Ismael Cala Tourism of Consciousness

What is tourism of consciousness?

It is a type of tourism that goes to the essence of places. Spirituality and
elevation of consciousness are the most important ingredients of Mindful Travel destinations. We can trace it’s background in 1968, when The Beatles spent a month in an Ashram in India. In his youth, Steve Jobs also made a retirement in that country. In short, Mindful Travel is to know energy portals, places with proven lifestyles that aim at longevity.

What is a purposeful trip for you?

It is the one who delves into spirituality and moves away from trips that are only good looking for a nice photo on Instagram. It is a journey of exploration of consciousness, where we discover not only a destination, but also what destiny helps us find about ourselves.

What recommendations would you give to tourists who travel with an expectation of the place they visit?

We all have expectations, but without a doubt we must learn to manage them. In my opinion, every journey begins with it’s preparation. When you inquire about the place, you plan the route and take note to delve there. What happens is that there are people who are disappointed with the first obstacle, or who are only looking for a type of beauty, but there is beauty in many things, and from all places we can take knowledge, experience, and most importantly: a greater empathy of its people.

Of all the tourist destinations visited, which has been the most special for you, and why?

I think India where I have been many times. The experience in Varanasi, the spiritual center of the country, is unique. There, I perceived that the world began and ended. In the ghats, on the banks of the holy Ganges river, tradition provides the deposit of flowers and candles to let go of attachments, fears and limits. So after my first tour of India in 2013, I designed the “CalaMundos” concept to accompany others on spiritual and introspective journeys. Since then, I return home with memories and images that open my heart to a more diverse and complex world.

I am going to ask you a question that you have asked on your social media (facebook). What do you think is more important about the photo or the significance of the destination?

The photo is part of the memory, but it is one more element. I care about many other things, like; understanding the place, its colors, smells, and what I can discover about myself by interacting with other people. In New Delhi, I remember the guide Raju Singh telling me: “Don’t come to India just to see stones, because that can be done anywhere else. Come here to discover something inside of yourself”.

Journalist or motivator?

Communicator, life strategist. I think that, journalist, puts me too close to current events, and today, that is not my way. I did, I respect it a lot, but daily journalism is not what I’m looking for right now. For this reason, I consider myself a communicator of conscience, and a strategist, because I study and share what I learn. I am neither a motivator nor a guru.

Do you have any recommendations that your followers can practice when you wake up to start a new day with a good frequency?

For example, the morning routine, if I am at home, I sit on the balcony, I meditate for 20 minutes, sometimes using my own App “Escala Meditando”. Then I do ten minutes of conscious, abdominal breathing. Then there is what I call “the morning vomit”, which is to drop on a piece of paper what is in my mind: loose ideas, disorderly things that go to paper and lose strength, within the mental disorder with which one gets up. Subsequently, I continue with some yoga, Pilates, walking or training in the gym, to fill myself with wellness hormones. The first hour of the day is a time that you have to give yourself. It is divine, sacred, to honor who we are and cultivate our energy.

What is for you to meditate and what is the best time to do it?

I always say that it is better to be “meditated” than “medicated”. With this wordsplay, I rescue the importance of meditation as a path to self-discovery, wisdom and integral well-being. It is as if by meditating we enter our pharmacy and interior library, to find the answers to the ills of body and soul at the same time.

There are those who cannot stay in contemplation for long to control the
coming and going of their thoughts. However, I think it is all a matter of practice. Every day we can get to be a moment more on the threshold of peace and perfect balance. This ecstasy is part of an exercise of will and discipline that must be carried out with full conscience.

It is possible to meditate anywhere where one finds tranquility, silence and peace or some music. For all those interested, we have created the App “Escala Meditando”. No prior knowledge is necessary, because the App is precisely designed to guide people.

What would be your message for all those people who are insearch of finding themselves?

Don’t faint. You have to start with self-discovery. It is a path of study, of investment in oneself, that brings us closer to balance and happiness.