Close your eyes and breathe: Hotels are doing ‘mindfulness training’

Travel is not always the break we hope for; stress often comes along for the ride.

The travel industry is recognizing this; British Airways provides mindfulness meditation lessons on some flights. Wellness, as a recent package of L.A. Times Travel articles shows, is important mentally, physicially and, from a business perspective, financially.

Hotels, too, are offering more organized ways to inject a little mental healthfulness in their guests’ lives.

Shutters on the Beach and Hotel Casa Del Mar, adjacent high-end hotels on the Pacific in Santa Monica, recently showed off their new program, designed by the stress management expert John Sahakian.

Intended for groups of business guests, bridal parties or others, the program, called Automatic Integrative Relaxation Response, is also available for groups not staying at the hotels.

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It includes several methods of meditation and relaxation, including yoga, mindfulness and breathing exercises.

Sahakian provides a handout describing the exercises so guests can keep doing them after they leave.

The demonstration took place in a room at Casa Del Mar, but groups can arrange outdoor sessions. The cost starts at $1,000 for two hours for up to 10 people.