The outer world of nature is what awakens our inner world in all its capacities… the wind, the rain, the mountains and rivers, the woodlands and meadows and all their inhabitants, we need these perhaps even more for our psyche than for our physical survival.
Father Thomas Berry
Nature-based mindfulness can be offered as a series of classes, a half-day session or a day-long. All sessions will take place outside in beautiful and varied locations on around Victoria and the Saanich peninsular on Vancouver Island. Sessions include outside meditation, mindful walks, nature talks, creative journaling, sensory exploration and movement. Most sessions take place in silence in order for each participant to really drop into their body, their senses and the environment, enabling us to listen to ourselves, the world and each other in a unique ways. However Jackie is always available for bespoke sessions tailored to the needs of your organization. Questions, feedback, and sharing of experiences is encouraged and Jackie very much looks forward to building an active and supportive nature-based mindfulness community on the Isles and Island.
New! Online Nature Meditation Class
Leading/guiding will be shared between Jackie and four of her colleagues from the Awake In the Wild Nature Meditation Teacher Training.
Awakening with Nature, weekly nature meditation
Nature offers an inherently supportive container for meditation and invites the body, mind and heart into the natural wisdom of the present moment. Join us Wednesdays for guided, nature-based meditations from the comfort of your own home or favorite natural environment. Sessions may also offer brief EcoDharma talks, inquiries, or group reflections. All levels welcome.
Wednesdays, 7:30-8:15am PST. By sliding scale donation. Suggested scale: $8-$10-$12 for single class // $40-$50-$60 for five classes; people are welcome to pay more or less, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. The 2021 seasons of this weekly drop-in series runs April 14th – October 27th, 2021.
Livestream via Zoom with minimal attention to screens. If weather and technology cooperate, you may want to set up on a deck or outside. Otherwise we encourage sitting near a window, with plants, and/or with other elements from nature. REGISTER HERE. (You will be sent a link to join, along with details for payments.)
Why Outside?
The mental and physical health benefits of time spent outside have been well documented, particularly the consequences of ‘indoor-itis’ (rates of nearsightness in teenagers surpass 90% in parts of East Asia), and the converse beneficial effect of nature on our brains. The most restorative experience is ‘soft fascination’ – the sweet spot where our minds are engaged but not fatigued – and our whole systems are refreshed. The key to cultivating this sweet spot is attention – our most precious resource – which is where mindfulness comes in: training the mind to firstly notice, and then choose, what we pay attention too. The list of choices is is long… from moss to stars!
Individual sessions
Come and explore the aliveness of outside-in and the inside-out with Jackie and Zephyr! Your dynamic relationship with the natural world is unique to you and a source of unending fascination and joy.
Individual and small group sessions are ideal formats for diving deeply into this relationship, and are especially suited to those who do not thrive in a group setting.. These relaxed explorations can be tailored to your preferences (beach, ocean, lake, rainforest, moss rocks, garry oak meadow, intertidal zone) and needs. I promise you will be surprised and very possibly awed by what you uncover when you take the time to explore. Trailhound is free!
Be Here Now
During our training, each ‘pod’ (group) of students were tasked with coming up with a definition of mindfulness. Our pod (the Orcas, because we all live around the Salish Sea), took a minimalist approach and came up with ‘Being here now, with trees…’
Many of you will be familiar with the idea of being ‘in the moment’, which is essentially what mindfulness reveals; you will also be familiar with how difficult that can be, how the past and the future can jostle for their piece of your attention.
So for those interested in getting started on their training, consider these questions: where are you? Where are you right now?
A bay is a noun only if water is dead…But the verb wiikwegamaa—to be a bay—releases the water from bondage and lets it live. “To be a bay” holds the wonder that, for this moment, the living water has decided to shelter itself between these shores, conversing with cedar roots and a flock of baby mergansers.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass