Nature Based Mindfulness Practice

Meditation – In the Insight Tradition

Wednesdays: March 6 – April 10

9:00am Pacific / Noon Eastern
Online Via Zoom (90 mins)

Registration: The course is offered on a sliding scale from $120 to $200.

Description: Nature Based Mindfulness Practice (NBMP) is a way of cultivating an open quality of awareness in order to connect more deeply with the inner workings of the mind while deepening a connection and appreciation for the supportive qualities of the natural world. Nature-based practice allows you to open to all of your senses and fully engage with the sensory experience of your surroundings as a way to develop a fuller awareness of your mind, life, and your place in the world. Nature serves as your teacher by revealing the wisdom of mindfulness in ways that are not entirely possible in the manufactured indoor world. In this way, it is much easier to develop a sense of awe and wonder for the inner and outer landscapes of your own mind and experiences, while discovering the opportunity to cultivate new ways to live in greater harmony with the natural rhythms of life.

Attendance & Recordings: Class sessions will be held for 6 consecutive weeks. Sessions will be held on the same day and at the same time each week. The sessions will be recorded which offers students the opportunity to review the content or take the class on their own time. These recordings will remain available for review for 6 months after the course concludes.

NBMP Benefits

+ Stress reduction
+ Manage and reduce anxiety
+ Loosen the grip of negative thinking
+ Improved health and wellness
+ Unravel habits and reactivity
+ Develop equanimity with life

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Course Format & Schedule

We will come together each week on Monday morning for a 90-minute class session. Each class will include periods of instruction, experiential learning, community connection, and reflection as well as an open Q&A session with the instructor to ask questions about the course curriculum and how best to integrate the practices into your daily life. The sessions will be recorded so students can review and reflect on the material and practice on their own time between sessions. You will continue to have access to these recordings for 6 months after the course concludes.

Who Will Benefit Most From This Course?

-> Beginner to Intermediate Meditators (All are welcome!)
-> Those who feel a formal meditation practice is not working for them
-> Experienced meditators who would like to move beyond the cushion
-> Anyone who loves to spend time in nature

Course Curriculum Overview

Week 1: Introduction to Mindfulness
Week 2: Setting the Foundation: Forms of Meditation
Week 3: Mindfulness and The Eightfold Path
Week 4: Nature as Our Teacher: Observing the Mind
Week 5: Insight Meditation for Nature Practice Settings
Week 6: Cultivating an Everyday Life Practice

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How this course can shape your perspective and transform your life…

Through simple daily practices, you will begin to cultivate the following qualities within yourself:

+ Clarity of experience
+ Whole mind-body wisdom
+ Social-emotional intelligence
+ Resilience in life
+ Intention and understanding
+ Greater sense of purpose

About the Teacher: Gary Sharlow

Gary is the founder and guiding teacher of Nature Meditations. His meditation teaching focuses on nature-based mindfulness techniques that illuminate the concepts from the Vipassana (insight meditation) tradition. He has been teaching since 2009 in public and private settings both online and in-person offering classes and series-courses in nature-based mindfulness, insight meditation, environmental sustainability, and nature photography. He has supported meditation communities at Awake in the Wild, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center, and Pacific Mindfulness. Gary is known for his grounded, down-to-earth presence, lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and can be found hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing on the trails and in the mountains of the Desert Southwest. [Full Teacher Bio]