Nature Therapy Online (Ecotherapy Podcast)

Welcome to the final (ever?) episode of Nature Therapy Online - The Podcast.Over the last (almost) two years, recording this podcast has been a therapy for me as much as it has been for the lovely people who have sent me such encouraging emails about the show. (You know who you are!)It is, however, time for me to move on to other nature therapy projects. Ecotherapy is my job but the podcast has been very much a labour of love, and I need to make a bit of room in my life for other labours of love now! The wonderful thing about podcasts is how they remain online and available…I know that people will find these episodes for many years to come and that makes it feel like such a worthwhile project.I may still record occasional episodes in the future. Perhaps I will even record another whole season if the urge comes upon me one day….or perhaps I’ll never record a podcast again. Who knows! But thank you so much for listening and I hope you keep in touch.For the final episode, we will walk in the forest and ponder death and renewal. I hope you enjoy it, friends.Thanks again for listening and remember to always make time for Nature.Stephen

In this episode of the ecotherapy podcast, we explore the power of a good view. I invite you to connect with a special view as we take a mindful walk together. For this episode, I took a walk in my village in Midlothian, Scotland, and I took in a view that mesmerises me. On a clear day, for miles into the distance, I can see forest, sea, mountains, hills and the magnificent city of Edinburgh. The feelings that arise in me when being present with this mighty view are inexplicable. There is just this sense of smallness and of true connection. A sense of truly being a part of this, not a separate self looking upon a picture from the outside. I also ponder on the many associations (personal and cultural) that can arise when there is so much to take in.I hope you enjoy this episode of the nature therapy podcast, friends!

Hello folks, and Happy New Year! For this wintery episode at home, I share some thoughts, meditations and music around the themes of rocks and birds, reflecting on some powerful rocks (past and present) from Scotland amongst other themes. In this month’s ecotherapy podcast, I reflect on the beauty of birdsong and the simple grounding power of rocks. I share three of my favourite rocky locations with you, all from Scotland: Isle of Barra, The Faery Stane of Midlothian and the Bass Rock in East Lothian. Alongside sharing sounds, stories and meditations from these locations (and generally pondering the healing wonder of rocks), I also play some gorgeous music by an incredible artist which is inspired by endangered birds. To hear/support the music I play on the podcast, please visit Bandcamp.I hope that you enjoy this month’s nature therapy podcast friends, and that it helps to bring in the new year with some awe and healing.

Get your own mini-podcasts by supporting the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/naturetherapyonline

This month, I went in search of an elusive bird and here I share my process with you. Two years ago, I moved to the wee village of Temple in Midlothian, Scotland. In my first autumn here, I was mesmerised by the sight and sound of (quite literally) thousands of pink-footed geese feeding in the village during the autumn and winter. This year, they proved to be far more elusive. This lead me on an interesting process blending some slight climate anxiety with some appreciation of the other things I noticed in the geese’s absence. What happens when we go searching for specific experiences in nature? That is what this month’s ecotherapy podcast ended up being about. I hope you enjoy it!

This episode is about a topic that I find very interesting and strangely moving. Have you ever stumbled across an old abandoned building, or even the crumbled remains of a simple structure, and felt something special? Ruins and abandoned human-built structures are often swiftly reclaimed by nature. It’s not unusual to see weeds growing through the cracks, grass moving ‘indoors’ or even trees and shrubs taking root upon structures that once were the domain of the human.Tune in to explore this with me!Support the podcast and get lovely rewards at https://www.patreon.com/naturetherapyonline

Hello, folks! This episode of the ecotherapy podcast is all about old trees and the ways in which we can connect to their beauty and wisdom. Join me as I tell a traditional tree story from Aberdeenshire in Scotland, encounter a giant sequoia tree in Midlothian, and lead a grounding tree-based meditation. In this episode, I was called to approach this topic from many angles. Regular listeners of my nature therapy podcast will know that I often like to share nature myths and stories. At other times I will take the listeners for mindful walks within nature, and then at other times, I might lead a guided meditation. Something about the mysterious beauty and wisdom of old trees invited me to connect with them for this podcast in all of these ways, in the realms of the physical and also the imaginal. It was a real pleasure to record.Support this free ecotherapy resource at https://www.patreon.com/naturetherapyonline

Hello friends! This episode of the ecotherapy podcast was just about my favourite ever to record so far: meditations on water. Join me as I encounter beautiful bodies of water and reflect on the power of water on our mental and spiritual wellbeing. In this episode, I recorded various sections in watery places that I love. I invite simple meditations or reflections on the sounds and scenes that I encounter. All places that I visited are places that I hold dear here to my heart, here in the Lothians. Perhaps as you listen, special locations from your own life will spring to mind for you, nourishing your own wellbeing in the process.Come with me to Gladhouse Reservoir, the River South Esk, Musselburgh Beach and my rainy garden in Temple! This was such a calming and special little adventure for me. I hope it is for you, too.Support the podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/naturetherapyonlineWarm wishes,Stephen x

This episode of the ecotherapy podcast is all about nature and spirituality. It’s a massive topic that I have wanted to feature for some time now. It includes voices from the worlds of Druidry, Buddhism, Catholicism and Tarot. In this episode of the nature therapy podcast, I speak with three people with very different spiritual practices about how their personal practice connects them with nature. I found that beyond the vast differences in the traditions themselves, there were some very beautiful overlapping themes that popped up with all three speakers. I also speak a little about tarot cards in relation to nature connection; something that isn’t spoken about much, and which I have recently become very much in tune with.One podcast episode is never going to even scratch the surface of such a massive topic. What is spirituality anyway? And how does it relate to the earth we stand upon? This podcast episode offers some glimpses into how different people see both of these things, and more specifically, how they both interact with each other.

Welcome to Season Two of the Nature Therapy Online podcast! It’s so nice to be back after my break. The first episode of the season is all about nature and music. Nature can be therapy. Music can be therapy. Music that is inspired by nature – or music that incorporates nature – brings these two beautiful worlds together for a powerful therapeutic experience. That is what this month’s nature therapy podcast is all about!Nature music can come in many different forms; music that uses the sounds of nature; songs that have lyrics honouring nature; musical stories of nature’s myths….and so many more approaches. In this episode of the ecotherapy podcast, I discuss the wonderful world of nature music and play some of my favourites. I hope that you enjoy it, friends.

Episode 42 of the Nature Therapy Online podcast is the last of this season before I take a two-month break! As I record the podcast, I watch the sun setting over the Pentland Hills as the Sun sets on Season 1. Click on the slim black player above to listen.I will be back with a refreshed and new season at the end of June, friends. Please tune in to listen to my thoughts about the future of the podcast. It will return, but in a different form. To figure out what changes need to take place, I need a break from the project to reflect and take stock. In the meantime, if you have enjoyed this season and you miss the weekly episodes, please do go back to the beginning and listen all over again. Practising ecotherapy is not something that we consume once and then move on from. It is a practice, and a way of being. Episodes that didn’t speak to you the first time may well feel different the second time around. Nature is constantly changing, and so are our perceptions. The theme of this week’s ecotherapy podcast episode is the beauty of the Sun setting and rising each day. When was the last time that you deliberately watched the Sun setting or rising?Thank you so much for tuning in this far folks. I will be back at the end of June. Take care for now!Green smiles,Stephen x

In this week’s ecotherapy podcast, I am thrilled to present an interview with author and storyteller Daniel Allison.Daniel is a great talent — his gentle and moody style of storytelling captures the heart and imagination, and even more so when he tells nature myths, which account for a lot of his work. Daniel specialises in sharing Scottish myths and legends with the world. Daniel even shares a powerful story about ‘the most beautiful song in the forest’, and I encourage you all to tune in and experience this beautiful tale (beautifully told). To find out more about all of Daniel’s fiction, podcast and live storytelling, visit him at https://www.houseoflegends.me I hope you enjoy this week’s ecotherapy podcast folks — it’s the penultimate episode before Season 1 of the podcast ends and I take a break until the Summer! Enjoy.

In episode 40 of the nature therapy podcast, I talk about our lazy minds when it comes to nature-connection, and how to shift our attention to notice the new. It’s something that I try to do as often as I can when I’m outdoors; notice what my mind seems to be pre-programmed to pay attention to, and deliberately shift my attention in other directions. Notice it next time you are on a walk somewhere you go regularly, or even just sitting still outdoors. My bet is that you will be drawn to the same — or similar — things every time you are in a familiar setting. For example, if I notice that every time I walk down my street I look at the ivy growing up my neighbour’s house, I shift my attention to another part of the street. That’s not to say I will never look at the ivy of course! I just try my best, at least occasionally, to challenge my mind’s tendency to only look at one part of the picture. Great things can be revealed this way! Tune in to find out more — and to listen to some lovely local birds with me!

In episode 39 of the nature therapy podcast, I share some thoughts and feelings around the mighty season of Spring, and I offer you a simple ecotherapy exercise to try inspired by the season. Despite our individual responses to seasons based upon our personal life stories, few can deny that there is something inherently uplifting and positive about more light, and more growth. In the spirit of the Spring arriving (even though the Scottish wind had me wearing two jackets whilst recording the podcast!), I invite you to go on a little ‘growth’ walk, specifically looking for - and bonding with - signs of growth from nature. Please let me know how you get on with this if you do it, and I hope you enjoy this week’s podcast!

This week, I invite you to engage with a story in the way you would engage with a meditation. This is a story meditation—and the story is very close to my heart. It is a story that brings together nature, meditation, an ancient jungle and a modern spiritual teacher. Zen Master Jiyu Kennet founded the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, and went through so many trials (many of which were a result of her simply being a woman) to bring Soto Zen Buddhism (Serene Reflection Meditation) to the West. In this week’s ecotherapy podcast, I share a powerful story of her link with a white tiger, and the colourful nature of an ancient jungle. https://www.patreon.com/naturetherapyonline

In episode 37 of the nature therapy podcast I go outside at night and ponder on how some very basic, primal (or socially conditioned?) feelings arise when the Earth rotates away from sunlight each day. For this ecotherapy podcast, I went into my garden at night. I looked over the back wall at the fields and hills, and I listened to the owls (unfortunately you can’t hear them on the podcast….the modest things didn’t want to be recorded). I pondered on how safe I feel here, in my garden, compared to an experience I had recently when I went to my local forest after dark. At times, it was utterly terrifying. When was the last time you deliberately went outside at night? That's what we will explore today.

In episode 36 of the nature therapy podcast I share a nature-based visualisation/meditation with you. Come and meet a special animal friend.To get the most our of this meditation, listen at a time when you will not be disturbed. Choose a place where you will be comfortable for around 20 minutes. It is one of my favourite meditations where I help you to get you in touch with an animal friend hiding in your subconscious. I hope you enjoy it!

In episode 35 of the nature therapy podcast I talk about the non-identification of Earth’s life. We spend so much of our time giving nature labels and names to identify things, but what happens when we try the opposite? What happens when we try to calm our minds for a little while, and take a non-identification walk in nature? By this, I mean trying our best to see everything as an expression of life, rather than applying names and ‘facts’ to everything we see; ‘an oak tree’, ‘a sparrow’ etc. As people, we so often feel that in order to understand things, we need to learn as much as possible about them. Whilst it may be an essential part of being a functioning human being, sometimes it stops us from truly experiencing the wonder of what is in front of us. We can get lost in our identifications and thoughts, and we cease to connect with nature through our senses—as one life form to another.https://www.patreon.com/naturetherapyonline

In episode 34 of the nature therapy podcast I tell one of my favourite Greek Myths. It’s a timely tale for this time of year when Winter is slowly starting to meet Spring.As regular listeners of this ecotherapy podcast will be aware of by now, I’m a big promoter of the power of mythology and tales for nature connection. However, I have to admit that for the majority of my life, I found Greek Myths dull and uninspiring. I’m not entirely sure why that was; perhaps it was a misconception that mythology was an academic pursuit, rather than a vast world of ‘other’ that nature has produced via our imaginations. I feel so differently now.Tune in for this beautiful story from Greek legend.

When was the last time you really spent quality time with a tree? That’s what this week’s ecotherapy podcast is about. Trees are such a curious and beautiful life form. The way they reach to the sky, travelling their own path, with their history clear for all to see. We have no idea what it’s like to be a tree, and we so often take for granted what a pleasure it is to simply spend time with these steady, rooted friends.