Mindfulness in Nature: Cultivating Embodied Awareness

Explore both inner and outer nature and find mindfulness in nature with Mark Coleman

Ancient wisdom teachings, including those of the Buddha, ask humans to pay attention to the richness of life on our planet, to offer gratitude for all that we receive, and to care for all living things. And yet, while the earth calls for our attention, our focus is lost in digital screens and indoor living. As a result, we feel deeply disconnected, distracted, and dulled. We also fail to respond wisely as the earth and its species suffer greatly.

The good news? We can reawaken our sensory awareness by stepping out into any natural setting and skillfully expanding our field of our attention. Through meditation in the natural world, we can open our minds and hearts, and form a deeper connection with all living things.

World-renowned meditation teacher, Mark Coleman, leads this month-long mindfulness in nature course, now in on-demand format. Mark is an author, senior meditation teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, founder of Awake in the Wild, and co-director of Mindfulness Training Institute, who has led mindful wilderness retreats around the world for twenty years.

On-Demand Course Format

The beauty of our on-demand courses is that they can be completed independently, on your own timeline, at your own pace.

This on-demand course is divided into 4 modules, with a loosely suggested pace of 1 module per week. Each module includes 3 lesson, exercise, and assignment videos, amounting to approx. 1 hour of teachings per module.

For optimal course experience, we recommend watching Mark’s course videos from a location where you have access to both the outdoors and the internet — even if that means sitting in a room with an open window. You have the option of downloading the MP3s, in order to listen to the audio recordings in the outdoors, without internet.

Module 1: Coming to our Senses

Since most people spend 90-95% of the time indoors, our species is becoming sensorily deprived.
In our first module, Mark will guide us through shifting away from the trance of habitual thinking into full, embodied awareness.

We’ll learn how paying attention to sound, sight, taste, smell and touch can open us up to the beautiful, changing tapestry of experience; and how this grounding sensory awareness meditation practice is effortless, and always available to us.

Module 2: Exploring our Elemental Nature

The pandemic has exacerbated our common feelings of isolation and separateness. By meditating on the elements of life, we can rediscover our profound inter-connection and dispel the myth of separation.

In this module, Mark will lead us in investigating the natural elements and our relationship to them. For example, with something as simple as breathing, we remember that we inhale oxygen freely given from the trees, grasses and plankton, and as we exhale and release carbon, we are giving back to the cycle of life.

Module 3: Enjoying Awe & Wonder

In a world so often full of suffering, deliberately turning our awareness to beauty can reconnect us to our lightness of being. In this module, Mark will help us to turn to what gladdens our heart in the outdoor world — as easy as stepping out into our yard and noticing what’s happening around us.

No matter the difficulties we face on a daily basis, when we stop to listen to birdsong, feel the kiss of the breeze, or gaze up at the infinite night sky, we can experience profound, uplifting feelings of joy and peace.

Module 4: Protecting What We Love

As we deepen contact with the natural world through a mindful awareness, often what arises is Solostalgia: the grief and loss felt when some part of nature is harmed. As we become more intimate with nature, our hearts open. When that which we love is suffering (as our species and eco-systems are), the natural response is to care.

In our final module, Mark will help us pay attention to the mix of strong emotions that arise when we contemplate the ecological crisis. We’ll also supportively sense into what action and movement want to arise to care and protect all species and the earth herself.

On-Demand Course Details

Pre-Recorded Video Teachings

Filmed by Mark in high definition, approx. 1 hour of short video lessons per module will keep you engaged as you tune in through body, mind and heart. MP3 versions of these teachings will also be available.

Guided Meditations

Whether you have little or lots of meditation experience, Mark will help you to strengthen your skillset through a variety of nature-based, guided mindfulness meditations, in both video and MP3 format.

Total Flexibility

Complete this course independently, on your own schedule, at your ideal pace. Watch and re-watch the videos, or listen to the audios, as you please.

30 Day Refund Guarantee

If you're unsatisfied with the course for any reason, you can contact us within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

About Mark Coleman

Mark Coleman is an inner and outer explorer, who has devotedly studied mindfulness meditation practices for three decades. He is passionate about sharing the power of meditation and has taught mindfulness workshops and meditation retreats in six continents for the past twenty years. Mark is a senior meditation teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and has taught there since 2000. Mark holds a MA in Clinical Psychology and draws on his extensive experience in working with people as a therapist and coach.

Through the Mindfulness Training Institute Mark leads Professional Mindfulness Teacher Trainings in the US and UK annually. Mark likes to share the fruits of meditation to wider audiences and founded The Mindfulness Institute, where he has brought mindfulness training programs to companies and the nonprofit sector across North America and Europe. Mark is a trainer for the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, developed at Google and teaches on their teacher trainings.

Mark is an unabashed nature lover and, through his organization Awake in the Wild, he shares his passion for integrating meditation and nature. He leads wilderness meditation retreats from Alaska to Peru, taking people on inner and outdoor adventures. Through Awake in the Wild, Mark also leads year-long meditation-in-nature teacher trainings in the US.

Mark is the author of From Suffering to Peace: The True Promise of Mindfulness (2019), Make Peace with Your Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Help Free You from the Inner Critic (2016) and Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery (2006).

Mark lives in Marin County, CA and enjoys spending his free time hiking, biking and kayaking. Click here to learn more about Mark Coleman.

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