Welcome to the final (ever?) episode of Nature Therapy Online - The Podcast. Over the last (almost) two years, recording this podcast has been a therapy for me as much as it has been for the lovely people who have sent me such encouraging emails about the show. (You know who you are!) It is, however, time for me to move on to other nature therapy projects. Ecotherapy is my job but the podcast has been very much a labour of love, and I need to make a bit of room in my life for other labours of lo...
Mar 18, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 9
In this episode of the ecotherapy podcast, we explore the power of a good view. I invite you to connect with a special view as we take a mindful walk together. For this episode, I took a walk in my village in Midlothian, Scotland, and I took in a view that mesmerises me. On a clear day, for miles into the distance, I can see forest, sea, mountains, hills and the magnificent city of Edinburgh. The feelings that arise in me when being present with this mighty view are inexplicable. There is just t...
Jan 28, 2022•47 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Hello folks, and Happy New Year! For this wintery episode at home, I share some thoughts, meditations and music around the themes of rocks and birds, reflecting on some powerful rocks (past and present) from Scotland amongst other themes. In this month’s ecotherapy podcast, I reflect on the beauty of birdsong and the simple grounding power of rocks. I share three of my favourite rocky locations with you, all from Scotland: Isle of Barra, The Faery Stane of Midlothian and the Bass Rock in East Lo...
Dec 31, 2021•51 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Get your own mini-podcasts by supporting the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/naturetherapyonline
Dec 09, 2021•10 min•Season 2Ep. 6
This month, I went in search of an elusive bird and here I share my process with you. Two years ago, I moved to the wee village of Temple in Midlothian, Scotland. In my first autumn here, I was mesmerised by the sight and sound of (quite literally) thousands of pink-footed geese feeding in the village during the autumn and winter. This year, they proved to be far more elusive. This lead me on an interesting process blending some slight climate anxiety with some appreciation of the other things I...
Nov 26, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 6
This episode is about a topic that I find very interesting and strangely moving. Have you ever stumbled across an old abandoned building, or even the crumbled remains of a simple structure, and felt something special? Ruins and abandoned human-built structures are often swiftly reclaimed by nature. It’s not unusual to see weeds growing through the cracks, grass moving ‘indoors’ or even trees and shrubs taking root upon structures that once were the domain of the human. Tune in to explore this wi...
Oct 29, 2021•50 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Hello, folks! This episode of the ecotherapy podcast is all about old trees and the ways in which we can connect to their beauty and wisdom. Join me as I tell a traditional tree story from Aberdeenshire in Scotland, encounter a giant sequoia tree in Midlothian, and lead a grounding tree-based meditation. In this episode, I was called to approach this topic from many angles. Regular listeners of my nature therapy podcast will know that I often like to share nature myths and stories. At other time...
Sep 29, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Hello friends! This episode of the ecotherapy podcast was just about my favourite ever to record so far: meditations on water. Join me as I encounter beautiful bodies of water and reflect on the power of water on our mental and spiritual wellbeing. In this episode, I recorded various sections in watery places that I love. I invite simple meditations or reflections on the sounds and scenes that I encounter. All places that I visited are places that I hold dear here to my heart, here in the Lothia...
Aug 27, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 3
This episode of the ecotherapy podcast is all about nature and spirituality. It’s a massive topic that I have wanted to feature for some time now. It includes voices from the worlds of Druidry, Buddhism, Catholicism and Tarot. In this episode of the nature therapy podcast, I speak with three people with very different spiritual practices about how their personal practice connects them with nature. I found that beyond the vast differences in the traditions themselves, there were some very beautif...
Jul 30, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Welcome to Season Two of the Nature Therapy Online podcast! It’s so nice to be back after my break. The first episode of the season is all about nature and music. Nature can be therapy. Music can be therapy. Music that is inspired by nature – or music that incorporates nature – brings these two beautiful worlds together for a powerful therapeutic experience. That is what this month’s nature therapy podcast is all about! Nature music can come in many different forms; music that uses the sounds of...
Jun 25, 2021•56 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Episode 42 of the Nature Therapy Online podcast is the last of this season before I take a two-month break! As I record the podcast, I watch the sun setting over the Pentland Hills as the Sun sets on Season 1. Click on the slim black player above to listen. I will be back with a refreshed and new season at the end of June, friends. Please tune in to listen to my thoughts about the future of the podcast. It will return, but in a different form. To figure out what changes need to take place, I nee...
Apr 16, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 42
In this week’s ecotherapy podcast, I am thrilled to present an interview with author and storyteller Daniel Allison. Daniel is a great talent — his gentle and moody style of storytelling captures the heart and imagination, and even more so when he tells nature myths, which account for a lot of his work. Daniel specialises in sharing Scottish myths and legends with the world. Daniel even shares a powerful story about ‘the most beautiful song in the forest’, and I encourage you all to tune in and ...
Apr 09, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 41
In episode 40 of the nature therapy podcast, I talk about our lazy minds when it comes to nature-connection, and how to shift our attention to notice the new. It’s something that I try to do as often as I can when I’m outdoors; notice what my mind seems to be pre-programmed to pay attention to, and deliberately shift my attention in other directions. Notice it next time you are on a walk somewhere you go regularly, or even just sitting still outdoors. My bet is that you will be drawn to the same...
Apr 02, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 40
In episode 39 of the nature therapy podcast, I share some thoughts and feelings around the mighty season of Spring, and I offer you a simple ecotherapy exercise to try inspired by the season. Despite our individual responses to seasons based upon our personal life stories, few can deny that there is something inherently uplifting and positive about more light, and more growth. In the spirit of the Spring arriving (even though the Scottish wind had me wearing two jackets whilst recording the podc...
Mar 26, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 39
This week, I invite you to engage with a story in the way you would engage with a meditation. This is a story meditation—and the story is very close to my heart. It is a story that brings together nature, meditation, an ancient jungle and a modern spiritual teacher. Zen Master Jiyu Kennet founded the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives , and went through so many trials (many of which were a result of her simply being a woman) to bring Soto Zen Buddhism (Serene Reflection Meditation) to the West. In...
Mar 19, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 38
In episode 37 of the nature therapy podcast I go outside at night and ponder on how some very basic, primal (or socially conditioned?) feelings arise when the Earth rotates away from sunlight each day. For this ecotherapy podcast, I went into my garden at night. I looked over the back wall at the fields and hills, and I listened to the owls (unfortunately you can’t hear them on the podcast….the modest things didn’t want to be recorded). I pondered on how safe I feel here, in my garden, compared ...
Mar 12, 2021•14 min•Season 1Ep. 37
In episode 36 of the nature therapy podcast I share a nature-based visualisation/meditation with you. Come and meet a special animal friend. To get the most our of this meditation, listen at a time when you will not be disturbed. Choose a place where you will be comfortable for around 20 minutes. It is one of my favourite meditations where I help you to get you in touch with an animal friend hiding in your subconscious. I hope you enjoy it!
Mar 05, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 36
In episode 35 of the nature therapy podcast I talk about the non-identification of Earth’s life. We spend so much of our time giving nature labels and names to identify things, but what happens when we try the opposite? What happens when we try to calm our minds for a little while, and take a non-identification walk in nature? By this, I mean trying our best to see everything as an expression of life, rather than applying names and ‘facts’ to everything we see; ‘an oak tree’, ‘a sparrow’ etc. As...
Feb 26, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 35
In episode 34 of the nature therapy podcast I tell one of my favourite Greek Myths. It’s a timely tale for this time of year when Winter is slowly starting to meet Spring. As regular listeners of this ecotherapy podcast will be aware of by now, I’m a big promoter of the power of mythology and tales for nature connection. However, I have to admit that for the majority of my life, I found Greek Myths dull and uninspiring. I’m not entirely sure why that was; perhaps it was a misconception that myth...
Feb 19, 2021•14 min•Season 1Ep. 34
When was the last time you really spent quality time with a tree? That’s what this week’s ecotherapy podcast is about. Trees are such a curious and beautiful life form. The way they reach to the sky, travelling their own path, with their history clear for all to see. We have no idea what it’s like to be a tree, and we so often take for granted what a pleasure it is to simply spend time with these steady, rooted friends.
Feb 12, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 33
In episode 32 of the nature therapy podcast I take a walk in one of my special outdoor places; a little wooded area on top of a small hill. We often have special places outdoors where we like to revisit. Whether this is when we walk our dog, take a shortcut on a way to work, or even if it is somewhere we barely visit but have fond memories of, the chances are that you have a place or two in mind as you read this. What makes natural spaces feel special to us?
Feb 05, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 32
In episode 31 of the nature therapy podcast I share the beautiful nature poetry of Mary Oliver. Inspired by her simple and unpretentious poetry, I invite you to sit back and enjoy as I tell four of her classic poems about nature and animals. Mary Oliver was an American nature poet who moved thousands. She was a master at sharing the wonder of life through beautiful and uncomplicated poetry. In this episode of the ecotherapy podcast, I tell some of my favourite poems of hers and invite you to ref...
Jan 29, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 31
In episode 30 of the nature therapy podcast, I revisit the South Esk River in Scotland. I invite you to share the experience of this powerful sound with me and ask the question: what happens to your body and mind when you hear the sound of moving water?
Jan 22, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 30
In episode 29 of the ecotherapy podcast, I invite you to reflect on your most powerful nature memories. What are your most positive memories from nature, either as a child or an adult? I share some of my own special moments and I invite reflection on your most precious memories of the beautiful outdoors.
Jan 15, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 29
In episode 28 of the nature podcast, I introduce the simple practice of finding stillness within nature. I take some quiet time in my snowy garden to simply be with the sound of the winter birds. I also offer you some simple nature-based meditation techniques inspired by Zen Buddhism.
Jan 08, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 28
In episode 27 of the ecotherapy podcast, I have a night-time ponder in my garden to contemplate the final full moon of 2020. I suggest some simple ways to connect with the Moon as one of nature’s most magnificent mysteries. The Moon has associations with the nighttime, and therefore, the time when we can’t see our surroundings, perhaps bringing a sense of danger. At the same time, it can provide the light in the darkness for us, potentially bringing safety. Gazing up at the glowing globe, reflec...
Jan 01, 2021•11 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Episode 26 of the Nature Therapy podcast falls on Christmas day 2020. So for all of you who ‘do’ Christmas….Happy Christmas! And for those of you who don’t (or who are listening retrospectively), tune in for some thoughts around seasons, festivities—and a little snow meditation! In episode 26 of the ecotherapy podcast, I share my thoughts around nature and the many ways in which it interacts with cultural festivals such as Christmas. No matter where you live, or which cultural festivals are cele...
Dec 25, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 26
In episode 25 of the ecotherapy podcast, I respond to a great question from Colin in Calgary, Canada. Colin emailed to ask what kind of indoor ecotherapy activities are suitable during the winter—when the far north is simply too cold to be venturing outdoors. For many of us, staying indoors for long periods of time is not a question of choice. Whether it is because of extreme weather conditions, disability or life circumstances, it’s sometimes just not possible to go outside to experience nature...
Dec 18, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 25
In episode 24 of the ecotherapy podcast, I reflect on the magic of hills and mountains. I discuss and introduce ways of getting to know your favourite hills or mountains a little better (without climbing them). Hills and mountains are dominant, unique formations that tower above the landscape. We are so often aware of their presence, but how often do we pay attention to their individual structures and quirks? In this week’s nature therapy radio show, I walk and reflect on my local hills—The Pent...
Dec 11, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 24
In episode 23 of Nature Therapy Online, I take a walk around my house looking for signs of other life forms. What might I find here—and who, I ask, is living with you without you knowing about it?! In this week’s ecotherapy exercise, I decided to try an exercise that I am often inviting others to do, yet haven’t done in a focused way myself before. As I encounter signs and sounds of other life forms here within my home, it strikes me how much of my personal history is tied in with my responses t...
Dec 04, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 23
