Nature-based mindfulness practice is a way of cultivating an open quality of awareness in order to connect more deeply with the inner workings of the mind while deepening a connection and appreciation for the supportive qualities of the natural world.  Nature-based practice allows you to open to all of your senses and fully engage with the sensory experience of your surroundings as a way to develop a fuller awareness of your mind, life, and your place in the world. Nature serves as your teacher by revealing the wisdom of mindfulness in ways that are not entirely possible in the manufactured indoor world. In this way, it is much easier to develop a sense of awe and wonder of life on Earth and a desire and inspiration for ways to live in greater harmony with the planet.

In this yearlong program, we will study and work with the 10 perfections – a set of qualities to live by – and we will explore them through mindfulness, meditation, and photographic expression. You will be encouraged to investigate each quality through a mindfulness practice while immersed in the natural world as you simultaneously embark on a journey of how you can visually communicate your relationship to these ten perfections through your photographic art. In this way, we will be exploring and investigating The Art of Mindfulness and the Ten Perfections.

The purpose of Insight Meditation is to strengthen mindfulness, our capacity to directly experience “things as they are.” We practice this meditation technique in order to see clearly into the nature of the mind. The practice consists of bringing natural and clear attention to whatever occurs in the present moment just as it occurs and without judgment, reasoning, evaluation, or habitual reactivity. This form of mindfulness meditation allows us to see through the mind’s conditioning and thereby be more fully present in our experiences and interactions. It offers an opportunity to be freed from unhelpful patterns of the mind.

This program is designed for the DSLR or Mirrorless camera owner who would like to get their cameras out of Auto-mode and start to make use of aperture, shutter, manual mode, and more. You will learn how the camera works, how each of these modes affects your images, and when to use what settings based on your scene. The course will then look at nature photography and teach you how to get the most amazing images from any scene. Finally, we’ll explore artistic expression for the nature photographer.

This six-week online course will provide you with a foundational understanding of mindfulness meditation and how to skillfully develop this innate capacity to better understand and identify emotional and behavioral patterns in how you relate to life’s experiences. The course is designed to guide you through a process of understanding and exploring a set of concepts that can change the way you see and relate to life as a whole.

Conservation photography involves telling stories about the natural world for the natural world. It is about giving a voice to animals, plants, habitats, and the ecosystems that support life on Earth. Whether it’s through a collaborative effort that involves photographers, scientists, and non-profit organizations or individual exploration of the natural world with just you and your camera, there are many opportunities to get involved with conservation efforts for your favorite habitats, wild sanctuaries, or most beloved wild animals.