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

What if one of the most profound mindfulness practices isn't found on a meditation cushion, but around a table instead? In this conversation, meditation teacher Meryl Arnett sits down with anthropologist, meditation teacher and author Dr. Ashanté Reese to explore how food nourishes not only our bodies, but our histories, our communities, and our capacity to care for one another. As Our Mindful Nat...

What if you could experience the complete journey of a spring rainstorm from beginning to end? This extended nature listening episode offers the full, unedited soundscape that formed the backdrop for the three-part "Chasing the Ephemeral" meditation series. Recorded in Washington State's Cascade Mountains, this pure nature experience invites you into deep listening without guidance, narration, or...

What does tender self-care look like when the world feels overwhelming? In this final episode of the "Chasing the Ephemeral" spring series, meditation teacher Meryl Arnett turns to the salamander, quiet guardian of vernal pools, for wisdom about gentle transformation and emotional balance. Through a deeply personal dream about tending to what's been neglected, this meditation explores how to pract...

How do we meet beauty at the precise moment it appears and practice releasing it just as gently? In this second episode of the three-part "Chasing the Ephemeral" series, meditation teacher Meryl Arnett guides us beneath April's Pink Moon for a practice in experiencing awe without attachment. Just like the creeping phlox that suddenly carpets the ground in pink before fading away, this meditation t...

What if the most meaningful experiences are the ones we can only meet in the moment? This first episode in a three-part spring series explores the concept of "ephemeral"—those fleeting wildflowers, temporary woodland pools, and brief moments of wonder that can only be caught when we're fully present. Join meditation teacher Meryl Arnett for a journey into spring's hush, where we learn to practice...

Before the world wakes, the frozen forest comes alive. This unique 30-minute listening experience invites you into the pristine winter dawn of Washington State's Sinlahekin Valley, where winter birds greet the morning with bold, communal song that cuts through the cold and offers deep reassurance. Unlike traditional guided meditations, this is pure, unfiltered nature—no narration, no instructions,...

What lives beneath the surface of your winter mind? In this gentle guided meditation, host and meditation teacher Meryl Arnett invites you into the quiet wisdom of winter's stillness. Inspired by the children's book "Over and Under the Snow," this practice explores what rests beneath the metaphorical snow of our busy lives - the feelings, needs, and truths that are warming, waiting to be revealed...

How do you welcome a new year when your heart is still holding grief? Host Meryl Arnett sits down with beloved poet James Crews to explore the essential practice of turning toward grief rather than away from it. In this conversation, James shares insights from his latest poetry collection "Turning Toward Grief" and offers gentle guidance on holding both sorrow and beauty as we enter 2026. What You...

Just the Meditation: This 10-minute guided meditation invites you deep underground to listen for the "message of the heart." Using progressive body softening and breath awareness, you'll descend into your inner underland to discover what wisdom awaits in the shadows. This meditation is excerpted from our Underland Part 3 episode. Listen to Monday's full episode for context and teachings on journal...

Welcome to Part 3 of our Underland meditation series — the final journey into our inner depths. Over the past two weeks, we've learned to linger in uncomfortable spaces and discover gifts hidden in our shadows. Today, we complete this transformative journey by learning how to protect and preserve the wisdom we've unearthed. Inspired by ancient traditions of burying treasure for safekeeping, this e...

Just the Meditation: This 15-minute guided meditation invites you into a deep practice of softening and surrender. Using progressive body awareness, you'll release tension layer by layer — from skin through fascia, muscle, and bone — allowing yourself to melt into the present moment. Part of the Underland Series: This meditation is excerpted from our Underland Part 2 episode. Listen to Thursday's...

Welcome to Part 2 of our Underland meditation series. Last week we explored the underground as a place to dispose of what is harmful — trauma, secrets, and pain. This week, we venture deeper to discover the treasure, wisdom, and insight waiting for us in those shadowed spaces. Inspired by Robert Macfarlane's book Underland, this meditation uses the metaphor of underground cave exploration to guide...

Sometimes the most powerful meditation practice is simply staying present — even when it's uncomfortable. This 10-minute guided meditation invites you to lie down, soften, and surrender to what is, accompanied by the immersive sounds of the Amazon Rainforest. Instead of trying to fix, change, or escape difficult feelings, this practice asks you to simply be here. To notice your breath. To feel the...

Not all meditation asks us to find the light; sometimes we need to explore the darkness. In this first episode of the October Underland series, meditation teacher Meryl Arnett invites you to stop running from your fears and instead turn around to face them. Inspired by Robert Macfarlane's book Underland, this episode and meditation practice explores what happens when we acknowledge the darkness, b...

Experience the ancient practice of moon bathing with this 10-minute guided meditation under the Full Harvest Supermoon. Join Meryl for a deeply restorative nature-inspired meditation that harnesses the moon's soothing energy to calm anxiety, release stress, and prepare your body and mind for restful sleep. In this episode, you'll be guided through a gentle moon bathing practice that can be done an...

Not all meditation experiences are peaceful — and that's something we need to talk about. In this conversation, meditation teacher Meryl Arnett sits down with mindfulness trainer and trauma expert David Treleaven, PhD, author of The Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness Workbook, to explore how trauma impacts meditation and vice versa. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, dysregulated, or triggered during medi...

Just the Meditation - Join host Meryl Arnett for a profound 15-minute guided meditation that uses advanced breathing techniques to move you from linear thinking into expansive, timeless awareness. This practice progresses from structured spine breathing to flowing circular breath, ultimately releasing into pure presence. What You'll Experience: Complete guided meditation moving through three disti...

A meditation perfect for fall - Host Meryl Arnett shares a deeply moving story of witnessing three ancient ginkgo trees releasing all their golden leaves at once—a moment so magical that families stopped their cars to stand beneath the "snow" of falling leaves. This beautiful memory becomes the foundation for a 10-minute guided meditation on the art of letting go. What You'll Experience: A gentle...

The Fall Equinox is a time of balance, and today's episode is a practice devoted to cultivating this balance for the colder, darker months ahead. Join guest host Eve Payor from Singing Pines as she guides you through an authentic forest bathing experience rooted in the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku. This isn't about hiking or exercising—it's about mindfully receiving nature's healing gifts thr...

In this third installment of the "Steadiness of Stone" series, host Meryl Arnett guides us through a fascinating exploration of time's flexible nature and how meditation reveals timeless awareness beyond our everyday linear experience. What You'll Discover: Why Einstein and modern physics prove time is relative - and how meditation shows us this truth The difference between chronos (chronological...

Just The Meditation So many of us approach meditation with pressure, rules, and expectations—only to feel more overwhelmed than connected. In today's meditation practice, we explore a fresh, nature-inspired perspective on meditation that expands time, deepens your connection to the present moment, and helps you discover your personal “now.” Press play now and join me. Learn more and sign up for Na...

What if your experience of time could actually shift the way you feel your anxiety? So many of us approach meditation with pressure, rules, and expectations—only to feel more overwhelmed than connected. In this episode, we explore a fresh, nature-inspired perspective on meditation that expands time, deepens your connection to the present moment, and helps you discover your personal “now.” You’ll l...

For the Full Harvest Moon: A Moonlight Bathing Meditation In this episode, you’ll be guided through a gentle, nature-inspired meditation practice designed to honor the full Harvest Moon, ease feelings of overwhelm, nurture resilience, and deepen your sense of connection with yourself and the world around you. Using the power of moonlight, breath, and stillness, you’ll discover how simple moments o...

What if the way you think about time is actually feeding your anxiety? In this episode, we explore how meditation can shift your relationship with time—freeing you from the pressure of the clock and helping you feel more grounded, connected, and resilient. Instead of rushing through moments or relying on timers, this practice invites you to sit with stillness and discover a timeless space within y...

Are you lying awake at night, overwhelmed by racing thoughts and rising anxiety? This episode guides you through a meditation practice designed to ease tension, quiet the mind, and help you melt into deep, restorative sleep. Instead of battling your body or forcing your breath, you’ll discover how meditation, connection to nature-inspired imagery, and gentle awareness can transform anxiety into ca...