Our Mindful Nature: Meditation Inspired by Nature to Soothe the Overwhelmed Mind and Ease Anxiety

Do you know the refrain in Amazing Grace?

Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I'm found

Was blind but now I see

This refrain has been running through my head as I created this month’s meditation series - “but now I see.”

Last week, we talked about really ‘seeing’ the earth, and today, we will talk about really ‘seeing’ others, people that are different from ourselves in some way. One of the premises in this series is that comfort equals loneliness. 

If everyone around me looks like me and thinks like me, well that might feel pretty easy at first. I don’t have to stretch too hard to make anyone feel included. I don’t have to worry that my needs will be overlooked. I don’t have to risk discomfort in conversation, in activity, in food, in anything… But, the more I close off to anyone different, the scarier it is “out there”; the smaller my world becomes “in here”; and suddenly, I am very, very alone. 

So, let’s remove the blinders as a pathway to healing and wholeness. Let’s explore how meditation strengthens our capacity to see others, to see ourselves, and to see a path forward that is rich in connection and reciprocity. 

Join me.

Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.

Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.

IG: @merylarnett                 

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In this mindfulness series, we are exploring resilience & reciprocity as skills we build when we bring mindfulness to our relationships with the earth, with others, and with ourselves. In today’s class, we bring the lens of mindfulness to our fractured relationship with nature. 

Diagnosis like plant blindness and nature deficit disorder, not to mention climate crisis, highlight how removed we are from nature. At the same time, there are writers, poets, artists, and scientists all screaming for us to go outside, to remember ourselves in nature. Yet, for the most part, we don’t.

We don’t go outside because we are busy, because we don’t know where to go, or because we don’t like being hot, or cold, or the bugs. We don’t go outside because our culture has taught us to value comfort over all else. We don’t go outside because we might be uncomfortable.

In the Apache language, the root of the word for land is the same root as the word for mind… an interesting parallel, isn’t it?

We don’t like to be uncomfortable - with our thoughts or with the weather. 

However, what we see over and over again through lived experience is that discomfort allows us to tap into and appreciate joy so much more than staying sheltered, closed off, and “comfortable”.

Join me for today’s episode of The Mindful Minute as we revive our connection to nature through resilience and reciprocity.

Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.

Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.

IG: @merylarnett

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Hello dear ones. 

Today, we step into a new series that stems from some of my recent reading. Every spring, I re-read "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and I also just read a new book from the Foxfire organization titled "The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women".

While these books are about different peoples, different times, and different landscapes, I see so many threads of similarity carried between the narratives - 

Threads of hardship, hard work & happiness. 

Threads of lack and abundance.

Threads of fear and grief for a changing landscape.

In this new meditation series, I want to follow a few of these threads through our lived experiences, and the ways they show up and can be worked with on the meditation cushion.

If I had to choose one word synopses for these two books, I would choose:

Resilience & Reciprocity

So, we will begin our series here. Join me as we journey through the plant world, the peopled world, and the inner world of the Self. We will talk, we will meditate, and we will connect. Don’t miss it!

Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.

Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.

IG: @merylarnett

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Are you a Sage? A Huntress? A Lover? A Queen?

The answer is yes to all of the above, and author Mara Branscombe joins us in today’s episode to explain why with her new book: Sage, Huntress, Lover, Queen.

Mara Branscombe is a mother, writer, yogi, artist, teacher, mindfulness leader, ceremonialist and spiritual coach. Mara is passionate about weaving the art of mindfulness, self-care, creativity, mind–body practices, and earth-based rituals into her life and work, and she has been leading community ceremony since 2000.

This is her second visit to The Mindful Minute, and this conversation does not disappoint! Mara and I chat about:

• Archetypes: what they are and why they matter
• The light and the shadow of our inner experience
• The creative process and the wisdom hidden in creative acts
• Simple sacred practices to embody each of these archetypes
• The archetypes we are resonating with most right now

And, Mara shares a short visioning practice to embody our inner Huntress, embracing authenticity and activating creativity. 

You can learn more about Mara and buy her new book here: https://www.femininearchetypesbook.com/

Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.

Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.

IG: @merylarnett                 

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This meditation class was recorded in the aftermath of a mass shooting in my hometown of Atlanta, GA and after a day of supporting a friend through a mental health crisis.

I like to think of meditation as a lifestyle; when we treat this practice as a rich and full aspect of daily lives it quickly begins to offer the benefits that are so lauded when one reads about the practice of meditation. However, there are also times when meditation can serve as a band-aid. It can be an SOS practice that immediately helps to calm your nervous system and to settle you back into your body after a stressful situation. 

In this class, we explore three quick and simple practices that you can do when you are feeling high levels of stress, fear and anxiety. Each of these practices can be done on their own in less than 30-seconds, and each practice has measurable, positive impacts on your nervous system. 

Join me for today’s talk and 15-minute guided meditation practice on The Mindful Minute podcast. 

As always, this class assumes that you are currently safe and have all your basic needs met. If you are experiencing extended periods of duress, please consult a mental health professional to support your wellness. 

Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.

Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.

IG: @merylarnett

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Let me tell you a little secret… I dislike the word manifestation so much. It isn’t because I don’t believe that manifestation is possible, but it is because I find far too often it is over simplified and used as an easy excuse to side-step doing deep work. 

So, when I met Sara Rae Hoaglund and heard her talk about the contradictions, the work and the mindfulness that is required for manifestation, I knew she was the person to bring this discussion to The Mindful Minute.

In this episode, Sara Rae and I chat about:

• What manifestation is and is not
• Working with your energetic blueprint
• Shadow work
• The law of attraction, the law of detachment, and the hidden contradiction therein
• How mindfulness and manifestation support each other
• The difference between goal-setting and manifestation
• What happens when you work with a manifestation coach

At the end, Sara Rae guides a short cleansing ritual that you can use as often as you need while setting your own manifestation intentions. 

Learn more about Sara Rae, her work and her podcast by visiting: https://www.spirituallyinspired.co/

Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.

Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.

IG: @merylarnett         

#meditatewithmeryl

Whew y’all. Are you ready to go deep today? Like really deep? Because today, we are jumping into the deep end with Buddhist meditation teacher Andrew Holecek. 

Andrew is a teacher and author on meditation, lucid dreaming, non-dualism, and preparing

to die from a buddhist perspective. And today we are talking about his new book, Reverse Meditation, how to use your pain and most difficult emotions as the doorway to inner freedom. 

This is a rich conversation, particularly for those of you wanting to go deeper in your meditation practice. Andrew talks us through 3 stages of meditation practice and expounds on the how and the why of working with our discomfort, uncertainty, and pain. 

Andrew also answers a profound question that comes up so often: Meditation practitioners frequently comment that they feel MORE. They feel their own feelings and the feelings of the world so much more. And the inevitable next question is, “but what do I do with all these feelings?! How do I handle feeling so much more?”

Well, friends, Andrew is about to answer that question for us. So, without further ado, let’s jump into today’s conversation on The Mindful Minute podcast. 

Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free meditations each month, creative musings, and more.

Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.

IG: @merylarnett         

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I have wanted to bring this conversation to The Mindful Minute podcast for a long time now, and today I am delighted to share a conversation with Lillian Charles about our clothes, our bodies, and our mindfulness practice.

Lillian created STYLE THERAPY in 2011 as a way to help women remove mental, emotional and physical barriers to living fully expressed lives. She combines traditional Personal Styling with Energy Healing, Intuitive Consulting and scientifically backed Life Coaching methods such as EFT, TIME techniques and neurolinguistic programming to achieve optimal results with each client.

Lillian has served as a three term lululemon ambassador, has been named one of Atlanta's top wellness influencers and thought leaders by the City of Atlanta, was dubbed one of Atlanta's 2021 Wonder Women by Best Self Magazine and the number one wardrobe specialist by Atlanta Magazine two years in a row. She works virtually with women around the globe and celebrated the ten year anniversary of Style Therapy in 2021. You can find her on 15+ podcast interviews on Spotify.

One of the original teachings of mindful living is in regards to the clothes you wear. It isn’t about the type of clothes, the cost or the level of ‘cool’ - it is about how you FEEL. Lillian, a graduate of my meditation teacher training, talks to us about:

• The energetics of style
• How she weaves mindfulness into her clothes and her relationship with her clients
• Vision boarding 
• Prepping for date night
• Why she choose meditation teacher training even though she didn’t plan to teach meditation

And so much more!

You can learn more about Lillian by visiting lilliancharles.com

instagram: @lilliangraycharles

And, you can learn more about this year’s meditation teacher training at: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-teacher-training

We begin August 16, 2023!

Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.

Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.

IG: @merylarnett                 

#meditatewithmeryl

Combining meditation and the work you do with a therapist can significantly improve your mental health. Today, I am sharing a conversation with one of my meditation teacher training graduates, Robyn Minefee, who combines meditation teaching and her work as a licensed counselor.

Robyn Minefee is a licensed professional counselor and yoga instructor in the state of Georgia. In her virtual private practice she considers herself a holistic practitioner meaning she utilizes movement as a big part of therapy - which can include physical movement or moving energy in your body with breath work. She is a registered yoga instructor, certified in EMDR, and Hypnotherapy, as well as a Reiki practitioner. Robyn identifies her greatest achievements as her two adult children, being a grandmother (soon to be of two),  and her four legged fur baby named Zen.

Together we talk about:

• Meditation and Therapy: How Robyn brings meditation to her private clients
• Robyn’s biggest hesitation when signing up for meditation teacher training
• Nature! Why we love it, how it impacts our mental health, and how to do a walking meditation
• How to stock your mental health cabinet

You can learn more about Robyn’s work as a counselor and a coach by visiting: https://www.mindandbodytherapyga.com

IG: @mindandbodytherapyga

TikTok: @mindandbodytherapyga

And, you can learn more about this year’s meditation teacher training at: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-teacher-training

We begin August 16, 2023!

Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.

Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.

IG: @merylarnett                 

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I have been leading meditation teacher trainings since 2017, and as I launch my 2023 training, I thought it would be fun to share a few conversations with graduates about their experiences in MTT.

Today, I am delighted to share a behind the scenes chat with a former student, Johanna Olivas. Johanna is a registered yoga teacher, Reiki master, sound healing practitioner, and since 2022, a certified meditation teacher. 

In this episode, we talk about:

• Confidence and connection: teaching that first meditation
• Expanding creative skills
• Discovering authenticity in voice and in space holding
• The secret sauce of journaling

Tune into The Mindful Minute today to hear about Johanna’s experience with meditation teacher training, and how she is using this knowledge in her business today. 

To learn more about my 2023 Awakened Heart Meditation Teacher Training, please visit: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-teacher-training

We begin August 16!

To learn more about Johanna, please visit https://www.lunaserenity.com/

Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.

Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.

IG: @merylarnett                 

#meditatewithmeryl