Have you heard of an ecotone before? An ecotone is a transition area between two adjacent and different patches of landscape, such as forest and grassland. Ecotones do not simply represent a boundary or an edge; the concept of an ecotone assumes the existence of active interaction between two or more ecosystems with properties that do not exist in either of the adjacent ecosystems. An ecotone is a meeting place that creates something entirely distinct from either side of the boundary. In essence...
Jun 06, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast *Today's episode is a replay of a fan-favorite episode, The Stagnation Layer part 3, from September 2022* We started this meditation series, Are You Stuck, with the connective idea that the human body is a microcosm of the universe; that we can view the universe as a mirror image of what goes on inside. And, we looked to the Voyager space expedition, in particular the experience of Voyager 1 in the Stagnation Layer of the cosmos, as a metaphor for how we might engage with moments of ‘stuckness’ ...
May 23, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast *Today's episode is a replay of a fan-favorite episode, The Stagnation Layer {part 2}, from September 2022* Part 1 of this meditation series introduced The Stagnation Layer of the cosmos and the periods of stagnation we experience both as individuals and as naturally occurring phenomena. Part of the description NASA shares for the Stagnation Layer says - There is a doubling in the intensity of the magnetic field in the stagnation region. Like cars piling up at a clogged freeway off-ramp, the inc...
May 16, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast *Today's episode is a replay of a fan-favorite episode, The Stagnation Layer part 1, from September 2022* When you read poetry of the mystics, when you study ancient tantric & buddhist texts, not to mention so many indigenous cultures across the world, we learn of the universe as a metaphor for the internal experiences of consciousness. The macrocosm and the microcosm… As goes the outside, so goes the inside… And the more time I spend connecting my meditation practice with the natural world,...
May 09, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Last week’s episode (We Are Made of Star Stuff; An Interview with Dr. Kimberly Arcand) is a personal favorite of mine, and this week, I’m highlighting the meditation from that episode to make sure you have a chance to listen. The sonification of stars, black holes, galaxies and more invite a new way of knowing the cosmos. It is one thing to see a static image of the night sky and an entirely different experience when we hear that same data in an embodied way. Meditation is exactly the same - we ...
May 02, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 2020, experts at NASA’s Chandra X-ray Center began the first ongoing, sustained program to “sonify” astronomical data. The sonification project is led by my guest today, Dr. Kimberly Arcand (Chandra Visualization Scientist) along with her colleagues Dr. Matt Russo (astrophysicist/musician) and Andrew Santaguida (musician/sound engineer) at System Sounds. The sonification of stars, black holes, galaxies and more invite a new way of knowing the cosmos. It is one thing to see a static image of t...
Apr 25, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes the simplest practices are the most helpful. When lost, overwhelmed, sad or scared, I often find myself simply walking outside, lying down, and staring up at the sky. There's nothing specific to do, nothing specific to feel. It's simply a moment to watch the movement of the clouds or stars, and to remember that the earth is nothing more than a pale blue dot rotating in a vast galaxy of stars, planets, moons, and more. This practice connects us to something larger than ourselves and thi...
Apr 18, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Mindful Minute has a NEW NAME and NEW LOOK! After 8 years, I have updated the name to more accurately reflect the content offered here. Welcome to Our Mindful Nature! “Back when humans lived in communal caves and tribal encampments, we told stories about the stars. When we started sailing, we used these same pinpricks of light to estimate our own location. When we began planting, we relied on the constellations and the Sun to plant and sustain crops. Yet today, most modern humans have lost t...
Apr 11, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Mindful Minute has a NEW NAME and NEW LOOK! After 8 years, I have updated the name to more accurately reflect the content offered here. Welcome to Our Mindful Nature! Today, we are kicking off a month of astronomical-inspired meditations and interviews in honor of next week’s total solar eclipse. A solar eclipse happens when, at just the right moment, the moon passes between the sun and Earth blocking the sun’s light. On April 8, 2024, 13 states will experience a total solar eclipse, for m...
Apr 04, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Mindful Minute has a NEW NAME and NEW LOOK! After 8 years, I have updated the name to more accurately reflect the content offered here. Welcome to Our Mindful Nature! How many episodes can I devote to birds, you ask? Well, I haven’t found a limit yet…! Today on Our Mindful Nature, we are talking about two of my favorite things - Oracle cards and Birds! Dr. Chanti Tacoronte-Perez is joining us to introduce a new somatic oracle deck titled Birdsong. Dr. Chanti is a Cuban-American artist-author...
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Mindful Minute has a NEW NAME and NEW LOOK! After 8 years, I have updated the name to more accurately reflect the content offered here. Welcome to Our Mindful Nature! This is a special bonus episode of Our Mindful Nature. Last week, we kicked off the spring season with an exploration of migration, and the episode along with the guided meditation were filled with the sounds and images of migration as recorded by nature field recordist Nick McMahan. Today, I’m joined by Nick to give you a bit ...
Mar 25, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Mindful Minute has a NEW NAME and NEW LOOK! After 8 years, I have updated the name to more accurately reflect the content offered here. Welcome to Our Mindful Nature! One of the markers of spring is the migratory movement of so many species towards their breeding grounds - salmon, Monarch butterflies, and so many different species of birds. In this special Spring Equinox episode, I want to delve into 3 specific migrations as reflection points for our own contemplative journey this spring. Wi...
Mar 21, 2024•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, you might have noticed something BIG today as you clicked ‘play’ on this episode… The Mindful Minute has a NEW name!!! After 8 years of sharing recordings of Monday night meditation class on this podcast; I felt it was time to shift, to level up, to adjust in response to the times we find ourselves in… As a meditation teacher, when I share what I do, I very often hear 1 of 2 comments: I want to meditate but I just don’t have enough time I tried meditation once but I think too much And s...
Mar 14, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why is a meditation podcast chatting with a cookbook author, you ask? It’s a great question. I have been paying a lot of attention to the practices in my day that support my well-being the most because I continue to hear from listeners (and experience myself) that we are doing our meditation practices and yet, we are still struggling. We still feel stress, anxiety or fear. And so, while this podcast will always honor meditation first and foremost, I want to also honor the other pieces that suppo...
Mar 07, 2024•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast In today’s meditation practice, we listen to the sounds of melting snow. Now, I don’t know about you, but it never really occurred to me that melting snow makes a sound. It does. It produces a smooth, slow gurgle. No drips, just a near constant murmur that reminds us that change is happening in every moment. The daffodils are pushing up, the hyacinth will bloom soon. The literal and metaphorical arrival of spring is imminent. It is time to think about what will plant during this ripe time. Huge ...
Feb 29, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast This month, we have explored the season of winter as a way into our meditation practice. We have looked at winter in our external landscapes, as well as our internal landscapes. We've listened to the sounds of winter, we've talked about wolves and our animal nature, and today, we're going to dive a little bit more into the creativity of winter. I was deeply inspired by a recent essay written and illustrated by Candace Rardon titled, ‘ Like A Garden in Winter ’. Candace is an author, illustrator,...
Feb 22, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s meditation practice is one that evokes the emotions of winter, wolves, and a deep connection to our wild selves. It is called Call of the Wolf… and it isn’t for the faint of heart. This practice is an invitation. It is an unearthing of your wild, instinctive nature. Not wild as in exuberant or loud; but wild as in the self that is born of and inextricably connected to the natural world . It is allowing us to fine-tune our inner listening and our relationship to our own wise intuition. Wo...
Feb 15, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s episode is a special meditation-only episode, just for your practice! In this 10-minute meditation, we go on a journey through the winter woods. First, through a snowy pine forest with the wind washing over us, clearing away any lingering tension or worry. Then, we find ourselves atop a frozen lake. Don’t worry - it is steady and safe; so we sit in the middle of this frozen lake and we listen as it expands. Then the scene changes, dream-like, and we find ourselves settled in front of a c...
Feb 08, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Walking through the woods is perhaps my favorite activity of all, and there is no better experience (in my opinion) than walking through the woods in winter. The space. The silence. The biting cold. All of it crackles with a kind of energy, a nudge towards contemplation and reflection. Yet, in a recent conversation, I was reminded that winter can be very, very different depending on where you live. So, today, in the first of what I hope is many collaborative episodes, I am sharing a conversation...
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast While on my winter sabbatical at the end of 2023, I had the profound privilege of reading Jacqueline Suskin’s newest book, A Year in Practice; Seasonal Rituals & Prompts to Awaken Cycles of Creative Expression, and subsequently chatting with her. I’m delighted to share this conversation with you today as a spark of inspiration, a nudge to burrow in, and an invitation to connect fully with the season of winter. My favorite area of exploration is the intersection of contemplative practices, na...
Jan 25, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s episode of The Mindful Minute is the second installment of a 2-part series dedicated to the emotion of awe. In this conversation, Jake Eagle, co-author of 'The Power of Awe', and I discuss the concept of 'awe' and its significance in handling existential anxiety and conquering stress. What I love about listening to these two discussions on awe is that you hear from someone who loves meditation and is ‘good’ at it {Dr. Michael Amster} and you hear from someone who loves meditation but str...
Jan 18, 2024•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we are beginning a two part series with the co-authors of a powerful new book that I am so excited to share with you guys today. In this episode of The Mindful Minute, I talk with Dr. Michael Amster about the power of awe and an incredible micro mindfulness practice that you can do in 30 seconds. I'm not kidding. 30 seconds. And speaking from my own experience with this practice, it will absolutely invigorate your meditation practice and benefit your days. Michael is a San Francisco Bay A...
Jan 11, 2024•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hello Dear Listeners! How I have missed you over the last several weeks; I am so excited to share in another year of meditative exploration with you. There are lots of updates and exciting stories to share with you, but, for today, let us linger in the New Year transition. In this mini episode of The Mindful Minute, I talk about the shift into the new year and the idea of having expectations in January. Despite my own excitement for the upcoming year and new projects I plan to share on the podca...
Jan 01, 2024•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast **This class will be the last podcast episode of 2023 for The Mindful Minute. I’ll be taking a break over the winter months to rest, to practice, to study, and feel through what 2024 will ask of all of us as meditation practitioners. I’ll be back in early 2024 with a new year of meditation classes tied to the natural world and centered on well-being for the Earth, humans, and the more-than-humans that make up this universe. I look forward to practicing with you again soon. I have been teaching M...
Nov 09, 2023•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast What does witchcraft have to do with meditation? SO much more than you might have originally thought, dear listeners. Which is why I am so excited to share a conversation with Jamie Della today. Jamie Della is a witch, an ordained Priestess, and the author of ten books, including her newest book, A Box of Magick, as well as The Book of Spells: The Magick of Witchcraft and The Wicca Cookbook. She has a writer’s spirit and a faery soul, and she loves to teach, create, throw pottery, and get out in...
Nov 02, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast To allow an emotion to be simply means to let the feelings come and go without needing to DO anything about them. Simple to understand; much much more difficult to put into practice. In today’s episode of The Mindful Minute, we use myth as a pathway to understanding the practice of allowance. Rather than trapping an emotion - giving it a label, a meaning, and box to live in - what if we track the experience? What happens if we stay open to sensation and story? To image and insight? In the last i...
Oct 26, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Oh friends, I am sure, like mine, your heart is broken over the horrors we are witnessing between Israel and Palestine, as well as the hate crimes we are seeing in response to this crisis. In a moment of pure serendipity, I had an interview that was scheduled months ago with poet James Crews to chat about his new book, The Wonder of Small Things; Poems of Peace & Renewal. I originally planned to air this conversation as a Winter Solstice offering, but his book feels like the perfect balm for...
Oct 24, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast *While this series was recorded several months ago, it continues to feel incredibly timely as we bear witness to the horrors unfolding in Israel and Palestine, as well as the hate crimes happening in response to this crisis. May we stay steady, may we stay awake, may we soothe our hearts so that we can continue to engage. A Lifeboat in Turbulent Times: When emotion overwhelms our system, it is called 'flooding', and in today’s episode, we are going to learn to build our lifeboat. We will explore...
Oct 19, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast I recently had the pleasure of chatting with emotion and empathy expert, Karla McLaren, about her new book, The Language of Emotions. In it, she shares a powerful definition of emotion from sociologist Dr. Arlie Hochschild “Emotion, I suggest, is a biologically given sense, and our most important one. Like other senses - hearing, touch, and smell - it is a means by which we know our relation to the world, and is therefore crucial to the survival of human beings in group life. Emotion is unique a...
Oct 12, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast I have noticed the prevalence of two difficult emotions both in my own life as well as in my conversations with others - grief & anxiety. Difficult emotions to be sure. Over the next four episodes, I want to explore working with difficult emotions in our meditation practice. It can appear, at least on the surface, that there is no place for big emotion within our meditation practice - as if, somehow, meditation precludes us from experiencing heartbreak, fear or anger. This couldn’t be furthe...
Oct 05, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
