Finding Presence in the Desert: A Mindful Moment on the Road

There’s something deeply restorative about stepping off the grid. No schedule, no signal, just the rhythm of the land and your own breath. For those drawn to mindfulness, yoga retreats, or a slower way of traveling, especially women over 50 or older adults seeking reconnection, this kind of journey can feel like a return to self. This spring, I took an off-grid road trip through the desert of Utah. What follows is a journal entry from one of those mornings, a reflection on how travel and yoga practice often meet in the quietest of places.

My ears are buzzing. It's so quiet, there is such a lack of sound, that it's as if my ears strain to find something to hold onto. The morning is cool in this remote part of the desert of Utah, one hour on dirt and winding pavement to the nearest tiny town. I enjoy what is, for now, the gentle heat of the morning sun, knowing that in a few hours, I will be diving for shade. I am surrounded by red and yellow toned rocks that rise into the blue sky. Sagebrush and cactus take hold of what little dirt there is as well as the few juniper and pinyon pine that have managed to survive this harsh environment.

The camp is quiet for now, everyone else is still asleep. Just me and Ida, my dog, are up and I enjoy these moments that we have to ourselves. We have been on the road for a few weeks already, having left central Washington in our truck and camper, traveling in the way that I like best. Although I love to travel in any manner, my favorite is to wander, to take one day and night at a time, exploring with plenty of time and little agenda except to seek out beauty and experiences as they arise on the map or on the horizon as it appears before us.

Travel in this way is such a gift, in the way that meditation is, for me. It is the gift of simplifying, of just staying in the present moment. Yes, we will have to make plans to return home, but that is still off in the future far enough that we can relax into this moment, just here and now. Pausing to look around and see the beauty of the natural world as it unveils itself, moment by moment. Not always comfortable - sometimes too hot, sometimes too cold - but calling me to awareness over and over, moment by moment.

Photo by Ellen Bivona