05/25/2026
Being in Nature
an on-line nature-based mindfulness series
All are welcome—whether a nature lover with no mindfulness experience or a seasoned practitioner
Every Friday 12:10 - 12:50 PM (EST)
Access through the Center for Mindfulness & Compassion Live On-Line portal
Tune in from wherever you are.
Find your sit spot & connect
Join from a sit spot outdoors or indoors with a view of nature. Access to WiFi essential unless you are able to use cellular to log in. Phones well propped often serve this purpose better than laptops.
If outdoors, remember to dress for the weather. Give yourself time to transition to and from your sit spot.
❋ What to Expect
40 minute guided Meditation in Nature Sessions
10-15 minute nature-based talk
20-30 minute guided meditation
Barbara will facilitate from her favorite outdoor spaces
Find stillness within & without
❋ Initial sessions inspired by John O'Donohue's book,"Walking in Wonder"
Being in Nature
Fridays, beginning May 1st
12:10-12:50pm EST
FREE, Live Online
We know that meditation can help us feel more centered, focused, and uplifted, but did you know that the natural world can inspire and often enhance our practice and sense of wellbeing?
Join Barbara Hamm, every Friday, mid-day, for a 40-minute nature-oriented session that includes a 10-15 minute nature-based mindfulness talk followed by a 20-30-minute guided meditation.
Barbara will be leading each session from her favorite outdoor locations.
Whether you are a nature lover with no meditation experience, or a seasoned meditation practitioner, tune in from any peaceful environment with an internet connection, ideally immersed in nature or, if indoors, with a view of the outdoors.
These initial sessions are dedicated to the Celtic poet, philosopher and observer of the natural world, John O’Donohue. Together we will contemplate nature, its landscapes and ours and ways in which we are intertwined as reflected in the book, Walking in Wonder.
We will begin at 12:10 and end at 12:50 to allow time for participants to transition & settle into their sit spot (outdoors or indoor with a view).
*If sitting outdoors remember to dress for the current weather conditions. Phones with cellular service, well propped, often are the most reliable and functional if outside.
~~~
Barbara Hamm, Psy.D
Nurturing Mindfulness in Nature: A Journey of Discovery and Healing
In the genesis of my mindfulness voyage lies a pivotal moment—the hospital where I worked as a clinical psychologist founded a Center for Mindfulness and Compassion. I was among the first cohort of clinicians to become trained and join the staff. This was during a period when I was most actively involved in international disaster relief and post-conflict humanitarian resource work. The immersive week-long sojourns into silence, held within serene meditation centers, an integral component of my training, triggered a newfound ardor for practicing amidst nature's embrace.
The simple act of walking the land, each step an awakening, became my ritual. It evolved into a practice of heightened senses and profound awareness—both an anchor during my travels and a testament to the latent beauty and possibility of hope concealed within even the most desolate landscapes. Thereafter, every opportunity I had to take my practices outdoors I took. This was the moment when I embarked on the transformative path of meditation and mindful practice in a much more embodied way than I had previously.
As I have aged, I have found myself wanting to walk long distances and to commune with the land. Through multi-day journeys, my rhythm settles into the rhythm of the landscape, my essence intertwining with its own. The act of walking became an awakening—a corporeal and spiritual revitalization. Initially, these paths led me across global pilgrimage routes, but more recently, my exploration has unveiled the marvels of the terrain around me, especially the undiscovered inner-city green-ways that now beckon.
In the subtle cadence of a leaf-stirred breeze or the play of sunlight upon a kettle pond, I discover marvels that rival grand mountains and expansive seas. This is not a celebration of enormity but an acknowledgment of the sublime in the everyday—a dance of cityscapes mirrored in water's embrace.
Although I continue to have a private practice which is most often held in an office, when the work is stalled or we are at a crossroads, I may invite us to take a walk or to stand or sit outside quietly together: breathing in the fresh air, listening to the sounds around us, touching the earth. This simple shift from indoors to outdoors brings us in touch with the elements and often opens us up to the possibility of change and to the peace which can come from embracing life’s transient nature.
Today, I extend these nature-infused mindful encounters—an offering of solace and growth—to those who bear the scars of violence, maltreatment, mortality's shadow, or the decline of the physical self. My recent training as an Awake in the Wild Teacher reaffirms my commitment. It aspires to weave mindfulness and meditation with our earthly roots, nurturing love, and reverence for all living beings.
These practices are threads that weave stories through time, stitching together historical fragments to evade the erasure of experience. As I extend these contemplative sessions, I hold firm to the belief that they become sanctuaries—both for those who partake and the diverse tapestry of life they inhabit. In the gentle embrace of nature's arms, we find healing, renewal, and unity.
Learn more at https://www.natureconnections.life/.
Please share this offering with those who may benefit from these free, healing mindfulness sessions.
To register:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZewspp4thsSRqIuawrE0ZmuOoJUKLjPJ3rrmyYulGtZFOSw/viewform
