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/naturetherapyonline

Warm 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.