At our Beach House, we start off every New Year with a different theme and focus. Last year, it was Awakening 2017: A Year With Intention, which provided us with the perfect opportunity to look within to find our inner calm. We explored our minds and searched our souls to uncover versions of ourselves that we never knew existed. For 2018, we are harnessing all the lessons we have learnt and applying them to our daily rituals by discovering the secrets to everyday happy living with Kinship 2018: A Year To Get Consciously Cozy.
We were inspired by the Danish concept of ‘hygge’ (pronounced “hoo-gah”), which is a quality of presence and an experience of belonging and togetherness. It is a feeling of being cozy, warm, comforted and safe. It’s a feeling of engagement and relatedness, of belonging to the moment and to each other. Hygge is a sense of abundance and contentment. Hygge is about being, not having.
Over the course of the year, we are diving into our Kinship Manifesto, which we believe is the perfect blueprint for finding happiness in simple but meaningful moments. At our Beach House, we believe that simple pleasures are life’s treasures. For this blog post, we are sharing our five favourite things to do when indulging in pleasures in paradise. Read on for more!
Walk amongst nature
We are so lucky to be living in paradise and strolling along the beach on a breezy morning reminds us that some of the most beautiful moments in life are free! Some of our other recommended places to walk and explore Cayman’s natural beauty is the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Crystal Caves.
Watch the magical Cayman sunset
We are blessed to be able to experience this simple but joyous moment almost everyday. Nothing compares to watching the sunset on the beach with the sound of crashing waves in the background.
Fun fact: According to research done in 2012, by witnessing the beauty and awe of the sunset, you can slow down your perception of time. “Experiences of awe bring people into the present moment,” researchers wrote in the paper, “which underlies awe’s capacity to adjust time perception, influence decisions, and make life feel more satisfying than it would otherwise.”
Gather your tribe and collect memories
Spending time with loved ones is our ideal way to indulge in pleasures – the precious memories made with friends and family are priceless and irreplaceable. Being present in the moment and embracing the time shared with the people you care about in this world makes us happier, healthier and grounded.
Do something that feels good for the soul
The list is endless! We love hygge-filled moments like cooking, doing yoga, knitting, eating your favourite meal or reading a captivating book – we can go on and on! The key is to do something, anything, that makes your heart sing.
Soak in the sun after a cool dip in the ocean
Our ultimate indulgence: swimming in the cool Caribbean Sea on a hot summer’s day! At our Beach House, this is a top hygge moment for us – going for a refreshing swim in the cool and gentle sea and afterwards feeling a soft warm blanket wrapped around your shoulders as you dry off in the sunshine. It is a feeling of coziness that we love!