Why You Should Add Meditation to Your Iceland Vacation Itinerary

If you’re planning a trip to Iceland, you likely have plans to visit the hot springs, some waterfalls and maybe a volcano or glacier. However, one thing that you might not have on your itinerary just yet — but that you should really add? Meditation.

Whether you’ve never meditated before or you’re a long-time meditation practitioner, meditating in Iceland can be an enriching and rewarding experience. Here’s why, and how you can go about experiencing Iceland meditation both during your trip and later (or now!), at home.

What Makes Iceland the Perfect Place to Meditate?

Meditation offers a range of benefits, both physical and spiritual. Meditation helps you to relieve stress, relax the body and reframe the mind so that you can better approach the struggles and challenges of day-to-day life. And where better to experience that rejuvenating impact than while in Iceland on holiday?

Iceland is already extremely well-suited to disconnecting from the worries of everyday life. A trip to Iceland is often filled with communion with nature. The dramatic landscapes and scenery, pure and untouched, unpolluted and clean, from the volcanoes to the ice fields, the Midnight Sun to the Northern Lights — it all makes for a spectacular spot to stop and really reflect on what’s important to you. And beyond the natural surroundings, Icelandic society is just more geared toward mindfulness and a more fulfilling way of life. In fact, Reykjavik has its own Mindfulness Centre, which works closely with the Directorate of Health to implement mindfulness in Iceland’s school systems and other areas, providing resources and training to Icelanders who want to live a more mindful life.

So, all this considered, would you agree that getting away to Iceland for a while will allow you to truly, deeply relax, and come away refreshed and energised, ready to take on whatever life throws at you in the future?

Where and How to Meditate in Iceland

If you agree that the idea of meditation in Iceland sounds, frankly, great, where and how can you actually go about it?

First, you’ll need to come to Iceland (and if you can’t just yet, no worries; we have an at-home solution for you, too). From there, you can either choose to meditate on your own or meditate with the help of others.

If you're a long-time meditation practitioner, you might indeed want to meditate on your own, whenever the mood strikes you during your visit. There are numerous beautiful places to meditate throughout our island country. Whether you want to meditate near a waterfall, on a beach, during a hike or while bathing in one of the Icelandic hot springs, there are plentiful options for you to choose from. Some of our favourite meditation spots include near the Skogafoss Waterfall in southern Iceland, on the beach of Raudasandur in the Westfjords, on a Highlands hike in Landmannalaugar and in the Reyjadalur hot springs, not far from Reykjavik.

If, however, you’d prefer to meditate with the help of meditation experts, you can find special events and workshops that focus on meditation, led by local Icelandic leaders. Flow offers some of these such events and workshops, including customised and curated in-person meditation workshops that cover what exactly meditation is and how attendees can utilize meditation to manage stress, increase focus, enjoy better rest and build stronger relationships.

Flow also hosts a special, yearly retreat that’s open to the public. This special retreat includes a tour throughout Reykjanes that takes you to some of the best and most beautiful meditation locations in Iceland, with meditation sessions held throughout the day, in these spots. Beyond the meditations sessions, we also encourage attendees to pair the event with a visit to one of the many Icelandic health spas, for an even more relaxing experience.

Flow even hosts in-person, specially-curated workshops for corporate groups and companies, for an educational and interactive experience that focuses in on the topic of your group’s choosing. (You can either choose an existing workshop program that we offer for your group, or request something more customised.) Beyond the handpicked topic of the day, though, the corporate workshops also include a guided meditation and tips that your employees can use well beyond the one-day event, so that they can begin practicing meditation on their own, in their personal lives and also at work. We’ve found that these workshops are an excellent addition to a group’s team-building day or outing.

Learn more and book the workshop experience for your group, here.

But What if You Can’t Go to Iceland Right Now?

While travelling to Iceland for an all-encompassing meditation retreat among some of the most beautiful scenery on Earth sounds amazing, we also recognise that it’s not feasible for everyone. If you’ve already used up your travel budget for the year, or if you just can’t take the time away from real life, there are ways that you can replicate the Icelandic meditation experience without ever leaving home.

Here’s how you can experience meditation in Iceland through virtual reality

For individuals, experiencing meditation in Iceland through virtual reality is incredibly easy. If you have a VR headset, you can use the Flow VR app to immerse yourself in beautiful Icelandic scenery and sounds, while enjoying guided meditations. You can find the Flow VR app on Oculus, for Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR; on SideQuest, for Oculus Quest and Quest 2; and on Steam VR, for Oculus Rift.

However, if you don’t have a VR headset, you can experience Icelandic meditation in other ways, from Flow’s mobile app that allows you to take the meditation experience on the go. It empowers you to meditate whenever, wherever, so you can get the quick hit of relaxation and rejuvenation when you need it most. At home, while on public transit, before you go to sleep — there are endless ways to experience meditation, all from your phone.

Flow’s mobile meditation app features:

• High-quality guided meditations in English and Icelandic

• Stunning nature scenes from all over Iceland

• Video and immersive 360° footage

• 28-plus meditations to make you feel better in as little as 4 or 8 minutes

• Hand-picked music and soothing nature sounds

• Customisable experiences by length, music, guidance and language

• Ability to track your progress

Download the app and meditate right now, via either the Google Play store or Apple App store.

Find peace of mind at work - teleport to Iceland for a meditation retreat in calming nature

If you’re interested in introducing the Icelandic meditation experience to your team or a group, though, you’ll want to take advantage of Flow’s wellness-focused corporate meditation program, which helps companies boost employees’ mental health through meditation and Icelandic practices. Flow’s wellness program for corporate groups comes with:

• VR meditation programming available via VR headsets provided by Flow and shipped to your office

• Online workshops available to each employee

• Meditation resources available to each employee via their personal mobile devices

• Meditation resources available via a web portal, for use during in-office group sessions

Our corporate partners report a multitude of benefits, including better stress management in the office, increased employee focus, increased productivity, strengthened collaborative partnerships, greater resilience and better individual self-development among teams.

Learn more about how Flow can help your corporate environment, with one of our wellness programs for work.

What Makes Flow Different?

Whether you choose to use Flow’s VR, mobile app or web portal, you’ll enjoy a range of benefits that you’ll only find with Flow.

Pure Icelandic scenery incorporates volcanoes, lava fields, the Icelandic Highlands, waterfalls and lush green valleys — all the scenes that you would see and experience during a trip to Iceland. As you keep your eyes open during this one-of-a-kind meditation experience, you can see it all. The unique scenery is enhanced by Icelandic music from artists such as Sigur Ros, GusGus, Of Monsters and Men and Ólafur Arnalds. Guided meditations are even available in Icelandic, for an even more authentic experience, as you listen to the island’s language as it lulls you and guides you through a meditation like none other you’ve experienced before.

Meditate in Iceland (Either For Real, or Virtually!)

Ready to meditate in Iceland? Whether you’re planning a trip to the island and want to meditate in person, with or without the help of a trained guide, or you want to see what all the hype is about before you book that plane ticket, you can do so with Flow’s assistance. Let us know how we can help you meditate in Iceland. Reach out, at info@flow.is.