Magic & mica – practising mindfulness on Tresco
Caspar Walsh has long felt the call of Scilly shores, and finally experienced our special brand of island calm in 2017. Here he shares his thoughts on how a dip into island life can nurture the practice of being present.
Up until my first visit a couple of years ago, I’d been carrying around the echo of the voice of every person I knew who’d visited Isles of Scilly. It was all about the magic of the place, the beauty and uniqueness of each island and the connections between. I’d been meaning to visit for years. I finally made it ashore in 2017 and the magic soon became vivid.
My retreats focus on helping us find inspiration through the natural world and with that, a deeper connection to ourselves and to each other. Surrounded by the wild Atlantic, with a surprisingly wide variety of landscape to explore, we make time to watch and be with the weather as it shifts from still, Mediterranean blue to gentle winds and sometimes wild, rolling waves.
This is what mindfulness in nature is all about: working with the season, the day, the hour, the minute. It’s about giving us time to be together, time to be alone and time to reflect on where we are in our lives, in this moment. The magic and calm of the island supports all of this, internally and externally, in a subtle but powerful and lasting way.
Island mindfulness: five reasons why Tresco is the best place to reconnect
• The views. From windows, doors, beaches, paths, moorland, ocean, each offering a wider and deeper opening onto the restorative power of island life.
• Working with the weather. Bringing our focus to what the island and its temperate and shifting climate brings each day. Allowing us to move with the rhythm of change, be inspired by the elements and how they reflect our inner landscapes and lives.
• White sand paradise. Flecked with mineral flakes of mica the beaches offer something really special. When the sun hits the sand, it shimmers and glows. Sit, stare and let go…
• Eating together. Connecting to the landscape and sea through food grown and caught on the island. Inner soul nourishment!
• Walking around and between the islands at low tide. Moving mindfully through the place where the sea usually flows is a surprisingly grounding, serene experience. Maybe the secret to the magic of island life lies beneath the waves!
