Mindfulness Archives - Page 4 of 7

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 55 – Taste & See

21-Day Nature Challenge, Lifestyle, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Development, Podcast

Day 5 ~ TASTE & SEE! “One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe So how are you doing on the 21-Day Nature Challenge? Are you finding it difficult staying on track and doing this challenge every day? If so, don’t be discouraged. Life gets in the way, as they say. It’s a normal thing. And the whole point of the challenge is to be able to take an ordinary day and make it extraordinary by living in the moment, whatever the moment brings. Doing it in Nature gives an added benefit of beauty, peace and health & fitness by getting outdoor exercise, sunshine and fresh air - all good for the body, mind and spirit. So if you miss a…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 54 – Touch (The Feel of Nature)

21-Day Nature Challenge, Lifestyle, Mindfulness, Mountains, Nature, Personal Development, Podcast, Well-being

“Forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet, and the winds long to play with your hair.” ~ Kahlil Gibran “Earth's crammed with heaven... But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.” ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning Welcome to Day 4! You are on a roll… Way to go! By now you are probably aware that you are generally most comfortable using only one or two of your five senses. This can be eye-opening, (or nose-opening as we smelled yesterday). We have millions of specialized touch receptors in our skin and tissues, which send touch signals to our brains. These receptors all respond to touch, pressure, temperature and pain. Many animals, such as cats have an advantage over us. Their whiskers, which are very different from…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 53 – Wake Up & Smell the World

21-Day Nature Challenge, Health, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Development, Podcast, Well-being

“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” ~ Gerard De Nerval Welcome to day 3! Our intention for the day is to follow our noses. Or at least pay attention to the gift of smell. The practical purpose of our proboscis’, (that is our noses), is one of the most overlooked, (pardon the pun), powers we have been bestowed with. While animals have a much greater ability to use their noses for tracking and differentiating between vast numbers of varying smells, the human sense of smell is still quite acute. In fact, we can recognize thousands of different smells. This is because we have around five or six million odor-detecting cells high up in our nasal passages. On the other hand, rabbits have about a hundred million of…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 52 – Listening (Learning to Be Mindful with Your Ears)

21-Day Nature Challenge, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Development, Podcast

“The word ‘LISTEN’ contains the same letters as the word ‘SILENT’”. ~ Alfred Brendel “Listening is about being present, not just about being quiet.” ~ Krista Tippett Day 2 ~ LISTENING (Learning to Be Mindful With Your Ears) Welcome back! We are learning to be more appreciative and grateful for all of the natural goodness in our life. It’s about intentionally noticing the simple things everywhere around us. Today we are going to use another of our God-given senses. Hearing. Have you ever truly stopped and thought about what an amazing gift sounds are? Frequencies vibrating at different rates can make an amazing variety of noises, tones and even music! Sounds can be quite pleasant, or they can range from being minor annoyances to being downright harsh…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 51 – Beginner’s Eyes

21-Day Nature Challenge, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast

“There’s so much beauty around us for just two eyes to see, and everywhere I go I’m looking…” ~Rich Mullins Welcome to the is special edition of Mountain Zen Den - The 21-Day Nature Challenge Day 1 ~ "Beginner's Eyes" (Learning to see as if for the first time)) Welcome to Day 1! We’ll begin with this thoughtful and active meditation for the day. Today you begin your journey to a new life in a new world as you start to see everything through fresh eyes with a mindful heart. Now there are two things you need to commit to as you begin: Set an “Intention”. Take a few thoughtful moments to write in your Nature Journal exactly what you hope to get out of this 21-Day adventure. It…

by Skydancer7

Day 1 ~ Beginner’s Eyes

21-Day Nature Challenge, Blog Cabin, Health, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Development, Simple Living, Well-being

by Skydancer7

21-Day Nature Challenge

21-Day Nature Challenge, Blog Cabin, Health, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Development, Simple Living, Well-being

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den ~ Ep. 50 – Get Outside ~ Now!

Health, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Development, Podcast, Well-being

“Every day is an opportunity to find ways big and small to transform our lives and to grow spiritually.” ~ Bobby Williams There is a Norwegian concept known as “Friluftsliv”. Hard to pronounce, but a great philosophy to live by. Basically it’s about being outside as much as possible. It’s come to embody Norway’s cultural love affair with Nature. First introduced in 1859, Friluftsliv refers to uplifting ambience. One of the best ways you can enjoy the simple moments in an uplifting ambience in life is by going for regular walks. There are many reasons you should head out the door and take a walk right now. Here are just a few of them - Fresh air Sunshine Exercise A Treat for All of Your Senses Get Fresh…

by Skydancer7

7 Reasons You Should Go for a Walk Right Now

Blog Cabin, Health, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Development

There is a Norwegian concept known as “Friluftsliv”. Hard to pronounce, great philosophy to live by. Basically it’s about being outside as much as possible. It has come to embody Norway’s cultural love affair with the natural world. First introduced in 1859, Friluftsliv, (go ahead, try to pronounce it out loud. I dare you!), refers to uplifting ambience. In fact, the rest of us could learn a lot from the Scandinavians. According to U.N. rankings, Denmark is known as the happiest country in the world, with the Norwegians coming in a close second. You may have encountered the word “hygge” (pronounced “Hue-Guh), in recent times. It is hard to translate, but at its’ essence it embraces a conscious appreciation of being in the moment and enjoying the coziness, contentment,…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 49 – Self-Development Through Nature

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Self-Development, Success, Well-being

“What the false self fears more than anything else is change.” ~ Father Richard Rohr We all have different and varying opinions on the definition of success, but I think it’s say to say that we’d all agree that success in life is becoming what you want to be. The path you take to get there is up to you, but the fact is - Nature is a major catalyst in helping us get there faster! Here’s how: Everything alive is either growing or dying. To be alive means to grow. When you stop growing, you die. In his classic personal growth book, “The Science of Getting Rich”, author Wallace Wattles offers this universal wisdom – “The purpose of nature is the advancement and development of life… Every living…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 48 – Accomplishing More By Doing Less

Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simplicity

"Productivity is less about what you do with your time. And more about how you run your mind." ~ Robin S. Sharma Here at Mountain Zen Den it’s not just about spending time in nature for the sake of being more mindful, or even about being mindful for it’s own sake. We’re here to help you create and design a lifestyle, a way of living and of Being that brings you the life you’ve always wanted, one day at a time. It’s about finding joy and simplicity in the simple things, and slowing down enough to appreciate and nurture the love and tranquility that living a more mindful life brings. What is the one thing above all else that you know has to get done today? In today's show, we…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 47 – Getting Unstuck

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

“You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be.” ~ Marianne Williamson “Perhaps the Earth can teach us, as when everything seems dead and later proves to be alive.” ~ Pablo Neruda Do you ever feel stuck? Like a rodent caught in the rat race or the proverbial hamster wheel? We all get stuck from time to time and need a little shaking up to get out of the rut. We sometimes need a blast of fresh wind to clear the leaves and debris out of our yard, and to cleanse the impurities and stagnant air out of the atmosphere of our minds, so to speak. For today's show, we offer a short list of things you might try to help yourself…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 46 – Releasing Stress ~ By the River

Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simplicity

“A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” ~ Unknown Ever find yourself feeling stressed and anxious and not even really knowing why? You know that feeling that your mind is racing back and forth just trying to find something to worry about? I know there are plenty of things, real problems and issues that cause stress, but at the same time, there is this constant hum or buzz of anxiety that just continues like static in the background of our minds, no matter how good or bad things are going currently in our lives. As a form of self-preservation, the human mind is conditioned to remain alert and look for dangers and problems. This is how we survived since time began. But in…

by Skydancer7

MZD – Ep 45 The Mindfulness Minute

Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast

“Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it. ~ Sharon Salzberg Every sunrise is an opportunity to show up for your own life. Every sunset does the same. All the moments in between these two events are opportunities to just open up and enjoy the wonders of the world, and this miracle we call life. If we don’t respond by showing up mentally and emotionally, it’s like watching a beautiful and sometimes scary and riveting movie, filled with action-packed scenes as well as tender and inspiring moments, and then either falling asleep, or being bored to death. Life is short. That's why it is so important to practice presence throughout the day in little chunks of time - "Mindfulness Minutes". A great time to practice a…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 44 – Seeking Simplicity

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

“Simplicity is never a matter of circumstances; simplicity is always a matter of focus.” ~ Ann Voskamp There is something so wholesome and alluring about seeking the simplicity found in Nature, and escaping the craziness and cacophony of the man-made, synthetic world. Simplicity comes in many forms, but every one of these forms involves one thing – “Presence”. When there is worry and clutter and unresolved details in your inner and outer world, it’s easy to begin to lose a sense of presence, and be tempted to either, fall back into the past, filled with a sense of guilt, loss and regret. Or, we tend to jump ahead into the future, surrounded by fear, anxiety and wistfulness –a longing for what is not yet here. Both directions steal your joy…

Category: Mindfulness