Staying in Harmony as I travel

There are challenges that I had not anticipated as I started my journey as a nomad to explore the world, its beauty, and to meet its amazing inhabitants. For me (Emma) being in Harmony starts with regular and daily self-care. Here are some specific areas that have helped me maintain a sense of harmony in my body-mind and life that I am now adapting into my travels.

Healthy Empowering Diet

A few years ago I decided to be more conscious about my diet and only eating what empowers me. A few months ago, I decided to begin fasting, and even if at first it was a real struggle to manage the hunger and to adapt to that new rhythm, I finally found balance and energy in fasting for 15 to 16 hours daily.

My first meal of the day is now around 11am, or sometimes noon depending on how busy my morning is. I enjoy having eggs with some veggies and a bowl of fresh fruit to break my fast. I then have a little snack around 2 or 3 pm with usually some nuts and fruits as my go-to, but it can vary depending on what is available at the time. For example, today we went to explore Chapala, it’s a town on a lake and being Sunday there was a fiesta where I found some fresh grilled garbanzo beans that satisfied my hunger until we had dinner between 6:30 and 7:30pm. Dinner is normally a nice piece of meat with veggies and some potatoes. I like that rhythm of eating and find it easy to follow even when we rent a hotel room that doesn’t have a kitchen. I do prefer cooking at home as I can pick quality ingredients to eat and will not overeat as easily as when I’m in a restaurant. I have to say that I have discovered a new favorite dish here in Mexico called pozole. Pozole is a traditional Mexican soup or stew, made with hominy (a type of corn) and meat (typically pork or chicken), often seasoned with chiles and served with various garnishes like lettuce, cabbage, onions, and lime.  Those hominy grains are so yummy! If you have never tried them, please do and let me know what you think.

Regenerating Movement Practice

2 A few years ago I realized that I needed daily a daily movement practice to keep my body young and strong. Before our travels I had a nice routine set up where I would do 30-40 minutes of Pilates or weight training first thing in the morning, later a 20–30 minutes walk with my husband during the day, and then 10- 20 minutes of yoga/ stretching at night before bed. Walking is easy when you travel as we walk 3-4 hours daily exploring cities, walking on the beach, etc… I’ve found that I love starting the day swimming in the warm Pacific Ocean while in Puerto Escondido but my challenge was to work abs and upper body. I can do abs yoga and some pushups on the beach though I can feel self-conscious at times. I still continued with my morning workout but found that working out and stretching on a cement floor or ceramic tiles that are in most houses in Mexico is not encouraging for me to do anything. Too uncomfortable. So, I decided I would invest in a yoga mat. It fits in my suitcase and has become a regular piece for my travels as we continue our journey. Yoga mats even exist in foldable squares, probably the most practical to travel light.

Sleep

I’m sensitive to my sleeping environment for a good night rest. I decided many years ago to travel with my favorite pillow, as for me its key for a better quality of sleep. I also think that ear plugs for noise is a must in Mexico as the traffic, the chickens, the dogs, the announcements on the loudspeakers in small villages, and the parties in the street is not something I was used to hearing back at home. Quiet is important for me to get a good nights sleep. A good night’s sleep is important for me to feel balanced and energized the next day.

Nervous system care

We knew that for our body to adapt to and release stress and tensions accumulated as we travel on bumpy roads or uncomfortable airplane seats, we would need some body work and some chiropractic care. We decided to travel with our chiropractic table, and it does help that we are both chiropractors. We both have been under care for 25 years and this is something that I know makes a huge difference in my life for my adaptability, my wellness and my ability to enjoy life. It is so interesting to see how the chiropractic table is a magnet for people and how in every place we have been so far, even if our Spanish is not yet good and we can barely explain what we do, people are excited to lay down and let us practice our art on them. People can tell it’s gentle and want to experience the power of what we do. We are happy to share our gifts of course. 

Water

I have not always been a good water drinker and feel the difference in me when I don’t drink enough. With the heat and the sun, being down south, it is very important that we stay hydrated. We always carry our water jug with us wherever we go, refill it regularly, and make sure we keep it clean by washing it regularly as we know mold can easily grow in the plastic seal. We make sure to drink clean water and quickly find a new source if we don’t feel good drinking the water that we have.

Daily meditation

A A time of contemplation and self-reflection to keep my connection to my spiritual nature is very important to stay in harmony. We often do this during our daily walks in Nature which we love. I’ll sometimes do this when I lay down for a power nap in the middle of the afternoon. Burton now enjoys a 15-minutes seated meditation to start his days. Meditation comes in many forms so it’s important to find what works for you to have this time of connection and recentering.

These are some of the most important things that I have started working with to create and maintain a sense of harmony in my life and body-mind. What about you? Have you begun to realize how the actions that you take in life affect your sense of harmony in your body-mind? With a little conscious effort, it can be easy to make the changes necessary to live in harmony. And if you need some help or direction then know that we are here and can help you either get started or refine your current practice with an online Vitality session.