Archive - Page 8 of 10 - Mountain Zen Den

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 37 – Winter Animals (Part 4)

Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity

Do you ever feel like you’re just living from pay check to pay check, trying to fill your life with things, attempting to buy your way to happiness…but not really living? At a time when people in the West have the highest standard of living that we have ever had, why is it that we are so empty and dissatisfied, always searching for more? More things to make us happy? We find ourselves so restless and always scratching and clawing for more. As humans we’re wired to become dissatisfied. We have an addiction and a craving for more. More, more, more… And we are encouraged to support and maintain the addiction through technology and information. All you have to do is turn on the TV or radio, open a…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 36 – Connecting with Animals (Part 2)

Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Well-being

What would this world look like if we were the only living beings?” Not counting trees and plants of course. No cheery, warbling birdsong, no interesting movement in the air, on the ground or in the trees. No dogs barking, squirrels or rabbits playing, deer foraging or horses or cattle grazing. No tree frogs or crickets singing in the meadows and marshes, no fish biting and jumping in the ponds, rivers and lakes, no dolphins splashing or seagulls and shorebirds feeding in the ocean… No real mystery or wonder or possibility. Just a quiet, eerie planet with maybe a bit of wind blowing over the grassless plains. You see if there were no butterflies or bees to pollinate the flowers or birds to carry and drop seeds, if there were…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 35 – Connecting with Animals (Part 1)

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simplicity, Well-being

We share the planet with beautiful wildlife and amazing creatures and don’t even realize the benefits we receive from them. There is often an intuitive connection that we immediately feel when in the presence of a non-human living being. One of the things that attracts us to animals and that we especially love about our pets is their authenticity and trusting nature. What you see is what you get. They don’t play games with your emotions or generally try to hide the truth. You don’t have to walk on eggshells around them, (unless they’re chickens). They just are who they are and love you unconditionally. Have you ever thought about how amazing this is? What a gift! Join us for today's show! Come on in... http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainzenden/MZD_-_Episode_35.mp3 Photo…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 34 – Tree-Mend-Us Trees!

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

Have you ever really stopped to think about and appreciate how amazing trees are? I mean, picture this – what would the world be like if we didn’t have them? Well for starters, we’d all be dead because we depend on trees to take our exhaled carbine dioxide and turn it into wonderful, life-giving oxygen that we kinda depend on. There are many more benefits that trees bring to the earth besides producing oxygen. Aside from the fact that they are beautiful and provide a rich aesthetic quality to the landscape, they provide shade, they yield delicious fruit and nuts and provide shelter and living quarters for birds and smaller animals, they soothe and relax us, they reduce pollution, improve the beauty of our neighborhoods and surroundings, lower our energy…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 33 – Struggling With Stillness ~ Mindfulness 101

Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

“Why is it when I try to meditate, my mind wanders all over the place and I can’t seem to be still?” We all struggle with this annoying little monster in our daily meditation practice. There’s this constant chatter going on in the back of our minds. The voice and circular, recycled thoughts that won’t seem to go away no matter how hard you try. And who is that voice, by the way? We listen to it all the time and think it’s us. It is constantly narrating and talking and making judgments inside our head. And it never shuts up. It talks about, thinks about and judges everything and is never still. It has a need to express worries and doubts and anxieties and all the things it…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 32 – Winter Animals (Part 3)

Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

Research has shown that just 15 minutes in nature can make you happier. After just sitting outside in a park or forest for 15 minutes people reported that they began to feel psychologically restored. So what are you doing to give yourself that extra boost of Vitamin N here in the dead of winter? Join us for today's show as we continue our adventure in Thoreau's chapter called "Winter Animals" from his classic, "Walden". You'll feel better...even if it is just second-hand Vitamin N! http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainzenden/MZD_-_Episode_32.mp3 Fox photo by Victor Benard on Unsplash, Pheasant photo by Susan C. Smith For more mountain goodness Listen on iTunes > [maxbutton id="8"]

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 31 – Creating Your Own Nature Zen Den

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Success, Well-being

For some folks, winter-time is a time for personal hibernation, where you just want to crawl under the covers and eat and sleep and watch TV. Getting out in the frigid arctic air and taking a winter’s walk and getting some “Nature exposure” is the last thing you feel like doing. If you happen to be one of those kind of people, I have some good news for you! There are plenty of other ways to get your Nature-fix" and stay mindfully inspired on a daily basis, capturing some of the goodness and benefits she has to offer without necessarily going outdoors or on a long hike or camping trip. You can set yourself up for success not only in connecting with nature, but for meditation by creating an environment…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 30 – Trusting the Process

Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

Is there something in particular that is stressing you out right now, at this moment? There is something you can do about it. Breathe. Practice breathing every time you are aware that you are feeling stressed and you will begin to feel relief. No, it doesn’t necessarily immediately solve the problem, or pay the bill, or fix the relationship or whatever. But what it does do is give you the balance and harmony and inner peace, strength and courage to realize that you have it within you whatever it takes to deal with the issues of the day in the moment. If we’re willing to just trust the process and not freak out, we can not only deal with the challenges that are coming at as at a thousand…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 29 – Starting a Nature Journal

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

There are as many ways of connecting with Nature as there are people. One of my favorite, most meaningful ways is by keeping a Nature journal – a written record of some kind that captures your thoughts, observations and even drawings if you like, of all the natural world around you. It is interesting to note that the words Journal and Journey share the same Middle English root word – “diurnal” meaning “daily”. This can and should be a daily exercise that helps keep us grounded and rooted in not only our hearts to be in touch with what are thinking, feeling and experiencing, but in the world around us also. Most all the great naturalists kept journals of some sort that helped them make sense of the natural…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den ~ Episode 28 – Winter Animals (Part 2)

Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

Nature is so good at bringing us back to the present and keeping us in the moment because she offers so much goodness to observe and experience. To a lot of folks, the winter can seem like a really dead time, where everything lies cold and dormant and Nature is asleep. And while that is partially true, there is so much life and activity going on unseen to the untrained eye. You can become an astute observer of nature and enjoy all the signs of life happening all around you even in the dead of winter. All it takes is intention and a bit of good timing for you to see the little miracles that are constantly taking place no matter what time of year it is. Henry David…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 27 – The Gift of Mindfulness

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Success, Well-being

Wouldn't it be great if you could live in a constant state of joy and tranquility by being mindfully present on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment basis? We all struggle with simply being in the moment, and not making the past or future our permanent dwelling place. It’s part of the human condition. We have become so stale in our obsessive recycled thoughts. The best way to approach Beginner’s Mind is to open the front door of your spirit and let the fresh breeze blow through your soul, airing out all that is “known” and “tiresome” from your mind. Our purpose here at Mountain Zen Den is to help you discover and maintain Beginner’s Mind through your meditation and in your life by connecting with Nature. A Beginner’s Mind is a…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 26 – Taking a Multi-Sensory Nature Walk

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

Remember how big and magical and wonderful the world was when you were a kid? Do you remember the joy of being outside on a beautiful summer day, and even though the days were long they went by so fast and you hated when the sun went down because you knew that meant that you’d have to go back inside your house soon? There is a seemingly forgotten, and unexpected joy we find when we step out of doors with the intention of using all of our senses and a child-like wonder. New wonders and discoveries are always waiting around the next corner. When you learn to be multi-sensory and intentionally aware, the concepts of boredom and apathy, fatigue and lethargy seem to evaporate like morning dew. As you…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 25 – Winter Animals (Part 1)

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

We're sitting in the dead of winter and I woke up thinking about going for a hike, hoping to see some wildlife, winter animals along the way. Or at least their tell-tale tracks... While there are a variety of animals that will sleep away winter's chill in deep hibernation, there are many, many more who are well adapted to surviving bitter cold temperatures and a scarce food supply. We can learn a lot from these wild teachers. Today we spend some tranquil moments enjoying the lessons of "Winter Animals" from "Walden" with Henry David Thoreau, the man who went to the woods to live deliberately... We can do the same. Glad you're here! http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainzenden/MZD_-_Episode_25.mp3 Photos by Ray Hennessy and Noah Silliman on Unsplash For more mountain goodness Listen…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den ~ Episode 24 – Skygazing 101 (Learning to Raise Your Gaze)

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

On your journey to becoming a mindful naturalist, you’ll begin to increase your powers of observation of the beauties and wonders of the natural world all around you. You find yourself noticing things you hadn’t before and becoming keenly aware of the details of your environment and the Universe at its core. For instance, what is the sky doing right now? What is it telling you about the coming weather and what the day holds as far as the details of the weather, temperature and wind are concerned? How are the birds and other creatures, and even people responding to what’s happening right this minute outside? Learning to raise you gaze gives not only gives you clues about the weather and the season, but lifts your spirits and energy…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den ~ Episode 23 – Schtuff Happens

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

We all live in a world where "bad" things happen every day, to varying degrees - things that discourage us and sometimes even make us just want to throw in the towel and say, "I give up!" They are a part of life and none of us are exempt from them. There's good news though! In addition to healthy habits, positive and nurturing relationships and heartfelt prayer - God's gifts of Nature and Mindfulness are here to help ease the pain of all the "Schtuff" in our lives, give us renewed energy and provide a healthy perspective in dealing with it. Join us for today's show! http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainzenden/MZD_-_Episode_23.mp3 Photos by jens johnsson and Bryan Minear on Unsplash For more mountain goodness Listen on iTunes > [maxbutton id="8"]