A new adventure might be the answer to your quest for mindfulness

What kind of skills would you most like cultivate to help your professional – and personal – development in 2020?

In recent years, there has been a growing consensus that meditation and mindfulness is the key to soothing our strung out, stressed out souls.

Forward-thinking global brands like Apple, Google and Nike have invested heavily in mindfulness courses and time out for their employees. Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey are well known advocates of the power of meditation.

You won’t hear anyone at Dioni argue against the power of focusing your thoughts with mindful techniques. The idea that being more present in each moment can have a significant effect on productivity and wellbeing is an obvious no-brainer.

Does Mindfulness Have To Be Quiet?

But does mindfulness always have to be done in a quiet, meditative environment? We’re not so sure.

We believe it is entirely possible to achieve exactly the same great benefits we associate with mindfulness and meditation – concentration, compassion and self-belief for example – by having a bit of an adventure.

The pay-off to taking part in any adventurous activity that makes you push your boundaries is the enormous sense of wellbeing that it immediately serves up as your reward.

It’s not just about releasing a rush of endorphins – though that’s a nice side effect – it’s way more profound than that. It’s about the sense of freedom, the self-belief, the intense connection to your immediate environment.

How About A Mindful Adventure

Take trail running, for example.

When you’re out there on a long hard slog, your focus and attention is completely taken up with being in the moment.

All of your consciousness and effort is put into managing the best outcome possible: keeping your pace, averting trip hazards, assessing time and pace, not giving in to the urge to stop.

By sticking at it and incrementally taking on bigger challenges – running further, faster and up bigger hills for example – you gradually expand your sense of what you’re capable of, what you can overcome, what you can achieve if only you put your mind to it.

You could easily apply the same principles to hiking, climbing, kayaking or cycling or any kind of physically demanding adventure. And you would reap much the same in terms of benefit and reward.

It seems we’re all looking for the gift of better focus, less stress and a better work life balance. Maybe having a new adventure is just where we might find it.

The Perfect Cottage For A Trail Running Adventure

How about a carbon-neutral adventure on your next holiday to North Wales?

Beudy-Mach is a unique holiday cottage in an idyllic location high above the Dovey Valley in southern Snowdonia. This quirky carbon neutral property provides self-catering accommodation for up to 7 people in the most wonderful rural setting.

Anyone familiar with this part of North Wales will know how spectacular the landscape is. ‘A walkers paradise’ is the standard phrase reeled out, but it’s undoubtedly true in this instance. Less crowded than the slopes of Snowdon, the mountains in this part of the national park provide a real opportunity to explore the true wilderness of North Wales.

The cottage is a short distance from the Coed y Brenin trail centre – ideal for walking, hiking, mountain biking and trail running adventures.

A Unique Holiday Cottage in an Idyllic Location | Beudy-Mach