Walking through the woods is perhaps my favorite activity of all, and there is no better experience (in my opinion) than walking through the woods in winter.

The space. The silence. The biting cold. All of it crackles with a kind of energy, a nudge towards contemplation and reflection.

Yet, in a recent conversation, it was pointed out to me that winter can be very, very different depending on where you live. So, today, in the first of what I hope is many collaborative episodes, I am sharing a conversation with nature field recordist Nick McMahan about the varied experiences of winter.

While on my winter sabbatical at the end of 2023, I had the profound privilege of reading Jacqueline Suskin’s newest book, A Year in Practice; Seasonal Rituals & Prompts to Awaken Cycles of Creative Expression, and subsequently chatting with her. I’m delighted to share this conversation with you today as a spark of inspiration, a nudge to burrow in, and an invitation to connect fully with the season of winter.

Today’s episode of The Mindful Minute is the second installment of a 2-part series dedicated to the emotion of awe.

In this conversation, Jake Eagle, co-author of 'The Power of Awe', and I discuss the concept of 'awe' and its significance in handling existential anxiety and conquering stress.

Jake also details the A.W.E. practice and he also guides a powerful meditation he developed to shift through different levels of consciousness (Safety, Heart, and Spacious consciousness). He explains how making these shifts several times a day can reset our nervous system, creating significant positive impacts.

In this episode of The Mindful Minute, I talk with Dr. Michael Amster about the power of awe and an incredible micro mindfulness practice that you can do in 30 seconds.

I'm not kidding. 30 seconds.

And speaking from my own experience with this practice, it will absolutely invigorate your meditation practice and benefit your days.

How I have missed you over the last several weeks; I am so excited to share in another year of meditative exploration with you. There are lots of updates and exciting stories to share with you, but, for today, let us linger in the New Year transition.

In this mini episode of The Mindful Minute, I talk about the shift into the new year and the idea of having expectations in January. Let’s explore harvesting your internal fire or energy during winter, allowing it to nourish ideas and projects for the months to come.

**This class will be the last podcast episode of 2023 for The Mindful Minute. I’ll be taking a break over the winter months to rest, to practice, to study, and feel through what 2024 will ask of all of us as meditation practitioners.

I have been teaching Monday Night Meditation for 8 years, and airing it on The Mindful Minute podcast for 7 years. It has been my greatest joy to share my own meditative journey and to witness yours as we have practiced together.

And, I feel called to further my exploration and deepen my teaching on nature-based meditation - as a response to climate crisis, eco-grief and eco-anxiety certainly. But even more so, as a response to the call to be more ourselves, to be more awake, engaged, and purposeful in how we live and move through the world today.

I’ll be back in early 2024 with a new year of meditation classes tied to the natural world and centered on well-being for the Earth, humans, and the more-than-humans that make up this universe. I look forward to practicing with you again soon.

What does witchcraft have to do with meditation? SO much more than you might have originally thought, dear listeners. Which is why I am so excited to share a conversation with Jamie Della today.

Jamie and I talk about the origin story of this book, and we spend a lot of time unpacking the witch archetype in this episode. We also talk about:

• Elemental magic

• Divination and synchronicities

• Ancestors

• Earth-based spirituality

…and so much more.

In today’s episode of The Mindful Minute, we use myth as a pathway to understanding the practice of allowance. Rather than trapping an emotion - giving it a label, a meaning, and box to live in - what if we track the experience?