Are you curious about mindfulness or have you been practicing the lifestyle of mindfulness for a while now? With mindfulness you pay more attention to your life. You can practice the art of mindfulness also very well in Valencia! The city offers many activities for people who want to practice mindfulness. You can find many different mindfulness spots, studios, retreats and mindfulness supplies!
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a psychological movement that is particulary well known in the West. You probably have heard about it, but what does mindfulness exactly mean? It means that you give more attention to your life! You focus on the present, not on the future or the past. You’re concentrated at what you’re doing right now, right here, at this moment. It can have many advantages like:
- stress decreases and you can cope better with stressful events
- your concentration level gets higher
- your performances improve
- you can relax better
- mindfulness creates a more positive image of yourself and the environment
- illnesses such as anxiety and depressive feelings decreases
Did you know that many of your favorite celebrities also follow the mindfulness lifestyle? Katy Perry, Hugh Jackman and Madonna meditate. They use mindfulness to find some rest in their busy lifestyle.
Mindfulness spots in Valencia
The environment while practicing mindfulness is very important. It can help you while practicing all the exercises. Ambient stimuli can activate your mood. You can find a quiet spot in your bedroom, but also one of the many beautiful places in Valencia. In the middle of nature you can practice your mindfulness lifestyle here in peace and quiet. We will give you some tips to practice mindfulness in Valencia.
Turia Park
The more than 9 kilometer long park has enough quiet spots where you can relax, do some yoga, meditate and practice mindfulness. Live in the now while enjoying the beautiful nature of the park and some nice sunshine.
Jardines de Monforte
This beautiful park is a bit hidden, which can make it difficult to find this place. The Jardines de Monforte is a perfect place to quietly read a book and walk. Tip: turn of your phone for a while and enjoy the beautiful nature around you!
Jardin Botanico
This beautiful garden belongs to the University of Valencia. This park is known for its special plants and beautiful flora. Focus on the present and admire the botanical collection of this beautiful garden! Touch the trees, smell the flowers and look around.
Jardin de Ayora
This is perhaps the most unknown park of Valencia, so in other words also a good place to practice mindfulness! In this garden you can find a palace with some beautiful nature around it. Take place under the ficus tree, relax and enjoy!
The beach
If you want to bring attention to your moment-to-moment experience, the beach can be the perfect place to practice mindfulness. While sitting next to the seaside there are many things that invite you to be present in the moment. The sounds of the waves, the salty air and the sand between your toes will bring your attention to the now. So… hop on a bike and make a relaxing visit to one of the beaches of Valencia!
Mindfulness spots around Valencia
Around Valencia there are also plenty of suitable places where you can practice mindfulness. Take a trip to one of the next destinations for example.
Albufera park
Just outside Valencia you will find this large nature park. Besides a big diversity of plants, trees and flowers you will find the largest freshwater lake in Spain. In the middle of nature you can relax! Birds flying over, soothing water and a beautiful view. After practicing your mindfulness excercises you can eat some delicious paella in one of the many paella restaurants in El Palmar!
Chera sot de Chera
About 90 kilometers outside Valencia you will find this nature park. It is an impressive scenario which offers very diverse landscapes, such as gorges, ravines, reservoirs, caves, fountains and spectacular waterfalls. It is also an ideal place for mindfulness, to rest and cool down in one of the rivers.
Embalse de Tous
Tous is a small town in the municipality of Valencia. From this town you have access to the reservoir of Tous. The water comes from the rivers Jucar and Escalona. The water is very clean and the area is beautiful! Forget all the stress for a while, practice mindfulness and relax!
Montanejos
An hour’s drive from Valencia lays the cute mountain village of Montanejos. Only 400 habitants live in this small village, making it a very quiet and peaceful place. Around Montanejos you will find over fifty natural thermal baths. The average temperature of the hot springs is a pleasant 25 degrees throughout the year. Live in the moment while relaxing in one of these wonderful hot springs!
Meditation and mindfulness studios
Yoga and meditation can help you to breath more consciously, relax more and to bring your body and mind back into balance. Valencia has beautiful places to practice mindfulness such as the places mentioned above. But for those who aren’t familiar with mindfulness yet it can be educational to visit a yoga or meditation studio first.
Yoga flow
A modern yoga school in the centre of Valencia, with lessons in English. They specialize in Flow, Ashtanga and Hatha. They also offer all kinds of workshops, for example about aromatherapy, meditation and conscious movement. You will learn the right techniques from the qualified teachers here. After a number of lessons you can also apply these techniques yourself!
Location
Carrer del Pintor Salvador Abril 9
46005 Valencia
Website
Opening hours
Monday to Friday: 09.00 – 14.00 and 17.00 – 21.00 hour
Saturday: 09.30 – 13.00 hour
Price
Single lesson: € 16
Card: from € 10 per class
Unlimited lessons for one month: € 130
Buddhist Centre Valencia
In the Buddhist Centre many workshops are given in the field of mindfulness, like meditation, Tai Chi and mindfulness living. Most classes are in Spanish, but there are also regular English lessons.
When people think of mindfulness they automatically think of the Buddhism faith. But what is the real connection between these two? Let’s start at the beginning. The origin of mindfulness lies in Buddhism, but also in our own Western psychology. Buddhism is a philosophy of life and a way to structure your life. Buddhism, contrary to popular belief, is not a faith. They don’t believe in a particular god but they live according to a “manual” that Buddha described. You can reach enlightenment by living a mindfulness lifestyle and following the rules of Buddha. Mindfulness has many similarities with Buddhism, but it’s not the same. Mindfulness is a combination of insights from Buddhism and Western Psychology.
Location
Carrer de Sagunt 97 bajo
46009 Valencia
Website
Opening hours and price
Depends on the day and type of course. Visit their website for more information.
Spanish association of mindfulness
This is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and training of health and education. Their purpose is to improve the quality of therapeutic and educational interventions. They help care and education professionals to apply mindfulness in their field of work. Are you working in education or health care and are you interested in applying mindfulness during your work? Take a look at the website of the Spanish Association of Mindfulness!
Location
Carrer de Barraix 31
46015 Valencia
Website
Opening hours and price
It depends on the day and course/workshop. You can check the schedule on their website.
Mindfulness retreats in Valencia
During a mindfulness retreat you will learn many relaxation techniques for a few days. During these days you focus on yourself and you learn to really live in the moment. In Valencia you can sign up for one of these mindfulness retreats.
Take a look on the website of Book Yogaretreats. On this website you can compare yoga retreats all over the world. There are several retreats available in Valencia and you can choose between 7 to 21 day retreats.
Mindfulness supplies
You can make the mindfulness lifestyle as expensive as you want. In principle, you don’t need any tools to start your mindfulness lifestyle. However, it can be convenient to wear comfortable clothing while you are doing mindfulness exercises. Books, yoga clothing and other tools you might need you can find in various shops in Valencia.
Nagarjuna center
In this Buddhist center you can participate in various classes. But you can also broaden your knowledge with the various books on mindfulness. There is a small shop where you can buy these books, but also other useful tools such as incense.
Location
Calle d’Amado Granell Mesado 43
46004 Valencia
Website
Gaiam
In the webshop of Gaiam you can find all the necessities for practicing yoga. Take a look at the special clothing, yoga mats and handy water bottles they have to offer.
Decathlon
In the Decathlon webshop they always have something for the sporty ones among us. Also for those who are interested in yoga they have an extensive collection of yoga supplies!
Simple mindfulness excersises
Are you a busy bee and you don’t have the time to practice difficult mindfulness exercises? There are enough simple mindfulness exercises to empty your mind on a hectic day.
Mindful breathing
Breathing calmly is often an important part of many mindfulness exercises. It may sound very simple, but many people still have trouble with this. Let’s give it a try! You can do this exercise for as long as you want.
- Just start with breathing in and out slowly. This breath cycle should last for approximately six seconds.
- Start with breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
- Try to let go of your thoughts. Live in the now and try to forget about the past and the future.
- Purposely pay attention to your breath.
- Focus yourself on the awareness of the energy of your breath.
Body scan
First find a quiet spot where you can sit/lie down comfortably. Then follow the instructions of this video. During the body scan your body consciously experiences the “now”. The video guides you through the steps of the body scan and at the end you feel relaxed.
Tip! You can find more easy mindfulness exercises on Pocket Mindfulness.
Mindful eating
Often you don’t take the time to really enjoy your food. Nowadays we are often rushing to get to an appointment on time and work. This gives you less time to really appreciate the sensation of your food. Take some time, so that you can really create a resting moment during your meal. The Pocket of Mindfulness describes a good exercise to enjoy your meal mindful.
