Winter Wildlife Tracking: On the Trail of Mindful Sensory Awakening
Conscious Nature
by Josh Lane
1y ago
Winter wildlife tracking is a fun way to engage your senses and discover the secret lives of the animals in our backyards, parks, and favorite outdoor spots. If you live in or visit a place with snow in the winter, it’s a great time to get out and connect with the landscape though the tracks and trails left by your wild neighbors. Tracking invites us into the moment as we step into the world of the animals. As we mindfully explore Nature, we can experience and cultivate the Three Inner Conditions of Awareness. The mysteries waiting for us in the snow draw us into present-time with fresh ..read more
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How Wildlife Tracking Connects Us With Place and Self
Conscious Nature
by Josh Lane
1y ago
The art of tracking is among the most ancient skills known to humanity. Tracking extends one’s senses in a multiplicity of directions, from awareness of the patterns within oneself to the larger cycles at play in any scenario. Driven by the need to survive — and pulled by the curiosity to explore — the art of reading Nature’s signs and signals has intertwined with the development of human cognition and creativity. The skills of tracking have connected people to their environment in every landscape around the world, from tundra to desert. Photo by Jacob Campbell on Unsplash The ability to reaso ..read more
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8 Ways Nature Changes Your Brain
Conscious Nature
by Josh Lane
1y ago
Getting regular time outside in Nature is an effective way to boost your brain and nourish your body. From supporting attention and immune response to awakening a greater sense of empathy and connection, immersion in Nature positively impacts brain function on many levels. Every experience you have in life is reflected in the activity of your brain’s neural pathways. As you learn, you develop new connections between neurons. These connections can link regions in the brain that process different kinds of information. The senses you activate, and the ways that you focus your mind, work together ..read more
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What Nature Has to Teach Us About Mindfulness
Conscious Nature
by Josh Lane
1y ago
Article by Josh Lane, ConsciousNature.net Photo by Rohit Tandon, Unsplash One common challenge I hear from novice meditators is, “How do you stay so concentrated for so long?” Practicing mindfulness in Nature is an engaging way to develop the concentration skills that will support your deeper meditations, whether outdoors or in the yoga studio. Concentration is classically practiced as a first step towards unifying the mind with the object of meditation. The mind focuses on the breath, a visualization, or a mantra, and gradually “merges” with the focal point. With practice, the initial sense o ..read more
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The 4-Part Outdoor Meditation Cycle
Conscious Nature
by Josh Lane
1y ago
Photo by Chad Madden @ UnsplashHow to Get Started with Forest Bathing (Shinrin-Yoku) “Forest Bathing” (Shinrin-yoku, or immersing in the atmosphere of Nature) is a powerful way to mindfully nourish your immune system. Simply by making time to connect and explore with your senses, you’ll get in tune with the world of Nature. Ditch stress and refresh your mind, body, and heart with this simple and healing practice. Check out the poster and article below for tips on how to jumpstart your own outdoor mindfulness practice. Connect to the Nature within & around you with this 4-Part Meditation Cy ..read more
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How Nature Awakens Mindfulness & Intuition – A Lesson From a Mink
Conscious Nature
by Josh Lane
1y ago
Today’s blog is about bringing the mindfulness experience outside into Nature. Your favorite outdoor spots (and the beings that dwell there) can become amazing teachers and supports for cultivating mindful connection. While you are there exploring, your senses act as a personal doorway to the unfolding of each moment. This week I visited one of my own favorite Nature spots, a forested creek area on the outskirts of town. What unfolded during this wander reminded me of the power of meditating in Nature, and how getting to know one place deeply can bring so many gifts into our lives. Making Spa ..read more
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Beyond Mindfulness: Giving Back to Nature
Conscious Nature
by Josh Lane
1y ago
A Visit and Message From the Teyuna Spiritual Leaders of the Arhuaco, Kankuamo, Kogi, and Wiwa Peoples It was now well past the middle of the night. I clambered into bed, tired and ready to sleep after a four-hour car ride home through a downpour of heavy spring rains. I love the rain and actually enjoyed the ride, but by now I was eager to relax into the slumber of a good night’s rest. Surprisingly, I found my fiancé laying there still awake, albeit half-asleep, riveted by a message she had just received from a friend. Half in the dream world, and half in the waking realm, she stated, “Kogi e ..read more
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Rewilding Through Meditating in Nature
Conscious Nature
by Josh Lane
1y ago
An excerpt from Josh’s book, Conscious Nature: The Art and Neuroscience of Meditating In Nature A Return to the Wild… The word wilderness comes from the Old English for “wild deer,” and translates as “a place of the wild animals.” Photo by Philipp Pilz, Unsplash The wilderness is beyond human control. It’s a place of adventure and mystery, and of vision and healing. The wild places bring us to a sense of humility (related to the word humus — literally, “of the earth”) as we revel in their vastness, power, and beauty. Many cultures have come to understand the vitalizing power of the wild. Gary ..read more
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The Meditation Spot: Finding a Sacred Space to Connect in Nature
Conscious Nature
by Josh Lane
1y ago
by Josh Lane Photo by Caleb Jones, Unsplash The Meditation Spot is a favorite place that you can adopt on the landscape and visit regularly to enjoy timeless, mindful moments in Nature. This practice has been shared extensively by the tracker, Tom Brown, Jr., who refers to the sit spot as “the Sacred Area.” My own longtime tracking mentor, Jon Young, learned this transformative practice from Tom during his own apprenticeship, and later introduced the routine to me as “the Sit Spot.” Because Nature’s patterns are so restorative and healing, this is a perfect place to meditate and expand into yo ..read more
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Winter Wildlife Tracking: On the Trail of Mindful Sensory Awakening
Conscious Nature
by Josh Lane
2y ago
Winter wildlife tracking is a fun way to engage your senses and discover the secret lives of the animals in our backyards, parks, and favorite outdoor spots. If you live in or visit a place with snow in the winter, it’s a great time to get out and connect with the landscape though the tracks and trails left by your wild neighbors. Tracking invites us into the moment as we step into the world of the animals. As we mindfully explore Nature, we can experience and cultivate the Three Inner Conditions of Awareness. The mysteries waiting for us in the snow draw us into present-time with fresh ..read more
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