Episodes

✨Just the Meditation Grief, sadness, and heartache can feel all-consuming, making it difficult to stay present. Today's meditation practice is an invitation to hold these emotions with care—not to fix or erase them, but to nurture connection to ourselves, others, and the natural world. Experience a guided meditation practice infused with poetry, breathwork, grounding techniques, and the sounds of Glacier National Park to hold space for your emotions with kindness. Take a deep breath, find a q...

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by grief that it seemed to erase every other emotion? In those moments, meditation might feel impossible—but what if it could become a space for tenderness rather than escape? Grief, sadness, and heartache can feel all-consuming, making it difficult to stay present. This episode explores how meditation can help us hold these emotions with care—not to fix or erase them, but to nurture connection to ourselves, others, and the natural world. - Learn how to recogn...

Just The Meditation ✨ Do you ever feel like you're being tossed about by life's constant changes, unable to find solid ground in the midst of chaos? In our fast-paced world filled with uncertainty, finding stability can seem impossible. But what if you could stand strong like a mountain through life's storms? In this meditation, you'll experience a peaceful meditation practice focused on equanimity—that steady, balanced quality that helps you remain centered when everything around you is chan...

Feeling overwhelmed by the constant changes in life? Struggling to find stability in the chaos? This meditation explores the power of equanimity—your ability to stay steady like a mountain amidst life’s storms. In a world where personal stress, anxiety and global turmoil seem never-ending, how do we stay grounded? Through meditation, we can develop a sense of inner steadiness that allows us to navigate uncertainty with more ease. This episode provides a reflective practice to help you cultivate...

How can we honor and protect the sacred lands that sustain us? Join this special meditation practice dedicated to the Earth, where we deepen our connection and commitment to its well-being. With national parks and natural spaces under increasing threat from policy rollbacks, climate change, and resource exploitation, it’s easy to feel powerless. But through mindful reflection and meditation, we can cultivate a deeper relationship with the Earth—one that moves beyond gratitude into active recipr...

Do you ever find yourself tangled in anxious thoughts at night, struggling to ease into restful sleep? This episode offers a deeply soothing sleep meditation set beside a natural hot spring on a snowy, star-filled night. If stress, anger, or racing thoughts keep you awake, this practice will guide you into a state of relaxation through mindful breathwork and gentle visualization. Experience a full-body release of tension with guided breath counting. Learn how slowing your breath naturally ste...

Just The Meditation ✨ Do you ever find yourself lying in bed, unable to turn off your mind—still thinking about the stress of the day or worrying about tomorrow? End-of-day fatigue and mental chatter can make it hard to truly unwind, leaving you restless and disconnected. But what if you could release the tension and reclaim your evenings with a simple, soothing meditation? In this episode, you will consciously release the day's tensions and reconnect with yourself before sleep with a beautif...

The evening hours often arrive with an unwelcome companion—a mind still buzzing with the day's events, shoulders tight with tension, and thoughts already drifting to tomorrow's challenges. As the sun sets, many of us find ourselves caught in what author Lynne Twist calls "the reverie of lack," that persistent whisper telling us we haven't done enough, aren't enough, don't have enough. But what if you could learn to consciously release the day's tensions and reconnect with yourself before sleep?...

Just The Meditation ✨ Do you ever find yourself lying in bed, unable to turn off your mind—still thinking about the stress of the day or worrying about tomorrow? End-of-day fatigue and mental chatter can make it hard to truly unwind, leaving you restless and disconnected. But what if you could release the tension and reclaim your evenings with a simple, soothing meditation? In this episode, you will consciously release the day's tensions and reconnect with yourself before sleep with a beautif...

Overwhelmed? Stressed? Anxious? Try this quick 10-minute, lunch break meditation that is designed to reset the nervous system and quiet the mind. No chatter; no distractions - this episode is JUST THE MEDITATION. Pop-in your headphones, settle into a comfy spot and let's meditate on our lunch break. Today's meditation music comes to us from a bamboo forest on the road to Hana - almost musical, definitely rhythmic, and always soothing. Take a few minutes for yourself and experience this groun...

Do you ever start your day with the best of intentions—only to find yourself overwhelmed by midday, rushing through lunch, and feeling completely drained? Midday stress can quickly derail even the best-planned day, leaving you exhausted and disconnected from yourself. But what if just 5-10 minutes of mindfulness could reset your nervous system and bring you back to center? In this episode, Meryl Arnett shares a simple yet powerful lunchtime meditation to help you feel grounded, refreshed, and r...

What if you could start your day feeling grounded, grateful, and clear-minded—without the noise and distractions? In this peaceful guided meditation, you’ll be immersed in the sounds of a Maui sunrise, setting the tone for a day filled with intention and gratitude. No chatter, no clutter—just a mindful practice designed to help you cultivate calm, connection, and resilience from the moment you wake up. Awaken with a sense of gratitude and purpose Feel deeply connected to nature’s rhythm and e...

This week, we explore how to weave mindfulness through our entire day, starting with a gentle morning practice that sets our intentions and opens our hearts to daily gifts. What We'll Share Together: A gentle morning practice that helps us set our day's intention Some thoughts about consistency (spoiler: it matters more than duration!) A beautiful concept called the cycle of reciprocity that might just change how you see your day Real, practical ways to stay connected to our practice, even ...

Welcome back to Our Mindful Nature! This week, we explore how the woodpecker's drumming can guide us in releasing emotional armor, including anxiety and overwhelm, and deepening our connection with the natural world. What You'll Experience: - A guided meditation synced with the woodpecker's natural drumming pattern - Gentle body scanning and breath awareness practice - An invitation to let nature's rhythms soften our emotional armor Meditation Music Details: - Morning bird chorus recorded ...

Exploring the Depths of Awareness In this final episode of our heartfulness series, we’re diving below the surface of mindfulness into the rich, uncharted waters of the subconscious. While mindfulness often focuses on our conscious, waking mind, heartfulness invites us to explore the deeper layers of our being — the parts of us that dwell in dreams, intuition, and quiet knowing. What We Discuss in This Episode: How mindfulness works with the thinking mind, while heartfulness taps into the sub...

Welcome back to Our Mindful Nature! This week, we’re continuing our heartfulness series by stepping off the meditation cushion and into the great outdoors. Last episode, we explored the softer, heart-led practice of meditation — a way of being curious, embodied, and a co-participant in the experience rather than its manager. But heartfulness isn’t just for meditation; it’s a lens for living. And one of the most powerful ways to nurture heartfulness is by connecting with nature. What We Discuss...

Happy New Year and welcome back to Our Mindful Nature, where we explore the intersection of meditation, nature, and mental health. Let’s start the year by diving into a fresh, gentler perspective on mindfulness — or should we say, heartfulness? In this episode, I share a thought that’s been swirling in my mind: what if we reframed our practice? While in the West, meditation is often translated as “mindfulness,” the original Pali word aligns more closely with the concept of “heartfulness.” Imagi...

Today’s episode of Our Mindful Nature - a live recording of my Winter Solstice meditation retreat - is the perfect practice to welcome in the winter season. A mini meditation retreat you can do at home! The Winter Solstice is always a discussion of light and dark. Mythology abounds, as do rituals of celebration and reflection. In this class, you will hear some of the mythology surrounding the Winter Solstice. We will explore what it means to ‘harvest the fire’ in this season; we will talk abou...

A winter sleep meditation for you today, dear listeners! As we slip into the darker, colder, and yet somehow busier part of the year I thought we would dedicate some class time to the richness of rest. This episode is an invitation to get cozy, to set aside your to-do list for a few moments, and rest. You can utilize this guided meditation for Naptime or a mid-day reset Gentle guidance into evening sleep Support for falling back asleep if you wake in the middle of the night And listeners,...

There is something magical about the night sky and the winter woods; a place of dreams and possibility; a place of rest and restoration. In today’s episode of Our Mindful Nature, nature field recordist Nick McMahan shares a dreamscape from Glacier National Park. Not quite a guided meditation, not quite a sleep-story, but rather a meditative experience. A connection to both land and self. Perfect for relaxing before bed, taking a mid-day break, or adding some wintery vibes to your day. You wil...

Recently, I had a moment where I just didn’t feel seen. And later, as I was processing those feelings, I picked up James Crews’ newest book of poetry, Unlocking the Heart, and I opened to the poem, ‘The World Loves You Back’ - It was exactly what I needed to hear. That I/You/We are all seen for exactly who we are by the animate earth around us. That we aren’t alone. In today’s meditation class, we explore the significance of belonging and being actively engaged in one’s environment. We delve...

Friends, grab a cup of tea, your coziest blanket and join me as we welcome back poet James Crews. James has been a guest on Our Mindful Nature multiple times and his thoughtful presence has become something I look forward to each year. James and I sat down to chat about his new book 'Unlocking the Heart: Writings for Mindfulness, Courage, and Self-Compassion’ right before the November election in the U.S. Together, we reflect on life's challenging moments, the role of poetry in providing solace...

Oh y’all. If you are struggling to practice right now; I’m with you. If anxiety and overwhelm are front and center; I’m with you. If you aren’t sure you can even stand to listen to a whole podcast episode right now; I’m with you. It is a lot. All of it. As I thought about what might be helpful in the month of November, what felt the most resonant (at least to me) is to focus on the simplest acts of care. This episode highlights the major teachings I’ve shared in classes and on the podcast thr...

In this episode of 'Our Mindful Nature,' I am delighted to welcome back Octavia Raheem, acclaimed author, rest coach and dear friend, to discuss her newest book, 'Rest is Sacred.' Together, we explore the significance of rest, what it means to rest, and, more importantly, what it looks like to find rest in the midst of constant “busyness”. Octavia shares insights on the various forms rest can take, from conventional yoga practices to simple mindful pauses in daily life. At the end, Octavia sha...