What I Think About Blue Mindfulness - A Word From MO+ Founder, Barbara Choy

I have been doing a bit of a deep dive (pun intended) into the concept of Blue Mindfulness - a wellness term and trend inspired by the book, Blue Mind by Wallace J Nichols where the author explores water and, essentially, why it makes us happy. For me, it was the perfect time to start exploring this a little more. January 2020 is the start of a fresh year - met with a rejuvenated mind this is generally when I make some of my best and most strategic plans from a business perspective. However, from a personal perspective this period is about refreshing, resetting and always taking learnings from the year prior.

I hope that the trend of Blue Mindfulness is one that decides to stick around and one that continues to be spoken about, as it certainly resonates for me. I have frequently expressed my love for the ocean - being nearing it, submerging myself in it, simply seeing it, even if from afar. However, I have never quite pinpointed what it is about the water - in its many forms - that has such a powerful impact on my psyche. It’s as if my mother’s wise words to “go dive in the ocean to wash away the day” was somehow rooted scientific fact. At the end of last year, the MO+ team took to the high seas for a day to celebrate the year that was. Surrounded by the MO+ team, but somewhat at the helm of the great ocean spanse, I felt decidedly and resolutely chill. Essentially one of the most powerful forces on planet Earth is also one of the most calming. Go figure?

Even when the sky has been grey overhead, I have no doubt that you have had similar moments, whereby you take a drive to simply look at the waves. I can guarantee that, within this moment - no matter how fleeting - you didn’t pick up your phone to scroll Instagram. You were genuinely immersed in the experience of watching the waves roll in. This is nature working hard at digital disruption in the truest sense.

In the same way we detox our bodies through diet - the concept of Blue Mindfulness is a detox of our brain - urging us to switch off from those apps, those emails, those phone calls that have us enslaved for a majority of our day.

While I know not everyone loves the water - some of us are more comfortable bound to the earth, solid ground under our feet - my call to action here is not to immerse yourself in the deep blue, but rather find ways to be around water. For some, it might be as simple as a paddle in your local pool, a long satiating bath, an early morning walk along the foreshore at Bondi Beach or a weekend hike to a waterfall in your nearest national park.

For me, I know the power of the ocean is something to be celebrated - however, I don’t think we have ever quite thought about how much water can impact and change our physical and mental health. There is something peacefully arresting about the ability of water to calm us, to centre us and to bring us back to earth (even if just for a minute or two).

Ask yourself this: What does being in the presence of water - whether in it, near it, surrounded by it - do for you?

Leave a comment below - I would love to know!

Here’s to 2020,
Barbara