Healthy Habits - Staycations

Joshua Sam Miller, conscious entrepreneur, sound and visual artist, music producer and ocean conservationist, is the founder of Embodied Sounds. His goal is to raise awareness and understanding around the critical issues facing the health of our oceans while supporting people to live healthy lives. One way in which he does is is through Sounds of the Ocean - an album where whales are the lead singers. Joshua Sam Miller believes, “Sounds of the Ocean creates a space that is so necessary for people to calm down, relax and let their mind go wherever it wants to travel. Gifting yourself this precious time to rest offers so much value to life overall and can bring so much joy and reflection to a person who is feeling disconnected, isolated or overly stressed with responsibilities.” He invites families, couples, and individuals to lie down and listen to the music while going on a “sonic scuba dive” in your own living room. 100% of profits from album sales support, their partner, Oceanic Global.


I ha a chance to interview him to learn more.


How can staycations offer an authentic break from everyday life?

Staycations can offer a moment to reconnect with yourself, in a familiar environment where you can totally let go and fall in love with yourself. It is a great time to connect with family or friends, pets and see your home in a new way. Plus, you can feel extra good about choosing this “sustainable” way to take a break without needing to go anywhere!


What does it mean to take a "mindful staycation?”

A mindful staycation can be defined however you need it to be. So often, we think that mindfulness and meditation need to look a certain way, but this is not the case at all. Mindfulness is about cultivating the space in your life to give your mind what it needs. It is a time to be totally honest with yourself, slow down and get in touch with what is really going on underneath the surface. Where better to do this than in the sanctuary of your own home?


Why is it important to make sure that we take some time for our mental health?

These days, it is more important than ever to take care of our minds. Our brains are like sponges, absorbing what we feed them on a daily basis. So, if you are constantly watching the daily news with reports of fear dominating the mainstream media, for example, your mind can naturally become more fearful. To counteract this, we must feed our minds with healthy stimulus and experiences that create a positive feedback loop to develop healthy brains and good habits. Building a practice into your life to do something regularly that you enjoy is one way to support healthy minds, which create healthy bodies and and healthy communities.


What is the role of sound and music in mindfulness and meditation?

Sound and music can play an enormous role in mindfulness and meditation. They can serve as an excellent introduction to this practice, which is really, really hard at the beginning to just be present with yourself. Supporting this with sounds that help set the “tone” and quiet the mind offers us some extra help to tune out all of the noise. Plus, there are many benefits when it comes to sound as vibration, which depending on your beliefs can offer many mental, physical and emotional benefits such as stress reduction and help with anxiety, depression, memory retention, dementia and alzheimer’s disease as well as other physical ailments as well. My recommendation is to approach sound and music as a tool to access your own subconscious. On its own, it will not magically “heal” you, though it can help unlock parts of the brain that are otherwise hard to access.