Simple Living Archives - Page 2 of 3

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 29 – Starting a Nature Journal

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

There are as many ways of connecting with Nature as there are people. One of my favorite, most meaningful ways is by keeping a Nature journal – a written record of some kind that captures your thoughts, observations and even drawings if you like, of all the natural world around you. It is interesting to note that the words Journal and Journey share the same Middle English root word – “diurnal” meaning “daily”. This can and should be a daily exercise that helps keep us grounded and rooted in not only our hearts to be in touch with what are thinking, feeling and experiencing, but in the world around us also. Most all the great naturalists kept journals of some sort that helped them make sense of the natural…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den ~ Episode 28 – Winter Animals (Part 2)

Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

Nature is so good at bringing us back to the present and keeping us in the moment because she offers so much goodness to observe and experience. To a lot of folks, the winter can seem like a really dead time, where everything lies cold and dormant and Nature is asleep. And while that is partially true, there is so much life and activity going on unseen to the untrained eye. You can become an astute observer of nature and enjoy all the signs of life happening all around you even in the dead of winter. All it takes is intention and a bit of good timing for you to see the little miracles that are constantly taking place no matter what time of year it is. Henry David…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 27 – The Gift of Mindfulness

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Success, Well-being

Wouldn't it be great if you could live in a constant state of joy and tranquility by being mindfully present on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment basis? We all struggle with simply being in the moment, and not making the past or future our permanent dwelling place. It’s part of the human condition. We have become so stale in our obsessive recycled thoughts. The best way to approach Beginner’s Mind is to open the front door of your spirit and let the fresh breeze blow through your soul, airing out all that is “known” and “tiresome” from your mind. Our purpose here at Mountain Zen Den is to help you discover and maintain Beginner’s Mind through your meditation and in your life by connecting with Nature. A Beginner’s Mind is a…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 26 – Taking a Multi-Sensory Nature Walk

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

Remember how big and magical and wonderful the world was when you were a kid? Do you remember the joy of being outside on a beautiful summer day, and even though the days were long they went by so fast and you hated when the sun went down because you knew that meant that you’d have to go back inside your house soon? There is a seemingly forgotten, and unexpected joy we find when we step out of doors with the intention of using all of our senses and a child-like wonder. New wonders and discoveries are always waiting around the next corner. When you learn to be multi-sensory and intentionally aware, the concepts of boredom and apathy, fatigue and lethargy seem to evaporate like morning dew. As you…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 25 – Winter Animals (Part 1)

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

We're sitting in the dead of winter and I woke up thinking about going for a hike, hoping to see some wildlife, winter animals along the way. Or at least their tell-tale tracks... While there are a variety of animals that will sleep away winter's chill in deep hibernation, there are many, many more who are well adapted to surviving bitter cold temperatures and a scarce food supply. We can learn a lot from these wild teachers. Today we spend some tranquil moments enjoying the lessons of "Winter Animals" from "Walden" with Henry David Thoreau, the man who went to the woods to live deliberately... We can do the same. Glad you're here! http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainzenden/MZD_-_Episode_25.mp3 Photos by Ray Hennessy and Noah Silliman on Unsplash For more mountain goodness Listen…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den ~ Episode 24 – Skygazing 101 (Learning to Raise Your Gaze)

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

On your journey to becoming a mindful naturalist, you’ll begin to increase your powers of observation of the beauties and wonders of the natural world all around you. You find yourself noticing things you hadn’t before and becoming keenly aware of the details of your environment and the Universe at its core. For instance, what is the sky doing right now? What is it telling you about the coming weather and what the day holds as far as the details of the weather, temperature and wind are concerned? How are the birds and other creatures, and even people responding to what’s happening right this minute outside? Learning to raise you gaze gives not only gives you clues about the weather and the season, but lifts your spirits and energy…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den ~ Episode 23 – Schtuff Happens

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

We all live in a world where "bad" things happen every day, to varying degrees - things that discourage us and sometimes even make us just want to throw in the towel and say, "I give up!" They are a part of life and none of us are exempt from them. There's good news though! In addition to healthy habits, positive and nurturing relationships and heartfelt prayer - God's gifts of Nature and Mindfulness are here to help ease the pain of all the "Schtuff" in our lives, give us renewed energy and provide a healthy perspective in dealing with it. Join us for today's show! http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainzenden/MZD_-_Episode_23.mp3 Photos by jens johnsson and Bryan Minear on Unsplash For more mountain goodness Listen on iTunes > [maxbutton id="8"]

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 22 – Practicing Just Being

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Success, Well-being

What if the only purpose we have in life was just To Be, and enjoy living in the now? Your work orders have been passed down from the Universe, and your mission, should you accept it is…you ready for this? To be YOU! Tall order, (for anybody besides you), cause you’re the only one who can do the job. So how do you be you? A great way to discover who you are and find out how you can be a better you is to daily slow down, simplify and connect with Nature. Welcome to today's show! http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainzenden/MZD_-_Ep_22.mp3 Photos by Karl Fredrickson and Jad Limcaco on Unsplash For more mountain goodness Listen on iTunes > [maxbutton id="8"]

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 21 – Happy New You!

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Success, Well-being

Time spent climbing a mountain, walking in a forest, breathing fresh air, listening to nature sounds, viewing beautiful nature scenes and soaking up Vitamin D enriched sunlight does so many incredible things for your body, mind and soul ~ Boosts the immune system. Lowers blood pressure. Reduces stress. Improves mood. Increases ability to focus, even in children with ADHD. Accelerates recovery from surgery or illness. Increases energy level. Improves sleep. And much, much more! So while you’re making new resolutions to break bad habits, eat more healthfully and work out every day, you really need to be intentionally creating ways to naturally increase your inner joy and happiness on a daily basis. You can start by setting a few simple nature habits and goals for the new year. Come on…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 20 – Hibernation

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mountains, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Success, Uncategorized, Well-being

Hibernation is the pause in Nature's "Great Waltz". In the dead of winter here in the mountains, everything appears to be lying dormant, sleeping. Beautiful and still. Snow brings a muffled hush to the already still environment and all you can hear is the wind whispering through the steadfast pines. Not far from here, Rocky Mountain National Park gets over 4 million visitors a year, mostly during the summer and fall. Now all is quiet, lonely and peaceful, hiding the life within. To the casual observer it is now empty, desolate and lifeless. But nothing could be further from the truth... To everything there is a season. A time and place for every purpose under heaven. Nature has her rhythms and all its creatures dance in time to the music. …

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 19 – Listen

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Success, Well-being

I have a stone in my studio with one word on it. It says, "Listen". Ironically, I received it in a gift exchange from a guy whose wife had given it to him. You think she was trying to tell him something? One of the best things you can do to show someone that you care about them is to Listen to them. In fact, the three words that people long to hear even more than even “I love you” is “I hear you…”. Active listening also happens to be one of the hardest things in the world to do. Why is this? Because it requires so much focus, and attention, intentional awareness, and frankly… caring. And while it can take so much energy and focus, listening in nature can…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 17 – Nature On Demand

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Success, Uncategorized, Well-being

The point of what we do here at Mountain Zen Den is to help you reunite with the natural, beautiful world right where you are. It’s almost too good to be true. Mother Nature patiently waits for us to tap into her organic, wholesome goodness that is always available “On Demand” to help every one us become our best and realize our full potential. The best part is, there are no hidden fees for this service that is available for us all. The only thing you and I have to pay for this benefit is attention. We just need to wake up and remain alert to the natural resources of health, energy and well-being that focus on and a proximity to the goodness of the Earth all around us. You…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den ~ Episode 16 – Special Christmas Edition

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

This time of year brings with it such a wide array of emotions – anticipation, joy and hope and peace on earth and goodwill towards men... But it also can be a very painful time for some of us – bringing up feelings of sadness, anxiety and stress, feelings of fear and loss and disappointment, unmet expectations – all underscored by overwhelm and exhaustion. This can result in great cynicism and disdain for Christmastime due to commercialism, self-centeredness and a lack of reflection on the true meaning of the season. Today we take a few minutes of mindfulness to reflect on The Christmas Story as told on the book of Luke. Merry Christmas! http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainzenden/MZD_-_Ep_16_Special_Christmas_Edition.mp3 Photos by Ray Hennessy and Les Anderson on Unsplash For more mountain goodness Listen on…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den ~ Episode 15 – The Beauty of Silence

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mountains, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

Listen. Do you hear that? That is a rare sound these days. A rare sound indeed. It’s the sound of silence. It seems to be even more rare during the busy rush and hubbub of the holidays. And Christmas is almost upon us. What do you think of when you hear the word “Silence”? Here’s an even better question. What do you think of when you’re in silence? Noise - that thing we consider “unwanted sound” and levels from human activities, have been doubling every thirty years – even faster than the population growth! What’s up with that? And more importantly, what are we going to do about it? For today’s meditation, we’re going to spend a few minutes just quieting our hearts and enjoying the silence within. You can…

by Skydancer7

Mountain Zen Den Podcast ~ Episode 14 – Snow!

Health, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mountains, Nature, Personal Growth, Podcast, Simple Living, Simplicity, Well-being

Snow symbolizes so many things for us. Christmas, vacation, snow days, skiing, sledding, snow-shoeing, building snow men and having snowball fights, making snow angels and catching snowflakes on your tongue. It’s always such a cozy feeling to come from in afterwards… peppermint hot chocolate, crackling fires in the fireplace, hot tubs… It also represents purity and renewal. It’s a symbol of forgiveness, peace and beauty. Snow seems to be the ultimate visual symbol of winter and the apex of the season. But what is snow? Really? For today’s meditation we’re going to get all bundled up in our warmest outdoor gear – the kind that makes you all excited about going snow-shoeing or skiing, and we’re going to explore snow and get comfortable in the great winter outdoor wilderness. http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainzenden/MZD_-_Ep_14_Snow.mp3…

Category: Simple Living