Mindfulness-Based Nature Connection Course: Enhancing Well-being Through Integrative Meditation Practices
This is a six session, 2 hour per session, course offered across six weeks this summer.
Six Tuesdays 7:00 am - 9:00 am
Course dates are 7/8, 7/15, 7/22, 7/29, 8/5, 8/12/2025
Location: Arnold Arboretum, Peter’s Hill
Each session offers participants mindfulness-based nature connection practices that can be integrated into daily life. The weekly sessions build upon one another so the sessions are offered as a set rather than individually. Though useful for all, the practices may be particularly helpful for those whose lives are inherently stressful. For health care workers and first responders cultivation of skills such as sensory awareness, embodied presence, and positive emotional states can support the management of stress, anxiety, and overall well-being more effectively of both provider and those they serve alike.
Why take this course?
In the storms of our lives we need refuge, nourishment and support- a place to replenish our tired bodies and troubled hearts. In this course we will explore tapping into the stillness and dynamism of the natural world which surrounds us and teaches us. As we integrate stillness and movement, we move toward being active participants in the world while maintaining balance and ease in our hearts and minds. We reawaken awareness, the beautiful, hidden jewel that is innate in each of us.
The flow of the course.
Each session which spans two hours will focus on the cultivation of a particular skill, including:
Session 1 – Learn to arrive and tune into natural settings with awareness
Session 2 – Cultivate an ability to be present outdoors with embodied attention
Session 3 – Develop sensory awareness wherever you are
Session 4 – Contemplate the depth of our connection to all life
Session 5 – Cultivate a loving, grateful attention in nature
Session 6 – Open to the wisdom of nature and the truth of change
Learning objectives
At the end of the program you will be better able to:
Utilize practices to cultivate embodied attention in outdoor environments, helping to reconnect with your physical bodies and alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety;
Use practices to enhance sensory awareness to assist in grounding ones selves and managing stress, leading to improved mental and emotional regulation;
Utilize the concept of inter-connectedness of all life forms promoting a holistic approach that can improve overall well-being;
Utilize loving and grateful attention in natural settings to foster positive emotional states , enhancing capacity for joy, gratitude, and resilience;
Utilize impermanence practices based on the natural world to support, accept and adapt to life’s transitions and health challenges.
**This course was designed by Mark Coleman Founder of Awake in the Wild, Nature-based Mindfulness
Course fee:
$500 Standard
$400 Sliding Scale
$100 Scholarship (please inquire)
This course requires a minimum of 6 participants and will not exceed 15