5 Wellness Rituals to Borrow from Other Cultures

Travel has the power to expand our knowledge and transform our worldview—especially when it comes to the art of living well. Around the globe, cultures have long embraced wellness practices that nurture body and spirit and extend longevity: mindful eating methods, natural healing treatments, community traditions that strengthen belonging and daily rituals for personal reflection. Discover five practices learned from our travels that we’re bringing home for a healthier, more grounded and joyful life.

Two of the world’s five recognized Blue Zones—the places with the highest concentrations of people with the longest lifespans—are located in the Mediterranean, which is hardly a surprise. From the fertile farmlands of Sardinia and Greece to the breezy coastlines of Spain and Slovenia, the Mediterranean is among the few regions left that preserve and protect clean, seasonal, unprocessed food cultures, powered by small producers that integrate modern innovation with traditional techniques honed over centuries.

Across the Mediterranean, it is not only the origin and the quality of what’s on your plate that matter—though this is certainly well attended to, thanks to movements like Slow Food, founded in Italy in 1989, and regional regulations like the DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita). Time spent at the table is sacred. Meals bring families and neighbors together in a ritual that is not compromised. “Farm-to-table” and “nose-to-tail” aren’t buzzwords for marketing elite restaurants; they are a way of life that is still actively being passed down from one generation to the next. Slow eating, and the slow living habits that come with it, are built into the structure of the Mediterranean’s broader rhythm and economy (travelers will remember the frustration of shops shuttering midday for lunch or siesta and city-wide closures in observation of Sundays, holidays and seasonal vacations). Meals aren’t squeezed in between obligations—they are treated with a reverence that comes from understanding that living well begins with carefully fueling and nourishing the body and the soul.

How to Practice at Home: Pick up a new Mediterranean cookbook (Slow Food, Fast Cars by Massimo Bottura, Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi and Zaytinya by José Andrés are great places to start); block a weekly or monthly Sunday night for preparing and eating dinner with loved ones—and don’t cancel; explore your local farmers’ market; plant an herb garden; create a 30-minute breakfast or afternoon break ritual; take a traditional pasta-making class or book an organic wine tasting.

Encompassing Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland, the Nordics have evolved sophisticated wellness strategies to cope with the harsh conditions of their northern environment. Winter is the longest season in this region, lasting up to 200 days in the furthest reaches, and it brings frigid weather and extended hours of darkness (with daylight lasting for just six hours in the south and a period of “polar night,” when the sun does not rise at all, in the north). In such a climate, the forces of the natural world—the sun, the snow, the sea, the wind—continue to play an active role in shaping Nordic culture and behavior, manifesting in practices like hygge (the art of cozy comfort) and friluftsliv (open-air living).

Perhaps the most significant of all is the tradition of elemental contrast therapy, which is best known as sauna culture but also includes forest bathing, natural cryotherapy and ice plunges. Moving between a heated environment (like a dry, wood-fired or steamed, hot-stone sauna) and a cold environment (usually a shower or ice bath—or jumping into the snow or the sea, if you have access) has been shown to offer numerous health benefits, namely: enhanced cardiovascular function and circulation, accelerated muscle recovery, reduced inflammation, immunity support, greater skin clarity and elasticity, stress relief, detoxification and improved sleep and mental toughness. But the true purpose of this wellness philosophy extends beyond the body and even the mind. The sauna is considered a sacred space, where the spirit can be cleansed, inner peace can be cultivated and communal connection can be nurtured.

Plus: Elemental contrast therapy and water-based wellness rituals can be found globally. In Morocco, hammams like the one at La Mamounia transform full-body cleansing into ceremony. Scotland’s wild-swimming movement pairs cold plunges with coastal saunas, and experiences at properties like The Fife Arms encourage guests to forage and immerse themselves in the nature of the Highlands. The ancient Roman concept of “spa”—an abbreviation of the Latin “salvus per aquam,” or “health through water”—is still alive and well throughout its former empire, and incredible thermal bath retreats can be enjoyed from Tuscany to Hungary and beyond. In Namibia’s Himba culture, herbal smoke baths are used for purification due to lack of water, and travelers can learn about this practice while staying at Wilderness Serra Cafema.

How to Practice at Home: Catharina Hedberg (a Swede and the co-founder of legendary California wellness retreat The Ashram) advises: “Even if you’re out in nature and you’re working, that’s a meditation.” Make a point to walk outside for at least 15 minutes daily, regardless of the weather conditions. Other ideas include: join a local gym or wellness club that offers sauna and steam amenities; build a sauna or cold plunge in your home (there are relatively simple, low-cost, low-footprint models available); alternate between hot and cold temperatures in your shower at three-minute intervals—or soak in a really hot bath (there is new research that suggests this can be even more beneficial than sauna).

​​The schedule of an African safari follows the timetable of nature: the intrinsic patterns of the animals set the pace, and in following the early morning movements of the big cats and the birds and the evening amblings of the elephants and the hippos, travelers will find themselves aligning to circadian rhythms and re-activating a level of awareness that tends to get drowned out by the urban, digital day-to-day. There is profound wellness in this alignment: embarking on safari in the African bush—from Kenya to Botswana and beyond—reconnects the mind, body and spirit with the core functions of human biology and can even trigger a reset on the cellular level. Benefits can include rebooting your sleep cycle, improving your focus and sensory abilities, cultivating a deeper sense of inner peace and purpose and accessing opportunities for undisturbed conversation and discovery with others.

From personal experience—I’ve never felt more out of place in my hometown of New York than when I returned from my first safari in Africa. Those initial days back, looking out my apartment window, I realized how accustomed I’d become to having the sky as my constant companion. For two weeks, its changing colors had governed my every move and mood—and it was the first thing to greet me in the morning, as it lightened from midnight ink to a gentle blue-gray, with shocks of gold and orange. To be suddenly separated from it by brick buildings, window shades and scaffolding was alarmingly unnatural. In the bush, I was reminded of the way we are meant to live: interconnected and in sync, with each other and the world around us. We bundle up when it rains and tell stories by the fire. We ask each other—“Are you afraid?”—when we hear rustling in the trees. We surrender ourselves completely to the turnings of the planet, going to bed when it’s dark and rising with the light.

How to Practice at Home: Align your waking and sleeping times with sunrise and nightfall, adjusting this schedule throughout the year as the seasons change; get outside for even just a few minutes first thing in the morning, before you start your day, and again in the evening, before winding down for nighttime routines; dedicate at least one hour per week to screen-free immersion and focused observation in nature, at a nearby park or wildlife sanctuary (bring binoculars or a notebook, but resist the urge to check your phone); take up birding (see more below).

The cultures of east and Southeast Asia have long beckoned wellness seekers with their deeply rooted holistic traditions. In Bhutan, mornings begin with the low hum of monks chanting through mountain air, and visitors can combine hiking through pristine forests and lush river valleys with moments spent in guided prayer. In India and China, retreats like Ananda or Amandayan combine diet, breath-to-movement exercise, massage, acupuncture and plant-based medicine refined over dynasties for full-body healing. In Japan, a tea ceremony or flower arrangement workshop transforms an everyday activity into an exercise in presence and mindfulness. In Indonesia, purification ceremonies known as melukat invite participants to step beneath flowing water, symbolically releasing trauma, negative energy and bad karma—while opportunities to give offerings and seek blessings from ancestors abound in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. If you are curious about expanding your wellness fluency, the diversity to be found in east Asia makes this region the perfect place to start.

How to Practice at Home: Sign up for a traditional Vinyasa yoga, Tai Chi or Muay Thai class at a studio near you; incorporate breathwork, chanting, meditation or prayer into your daily routine at home (many guided programs are easily available through Netflix or Apple TV, as well as apps like Headspace, Calm or Spotify); visit a temple, church or other place of open worship in your neighborhood; book a monthly Thai massage, acupuncture treatment or sound bath at a nearby spa; add books like Braiding Sweetgrass, Rooted, The Herbal Apothecary, The Web That Has No Weaver and How to Let Things Go to your reading list.

When moving through the bustling streets of Tokyo or Kyoto, it is not uncommon to spot a perfectly coiffed businesswoman in pumps, an elegant maiden perched upon wooden geta sandals and a punky teen in fishnets rising above the crowd in five-inch platform boots, all gathered around the same stoplight, patiently waiting for it to turn green, and not moving a second sooner. This is just one example of the everyday etiquette that is essential to Japanese society—a carefully observed set of rules, ranging from removing one’s shoes upon entry into a home to not eating in public spaces while on-the-go—that both intimidate and enthrall foreigners. What draws us all so fervently to visit Japan is not only its reverence for specialization and tradition; it’s also the strength that’s afforded there to the social contract.

There is a real sense of mutual obligation and accountability that governs the captivating dance of daily life in Japan, which imbues even the smallest mundanities with a greater beauty and dignity than we’re accustomed to at home. This also creates a major benefit for communal wellness: society functions more smoothly, with less friction and stress, because of this shared commitment to courtesy and prioritization of collective comfort over individual desires and urgencies. Queues are orderly and efficient; commuting trains are quiet and safe; streets are free of trash and waste; public services are reliable and sophisticated; interactions are intentional and respectful. When your environment functions predictably, and high standards are maintained, the mental and physical toll of everyday tasks and responsibilities is lessened.

How to Practice at Home: To conjure a cliché—be the change you wish to see in the world. Acknowledge the ripple effect of action and remember your own power to influence others to behave better when you lead by example. Slow down as you move through life and practice small acts of kindness (and patience). Remember to look strangers in the eye when you greet and thank them; hold the door for someone with their hands full; refrain from honking in traffic. Avoid taking calls in shared spaces and texting while walking down the street—and put your phone away when you’re supposed to. Try to leave the spaces you pass through better than you found them. Volunteer for community projects like trash cleanups, shared gardens, soup kitchens or youth mentoring. Practice daily gratitude to cultivate a more positive mindset or identify a mantra to help you stay calm in frustrating situations. Most of all, keep the faith when things get challenging (and when in doubt, take a trip!).