In the past five years, mindful living has become something of a mainstream catchphrase. But what exactly is it?

“Mindful living is about being aware of the present moment,” says Francheska Santos, one of the spa managers at Spa & Wellness with Dr. Andrew Weil, the unique collaboration between Seabourn and the visionary pioneer whose groundbreaking research into integrative medicine combines physical, social, environmental and spiritual well-being.

“When you live mindfully, you don’t worry about the past, and you’re not anxious about the future because you cannot change or affect either,” Santos adds. “It’s about the mind and body being present, right here, right now.”

It is this deliberate and conscious immersion into the “now” that is at the heart of Spa & Wellness with Dr. Andrew Weil, which is on each Seabourn ship. The goal is to learn to become more sensitive to the needs of the mind and body.

“Mindful living is about developing a compassion and concern for ourselves,” says Javier Pardo Bordons, one of the spa’s Mindful Living Coaches.

To that end, all the spa offerings are designed to be mindfulness tools that help guests relax and rejuvenate while traveling — a way to facilitate self-discovery, creativity and a healthier frame of mind which, hopefully, will continue long after their voyage.

Biotec Skin Solution Facials, for instance, combine plant stem cells with Elemis technology to revitalize and heal skin. Aroma Stone Therapy places small heated stones on key energy points to balance the spirit and relax tissues. And the Amethyst Crystal Sound Bath Healing Treatment gently warms the body with infrared light and negative ions to reduce stress by 78%, while the pure sound from crystal bowls draws the mind into a deep meditative state.

An onboard acupuncturist, certified in this most ancient of traditional eastern therapies, is also on hand to safely and effectively treat not just seasickness, insomnia and anxiety, but also to revive skin that is tired and lined.

Meanwhile, daily yoga and meditation classes (either in complimentary group classes, or one on one) are conducted by each Seabourn ship’s Mindful Living Coach – who is also a certified yoga and meditation practitioner – either in the Motion Studio or, weather permitting, on the deck. The meditation sessions are grounded by a daily theme, focusing on a particular chakra in the body and on a particular emotion like happiness, compassion, gratitude or love.

An even more immersive experience can be found in Seabourn’s Mindful Living Collection — a curated range of shore excursions that have been designed to nourish the mind, body and spirit during a voyage. Each experience — led by the Mindful Living Coach — is designed to be as memorable as it is emotionally and physically restorative. Here, the emphasis is less on the act of sightseeing. Rather, it is about becoming more conscious of the experience, and to connect with nature, whether a yoga session and healthy lunch by a picturesque bay in Crete, or a meditative bike ride through an Arabian wildlife park.

As Pardo Bordons points out, “People commonly associate cruises with sightseeing, food and drinks. They think that’s what an indulgent holiday is. But another way to be indulgent is to look after your body and mind, and this is the case whether you’re detoxing, or trying out an anti-inflammatory diet.”

Of course, the idea of indulgent wellness might seem a little contradictory, but as Dr. Weil has said, “Health is not just the absence of disease. It is a positive state that includes the subjective sense of wellness — feeling good about yourself, having the energy to meet life’s demands and having confidence in your body’s healing ability.”

Which is why throughout a Seabourn voyage, daily half-hour seminars are held in the spa on a variety of subjects ranging from the healing power of a good night’s sleep and how to burn fat faster, to how to improve your posture and adjusting your lifestyle habits and daily diet to achieve your best health.

In the end, the goal of mindful living is to bring out the best in all of us. It’s a journey based on self-awareness and a commitment to the present. As Santos notes, that journey and commitment involve the same energy whether you’re on land or sailing the high seas: “You can connect wherever you are.”