Mindfulness and Awareness in Nature

The phrase “peace within” implies that our own inner work must be done first if we want to help this world in which we live and love. 

Practice in nature opens the heart to enlightened teachers. These teachers are not the human beings with whom we share our journey but are Other Teachers who come to guide us throughout our lifetime. Time sitting in meditation, practicing deep listening, finding inner peace and fostering deep connection with All Our Relations are core practices in Awareness and Mindfulness in Nature. As a student in this course, you will gain an understanding of what these terms can mean and develop specific practices to bring them into your life. 

You will change as a consequence of these practices. You will be more capable of seeing and taking positive action, and the world will mirror the changes in you.

Course Objectives

It is our intent that through this course you will:

1.            Understand the dynamics of awareness and mindfulness in the activities of daily life.

2.            Become more relaxed within the experience of ambiguity, that is, within your ability to recognize and accept verbal and felt contradictions, and to be more open to unpredictable situations without personal agenda.

3.            Gain clarity about your patterns of thought and habitual styles of engagement that enhance or impede your ability to work effectively with others.

4.            Cultivate practices and skills, through connection with the natural world that will support your awareness and mindfulness.

5.            Develop skills for being in the present moment, both for your personal development and for authentic engagement with the world.

There are two streams for this course: 

Option 1: The Self-Study is offered to anyone wishing to complete the course material on their own. Every 2 weeks (for a total of 6 modules) you will receive an email consisting of content to read and contemplative nature activities to complete. The course will provide you with food for thought and offer practices to enhance your daily life and connection to nature. In this self-directed course, what you do with the material is very much up to you. You may be inspired to write or create in different ways. Or, you may simply value the content as nourishing food for the soul whose value will continue to ripen in you over time. 

This course is ongoing throughout the year and participants may register any time.

Option 2: The Enriched Study includes guided discussion through email threads, video conferences, and additional course work and feedback from instructors. Students in the Windwalker Dragonfly Guide Apprenticeship are required to registered for this option. There is a schedule for this course and participants are expected to meet deadlines for all assignments. You can expect to devote at least one hour per week to the course materials and communications, plus whatever time you give to the course activities.

Deadline to register for the Enriched Study is Sept. 2, 2016. If you are registering for this option you must submit a 1-page (approximately 250 words) paper describing your reasons and intentions for taking this course. Take this seriously. Our experience is that the clearer you can be now about your intentions, the more present you can be for what is available to you during the course.

Email your paper (Word attachment, please) to both Wes: [email protected] and Corinna: [email protected]

Exchange

Self Study: $60

Enriched Study: $160

Guides: Corinna Stevenson & Wes Gietz