Meditation is becoming more popular in the west with over 35 percent of Americans practicing it alone. Meditation has improved the ability to focus, and it has led to the release of stress for many of its practitioners. There are various meditation methods that work for different people, and the preferred practice differs per practitioner. Meditation is estimated to have been practiced for about 7000 years, according to archeologists. Meditation is rooted in various religions, but in recent years has been used in a secular context as well.
So you see people doing meditation in the media such as movies, books, and on social media pages. Perhaps you notice one of your friends or family members practicing meditation. You get curious about the practice and try it for yourself. You meditate in quiet areas that allow you to focus such as in your room, a park, or at the beach in the morning. Vacation time comes around and you want to meditate at a popular attraction. We are about to take a tour around the top places to meditate around the globe.
The Pyramid of Giza
Egypt was one of the first places to use the method of meditation. Ancient Egyptians used meditation for religious purposes. Egypt is also known for the iconic pyramids that were built thousands of years ago. One of the most famous pyramids in Egypt is the Pyramid of Giza.
- The Pyramid of Giza was built between 2589 – 2566 BCE under the leadership of king Khufu.
- This is the tallest pyramid in Egypt, standing at 481.4 feet.
- It held the record of being the tallest structure built for 3000 years.
The purpose of the pyramids is widely debated, but the most common theory is that they were built as a burial ground for the king.
As you can see, the Pyramid of Giza is a structure that attracts thousands of tourists a year. The history and records broken by this pyramid made it a national landmark in Egypt. If you think about it, wouldn’t this be a good place to meditate? You are in an area with a clear view. The weather is usually sunny with an average temperature of 89.6 Fahrenheit in the summer. You are meditating in Egypt, one place where meditation is rooted. You will meditate in front of a pyramid; which is a shape that is known for enhancing meditation.
There are often large crowds that tour the Pyramid of Giza, and this can cause a lot of noise that can disturb your meditation. In order to avoid the crowds, you can go there before the tour buses arrive. The tour buses usually arrive around 9:30 AM, however, you can go there at 8:00 AM. It costs 7.40 USD to tour the Pyramid of Giza. It is 18.50 USD to tour inside, so make sure you bring extra money.
The Great Buddha of Kamakura
The statue was built in 1252 by an unknown sculptor. The statue is made of bronze, and it is theorized that it was made from melted Chinese coins. It might have been covered in gold in the past, according to some sources. The statue represents Amida Buddha, and it is on the land of the Kotoku-in temple in Kamakura city. The statue stands at 43.8 feet, making it the second largest buddha statue in Japan.
The principles of buddha called the four noble truths are the foundation of Buddhism. Buddhist are known for meditating to clear their mind. There are tourists that visit the area, but it is not known for being noisy in the area. This means that you can meditate next to a monument in Buddhism that is hundreds of years old. It only costs 20 yen which converts to 0.19 USD to visit the statue, and you can arrive there at 8:00 AM. If you bring some extra money on your trip, you can enter the Kotokuin temple, and they might even let you meditate inside. It only cost 300 yen or 2.92 USD to enter the Kotokuin temple. The temple is open from October to March.
Shambhala Mountain Center
A meditation center is a place you can travel to for a precise meditation experience. The Shambhala Mountain Center is a notable meditation retreat that you can go to. The center is located in the Colorado Rockies. The weather is generally good with blue skies and cool air. The area is surrounded by a pine forest. If you want to stay at the Shambhala Mountain Center for multiple days, you have a couple of options for staying overnight at the center.
- You can stay in a same gendered dormitory.
- You can get a seasonal tent.
- Food is offered at the center for vegetarians and nonvegetarians.
The Shambhala Mountain Center offers more than a 100 programs through the course of a year. A good portion of the programs focus on meditation. If you are a beginner, you can join the Learn to Meditate program where you can choose an instructor. You choose the instructor based on what you want to learn. One instructor might teach you the basic techniques of meditation, while another instructor might teach you buddha’s philosophy of meditation. As with other subjects, each instructor has their own teaching style, so you can choose which one works best with you. If you want to do more than meditate, the center offers other programs too, such as yoga, family, relationship, work retreats, and more. If anything happens, that causes the Shambhala Mountain Center to close, such as the COVID-19 virus, there will still be online sessions available.
Sacred Valley, Peru
The Sacred Valley of Peru has a long history of being ruled by various empires extending back thousands of years. The Sacred Valley of Peru is the area of land that is divided by the Urubamba river. In this valley there are five towns called Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Yucay, Calca, and Urubamba. The most popular empire that ruled this area was the Incas. In the 1400s the Inca leaders Tupac Yupanqui and Pachacuti Yupanqui created the Tahuantinsuyo empire.
- The empire was estimated to be 2485.5 miles long. Cusco was sacred to the Incas.
- Cusco was the land that brought the Incas a lot of agriculture, so a fortress was built there to protect it from enemies.
It often rains in the area, and it is humid. This can still be a good place to meditate if you go to the area on a day when it doesn’t rain. When it isn’t raining, the area is known for being sunny and quiet, so this makes it good for meditation.
Pisca is an area that was sacred to the Incas, and it was used to carry out many of their religious practices. Pisca was used as a burial ground for the Incas. There are over 3,000 Incas buried in the area. There is an area in Pisca called Q’enqo, and this area was used for Inca sacrifices and rituals. This can be a good place to meditate because of the hundreds of years of religious ties. This area is not visited as frequently as the others, so that means there are fewer people to distract you from meditating. If you are about to go on vacation, feel free to book a flight to the Sacred Valley of Peru.
Bodhi Khaya Retreat
Bodhi Khaya Retreat is a retreat center in South Africa. The retreat center has the excellent rating of 4.5 out of 5 reviews on the tripadvisor website. The area has forest trails where you can walk if you want to exercise. You could also spot fynbos, which are rare. The Bodhi Khaya Retreat center focuses on meditation and the principles of Buddhism.
- The definition of Bodhi is ‘awareness’ in the language of Sanskrit. For those that aren’t familiar with Buddhism, they are referring to when Buddha became enlightened.
- The definition of Khaya is ‘a sense of spiritual belonging’.
If you visit the center you can converse with like-minded people, and the staff is known for being friendly. If you want to meditate with an instructor, you can go to a scheduled meditation session where you can learn new meditation techniques. If you missed the scheduled meditation time, you can meditate with the staff in the morning. The center offers yoga services too for those that are interested. If you want to travel to the Bodhi Khaya Retreat center, you find their website on google.
These are some places that you can take a vacation to if you want to relax from the stressful and busy world that we are in. If you are planning to go on vacation, feel free to visit any of the places on this list to meditate. Are there any places that you think are worth traveling to for meditation or yoga? If so, let me know in the comments below.
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