Natural Health

The vacation. The high point of the year, the oasis of freedom in a desert of routine. Vacations make the monotony of the mundane more bearable, shining a light on the horizon we can look forward to.

We imagine our perfect week of bliss. The white sand. The transparent ocean. The freedom to do nothing at all.

Often when we go on vacations, we get more stressed than normal, preparing everything, making sure everything and everyone is organized. Taking the children, packing the suitcases, leaving the house and the dog in good hands. Then, after the stress of travel, and checking in to the hotel, we set about sight seeing. In reality, we often do the same thing we do in our normal routine: we fill our days with activities, the pace doesn’t really go down at all. When we return home, we need another vacation just to rest from the vacation!

In times of vacations and staycations, I propose a new concept: a BEcation. What we really need is time to be. Time to listen to ourselves, to disconnect from the constant doing of daily life, and find the time to do nothing at all. We are usually so busy that we have lost touch with our inner voice, we have forgotten what we really want.

How do you have a becation? By taking some time just to be with yourself. To go inwards and listen. To feel whatever might come up, be it peace and joy, or anxiety and insecurity. Being with yourself naturally makes you more conscious. Being present in the moment, silently observing what is happening in your surroundings, brings greater clarity into your life. It helps you dissociate from the chaotic thoughts based in fear and criticism that so often dominate our decisions. It helps you discern between the fears of the mind and the truth of the heart. It helps you get your priorities in order.

Why not make your next vacation a becation? You spend so much time doing, can’t you spare a few days just for yourself?

Isha is an internationally renowned spiritual teacher and author, and the founder of the Isha Foundation Educating for Peace. Her latest book and movie, Why Walk When You Can Fly? explains her system for self-love and the expansion of consciousness. Learn more at www.isha.com.