Mindful Foliage

This recording is certainly a break from most of the noise that goes on during the day! When the wind isn't blowing, it's completely silent - somehow pressing down on your ears even more heavily than sound would.  Take a 10 minute vacation from the sounds outside with a little bit of desert quiet. Check it out on Rumble and YouTube! 

If you've ever settled in to prune an especially important or lovely plant, then you probably know the joyously powerful sense of awareness this has brought. It can certainly be easier at times to bring your awareness to a plant than to the mindless mindfulness of deep meditation.  Today we'll be engaging three of the senses, all centered around whatever plant catches your attention. Starting with vision, one of the easiest senses to engage in nature, you'll be guided to look over every aspect of whatever is growing before you. Smell too, which floats on the wind and air that both your and the plant are sharing. Texture is just as important, to get a sense of the plant's physicality.  Please to do not breathe in or touch plants that might cause an allergic reaction or other issues. I wouldn't touch a poison ivy - but they're probably fine to look at!  This guided practice can be performed indoors or outdoors equally well. I recommend trying both if you have the time and weather to do so.  For more information on other mindfulness practices or to learn more about the green nature around us, check out my website at www.mindfulfoliage.com. If you just want to look at pretty pictures of plants, swing by my instagram @mindfulfoliage. For exclusive content or to support the show, find me on patreon.

The outside world is always putting on a music show. The unique combination of wind, water, rustling plants, and moving critters provides a cacophony of sound to keep you right in the here and now. It's impossible to predict (and difficult to record!), and sometimes the best thing to do is sit back and listen. Being present for all these wonderful sounds can deepen our connection to nature. And, added benefit, mindful listening is a practice we can benefit from at nearly any time. I highly encourage you to go outside and find a comfortable place to sit or lay down. Even if it's not in the heart of the woods or adjacent a burbling stream, I'm sure there's a tree rustling or a bird calling somewhere nearby. If the outdoors are a little far away, listening to the sounds happening outside your building, inside it, and in the same room are useful alternatives. For more information on other mindfulness practices or to learn more about the green nature around us, check out my website at www.mindfulfoliage.com. If you just want to look at pretty pictures of plants, swing by my instagram @mindfulfoliage. For exclusive content or to support the show, find me on patreon.

Today's guided meditation is a routine that I employ pretty often. This session includes three easy practices: Resonant Breathing, where you'll breathe at a pace that resonates with the overall cycle of the body. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system while generally just helping your mind and body calm down. Bhramari (humming bee breath), which resonates the head and buzzes all the thoughts away. Plus, it's just such a relaxation sensation! Body Scan, starting with the right hand. I'll go through each part of the body at a steady pace; all you need to do is be aware of that part.  This combination of practices is easy to work into other meditation routines or expand into a longer session.  The guided portion begins at 1:50. The introduction prior to that explains how each of the steps will go - recommended if you've never tries humming bee breath! For more information on other mindfulness practices or to learn more about the green nature around us, check out my website at www.mindfulfoliage.com. If you just want to look at pretty pictures of plants, swing by my instagram @mindfulfoliage. For exclusive content or to support the show, find me on patreon.

One of my favorite practices is simply sitting still and listening to nature. There's always something going on out there - nature is always making music through the plants, animals, wind, water, and earth. Being present for all these wonderful sounds can deepen our connection to nature. And, added benefit, mindful listening is a practice we can benefit from at nearly any time.  I highly encourage you to go outside and find a comfortable place to sit or lay down. Even if it's not in the heart of the woods or adjacent a burbling stream, I'm sure there's a tree rustling or a bird calling somewhere nearby. If the outdoors are a little far away, listening to the sounds happening outside your building, inside it, and in the same room are useful alternatives.  The guided portion begins at 1:10. The goal is to keep your awareness on the sounds happening around you. To make this easier, try to practice this with only one earbud in, or by playing it off the phone speakers. Give your ears the chance to hear the music.  For more information on other mindfulness practices or to learn more about the green nature around us, check out my website at www.mindfulfoliage.com. If you just want to look at pretty pictures of plants, swing by my instagram @mindfulfoliage. For exclusive content or to support the show, find me on patreon.

Square breathing is a pranayama that flows exactly how it sounds. Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, then hold for 4 more. This even pace is astoundingly powerful at calming the body and mind together. The long holds stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, balancing it against an overactive sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system.  Try to breathe deep into the lungs. Use your diaphragm, and focus on the feeling of your belly expanding and contracting with each breath. If you're not yet used to breathing with your diaphragm, then it may be easier to practice laying down. The guided portion begins at 1:28. You can practice square breathing anywhere you can practice regular breath! Once you become accustomed to the rhythm, try changing the pace to be a little longer or slower, or just breathe evenly at whatever pace feels right for the moment. I highly encourage you to practice square breathing whenever you have a few spare moments and a desire to relax.  For more information on other mindfulness practices or to learn more about the green nature around us, check out my website at www.mindfulfoliage.com. If you just want to look at pretty pictures of plants, swing by my instagram @mindfulfoliage. For exclusive content or to support the show, find me on patreon.

When thoughts get a little too intrusive or it seems impossible to clear your head, sometimes simply making some noise can drown out the events going on in your mind. For this follow-along meditation, we'll be chanting Om for a few minutes. If you'd like to continue after the podcast is over, I highly encourage it!  The chanting portion begins at 4:25. The segment beforehand is an introduction and time to settle in.  Om (Aum) is a combination of three sounds, made without the tongue in use: "Ah" - with the mouth fully open. This sound vibrates the chakras lower in your body.  "Ooo" - with the mouth partially open. This sound travels higher up the body, up toward the throat. "Mm" - with the mouth fully closed. This sound reaches all the way up to the crown chakra! These three sounds (and the silence between them) are the basic sounds of the universe. They combine together, are mixed up with the tongue, and come out as the words and sentences and speech we use. By chanting them, we resonate with them, and the sounds to unlock stuck points in the body and spirit.  For more information on other mindfulness practices or to learn more about the green nature around us, check out my website at www.mindfulfoliage.com. If you just want to look at pretty pictures of plants, swing by my instagram @mindfulfoliage. For exclusive content or to support the show, find me on patreon. 

Today I'm back at my favorite canyon for mindful listening. This is an invitation to listen to nature at three distances - far away, middle distance, and right near by. Take in the music of nature all around you, and experience it as if it's your first time.  I'd like to apologize in advance for any poor audio. I'm still figuring out how best to record outdoors and in the wind. Any advice would be greatly appreciated - please reach out by instagram or email ([email protected]), or through the contact page on the site.  For more information on other mindfulness practices and being mindful around nature, please check out the articles on my site, mindfulfoliage.com. If you want to take a gander at nature indoors and out, please check out my instagram, @mindfulfoliage.

This episode is a sound to lose your thoughts to - waves crashing on a rocky beach. I apologize for any audio quality issues, as I'm still learning about audio equipment and how to handle wind outdoors. If you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to send me an email at [email protected] This was recorded along the beach at one of my favorite sit spots, outside the mouth of a canyon. Dried kelp marks the high tide line, and there I sat.  I hope you find these sounds as soothing as they are in person.  For more information on other mindfulness practices and being mindful around nature, please check out the articles on my site, mindfulfoliage.com. If you want to take a gander at nature indoors and out, please check out my instagram, @mindfulfoliage.

A medicine bowl, also known as a singing bowl or brass bowl, is a happy little round piece of resonance. I enjoy playing and listening to singing bowls as a part of my practice, and I hope you do too. The sounds are soothing and just a little hypnotic, and provide a great way to gently move into a mindful state. They can resonate with the energies of your body, opening up stuck paths. This is a relatively short piece. I hope it provides you a few minutes of calmness in what might otherwise be a hectic day. For more information on other mindfulness practices and being mindful around nature, please check out the articles on my site, mindfulfoliage.com. If you want to take a gander at nature indoors and out, please check out my instagram, @mindfulfoliage.