Meditation on Safari!

This month we had a special Safari at Clive’s Camp and Xidulu camp in the Makalali Private Game Reserve. We had the well-known Meditation book writer David Michie with us on Safari who wrote books like “The Dalai Lama’s Cat” and “Why Mindfulness is better than Chocolate”. David held before each Game Drive activity an interesting talk about a specific  topic in the meditation and this was followed by the meditation practice itself. We managed several times to find a quiet place in a part of the Game Reserve and meditated there in the middle of the bush with all the wonderful views, sounds and smells of the Bushveld. Apart from the fantastic animal sightings we had on our drives and walks through this game reserve the short meditations where a great way to start to immerse ourselves in Nature and forge a strong connection with the pristine environment that we were in.

This day the business world, especially overseas, has start to recognize the need for its employees to slow down, re-energize and re-vitalize before a busy day or week at work begins and fortunately support whole-heartily practices like meditation to keep their workers fit and to keep allowing creative processes to flow. A must for the businesses long term survival. The big advantage to do meditation in a pristine wilderness environment is that the effects of the meditation session are much more longer lasting and more powerful because Nature is supporting us in this other way of practising our mind and it then becomes much easier to us to shift our focus and observe our mind. 

David, Claudia and me experienced that the quality of the whole Safari experience for our guests was greatly enhanced by the meditations and saw proof that the benefits from the meditations combined with the way we presented the Safari activities was creating a deeper connection with the Bushveld and its animals. This is exactly why we are guiding guests and we hope that the African wilderness will take a special place in  their hearts and that they will come  back one day to the Bushveld.

A short but powerful meditation exercise that we all can do while we are waiting for the train, in the  supermarket  at the tills or in our work break;  This exercise can be done standing up or sitting down, and pretty much anywhere at any time. All you have to do is be still and focus on your breath for just one minute.

Start by breathing in and out slowly. One cycle should last for approximately 6 seconds. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, letting your breath flow effortlessly in and out of your body. Let go of your thoughts for a minute. Let go of things you have to do later today or pending projects that need your attention. Simply let yourself be still for one minute.

Purposefully watch your breath, focusing your senses on its pathway as it enters your body and fills you with life, and then watch it work its way up and out of your mouth as its energy dissipates into the world.

If you are someone who thought they’d never be able to meditate, guess what? You are half way there already! If you enjoyed one minute of this mind-calming exercise, why not try two or three?