About Us

At Nature’s Heart, we synergize the profound benefits of mindfulness and nature-immersion to awaken our full potential to heal, transform, and embody our truth in the world. We guide participants on powerful introspective journeys to rediscover our innate connection to, and reverence for, the natural world, our fellow humans, and ourselves. From this ground of reconnection, we return to their lives supported by greater ease, joy, and an enlivened heart of service.

***We believe everyone deserves to reconnect with the wisdom of Nature.  We reserve access to our programs for low-income & marginalized groups through work-trade and scholarship opportunities.

EQUITY AND SAFETY:

We are aware that this group is led and often attended primarily by people who occupy identities of privilege; often predominantly white, settler (people who are not indigenous to the lands they live upon) and cisgender (people whose gender corresponds with the sex they were assigned at birth). We want to invite shared responsibility for cultivating and maintaining a safe(r), inclusive, and equitable space for all and ask each of you (especially white and cisgender folk) to engage in any preparation needed for you to do to show up in practice with people occupying other identities. Here are a couple of resources on white fragility and gender diversity:

http://www.gcorr.org/vital-conversations-on-racism-with-dr-robin-diangelo/

http://www.elcamino.edu/student/studentservices/LGBTQIAresources/doc/trans101.pdf

(Courtesy of Darcy Otto and Youth Passageways.)

THE POWER OF MINDFULNESS IN NATURE

On their own, mindfulness practices have been medically proven to have a plethora of beneficial effects.  Mindfulness can provide relief of anxiety, depression, phobias, ADD and other mental ailments; they encourage greater relaxation, joy, peace, and other positive attitudes/emotions; they have shown to increase physical healing, immune system function, and reduce chronic pain.  Mindfulness practices even have been shown to increase generous, compassionate, and kind actions in the world!

Likewise, on its own, spending time in Nature – in the presence of living things (plants/animals) or the elements (being outside) – has shown amazingly similar positive effects from a growing body of international research studies.  Nature immersion can provide relief of distressful states such as depression, and anxiety and encourage wholesome states such as relaxation and joy.  It can increase mental focus, improve our immune strength, heal lifelong traumas, and work through intense life changes.  Nature immersion can even catalyze transformative insights and “spiritual” experiences that we can carry through the rest of our lives!

Mindfulness and nature-immersion are showing themselves as unmatched medicines that produce well-documented positive effects on our overall well-being and happiness.  When both of these medicines are consciously combined they become an incredibly potent tonic for our body, mind, and soul.  Combining the intentional activity of mindfulness with the healing presence and transmission of Nature itself amplifies the positive potentials of both.

Whether we are looking for physical, emotional/mental, or spiritual help, or all of the above, practicing mindfulness in nature is a very promising solution that may help us on our journey!

WHAT WE DO AT NATURE’S HEART

Both Mindfulness and nature-immersion are being “prescribed” by doctors in various parts of the world.  Research shows that there are gradually increasing positive effects based on the amount of time and the depth of immersion within natural environments – from simple daily practice/contact (e.g. daily meditation with the sound of water) to weekly several hour experiences (e.g. mindful walks or hikes) to monthly weekend excursions (e.g. staying in a cabin or camping) to annual multi-day wilderness-immersion experiences (e.g. extended camping, backpacking, etc.).  Our programs reflect this research, offering progressive experiences of differing lengths and intensities, and include beneficial mindful-movement practices (e.g. yoga and qigong).

  • 90 min mindfulness meditation sessions. We are affiliated with Eugene Insight Meditation Community, offering weekly meditation/discussion/reflection sessions every Sunday 6:30-8:00pm on zoom via EugeneInsight.com.
  • 2 hour Nature Practice Groups. Every 1st Saturday of the month, Spring through Fall, we offer a short nature and mindfulness practice group at a local park in Eugene, Oregon.
  • Half-day Mindful Walks/Hikes in Nature.  From Spring through Fall, we offer mindful group walks through nearby natural areas – combining mindfulness, nature exploration, and group connection.
  • 1.5-day Mindfulness and Nature Immersions.  Two times per year, we offer 1.5 day nature-immersion retreats in a wild setting in the Oregon Cascades.
  • 5+ day Wilderness Meditation Retreats.  Once per year, we offer an extended overnight meditation retreat with gourmet meals, in our elegant wilderness camp.

WELCOMING THE WISDOM OF INSIGHT MEDITATION

Insight Meditation (otherwise known as Vipassana) is a mindfulness-based spiritual practice and philosophy that seeks the healthy resolution of our psychological stress and suffering.  Based in the roots of Theravada Buddhism, Insight Meditation holds that contentment and peace arise from insight into and alignment with our innermost nature or natural state of being (along with the cultivation of healthy attitudes and orientations to life).  The wisdom and teachings of the tradition emerged 2500 years ago in the context of nature-based meditation practices.  Indeed, mindfulness in nature was (and still is) at the heart of the Insight lineage.

A number of modern Insight Meditation teachers have continued the spirit of nature-based mindfulness practice based on its numerous benefits for the spiritual development of inner tranquility, liberating wisdom, and a natural openness and ease of heart.  Justin Michelson of Nature’s Heart carries on this tradition in the lineage of Rodney Smith and Ajahn Buddhadasa, with the mentorship of Mark Coleman, and the inspiration of Thich Nhat Hahn, Mary Oliver, Joanna Macy, and many more.  He weaves together the ancient teachings of Insight Meditation, the fresh revelations of science and ecology, and the intuitive presence of Nature itself.

EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF “NATURAL MINDFULNESS”

Natural Mindfulness is rooted in the view that mindfulness is not an additional task to accomplish, but is in our nature as living, conscious beings.  Instead of requiring arduous effort, mindfulness can be naturally open, easeful, and nourishing – drawn by our curiosity and inspired by example of natural systems.  A “Natural Mindfulness” can arise when we emphasize particular qualities of attention and ways of relating to oneself (views and attitudes) that are inspired by principles of nature and evolutionary biology (and traditional practices).  When practiced, we can deepen the realization of our fundamental belonging to life, welcome forth our own innermost essential nature, and begin to illuminate and heal our inner lives.

(These qualities of attention may take time or guidance to understand and experience.  However, don’t be surprised if the presence of nature itself effortlessly brings them out!).

  • Natural Qualities of Attention
    • Choiceless Attention. This is the practice of releasing control of our focus and allowing our attention to alight on whatever it is drawn to within our present moment experience.
    • Effortless Attention. This is the practice of releasing striving and efforting to reveal an easeful and awake flow of present moment attention.
    • Intimate Attention. This is the practice of releasing the separate observer and moving into a sincere and heartfelt connection to whatever is being known in our present moment experience.
  • Natural Views & Attitudes
    • Seeing experience as Nature. This is the practice of seeing every thought, every emotion, every sensation – every sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch – as Nature, revealing a unification of what appears “inside” and “outside” of ourselves.  We might say silently to our experience, “this, too, is Nature”, “this, too, is Nature.”
    • Treating experience as Nature. This is the practice of treating ourselves as we might a tender plant or budding flower – with kindness, curiosity, and gratitude, honoring ourselves for just what we are.  “We might say silently to our experience, “I honor you as Nature”, “I honor you as Nature.”

THREE TRANSFORMATIVE LESSONS FROM NATURE

To those that offer their sincere attention and intention, Nature has a way of offering its liberating lessons.  These are three lesson that can transform the way we feel and act in our lives.

  • Interdependence. We don’t have to look far into nature to see that all parts are connected to one another, balance one another, and eventually become one another.  This couldn’t be more true than the relationship between our lungs and the trees, exchanging life-giving gases on a moment to moment basis. These myriad examples remind us that we too are part of this intricate web of life, that we have a home amidst the natural world, and that we can never be alone.  This is a crucial reminder in our society and our minds so often rife with isolation, division, and loneliness, and one that can bring us lasting ease and contentment.
  • Change. From morning to night, season to season, and year to year, nature teaches us about the cycles of life.  From the passing of weather to the life and death of plants and animals, nature teaches us about the natural flow of change.  Seeing this clearly, we can come into greater acceptance of the natural unfolding of our own lives, from birth to adolescence to maturity and to death.  We can allow the unresolved or uncomfortable things in our life or in our minds greater acceptance and spaciousness, knowing that all things inevitably change.
  • Contentment (stillness/silence/spaciousness). One of nature’s most subtle yet powerful lessons is in the presence of the wild things themselves – the way the trees hold themselves, the expanse of the big open sky, the swift and mindful movements of the animal world.  Indeed, in it’s very way of being, nature transmits it’s silent, still, and spacious presence to us as a constant example, reminding us that that same presence lives within us, as we too are part of that same nature.  This understanding can give us access to a space of calm and contentment even amidst the busyness and pressure of daily life – a priceless gift.

ABOUT MINDFULNESS TEACHER, JUSTIN MICHELSON

Justin Michelson began practicing Insight Meditation in 2000 in Seattle, WA. Over the past 23 years, his practice has led him on travels through diverse meditation groups, retreat centers, and inspiring teachers and teachings. He now shares the Dharma under the auspices of senior dharma teacher, Rodney Smith. He is also certified as a Community Dharma Leader through Spirit Rock Meditation Center and is a teacher of Awake In The Wild nature meditation through Mark Coleman.

Since 2017, he has co-guided weekly sessions and silent retreats for Eugene Insight Meditation and Nature’s Heart Retreats. He is also the author of upcoming work The Dharma of Healing: the path and practice of liberation from stress, pain, and trauma (to be published with Shambhala in 2025). His passionate and warm-hearted teachings emphasize the importance of emotional healing on the spiritual path, and the foundational role of self-compassion in the maturation of wisdom. In addition, he believes that nature provides perhaps the truest reflection of Dharma, and helps students use the practice to open to the liberating insights that exist in the natural world.