Episode 120 - Forest Educator Spotlight: The Power of Slowing Down
Forest Educator with Ricardo Sierra | A Podcast for Revolutionary Conversations about Nature-Based EducationShow Notes
I'm pretty sure we could all benefit from reducing the frenetic pace that seems to go hand in hand with our modern culture. It's a great topic, but it's not what I'm describing in this episode! Instead, I've spent most of my time on two of the most important tools in my 'nature awareness' toolkit that I know. They are based in mindfulness practices that have helped me immensely in multiple ways in my life, and in my nature education programs and trainings.
They focus on very subtle body awareness techniques that can be used to enhance our energy, focus, inner 'alignment' and decision making. They slow down time, and give us choices when we are under pressure. They also help us access some very powerful states of awareness that have saved me in more than a few situations both in the woods and in our modern cultural settings.
These two practices are called 'breath to heart' and 'quarter-time', which I learned over years of study with Tom Brown, Jr in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. I don't know of the exact origins of each, but they were part of a concerted effort by Tom and his instructors to give us layers of exercises that have delivered powerful outcomes when I have needed them most.
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More from Forest Educator with Ricardo Sierra | A Podcast for Revolutionary Conversations about Nature-Based Education
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