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Meditation in Nature with Mark Coleman
Description
“Life is growing and aging and dying.” – Mark Coleman
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EPISODE SUMMARY:
When was the last time you stopped to smell the roses? Aside from smelling nice, taking time to regularly slow down and notice the natural world around you could change your life…
Today we talk with Mark Coleman, a meditation teacher and founder of Awake in the Wild - an organization dedicated to sharing the transformative power of meditation in nature.
His new book, “A Field Guide to Nature Meditation” provides a step-by-step framework for developing a nature meditation practice over the course of a year. Mark is a devoted student of Buddhist and mindfulness teachings and combines that background with his love of nature and the magic it possesses to help people create a truly transformational practice.
Listen in to learn more about connecting with Mother Earth and how being in relationship with her can help you find peace, become comfortable with death, and heal.
Topics We Discuss:
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[4:23] Nature calls us into presence and observation more easily than meditating in a dark room. Immersing our 5 senses in nature seems counterintuitive, but slowing down into joy, presence, and ease is the crux of mindfulness.
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[8:07] Build yourself up to stay outside longer, especially when it’s cold. The sensory experience of nature is pleasurable for us and pleasure brings us into the present. Admiring the beauty of simplicities like the sunset creates a sense of unity among people.
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[13:39] How Mark helps people connect. He calls on people to fully arrive with their minds wherever they physically are. Movement or “meandering” and just having people get lost in the landscape they’re at. There are a myriad of different ways to connect with and deepen your sensitivity to nature
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[19:09] Nature is healing in its own right, but just bringing yourself into the present moment brings so much healing and change. Letting our problems and stressors fade to the background of our mind for even brief periods of time induces physiological changes.
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[22:23] Nature not only exemplifies but is the cycles of life and death. It helps to n