Episódios
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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 through 2024 so far, and it teases out the most important reminders for maintaining mental health. I share a bit about a brand new PTSD treatment I got to test, tips for when meditating for 20-minutes is out of the question, and ways to care for ourselves and our loved ones in the simplest of ways.
Lastly, I share a guided meditation that emphasizes simplicity and presence. May it serve all of us well <3
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find her at:
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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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 shares a guided exercise and reading from her book, encouraging listeners to seek restorative moments and redefine what rest means to them.
Join us!
Find Octavia & her new book here: https://www.octaviaraheem.com/rest-is-sacred
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find her at:
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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“If one sees two women sitting at a crossroads, facing one another, they are engaged in witchcraft.” - Talmud
From our witch meditation series, we know that the witch archetype is truly about people who are reclaiming their personal power. And from the quote above, I love the significance of this sense of power being found in the crossroads; the intersections. It reminds me of one of my favorite teachings in Buddhist psychology - known as The Middle Way.
In the teachings of The Middle Way, we learn to embrace tension and paradox. Rather than waiting for the resolution, we become skillful at residing in the middle of it all…
“Of course we can always imagine more perfect conditions, how it should be ideally, how everyone else should behave. But it’s not our task to create an ideal. It’s our task to see how it is, and to learn from the world as it is. For the awakening of the heart, conditions are always good enough.” - Ajahn Sumedo
Join me for today’s discussion and guided meditation centered on the power we find while resting in the middle.
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Thank you to Nick McMahan for today’s nature field recordings, sound design, and editing; and thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find them at:
nickmcmahan.com
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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A meditation for your daily practice - no chat beforehand, no distractions. Just you, the forest, and your breath.
Join me for this Green Witch-inspired meditation.
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Thank you to Nick McMahan for today’s nature field recordings, sound design, and editing; and thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support.
Find them at:
nickmcmahan.com
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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In this episode, we continue our exploration of personal power through the archetypes of the witch. Together, we will journey through the Water Witch and the Swamp Witch archetypes, uncovering their unique connections to water, the moon, and the balance between conformity and wildness.
The Water Witch draws rituals from aquatic environments, emphasizing adaptability, while the Swamp Witch thrives in the liminal spaces, representing untamed freedom.
Being fluid in change is the superpower of both of these witchy archetypes.
At the end, there is a 20-minute guided meditation devoted to the Water Witch, inviting all of us to sync with the rhythm of our breath and metaphorical ocean waves, fostering inner peace and presence.
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“You are the sister to the wolf and friend to the hawk. You know in your heart the language of the plants and the songs of the wind. You have an innate connection to the wild edges. You know the beauty of the bee in flight, and hear the call of freedom on the horizon. And yet, as you go through your day today, it may be easy to miss the drum call of the Earth.”
– Wild Woman
The Green Witch is one who sources her sense of power and nourishment from the Earth itself. She is one who might feel deeply connected to plants and animals and finds balance with time outside.
The Green Witch likely spends more time than most contemplating the understanding that we are nature.
In our exploration of the earth and forest archetype, we look at reciprocal relationships with the earth as a source of power and grounding.
Join me for today’s talk and Green Witch-inspired meditation.
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Thank you to Nick McMahan for today’s custom-crafted soundscape, sound design, and editing; and thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find them at:
nickmcmahan.com
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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Welcome, Witches.
This all new meditation series is devoted to the archetype of the witch. Why, you ask? Well for starters, it is spooky season, but perhaps more importantly, because the witch archetype is especially potent for those of us grappling with reclaiming our personal power.
There are so many ‘types’ of witches: the kitchen witch, the green witch, the water witch, etc. And,all of these sub-types refer to the place or activity where we source the majority of our power.
Today’s episode is devoted to the Kitchen Witch:
In ancient Greece the word for “cook”, “butcher” and “priest” was the same -‘mageiros’- and the word shares an etymological root with the word magic.
– Michael Pollan
The Kitchen Witch is one who finds her power in the kitchen.
She is deeply committed to nourishment - with a cauldron bubbling and tea brewing She is drawn to family recipes connecting her to ancestorsHer ingredients connect her to the earth elementAnd perhaps most importantly, cooking on stove or hearth-fire, connects her to the alchemical power of fire.Fire resides in the belly. It is the heat of action, of purpose, intention and passion. It is also the fire that burns the ghosts that haunt us.
This fire is directly tied to the heart space, the home of air/breath/spirit, this is where our caring, compassion and love originate. For the kitchen witch, these two domains are intimately linked - our fire transforming our love - making love manifest.
Join me for today’s episode devoted to the alchemy of the kitchen witch complete with a 20-minute guided kitchen witch meditation and a custom-made kitchen witch soundscape from Nick McMahan. Enjoy!
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Thank you to Nick McMahan for today’s custom-crafted soundscape, sound design, and editing; and thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find them at:
nickmcmahan.com
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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More often than I can count, I have conversations with students asking me what’s next in their meditation practice, how to go deeper, or how to feel better in the toughest of times… and today, I am delighted to share a powerful conversation offering a few answers to these tough questions.
Andrew Holecek is a returning guest to the podcast, as well as a renowned author and humanitarian who teaches internationally on spirituality, meditation, lucid dreaming, and the art of dying. His many books include Reverse Meditation and Dream Yoga. And now, he has a new book out -
I’m Mindful, Now What? Moving Beyond Mindfulness to Meet the Modern World.
This book, and our discussion today, reveals how the form of mindfulness many of us know is merely one thread in a much older, greater tapestry of contemplative practice. For anyone who has sensed the potential for something much deeper and more profound - this conversation is for YOU.
Andrew and I talk about:
Brining meditation off the cushion and into our day-to-day experiencesPractices that move beyond simply “calming down” The near enemies of practice, which include spiritual bypassing, spiritual materialism and the tricky distinction between tranquility and liberation. Waking up vs. growing upFive nocturnal meditation practices, the value of the dream state, and the magic of liminality.Lastly and most importantly, we talk about why these practices matter when the world is on fire.At the end, Andrew shares a guided meditation that he does every morning to start off his day. Join me for this inspiring conversation and practice. And listeners, I need to know - should I have Andrew come back to tell us more about these dream practices?!?
There is so much richness in this practice, here is a breakout of some of the key moments:
01:32 The Five-Year Retreat Experience
04:42 Beyond Mindfulness: Deeper Practices
06:54 Shamatha and Vipashyana Explained
12:18 The Importance of Waking Down
15:48 Therapeutic and Somatic Support
18:32 Traps on the Meditative Path
24:16 Waking Up vs. Growing Up
26:48 Nocturnal Meditations
27:16 The Importance of Dreams
27:34 Polyphasic vs. Monophasic Cultures
28:16 Ego and Altered States of Consciousness
29:06 The Three-Dimensional View of Reality
31:00 The Five Nocturnal Practices
32:51 Exploring Liminal Dreaming
34:14 The Science Behind Liminal Dreaming
35:23 Observational Intent and Thought Image Amalgamation
36:37 Deconstructing the Sense of Self
42:56 The Collective Mind and Quantum Entanglement
48:44 Guided Meditation Practice
Learn more about Andrew Holecek and find his new book here: https://www.andrewholecek.com/
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find her at:
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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Today’s episode is an invitation to settle into the deepest listening and to celebrate what we find when we move beyond the noise of humans. Today, we embark on a meditative listening experience crafted by nature field recordist Nick McMahan.
Earlier this year, Nick spent several days seeking out the quietest spot in Oregon. Exploring nature’s whispers and finding serenity in the sagebrush are what inspired today’s guided audio experience - a recording of Nick’s exploration.
Together, we will listen to the symphony that arises within Oregon’s quietest ecosystem.
What does it mean to listen to such quiet? What can we learn in the absence of human-made noise?
Grab your headphones, close your eyes, and join Nick on a journey through the Basque Hills of Oregon:
High and dry. There is hardly anything here. No water, no trees, just a small two-track (dirt road where people have driven enough times to form a road, but the ground has never been graded), and a distant horizon. The terrain appears endlessly flat, but after some time walking, I cannot see my car anymore. No towns, people, highways, or aircraft. A strange silence seems to be suspended in the still air. I sit down in the sagebrush and the wind calms. Looking closer I see various small wildflowers growing in clumps, thoughtfully placed near roots and sage. I lay down. It doesn’t feel dirty here. The dusty soil is cool, almost soothing. Eyes close, it is not long before a whir of wings pass not far overhead. Quickly followed by another and a hushed chirp. Something imperceptible has shifted. There is another soft chirp. Another whir, over to the left. Then a trill. Gradually building, a mesmerizing chorus of Brewer’s sparrows and a steady drumbeat of a common poorwill in the distance weave the song of this quiet sage land.
These sounds were recorded on the ancestral land of the Northern Paiute people.
Today’s episode was written, recorded and edited by Nick McMahan. Nick is a nature sound recordist and photographer, seeking projects to promote a more conscious world. Learn more and check out his sound libraries by visiting: nickmcmahan.com
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production, editing and social media support: instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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Soundscape Alchemy.
Friends, what an episode I have for you today! Months ago, I took an impromptu trip to Canaveral National Seashore to visit acoustic artists Perri Lynch Howard and Gordon Hempton.
Frequent collaborators on the podcast, I was ecstatic to spend a weekend practicing the art of listening with them both. We walked mangroves, explored shorelines, and discussed the interplay of human voice, aerospace traffic, and birdsong.
The creative collaboration of Gordon and Perri resulted in a stunning piece of environmental art titled, “Hear Me Out.”
Join me today for a discussion of what it means to listen with honesty, to weave ourselves into the natural world we inhabit, and to move “in close proximity to lifelong love.”
In this episode, Perri and Gordon delve into their experiences during their artist residency at Canaveral National Seashore through the Soundscape Field Station Artist Residency Program. The conversation highlights their collaborative project 'Hear Me Out', which investigates the changing soundscapes and their artistic interpretations influenced by the environment. They share their journey of recording, the emotional challenges faced, and how Doris Leeper's legacy inspired their work. The discussion also touches on the significance of natural sound preservation and future projects related to soundscapes and environmental art.
At the end, pop in your headphones, close your eyes, and listen to “Hear Me Out.”
Gordon Hempton
Acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton has circled the globe three times in pursuit of the Earth’s rarest sounds. His sound portraits which record quickly vanishing natural soundscapes have been featured in People magazine and a national PBS television documentary, Vanishing Dawn Chorus, which earned him an Emmy. Hempton provides professional audio services to media
producers, including Microsoft, Smithsonian, National Geographic and Discovery Channel. Recipient of awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Rolex Awards for Enterprise he is co-author of One Square Inch of Silence: One Man’s Quest to Preserve Quiet (Free Press/Simon & Schuster, 2010) and Founding Partner of Quiet Parks International.
https://soundtracker.com/
Perri Lynch Howard
Perri Lynch Howard is a multi-disciplinary artist working in painting, drawing, installation, and sound. Her visual work and sound installations convey the passage of light, sound, and signal through landscapes on the front lines of climate change - a phenomenology of place. Howard received her BA from The Evergreen State College, BFA from the University of Washington, and MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her art has a global reach through projects completed in Italy, Portugal, Brazil, Canada, the Arctic Circle, and in South India as a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar.
https://www.perrilynchhoward.com/
Thank you to Nick McMahan for today’s sound design and editing; and thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find them at:
nickmcmahan.com
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Lastly, thank you to Atlantic Center for the Arts and the ACA Soundscape Field Station for making this collaboration possible.
https://atlanticcenterforthearts.org/home/soundscape-field-station/
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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In this Monday night meditation class, we delve into the concept of listening and silence amidst the constant noise of modern life, especially during the election season. Today’s discussion touches on the various sources of human-made noise and their impact on inner peace, the varied definitions of silence, and the key to mindful listening.
David G. Haskell wrote, “listening opens us to what is hidden or unappreciated,” and together we will explore this hidden, unappreciated terrain.
Today’s guided meditation, featuring natural sounds from the quietest place in Oregon as recorded by Nick McMahan, encourages listeners to practice deep listening, find tranquility within themselves, and hear what was previously unheard.
Let’s practice!
The nature sounds you hear in today’s episode are from the ancestral lands of the Northern Paiute people. Now considered the edge of the Great Basin or the Basque Hills area of southeastern Oregon.
Thank you to Nick McMahan for today’s nature field recordings, sound design, and editing; and thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find them at:
nickmcmahan.com
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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U.S. Poet Laureate and fellow meditator Ada Limón joins me today on Our Mindful Nature to chat about her Signature Project, 'You Are Here, Poetry in Parks.'
Y’all this was a dream conversation for me - full of presence, hope and truth. Full of poetry and beauty even as we discuss climate crisis and environmental activism.
Together, we delve into the origins of ‘You Are Here: Poetry in Parks’, its deep connections between nature and poetry, and its aim to foster mindfulness and presence. Ada shares thoughts on the power of small actions amid climate crises, the inclusivity of the project's installations in national parks, and the importance of everyday nature. We also talk about the power of realizing that You. Are. Here.
“'You Are Here: Poetry in the Parks' aims to deepen our connection to nature through poetry,” said Limón. “I believe the way we respond to this crucial moment on our planet could define humanity forever. In conceiving of my signature project, I wanted something that could both praise our sacred and natural wonders and also speak the complex truths of this urgent time. Above all, this project is about rising to this moment with hope, the kind of hope that will echo outwards for years to come.”
At the end, as a mini practice, Ada reads her stunning poem Sanctuary.
Ada Limón is the twenty-fourth US Poet Laureate and the author of The Hurting Kind, as well as five other collections of poems. These include The Carrying, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was named a finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, and Bright Dead Things, which was named a finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Kingsley Tufts Award. Limón is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and her work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and American Poetry Review, among others. Born and raised in California, she now lives in Lexington, Kentucky.
Learn more about You Are Here: Poetry in Parks: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/3-6-24-poetry-in-parks.htm
Find Ada’s book You Are Here; Poetry in the Natural World here: https://milkweed.org/book/you-are-here
The Methow people were the first people to hear the sounds of Methow Valley, Washington that are included in today’s episode.
Thank you to Nick McMahan for today’s nature field recordings, sound design, and editing; and thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find them at:
nickmcmahan.com
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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In this guided meditation, we explore an elemental balancing practice for anxiety management and nervous system regulation. Reflecting on personal experiences with balancing extreme temperatures and anxiety, I share a visualization and sound meditation that has been deeply supportive in my own practice. I hope it will be useful in your own practice as well!
No discussion, no distraction - just the meditation for your daily practice.
Enjoy!
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Thank you to Gordon Hempton for today’s nature field recordings, to Nick McMahan for sound design, and editing, and to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find them at:
soundtracker.com
nickmcmahan.com
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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In this guided meditation, we explore an elemental balancing practice for anxiety management and nervous system regulation. Reflecting on personal experiences with balancing extreme temperatures and anxiety, I share a visualization and sound meditation that has been deeply supportive in my own practice. I hope it will be useful in your own practice as well!
Together, we will guide our energy to move from the root chakra to the third eye, integrated with breath work and visualizations to promote balance and cooling.
The supportive soundscape in today’s episode is a recording of a summer night in Olympic National Park from acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton. You will hear a summer breeze swirl through tall grasses while chattering birds and a distant coyote settle down for the night.
In this episode:
00:00 Welcome and Introduction
00:46 Balancing in Extreme Temperatures
01:25 Dealing with Anxiety and Imbalance
03:05 Elemental Balancing Practice
04:32 Combining Practices: Elemental Balancing and Still Lake of the Mind
07:58 Guided Meditation: Journey Through the Elements
27:56 Closing and Returning to the Present
The sounds in today’s episode were recorded on the ancestral lands of eight tribes: Hoh, Jamestown S'Klallam, Lower Elwha Klallam, Makah, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Quileute, Quinault and Skokomish.
Thank you to Gordon Hempton for today’s nature field recordings, to Nick McMahan for sound design, and editing, and to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find them at:
soundtracker.com
nickmcmahan.com
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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7 a.m.
It’s a cool, blue morning, and we are seated alongside the Coosa River in Alabama. Our guided meditation practice begins with mindful breathing and sensory awareness. This is an opportunity for cosmic connection and deep relaxation.
It is silent except for the birds’ morning chorus and a whisper of wind through the river grasses.
Gradually, a family of geese make themselves known, and we are instantly reminded of Mary Oliver’s poem Wild Geese, which ends with the line -
{...} the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting — over and over announcing your place in the family of things.
Today’s poetic meditation is inspired by this invitation to remember our place in the family of things, to maintain a mindful awareness of our relationship with nature, to re-weave ourselves into the animate earth around us. Join me for this 6-minute, nature-inspired meditation.
Creek Native Americans were the first people to hear the sounds of the Coosa River that are played in this meditation.
Thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find her at:
instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro
If you enjoyed today’s episode, please Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week.
Want to support this podcast? Consider sending this episode to a friend or leaving a review. It is free and it really helps this show to grow!
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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Today’s episode is the meditation offered at this year's Summer Solstice inspired by the poem An Inn for the Coven by Gabrielle Calvocoressi.
No discussion, no distraction - just the meditation for your daily practice.
Enjoy!
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Thank you to Nick McMahan for today’s nature field recordings, sound design, and editing; and thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find them at
https://www.nickcmcmahan.com/
https://www.instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro/
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@themindfulminutepodcast
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Today’s meditation is a live recording from this year’s Summer Solstice Meditation Retreat.
Midsummer and the temps are hot… literally and figuratively. As a way to explore the feelings that come with rising temperatures, in today’s class I share two powerful poems:
An Inn for the Coven by Gabrielle Calvocoressi
The Guest House by Rumi
These poems speak of a place where we are safe.
The Inn feels lush, abundant, filled with love and the possibility of beauty.
The Guest House feels sturdy, spacious enough for all our feelings to reside without conflict.
We hear of our loves, our hurts, and our divinity in these poems; all different and all the same and all inside.
And so, this midsummer meditation is an invitation to explore the inn.
To travel the grounds finding all the hidden trails.
To open all the doors.
It is an invitation to create or discover an internal experience of deep, nourishing safety, a place to nurture our love and hope. A place to rest well and to feel fully.
Join me for today’s discussion and guided meditation.
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Thank you to Nick McMahan for today’s nature field recordings, sound design, and editing; and thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find them at
https://www.nickcmcmahan.com/
https://www.instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro/
Watch on YouTube, Make a donation, or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting
merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@ourmindfulnature
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Today, as the final installment in our Edges series, I am joined by writer, poet, memoirist, teacher, yogi, activist, and mother - Nadia Colburn.
Nadia has recently released her newest book of poetry, I Say the Sky - and y’all know how much I love exploring the intersection of poetry and mindfulness.
As a start, I want to share one of the review blurbs about Nadia’s newest book because I feel that it so perfectly sums up her work:
"From the opening poem and on through this glorious book, Nadia Colburn strikes the difficult balance between celebrating the splendor of the world we inhabit and acknowledging the grief and devastation that none of us can escape. As much a book of love songs as a book of elegies, I Say the Sky is a heart opening and mind sharpening collection." ~Camille T. Dungy
I couldn’t agree more.
In our conversation today, Nadia,who feels like an old friend, and I discuss:
Writing from the bodyAgency in times of distressMeeting edge places in a state of opening rather than contractionWe talk of generative, supportive action and of course we explore mindful writing practices to support ourselves in times of change. Grab your journal and join us!
Learn more about Nadia Colburn here: https://nadiacolburn.com/
Check out Nadia's FREE 5-day Meditation & Writing Challenge here: https://nadiacolburn.com/free-mindful-writing-challenge/
Learn more about Project Regeneration here: https://regeneration.org/
Thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production support of this episode. https://www.instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro/
Please sign up for my newsletter at merylarnett.substack.com to access these meditations as stand-alone audio files for your daily practice.
Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@themindfulminutepodcast
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As you have likely noticed in this month’s episodes, we have moved from the stars to the soil. We will spend the next several episodes exploring edges and ecotones - spaces rife with the very best type of tension. The tension that inspires growth, expansion and action.
Today, I am talking with artist, edge-walker, and dear friend Perri Lynch Howard about her experiences in a variety of ecotonal landscapes.
Perri is an artist dedicated to forging new narratives from the front lines of climate change. Working in the context of extreme environments is an essential aspect of Howard’s practice, driving her curiosity to seek a deeper sense of place, beyond the dichotomy of near and far. Her artwork resides within the emerging genre of New Polar Aesthetics, expressed through painting, drawing, sculpture and sound.
In this episode, Perri shares three of her unique, ecotonal field recordings with us as a way to explore the edges both within and without.
We will hear the sounds of Vashon Island, the Great Basin Desert, and Svalbard and throughout we discuss:
Non-judgement Listening for the truth of the momentThe relational words we use when discussing the land and ourselvesReciprocal relationship in the time of climate crisisThe first rule of field recording AND meditating (!!)At the end, there is a guided meditation experience of the Vashon Island soundscape as an opportunity for you to explore your own relationship with edges.
Thank you to the residencies and agencies that provided the time, space, and resources for Perri to record these incredible landscapes - The Arctic Circle Residency, PLAYA Artist Residency, Vashon Artist Residency, The Puffin Foundation, Artist Trust, and Quiet Parks International.
Finally, deep gratitude to Nick McMahan for editing and the sound design of this episode, and to Brianna Nielsen for production support.
Learn more about:
Perri Lynch Howard: https://www.perrilynchhoward.com/
Nick McMahan: https://www.nickcmcmahan.com/
Brianna Nielsen: https://www.instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro/
Please sign up for my newsletter at merylarnett.substack.com to access these meditations as stand-alone audio files for your daily practice.
Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com
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youtube.com/@themindfulminutepodcast
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Last week, we began a new meditation series devoted to exploring the edges - both in the natural world as well as our internal landscape - and today’s interview and meditation practice do exactly that.
Marisela B. Gomez is a community activist, public health professional, and physician-scientist. She is a co-founder of Village of Love and Resistance in Baltimore Maryland, organizing for power, healing and the reclamation of land. And,she is a meditation and Buddhist teacher, and a student of the late Zen Master Thich Nhat Han.
She recently co-authored a new book, Healing Our Way Home: Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy & Liberation.
In today’s episode, Marisela and I talk about the edges and the intersections of contemplative practices, community care and social justice.
We talk about
the role of love in practice and actionthe misconceptions of self-carehow and why spiritual or contemplative practice is vital for the healing of the planet and all beings.At the end, Marisela guides a beautiful meditation inviting us to explore and soften around our internal edges.
Join me!
Learn more about Marisela and find her new book here: https://www.mariselabgomez.com/
Sign up for my newsletter at https://merylarnett.substack.com/ to receive free mini meditations each week, creative musings, and more.
Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com
instagram.com/merylarnett
youtube.com/@themindfulminutepodcast
Thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find her at https://www.instagram.com/brianna_podcastpro/
#meditatewithmeryl
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