Dear friends,
Summer journeys are in full flow and it’s a perfect time to venture out into nature for longer daylight experiences and good restoration of mind and body.
Taking quality time out to fully down-regulate our nervous system is important and can take several days. So as you take longer days for greater connection to your self, others and the world around you, remember to pack these four things...
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1... take long deep breaths, go barefoot where you can, find ways to dip in water, eat fresh food.
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2... take a longer time in your meditation practice. Try 30 to 60 mins either in silence or with our free OPO app.
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3... make one mindful habit change that you can bring back into your daily life.
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4... and remember: summer will eventually pass, as the great cycles of nature always do, so be sure to soak up every moment you can!
Enjoy your summer journeys!
Chris. Elliot and the OPO team
JOURNEY IN
SLOW RADIO
We're avid fans of Slow Radio who, with their Life In The Slow Lane podcasts, are creating sound narratives and explorations in a powerful and simple way. "Treating your ears to drifting soundscapes that take you to another world".
(Spotify podcast link)
Slow Radio is a perfect station to sit beside our OPO app where you can explore our signature 'Journey In' and 'Venture Out' sessions for deeply relaxing and explorative journeys into your self and nature connection.
VENTURE OUT
STARGAZE AT TERANKA, FORMENTERA
This summer we teamed up with the Formentera haven Teranka to create our signature portals and in room 'relax & restore' wellbeing Playpad for an ultimate OPO experience.
Each evening guests are invited to join our 'Sky at Night' portal. They are guided to the beach yoga deck, to lie comfortably on a mat with earphones on and embark on a unique sound journey into the Mediterranean night sky. A truly celestial experience!
And now we invite you to find your own space and time in the warm summer evenings to connect with the vastness of the night sky with this Stargazing sound-bath.
EXPLORE
STILL IN THE CITY
As part of our ongoing Mindful Cities initiative to create more stillness in the city noise around the world, and as part of Global Wellness Day, we teamed up with Mandarin Oriental to planted five portals in parks around their Hyde Park hotel in London.
Designed for Mandarin Oriental guests and the local communities to discover, explore and connect with them selves and the world around them.
Tap the image or follow the link to explore more.
COMMUNITY
ERIN KNOWLES - MY ISLAND RETREATS
When it comes to people who inspire us, there are none more inspiring than My Island Retreats founder Erin Knowles. Erin hosts transformational retreats at a peaceful country estate in Ibiza where she and her team welcome the world’s finest healers, practitioners and coaches. Empowering you through deep practice to reconnect with body, mind, heart and nature.
Chris recently spent time talking with Erin, exploring the essence of My Island Retreats and what inspires her in her daily life.
Read a summary of their conversation here...
What is it about Summer that you love?
I love the sense of possibility & adventure that the Summer brings & the break from routine.
Our family travel back to the UK each Summer to escape the busyness & heat in Ibiza. We love seeing our old friends.
What are the 5 daily habits that keep you well through Summer?
1. Meditation/Visualisation every morning before my kids wake up
2. Breathwork - I do this anywhere & everywhere
3. Yoga/Workouts - I have become extremely adaptable to doing these in any space and often with my kids first thing in the morning whilst they are playing
4. Athletic Greens - a health supplement powder that I mix with water and drink in the mornings
5. My Healy - this is a little frequency device that I use for many different things - to soothe my nervous system, to energise, to help me sleep more deeply
6. CBD oil in the evenings
7. Baths
Maybe chose your favourite 5!
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The world of wellness retreats is growing so fast - how would you help someone choose the right retreat for them?
I always have a call with clients when they are enquiring about retreats to find out what is going on in their World, what is their reason for going on a retreat and what they want to achieve.
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What is your favourite OPO session and why?
I love the Teranka Land Meditation, it takes me somewhere else. I cried the first time I heard it.
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What would be your favourite OPO portal if you could create one?
The Giants Causeway in Co. Antrim Northern Ireland, it’s a very special place for me.
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READ
THE CREATIVE ACT by RICK RUBIN
A book that lands straight into our OPO hearts and minds, Rick Rubin has created the ultimate guide for the creative exploration, a journey which every one of us deserve to take on!
Be further inspired and read Calvin Rosser's summary of this wonderful book here.
“A work of transcendent literature, one that suggests the universe still smiles upon us despite all indications to the contrary.”
The Wall Street Journal
LISTEN IN
CAFE DEL MAR - VOL2
A seminal soundtrack to summer - created by the ambient music master Jose Padilla as part of the early cafe del mar series in 1995.
Relax into the heartening summer mixes here with tracks from Silent Poets, Paco de Lucia, Marc Antoine, and more.
'Meditation is inner music, music is outer Meditation'
