“You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be.” ~ Marianne Williamson “Perhaps the Earth can teach us, as when everything seems dead and later proves to be alive.” ~ Pablo Neruda Do you ever feel stuck? Like a rodent caught in the rat race or the proverbial hamster wheel? We all get stuck from time to time and need a little shaking up to get out of the rut. We sometimes need a blast of fresh wind to clear the leaves and debris out of our yard, and to cleanse the impuri...
Feb 28, 2018•15 min•Season 2018Ep. 47
Ever find yourself feeling stressed and anxious and not even really knowing why? You know that feeling that your mind is racing back and forth just trying to find something to worry about? I know there are plenty of things, real problems and issues that cause stress, but at the same time, there is this constant hum or buzz of anxiety that just continues like static in the background of our minds, no matter how good or bad things are going currently in our lives. As a form of self-preservation, t...
Feb 21, 2018•13 min•Season 2018Ep. 46
“Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it. ~ Sharon Salzberg Every sunrise is an opportunity to show up for your own life. Every sunset does the same. All the moments in between these two events are opportunities to just open up and enjoy the wonders of the world, and this miracle we call life. If we don’t respond by showing up mentally and emotionally, it’s like watching a beautiful and sometimes scary and riveting movie, filled with action-packed scenes as well as tender ...
Feb 19, 2018•14 min•Season 2018Ep. 45
There is something so wholesome and alluring about seeking the simplicity found in Nature, and escaping the craziness and cacophony of the man-made, synthetic world. Simplicity comes in many forms, but every one of these forms involves one thing – “Presence”. When there is worry and clutter and unresolved details in your inner and outer world, it’s easy to begin to lose a sense of presence, and be tempted to either, fall back into the past, filled with a sense of guilt, loss and regret. Or, we t...
Feb 15, 2018•15 min•Season 2018Ep. 44
“Where focus goes, energy flows.” ~ Tony Robbins Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed, overloaded with more than you can possibly handle or accomplish, and weighted down by a lack of motivation or energy to get it all done? Are you struggling with falling asleep at night and waking up in the morning? Do you wish you had more energy, just to enjoy life and be there, fully present for your family and friends and loved ones? We’re all aware that Nature provides us with the resources we need to generat...
Feb 12, 2018•15 min•Season 2018Ep. 43
"Not all who wander are lost..." ~ Gandalf Do you ever feel like you’re caught on a merry-go-round, seeing the same old places, taking the same route to school or work, eating the same food, watching the same shows, thinking the same thoughts…rarely finding the element of joy or surprise in your life? There’s a saying that true happiness is when you can be on a detour and enjoy the scenery. In a world that is constantly accelerating faster and faster, we need to heed the call to learn of the Art...
Feb 08, 2018•12 min•Season 2018Ep. 42
From time out of mind, we as human beings were a part of the natural world, living off the land, connecting with nature on a day-to-day basis, sometimes fighting against it for survival, but always depending on it for sustenance. Without it we wouldn’t have been able to survive. And neither can we now. We just don’t realize it. That’s because we have fallen asleep. Over the past few hundred years or so, as the Industrial Revolution rolled in, we slowly migrated farther and farther away from our ...
Feb 02, 2018•14 min•Season 2018Ep. 41
Meditation has hit the mainstream big time as a primary way to deal with all the pressures, stress and anxiety that comes with life. It is also a great tool for achieving and enhancing relaxation, focus and even productivity. It helps optimize the brain and gives it a state of restful alertness. But I believe the best thing about meditation is it’s ability to help us be present and in the moment. How often have you gone through your day and at the end of it can barely recall what you did, who yo...
Jan 31, 2018•11 min•Season 2018Ep. 40
There have been so many recent findings and much scientific research on the topic of nature and our overall health and well-being. Scientists are studying everything from how noise levels in our workplace and communities affect us, to what colors are the most effective psychologically for calming our spirits, and creating a sense of wellness in our lives. There have also been studies on the benefits of forest bathing – how trees affect our health, lower our blood pressure and cortisol levels, an...
Jan 30, 2018•11 min•Season 2018Ep. 39
“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” ~ Gary Snyder There is a place you can always go deep inside your heart and mind. A beautiful place you are cultivating deep within your being. And the more time you spend there putting in good thoughts and gratitude and images of nature and health and well-being, the more beautiful and helpful this inner retreat center becomes. Like a beautiful, tranquil garden that is daily tended with love and purpose, you will find that in your times of stress an...
Jan 26, 2018•11 min•Season 2018Ep. 38
Do you ever feel like you’re just living from pay check to pay check, trying to fill your life with things, attempting to buy your way to happiness…but not really living ? At a time when people in the West have the highest standard of living that we have ever had, why is it that we are so empty and dissatisfied, always searching for more? More things to make us happy? We find ourselves so restless and always scratching and clawing for more. As humans we’re wired to become dissatisfied. We have a...
Jan 24, 2018•11 min•Season 2018Ep. 37
What would this world look like if we were the only living beings?” Not counting trees and plants of course. No cheery, warbling birdsong, no interesting movement in the air, on the ground or in the trees. No dogs barking, squirrels or rabbits playing, deer foraging or horses or cattle grazing. No tree frogs or crickets singing in the meadows and marshes, no fish biting and jumping in the ponds, rivers and lakes, no dolphins splashing or seagulls and shorebirds feeding in the ocean… No real myst...
Jan 23, 2018•11 min•Season 2018Ep. 36
We share the planet with beautiful wildlife and amazing creatures and don’t even realize the benefits we receive from them. There is often an intuitive connection that we immediately feel when in the presence of a non-human living being. One of the things that attracts us to animals and that we especially love about our pets is their authenticity and trusting nature. What you see is what you get. They don’t play games with your emotions or generally try to hide the truth. You don’t have to walk ...
Jan 22, 2018•11 min•Season 2018Ep. 35
Have you ever really stopped to think about and appreciate how amazing trees are? I mean, picture this – what would the world be like if we didn’t have them? Well for starters, we’d all be dead because we depend on trees to take our exhaled carbine dioxide and turn it into wonderful, life-giving oxygen that we kinda depend on. There are many more benefits that trees bring to the earth besides producing oxygen. Aside from the fact that they are beautiful and provide a rich aesthetic quality to th...
Jan 19, 2018•11 min•Season 2018Ep. 34
“Why is it when I try to meditate, my mind wanders all over the place and I can’t seem to be still?” We all struggle with this annoying little monster in our daily meditation practice. There’s this constant chatter going on in the back of our minds. The voice and circular, recycled thoughts that won’t seem to go away no matter how hard you try. And who is that voice, by the way? We listen to it all the time and think it’s us. It is constantly narrating and talking and making judgments inside our...
Jan 18, 2018•11 min•Season 2018Ep. 33
Research has shown that just 15 minutes in nature can make you happier. After just sitting outside in a park or forest for 15 minutes people reported that they began to feel psychologically restored. So what are you doing to give yourself that extra boost of Vitamin N here in the dead of winter? Join us for today's show as we continue our adventure in Thoreau's chapter called "Winter Animals" from his classic, "Walden". You'll feel better...even if it is just second-hand Vitamin N!...
Jan 17, 2018•11 min•Season 2018Ep. 32
For some folks, winter-time is a time for personal hibernation, where you just want to crawl under the covers and eat and sleep and watch TV. Getting out in the frigid arctic air and taking a winter’s walk and getting some “Nature exposure” is the last thing you feel like doing. If you happen to be one of those kind of people, I have some good news for you! There are plenty of other ways to get your Nature-fix" and stay mindfully inspired on a daily basis, capturing some of the goodness and bene...
Jan 16, 2018•11 min•Season 2018Ep. 31
Is there something in particular that is stressing you out right now, at this moment? There is something you can do about it. Breathe. Practice breathing every time you are aware that you are feeling stressed and you will begin to feel relief. No, it doesn’t necessarily immediately solve the problem, or pay the bill, or fix the relationship or whatever. But what it does do is give you the balance and harmony and inner peace, strength and courage to realize that you have it within you whatever it...
Jan 15, 2018•11 min•Season 2018Ep. 30
There are as many ways of connecting with Nature as there are people. One of my favorite, most meaningful ways is by keeping a Nature journal – a written record of some kind that captures your thoughts, observations and even drawings if you like, of all the natural world around you. It is interesting to note that the words Journal and Journey share the same Middle English root word – “diurnal” meaning “daily”. This can and should be a daily exercise that helps keep us grounded and rooted in not ...
Jan 12, 2018•12 min•Season 2018Ep. 29
Nature is so good at bringing us back to the present and keeping us in the moment because she offers so much goodness to observe and experience. To a lot of folks, the winter can seem like a really dead time, where everything lies cold and dormant and Nature is asleep. And while that is partially true, there is so much life and activity going on unseen to the untrained eye. You can become an astute observer of nature and enjoy all the signs of life happening all around you even in the dead of wi...
Jan 10, 2018•11 min•Season 2018Ep. 28
