Episodes

11 years ago, this podcast began as a simple gift for a handful of meditation students. Today, it comes to a close with a full heart and deep gratitude. In this final episode of Our Mindful Nature, host and meditation teacher Meryl Arnett shares a personal reflection on the journey that brought this podcast to life, what it has meant to carry a practice through 11 years of real life, and where mindfulness is calling her next. What began as a simple idea, uploading one- and two-minute meditatio...

Can preparing dinner become a mindfulness practice? In this conversation, Meryl sits down with cookbook author and podcast creator Nicki Sizemore to explore how intention, gratitude, and presence can transform even the most ordinary meal into something deeply nourishing. As Our Mindful Nature enters its final season after 11 incredible years, this series continues its exploration of food as a doorway into everyday mindfulness. Nicki is the author of Mind, Body, Spirit, Food — a cookbook woven ...

What if one of the most profound mindfulness practices isn't found on a meditation cushion, but around a table instead? In this conversation, meditation teacher Meryl Arnett sits down with anthropologist, meditation teacher and author Dr. Ashanté Reese to explore how food nourishes not only our bodies, but our histories, our communities, and our capacity to care for one another. As Our Mindful Nature enters its final series after 11 years, this episode opens a rich exploration of food as a door...

What if you could experience the complete journey of a spring rainstorm from beginning to end? This extended nature listening episode offers the full, unedited soundscape that formed the backdrop for the three-part "Chasing the Ephemeral" meditation series. Recorded in Washington State's Cascade Mountains, this pure nature experience invites you into deep listening without guidance, narration, or interruption. Perfect for meditation, work, study, sleep, or any time you need the grounding presen...

What does tender self-care look like when the world feels overwhelming? In this final episode of the "Chasing the Ephemeral" spring series, meditation teacher Meryl Arnett turns to the salamander, quiet guardian of vernal pools, for wisdom about gentle transformation and emotional balance. Through a deeply personal dream about tending to what's been neglected, this meditation explores how to practice radical self-care during times of moral injury and societal upheaval. Set against the continuin...

How do we meet beauty at the precise moment it appears and practice releasing it just as gently? In this second episode of the three-part "Chasing the Ephemeral" series, meditation teacher Meryl Arnett guides us beneath April's Pink Moon for a practice in experiencing awe without attachment. Just like the creeping phlox that suddenly carpets the ground in pink before fading away, this meditation teaches us to honor what blooms in our lives right now. Set against the continuing spring rainstorm ...

What if the most meaningful experiences are the ones we can only meet in the moment? This first episode in a three-part spring series explores the concept of "ephemeral"—those fleeting wildflowers, temporary woodland pools, and brief moments of wonder that can only be caught when we're fully present. Join meditation teacher Meryl Arnett for a journey into spring's hush, where we learn to practice awe and find renewal in life's most transient moments. Set against the backdrop of a mountain rain ...

Before the world wakes, the frozen forest comes alive. This unique 30-minute listening experience invites you into the pristine winter dawn of Washington State's Sinlahekin Valley, where winter birds greet the morning with bold, communal song that cuts through the cold and offers deep reassurance. Unlike traditional guided meditations, this is pure, unfiltered nature—no narration, no instructions, just you and the authentic sounds of winter's dawn chorus. Perfect for when you need grounding, pr...

What lives beneath the surface of your winter mind? In this gentle guided meditation, host and meditation teacher Meryl Arnett invites you into the quiet wisdom of winter's stillness. Inspired by the children's book "Over and Under the Snow," this practice explores what rests beneath the metaphorical snow of our busy lives - the feelings, needs, and truths that are warming, waiting to be revealed in their own time. Perfect for anyone seeking deeper self-awareness during winter months or when so...

How do you welcome a new year when your heart is still holding grief? Host Meryl Arnett sits down with beloved poet James Crews to explore the essential practice of turning toward grief rather than away from it. In this conversation, James shares insights from his latest poetry collection "Turning Toward Grief" and offers gentle guidance on holding both sorrow and beauty as we enter 2026. What You'll Discover Why poetry becomes essential during grief and how it helps us process emotions that ...

Just the Meditation: This 10-minute guided meditation invites you deep underground to listen for the "message of the heart." Using progressive body softening and breath awareness, you'll descend into your inner underland to discover what wisdom awaits in the shadows. This meditation is excerpted from our Underland Part 3 episode. Listen to Monday's full episode for context and teachings on journaling your meditation insights and sheltering inner wisdom. Set against calming nature sounds of the...

Welcome to Part 3 of our Underland meditation series — the final journey into our inner depths. Over the past two weeks, we've learned to linger in uncomfortable spaces and discover gifts hidden in our shadows. Today, we complete this transformative journey by learning how to protect and preserve the wisdom we've unearthed. Inspired by ancient traditions of burying treasure for safekeeping, this episode explores how our underground consciousness can serve as both a storage place for pain AND a ...

Just the Meditation: This 15-minute guided meditation invites you into a deep practice of softening and surrender. Using progressive body awareness, you'll release tension layer by layer — from skin through fascia, muscle, and bone — allowing yourself to melt into the present moment. Part of the Underland Series: This meditation is excerpted from our Underland Part 2 episode. Listen to Thursday's full episode for context and teachings on entering the rabbit hole and exploring your inner landsc...

Welcome to Part 2 of our Underland meditation series. Last week we explored the underground as a place to dispose of what is harmful — trauma, secrets, and pain. This week, we venture deeper to discover the treasure, wisdom, and insight waiting for us in those shadowed spaces. Inspired by Robert Macfarlane's book Underland, this meditation uses the metaphor of underground cave exploration to guide you through narrow, uncomfortable passages toward expansive inner caverns of insight. Like Alice's...

Sometimes the most powerful meditation practice is simply staying present — even when it's uncomfortable. This 10-minute guided meditation invites you to lie down, soften, and surrender to what is, accompanied by the immersive sounds of the Amazon Rainforest. Instead of trying to fix, change, or escape difficult feelings, this practice asks you to simply be here. To notice your breath. To feel the sounds of the dark rainforest around you. To acknowledge the thoughts and stories in your mind. An...

Not all meditation asks us to find the light; sometimes we need to explore the darkness. In this first episode of the October Underland series, meditation teacher Meryl Arnett invites you to stop running from your fears and instead turn around to face them. Inspired by Robert Macfarlane's book Underland, this episode and meditation practice explores what happens when we acknowledge the darkness, both within ourselves and in the world around us, rather than trying to escape it. If you've been fe...

Experience the ancient practice of moon bathing with this 10-minute guided meditation under the Full Harvest Supermoon. Join Meryl for a deeply restorative nature-inspired meditation that harnesses the moon's soothing energy to calm anxiety, release stress, and prepare your body and mind for restful sleep. In this episode, you'll be guided through a gentle moon bathing practice that can be done anywhere you feel safe under the night sky — your back porch, yard, campsite, park bench, or even by ...

Not all meditation experiences are peaceful — and that's something we need to talk about. In this conversation, meditation teacher Meryl Arnett sits down with mindfulness trainer and trauma expert David Treleaven, PhD, author of The Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness Workbook, to explore how trauma impacts meditation and vice versa. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, dysregulated, or triggered during meditation practice, this episode will help you understand why — and give you practical tools to work ...

Just the Meditation - Join host Meryl Arnett for a profound 15-minute guided meditation that uses advanced breathing techniques to move you from linear thinking into expansive, timeless awareness. This practice progresses from structured spine breathing to flowing circular breath, ultimately releasing into pure presence. What You'll Experience: Complete guided meditation moving through three distinct phases Linear spine breathing to establish awareness and rhythm Circular breathing techniqu...

A meditation perfect for fall - Host Meryl Arnett shares a deeply moving story of witnessing three ancient ginkgo trees releasing all their golden leaves at once—a moment so magical that families stopped their cars to stand beneath the "snow" of falling leaves. This beautiful memory becomes the foundation for a 10-minute guided meditation on the art of letting go. What You'll Experience: A gentle 10-minute meditation perfect for beginners and experienced practitioners Immersive forest sounds...

The Fall Equinox is a time of balance, and today's episode is a practice devoted to cultivating this balance for the colder, darker months ahead. Join guest host Eve Payor from Singing Pines as she guides you through an authentic forest bathing experience rooted in the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku. This isn't about hiking or exercising—it's about mindfully receiving nature's healing gifts through all your senses. What You'll Experience: Complete guided forest bathing session you can do a...

In this third installment of the "Steadiness of Stone" series, host Meryl Arnett guides us through a fascinating exploration of time's flexible nature and how meditation reveals timeless awareness beyond our everyday linear experience. What You'll Discover: Why Einstein and modern physics prove time is relative - and how meditation shows us this truth The difference between chronos (chronological time) and kairos (mythic, timeless moments) How dreams operate outside linear time and what this...

Just The Meditation So many of us approach meditation with pressure, rules, and expectations—only to feel more overwhelmed than connected. In today's meditation practice, we explore a fresh, nature-inspired perspective on meditation that expands time, deepens your connection to the present moment, and helps you discover your personal “now.” Press play now and join me. Learn more and sign up for Nature's Reflection: A Meditation and Forest Bathing Retreat happening October 23 - 26 here: https:...

What if your experience of time could actually shift the way you feel your anxiety? So many of us approach meditation with pressure, rules, and expectations—only to feel more overwhelmed than connected. In this episode, we explore a fresh, nature-inspired perspective on meditation that expands time, deepens your connection to the present moment, and helps you discover your personal “now.” You’ll learn how shifting your relationship to time can transform your mental health and create more resil...