About The Studio Journal
The Studio Journal was born during a sabbatical that became something much deeper, a turning point.
What began as a pause from routine turned into a journey of unlearning, rediscovery, and reconnection. I wandered, I listened, I wrote. I stepped into unfamiliar places, both on the map and within myself.
This journal is a space to share what I’ve gathered along the way. It holds reflections from the road, questions from the quiet moments, and the stories that shape how we travel, live, and grow. You’ll find pieces of my journey here, but also prompts, insights, and encouragement for your own.
Because transformation doesn’t happen all at once. It happens in the in-between. And this is a place for that.
What You May Experience Through Luontopolku — Back to Your Senses® method
✔ A renewed connection to your own nature
✔ Greater clarity about what truly matters now
✔ Deeper trust in your direction and inner guidance
✔ Courage to move forward with alignment and intention
When Nature Becomes a Mirror: A Reflective Walk on the Ruta Ecológica in Benissa
Ruta Ecológica coastal trail in Benissa, Spain, with wooden railing overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and pine-covered cliffs on the Costa Blanca, a peaceful setting for reflective nature walks guided by The Journey Studio.
Have you paused lately, I mean truly paused, taking yourself out not to perform, achieve, or respond, but simply to listen within?
On the Ruta Ecológica in Benissa, the landscape quietly reminds us how time reshapes everything.
Walking along the cliffs, you pass old sandstone quarries. Places where stone was once extracted and landscapes were capitalized on. Today they are protected nature areas. We walk through them gently, observing rather than taking.
Time has shifted their purpose.
Small yellow flowers grow through dry soil and rocky ground. Fragile yet persistent, they slowly reclaim the terrain. Spring approaches quietly here. Nature does not rush, but it always finds its way forward.
Watching this, it becomes difficult not to reflect on our own inner landscapes.
Just like the land, our inner nature also moves in cycles. Some seasons are productive and outward-facing. Others ask for restoration, protection, and listening.
We have learned to protect natural environments: to leave them as they are given to us.
Perhaps we need to offer the same care to ourselves.
Pausing, keeping ourselves close, staying in conversation with our inner voice. Noticing what might be quietly sprouting within us again; an idea, a direction, a courage that had been waiting for the right season.
Nature has a remarkable way of reflecting what we carry inside.
When we walk slowly and intentionally, the landscape begins to mirror our own thoughts. A question carried quietly in the mind often finds unexpected clarity along the path.
This is the foundation of my Luontopolku® reflective walk practice: creating space where nature becomes both guide and mirror.
Along the Ruta Ecológica in Benissa we slow down, observe, and listen, not only to the sea breeze, the pine trees, and the rhythm of the waves, but also to what is stirring within.
You may arrive with a question, a transition, or simply the feeling that it is time to pause.
Nature has a way of answering in its own quiet language.
I offer guided reflective walks at the Ruta Ecológica in Benissa for individuals and small groups through The Journey Studio.
If you feel the need to pause, listen, and reconnect with your own direction, you are welcome to walk with me.
Reflective Walk Experiences
📍 Ruta Ecológica, Benissa – Costa Blanca
Solo sessions or small groups
Read more and book your walk through The Journey Studio.
Seeking Answers
Mirka Kristiina Bruun, travel coach, in nature during a Finnish Happiness reflection walk.
Transformative travel coach and founder of The Journey Studio, smiles warmly while leaning on a wooden railing at dusk. Soft evening light highlights her face as Mediterranean pine trees rise behind her, capturing a moment of calm presence and the ease that nature brings.
I still get lost sometimes and need to return to my nature trails to reconnect. Even in the excitement of building something new, there is a mountain of tasks waiting, not always favourites, yet necessary.
What Is Weighing on Me?
This week, between pitching competitions where I got to speak about my Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® method, the way to Finnish Happiness, to the finals and receive supportive feedback from wellness-tourism leaders, I found myself wondering: What is weighing on me?
There is the pressure of things undone, the constant whisper to do more, the old feeling, shared by so many of us, that we still need to prove something. Even after letting go, the echo returns. In conversations this week, we explored that balance: how to stay engaged without losing ourselves, how to understand what is “enough,” and how to find a renewed sense of meaning and direction.
When I Return to the Trail
Every time I return to a trail intentionally and start listening to the nature around me, something shifts.
The stormy waves inside quiet down.
A pigeon lands and meets my gaze.
A poster on a wall brings back a memory of who I used to be.
When I note down the intuitive thoughts that arise, I begin to see what is missing, why I feel the way I do, and what needs to be released or added to feel whole again.
Nature Shows Us the Way
Nature shows us the way if we choose to listen.
But when we are burned out, overwhelmed or moving through transitions, we often don’t hear anything at all. We operate in a trance, not fully present in our own lives.
We need to break that cycle. Step out.
Travel helps awaken the senses and shift perspective, but we are not always able to travel far. In the end, it wasn’t the height of Machu Picchu that changed me. It was the depth I needed. Myself I sought.
About Luontopolku Back to Your Senses®
The Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® method I developed during my Travel Coach studies doesn’t require distance. It requires listening.
In Finland, we say:
“The forest answers what you shout into it.”
Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® is a nature-based transformational wellbeing and travel method that guides individuals back to clarity and inner balance. Rooted in mindful presence, nature practices and reflective guidance, it offers a structured yet intuitive pathway toward emotional renewal and meaningful change.
Finnish research shows that even 10 minutes in nature calms the heartbeat. Nature walks lower cortisol, support burnout recovery, prevent depression and increase mindfulness.
Luontopolku, nature trail in Finnish, draws from ancestral knowledge, Finnish science and global wellness insights, including the principles of Japanese forest bathing.
Slowing Down to Listen
Meaningful change happens when we slow down, tune in and allow nature to support our inner journey. Through movement, reflective exercises, sensory awareness and meaning-centered travel coaching, Luontopolku becomes a gentle companion toward self-understanding and inner clarity.
By following the steps in the Luontopolku® guide, you begin by asking what you wish clarity on. Then you step into nature, holding the question lightly.
Magic happens: answers appear in leaves, patterns, symbols.
You pause. You listen.
You write down the intuitive thoughts that surface.
The more intentionally we return to nature, the clearer the inner voice becomes.
A Path You Always Walk With Yourself
At 54, I gained the courage to change my life.
And so can you.
You are always journeying with yourself: listen closely to know when to stay on your path, or when it’s time to turn.
Wishing you a wonderfully slow weekend.
Take a mindful walk.
And if you feel called to explore your personal journey through a guided session, online or as a reflective Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® walk, you’re warmly welcome to make a booking.
Live for Yourself While Being There for Others
A spontaneous meeting under a eucalyptus tree became a quiet reminder that we must choose ourselves too. Through nature, reflection, and movement, we reconnect — to life, to others, and to who we are.
I had a meaningful encounter this week while called to a particular trail. Walking along the hilly Montgó side street, I stopped under a tall eucalyptus whose scent filled the air. As I admired its wide, textured trunk, an elderly lady appeared as if invited to the same spot.
In the golden setting sun, we began to talk, a blend of English, Spanish, and German unfolding between us. I learned that she had recently lost her husband of decades and was now alone in his country, far from her own circle. I listened, feeling that my role was simply to be there, assuring her that community and connection would return if she reached out.
Before parting ways, we hugged, she with her little dog, patiently waiting. Two strangers meeting under an old tree, both reminded that we are never truly alone.
Choosing Ourselves, Too
We are fortunate when life grants us long partnerships that shape who we are. Yet while we choose our partners every day, we must also remember to choose ourselves: to nurture our own paths, friendships, and independence.
One day we may stand alone, and if we’ve never practiced it, solitude can feel overwhelming. For me, learning to let others care for me has been just as important as learning to stand on my own. When we’re too used to someone else arranging things, it can take time to rediscover our own rhythm.
Solo hobbies, short trips, or longer adventures benefit both ourselves and our partners, offering space to reflect on who we are and what we seek in each other.
Redefining Our Roles
This week’s conversations reminded me how universal these transitions are; losing a partner, separating, or watching children move out. Each change reshapes our lives and redefines our roles.
That’s why it’s so vital to pause and ask:
Who am I beyond these familiar patterns? What still defines me?
Nature as a Way Back
For me, nature walks have always been my way back: sorting thoughts, reconnecting with myself, and grounding in the moment. Movement in nature unlocks emotions that words often hide.
Set out intentionally with a question to yourself. Walk in silence. Reach for a tree, feel the wind, notice the scent of the earth. When we engage our senses, emotional truths unfold, and sometimes they make us cry, sometimes laugh.
Have a wonderful weekend. Step out, even for a short while, and let the path remind you of yourself.
If you are interested in try the Luontopolku reflective walk guide.