A simple wooden bench beneath redwoods can teach more about mindfulness than a stack of books. Sean Fargo shares how years as a Buddhist monk distilled into one essential practice: sit at the base of a tree, feel your breath, and let nature lead. From Thai forests to a Berkeley backyard, he traces the quiet power of practicing outdoors and explains why fresh air, shifting light, and the textures of the world sharpen attention and soften judgment.

We explore a practical, element-based approach—earth, fire, air, water, and space—that makes awareness tangible. You’ll hear how to work with sun on the skin, breeze on the face, and the honest feedback of uneven ground. Sean offers simple ways to start today: eyes open or closed, sitting in a park, or taking a slow walk while sensing heel, ball, toe. For teachers, he maps out how to guide groups off Zoom and into parks, trails, and campgrounds, where presence becomes easier and distractions become part of the practice instead of problems to fix.

If you’ve wondered whether public meditation looks strange, this conversation offers permission and a plan. We talk about building resilience by staying with both pleasant and unpleasant conditions, noticing judgments, and returning to raw sensation. By the end, you’ll have a clear, friendly roadmap for bringing your practice outdoors—alone, with friends, or with a class—and a renewed trust that nature is a steady mentor when we show up to listen.

Subscribe for more grounded guidance, share this episode with someone who loves the outdoors, and tell us in the comments: where in nature do you practice mindfulness?

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Free Mindfulness Exercises: MindfulnessExercises.com

200 Guided Meditation Scripts: Scripts.MindfulnessExercises.com

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Reduce Chronic Pain: Pain.MindfulnessExercises.com

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