Barrio Egipto—a neighborhood that foreigners are warned not to go anywhere near.
Awakening at the Sunrise Suite
“Someday,” I promised Iris, unable to completely quell my bourgeois roots, “I will take us there in grand style.” It didn’t happen like that.
Volunteer Vacations
Step Out of Your Self On These Worldwide Voluntours.
Seaside Retreats
Choose a stay by the sea and let the tides soothe your senses.
What Is Transformational Travel?
A new way of thinking about and experiencing the world takes your vacation to the next level.
The Ultimate Adventure
Leaving the security of a world you know and hurling yourself into a new one will teach you to trust not only others but also yourself.
Transform the Way You Travel
How to help generate positive economic and environmental benefits for local communities
The Heart of Money: Time to Move Abroad?
Columnist Paul Sutherland offers his personal experience living abroad to shed light on the question.
5 Peruvian Superfoods You’ve Never Heard Of
Quinoa, açai, and maca first scaled the heights of health-conscious glory. Now meet the latest Peruvian powerhouses.
The Commons: Receiving the Wisdom of the Golden Rule
A meditation on creating a civil society
Travel Wisdom
The wellness journey of 1,000 miles begins with four steps
Grounded in Nature
Restore your natural rhythms at these idyllic getaways.
Why Ojai
A Tourist Town Where Mindfulness Is the Main Attraction
Music Review: America’s National Parks
America’s National ParksWadada Leo SmithCuneiformYosemite, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone—the beauty and wild spaces of America’s national parks have long been a focus for visual an…
Book Review: Encounters with Power
Encounters with PowerAdventures and Misadventures on the Shamanic Path of HealingBy José Luis Stevens, PhDSounds TrueWhile the latest book from José Luis Stevens is not without its…
The Commons: Crawling to Ecstasy
These physical journeys have become a spiritual quest, guiding me into old age with some semblance of equanimity and health.
Music Review: The Beautiful Not Yet
The Beautiful Not YetCarrie NewcomerAvailable Light RecordsCarrie Newcomer’s soothing vocals and inspiring music are grounded in social justice and authentic hope. “When you sing a…
Meditation Vs. Vacation
Or better yet... meditate while on vacation!
Discovering Gold on the Gold Coast of Australia
How a Trip to the Land Down Under Shifted My Perspective from Hole to Whole
Tags:
• Travel
Spirited Away: What Yes
Lessons learned while staying with Hare Krishnas at an ashram in Argentina.
Tags:
• Travel
The Common Denominator
A moment that has shaped this writer’s perspective on people no matter where she travels.
Discovering New Kin
Collecting an imaginary album, where places in nature have made their mark.
Finding Refuge From Anxiety
One author offers her thoughts on taking a 5-week, $500 vacation from anxiety.
The Monkey’s Lesson
Spiritual practice begins with healthy engagement of the mind.
Go On, Take that Photo
Snapshots actually increase the pleasure you feel about an experience
S-Trip Reviews: Transformative Travel: CUBA!
Sponsored Content from Reputation.CA
The Happiness Track: Guilt-Free Time Off
I was wondering how to squeeze in a vacation this summer, and thinking maybe I should work through it or just skip it entirely, with all the other things going one—and suddenly I r…
The Heart of Money: A Question of Being “Blessed”
Q: My old friend from college tells me he is “blessed” because he made a fortune. I’ll admit to being a bit envious, but the big problem isn’t his money: It’s that he really believ…
Book Review: In Search of Buddha’s Daughters
In Search of Buddha’s DaughtersA Modern Journey Down Ancient Roadsby Christine ToomeyThe ExperimentThe Buddhist nuns encountered in Christine Toomey’s In Search of Buddha’s Daughte…
A Weekend in a Hammock
I hate to say it was perfect, because I’m sure it wasn’t…
14 Reasons for a Beach Vacation
Take the plunge for all these health benefits:
10 Affirmations for Nervous Flyers and Travel Anxiety
Buckle your seat belt, sit back, and enjoy the ride with affirmations for travel anxiety.
Best Retreats for the Active Traveler
The spiritual path leads toward “total aliveness” and entails peace and calm and simplicity, but it may also include bucket-list-level indulgence. The problem of course is that the…
Top 5 Spiritual Places to Visit in Europe
Sponsored Content from Eminent Infotech
Chair Yoga: Restoration for the Lower Back
Rejuvenate and release tension with this chair yoga sequence.
Best Retreats for the Solo Explorer
Not so many years ago, a healthy spa diet arrived in shades of dark green and brown and would make a foodie wince. Not anymore. Health resort foods now tend toward the exquisite, t…
Best Retreats for the Spiritual Seeker
Natural quiet comes in many forms: the quiet of the solitary mountain walk, the meditation cushion, the yoga platform, the beach, the candlelit dinner, the massage table, or perhap…
Carry-On Wellness
No matter the duration of your flight, it’s important to take good care of yourself. What you do—or don’t do—aboard the plane makes all the difference in the world when…
The Incredible Lightness of Packing
12 Expert Tips for a Carefree, Stress-free Journey
How to Take a Spiritual Sabbatical
In our high-tech world filled with 24-7 technology, social media and the need to be connected to our smart phones at every turn, the idea of getting away to unplug and rejuvenate s…
Film Review: The Pearl Button
The Pearl ButtonPatricio GuzmanKino LorberThe Chilean director Patricio Guzman has spent his career chronicling the murders, tortures, and other injustices committed in his country…
Plant Totems
Excerpt from Nature Spirituality From the Ground Up: Connect with Totems in Your Ecosystem
Daniel Zopoula on Traveling for a Greater Cause
Sponsored Content from Reputation.CA
Video: Maui's Farm to Table Magic
Every day, 90% of the food consumed in Hawaii is flown over from the mainland, which creates an undue toll on Hawaii's environment, food security and economy.But for one Maui Resta…
Stepping on Holy Toes
I am a pretty spiritual person. I choose to believe in God. At the same time, I have listened to some very convincing arguments that God is something we made up; that religion is a…
Transcending Depression Without a Script
Antidepressants leveled out the highs and lows. So I found ways to supercharge them—to fully experience the agony and the ecstasy. And that feels better…
Music Review: Nomad Songs
Nomad SongsStephan MicusECM RecordsStephan Micus describes himself as a musical nomad; he periodically travels the world with open ears to discover indigenous instruments, along wi…
How Awe Makes Us Generous
What do the Grand Canyon, Sistine Chapel, and gazing at distant stars all have in common?They can awaken a deep appreciation for the world around us and inspire a profound sense of…
Film Review: Planetary
PlanetaryDirected by Guy ReidPLANETARY COLLECTIVEDirector Guy Reid’s documentary fuses the highly aestheticized style of such classics like Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka—with their word…
Garage Yoga
The floor is hard, the walls are bare, the light, thin and waning...
The Heart of Money: Should I Take a Volunteer Vacation?
Question: I need a vacation, and I’m happy to spend my hard-earned money someplace that needs it. But my husband wants to try a “volunteer” vacation. He says working to help desper…Tags:
• Travel
More Retirees Are Volunteering Around the World
“Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” ~ Betty FriedanMore and more older Americans are feeling the call to give back to others and are finding them…
The Joy of Spring
Modern living causes us to overlook the obvious. Here’s how not to let that happen.
Video: Urban Eco Tourism in Toronto
Looking to travel consciously with a low carbon footprint while still enjoying the best of city living? Watch this episode of Conscious Living featuring a visit to the greenest cit…
Video: A Holistic Cinco de Mayo
On this episode of Conscious Living, we celebrate Cinco de Mayo the healthy way by heading South of the Border to one of Mexico's top holistic healing destinations, Rancho La Puert…
Happy Trails
“Travel can be exhilarating and fun, but also, by nature, uprooting,” says Tara Russell, a San Francisco-based life and sabbatical coach. Try these tips and products to keep yourse…Tags:
• Travel
The Fallow Field: The Virtue of Doing Nothing
I’ve been spending a lot of my evenings lately sitting at home watching Netflix.Not very romantic, I know. On these evenings, after long days of meetings, teaching, yoga, meditatio…
A Christmas Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage to the Taos Pueblo for a traditional ceremony gives author Rivvy Neshama a new understanding of Christmas.One year, after family plans fell through, John and I were de…
10 Moves to Relax and Uplift Your Body
Feeling depleted, frenzied or stiff? 10 easy moves to relax your mind and uplift your energy
Put Yourself At the Center and You Can’t Go Wrong
I live in a country where we drive on the right (not the correct, but literally the right) side of the road, and our cars have steering wheels located on the left side of our cars.…Tags:
• Travel
Jonathan Livingston Seagull Author Richard Bach's New Book
Over forty years ago, Richard Bach introduced us to Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a precocious young bird determined to rise above what was expected of him. Those who loved Bach’s s…
51 Meditations for Tending the Heart Fire
Find your flow with these “micro meditations” for renewal, connection, and inner strength.
“Samsara”: A Feast for the Senses
Samsara, a non-verbal, visually astounding documentary, is the second feature film by Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson, the creators of 1992’s critically acclaimed Baraka. Filmed in 25…
The Ways of the Pilgrim
Actually walking 500 miles to Santiago de Compostela proved “a demented delusion.” But “the Camino” also serves those who sit and those who wait — upon others.
Try the Deity with Alcohol Dribbling Down His Chin
The first time I saw him in Guatemala, he was sitting on a chair in a native marketplace, dressed in a black suit, black shoes, and black hat. His mouth was open, shaped into a sma…Tags:
• Travel
Where to Shop for a New Religion
On the sixth and seventh floors of the Pacific Department Store in Yungho City, Taiwan, about 40 minutes from the city of Taipei, is a unique kind of shopping experience. Called th…
Driving Evil Spirits Away with Bottle Rockets
Normally, when it comes to clothing used for a religious rite, you think of robes, a miter, a tallit (or prayer shawl), and perhaps a head scarf.Here is what I wore to honor Guan Y…Tags:
• Travel
What’s Holy in the Holy Land?
Going to Israel isn’t like visiting any other country. The idea that you are literally walking in the footsteps of the patriarchs, matriarchs, kings, judges, disciples, prophets, s…
The Good Witch’s Apprentice
It’s called “la tierra de brujos“ — the land of witches. Juventino Rosas, a traditional agricultural town in central Mexico, has a reputation for being home to good witches, bad wi…
The South of France with Mary Magdalene and the Cathars
As I entered the massive Gothic basilica at Saint-Maximin in the southern French countryside near Aix-en-Provence, I felt I had entered another dimension. My pulse quickened, and …Tags:
• Travel
Transformative Travel: How You Can Help with World Peace
“I feel guilty traveling to fabulous places when there is so much suffering and poverty in the world. Maybe I should volunteer to build houses with locals on my next trip,” my frie…Tags:
• Travel
Three Great Places to Take the Waters
Spa en Vivo at Hotel MatildaSan Miguel de Allende, MexicoThere’s a large painting by Diego Rivera that hangs in the library of this chic boutique property. It’s called The Archer, …Meal Magic: Setting the Tamada-Flavored Table
One of my most memorable meals wasn't an actual meal; rather, it was a dining experience cradled in hospitality, friendship, and good, simple food. The place: the patio of a friend…
Transformative Travel: Three Museums That Will Shake Your Soul
Here are three museums that take the notion seriously that who we are—spiritually, morally, ethically—is not a fixed thing. These museums plunk visitors into radical, intense, real…
Transformative Travel: Finding a Dating Game That Works
There was a small notice in a throwaway paper in San Diego about the Hmong New Year in a public park in Kearny Mesa. I had known about the Hmong (pronounced Mong) mountain people f…
Pacifist in the War Zone
Everyone has buttons that can be pressed, and I have one as big as a family-size pizza: war. I rail about state-supported murder; aiming and shooting at or bombing other humans; th…
Transformative Travel: The Advantages of Many Gods
“What’s the most soulful place in Taipei?” I asked a Taiwanese woman whose English name is Norma.“Come with me,” she said, and she led me to the much-beloved Longshan Temple in the…
Transformative Travel: Following the Sheep
It is odd for someone who is city bred and lactose intolerant to be fascinated by a pastoral tradition that involves mountains, animals, milk, yogurt, and cheese, but there you hav…
Transformative Travel: Ideal Places to Soak, Shower, and Float
I was wading through icy-cold water — willingly — and it felt great. I wasn’t at a spa with soft candles, pleasing scents, and fluffy robes; I was in an old, windowless tiled room …
Transformative Travel: Ghana
The Ultimate Ritual to “Let It Go”In Ghana there is a story that the name Jamaica is actually a bastardized version of the word Jaminica (from the Fon language), which means “let’s…Tags:
• Travel
Transformative Travel: Greenland
For us today, as for ancient man, the four classic elements ― earth, wind, water, and fire ― are at the root of many religious beliefs and ways of life. For the Thule Inuit people …Tags:
• Travel
Most Spiritual Spa 2011: Haramara Retreat Center
Religious faith can turn any place or building or gathering into a potential source of healing. But for those who have lost religious faith or never had it the question becomes: Wh…
