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Initial Post – Foundation One Discussion
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“With every passing day, I felt a layer of stress evaporate into the cold mountain nights. My breath became deeper and more fluid. My senses sharpened and my awareness heightened. Patterns emerged in the bark of trees and the sounds of elks bugling reverberated deep into my soul. I began to notice the weather patterns of clouds, wind, rain, and lightning. I became immersed in the natural world around me. Multiple times a day I experienced a sense of awe. I was in alignment. I was truly living and I will always remember the profound impact that two months in the wilderness would have on me.”
The excerpt above is from a journal entry in which I am reflecting on my 550-mile hike along the Colorado Trail several years ago. I enjoy revisiting this journal entry although in a way my “words fall short”, as nature connectedness is something that must be experienced by individuals to truly understand.
At the core of being connected to nature is being present to the frequency of the world AROUND us as well as being present to the frequency of the world WITHIN us. When we achieve this high level of presence, our consciousness expands and we experience the intersection of internal and external concentric frequencies. This is illustrated by Steven Harper in The Way of the Wilderness as he shares “My heart and belly felt expansive, and gradually I was overcome by the strangest sensation of webs connecting me with all that was around. I could sense webs of light extending out of me to every living thing and from them to me. I was sustained by all that surrounded me.”
As I think about this in the context of coaching, I am beginning to visualize the relationship between coach, client, and nature as an equilateral triangle. Coach, client, and nature are each points or vertices of the triangle, and each has a linear connection with the other two entities. Furthermore, each relationship benefits from and supports the other two relationships.
Coach <——-> Client
Client <——-> Nature
Coach <——-> NatureNow that I’m writing this down it seems more like the proper geometric analogy between coach, client, and nature is a three-dimensional triangular pyramid or tetrahedron. When there are flow and communication in all directions between all three entities, a third dimension is created, and the center point of the two-dimensional triangle elevates to become the apex of the pyramid. To me, this represents synergies and an expanded container for “a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires the client to maximize their personal and professional potential.”
Practically speaking, what this means for me as a coach is that my effectiveness will increase as I become more intentional and committed to my sit spot and my nature awareness practices. Similarly, as I support my clients to increase their connectedness to nature, I expect for them to achieve improved results.
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This shift to Veganism is so inspiring Ally! I love how you created something new in your relationship through your commitment to the earth.
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I’m way late to the game in posting this. Now that I finally figured out where to post, I hope that my responses will be more timely.
I admittedly have a thought time connecting to technology even though it is a part of my every day life.
What it means to me to be connected to nature is a constant question in my life. When I was very young, there seemed to be no separation between nature and me. I remember gazing into tide pools watching them wriggle with life and feeling the same force inside of myself.
As I grew, I feel I became more and more disconnected from this feeling and most of my adult life has been an attempt to get it back. I am only now realizing through these readings that all of my seeking has really been an attempt to be as connected as I was.
To me being a nature connected coach means reconnecting with the innate truth and accessing the wisdom all around us. It soothes my restlessness when I surrender to nature and to the elements around me.
When I was raising my children there was some pressure to name a belief system or claim a spirituality. After visiting a few churches and feeling absolutely nothing, I found a book at the library on Paganism: A nature based religion.
I was completely won over. Here was something I could believe in, the divinity in nature. Celebrating the seasons and the changes gave us traditions that were grounding and fraught with meaning. I knew I wasn’t selling my children a myth but rather a lasting connection with the sacredness of nature. Through this context i think I was able to to teach my children to trust in their own innate being, and in the natural world.
This is my hope as nature connected coach, that I will be able to help people return to the their own expression as a living part of the natural world and to help those that feel lost (as I often have) to feel guided by the rhythm and pulse of nature.
I further hope that when people can reawaken to their own connection with nature, we will prioritize the healing of the planet. -
The full week that we all spent together really had me thinking. Mostly about how lucky we all are that we are privileged enough to be able to learn these things, DO these things, and that we will develop into coaches or guides or mentors or just extraordinary people that have this knowledge that we can share. How did we all wind up here? How did we find this path? How many other paths had we traveled before we came across this road less traveled? I feel like a child at a magic show who wins a backstage pass and I get to meet the magician, where they share with me how to perform the best trick in the house. When I ask if I can do it for other people, they simply say to add your own twist, and it’s mine! I can’t tell you how many paths I took or how many choices I made to get to this point in my life, but I’m reminded everyday that I am just barely out of Gen. Green, but I can still work to teach and help to keep our world going, and I can make a difference. This full week made me think about the differences I can make, and just how hard I’ll have to work to do it. I’m happy to be here, and I can’t wait until we graduate.
Take my favorite poem from the late, great, Robert Frost.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. -
Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.I spent this week thinking about how many paths and choices that we took and made to get here. Where did we all come from? How did we get here? What are we going to do with this knowledge? I often feel so privileged that I am receiving this education, but I also feel overwhelmed that I have answers and I want other people to know them, too. I feel like I just learned the coolest life hack and I am responsible for spreading the information. This program has created endless possibilities, and with what we’re learning here, I know that the world can be saved, we can change views and attitudes and create insight, and I’m so excited to be on this path.
@Jenniferlecompte I love your comparison to feeling like a tree in a family in the woods, and a drop of the ocean, it really does feel like that sometimes. This program has made me feel like I belong to something much larger.
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For me, being connected to nature is synonymous to being connected with myself. This is clearly the state I want to be in when I’m in my role as coach. My awareness and maintenance of this connection is important for my professional life and relationships with clients. But, it’s a deeper phenomenon than stepping outside for 5 minutes and getting myself connected and grounded enough to be present on a session-by-session basis. It’s also more than a means to an end. Connection with nature is something that I need to sustain my life. It’s no different than the importance food or water is to my life. I don’t think it’s a mistake that food and water is nature, itself. It’s just that in our modern world, it’s so often manufactured and presented as something apart from nature.
As a child I didn’t have a lot of closeness with friends or family, but I was often able to go to the areas outside in my suburban front or back yard. Or, even on the playground at school. I STILL remember the trees and the big grass hill. Nature is a touchpoint in life. Always present, but also different and special so as to be remembered. I would be drawn into the world of otherworldly insects and ant trails. I was that kid out there with the magnifying glass laying on the ground, getting as close as I possibly could. Fascinated. I didn’t feel alone when I was connected at that level. Nature always had a space for me no matter where I was, though. Some years later when I got married and had a baby and was living a different section of life, I was more distanced from nature, but it was inside me. I remember being so closely connected to the weather and energy in the air when I was pregnant with my first daughter who was born Sept. 3rd. It was a hot and humid sauna summer, and it was precisely two weeks after her birth that the weather had a seasonal shift into having a cold chill. Twenty-two years later, and I still hold the memory of that wind, marked in my mind. That aspect of nature became a strong sensory memory. Nature has always done that for me. It’s always been a place that met me exactly where I was, expecting no more and no less of me, leaving me with more and taking away my loneliness. I hope this is what I can bring to the souls I have the privilege of meeting through coaching. I hope to never lose this sense of fascination, exploration and acceptance nature has been for me, and for the human relationships in my life to reflect nurturing and nourishment I’ve experienced from nature for those I share space with.
The article, Wilderness as a Healing Place (p. 43), talks about the relationship John Muir had with nature as being a place he could learn and grow, and also be restored. In recent years, nature has been energy that’s challenged me, rest that’s restored me, and hope that’s held me. I am so grateful for nature, and to have this experience of learning to coach in a nature-connected way, and apply it toward continuing the restoring and building a ‘healthy foundation and structure’ (p.44) of my whole self, and guide the way for others to join in.
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@allysonduffindalton Ally,
I love this poem by Robert Frost! During our foundations intensive, I actually wore a shirt with a quote from this poem on it (but it wasn’t able to be seen on Zoom!). I can relate with the energy of wanting the rest of the people in the world to be nature-connected along with me/us. I know there are others out there who are nature-connected. and sharing this work, but the general direction of society hasn’t been facing that direction. I’m excited to be here with you on this path!
Another favorite quote or poem from Robert Frost I’ve always loved is this: “There is absolutely no reason for being rushed along with the rush. Everybody should be free to be very slow.” This quote from Robert Frost makes me think of the brief exercise we did during the Foundations intensive that was called “The Slows”. I think it originated from Tom Brown? I so much want change to have happened yesterday, but our slow, focused attention to being present with ourselves and mindful about this nature-connected journey is powerful, and something that I think will accelerate and advance progress in our world as we meet others, and share these hacks!
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@vanessatermini85 Vanessa/Sul,
Thank you so much for sharing your journey that lead you to EBI and this place of connection. It’s amazing how much experience one life can hold. It’s kind of like looking at a time-lapse of a process in nature, like a flower blooming. I love the message you received that “Belonging is in every moment.”
I can feel the juxtaposition of your time in NYC with the experiences of the concrete city life and the motherly soothing of the earth. The connection and contrast of the violence in your childhood. Alignment with the Sacred questions now feels like it could be juxtaposed with the time of substance abuse and disconnection. Searching like hell for a place like EBI, a healthy craving. You are here, now! I’m grateful our paths have met!
I’m so interested in your studies of indigenous cultures, the elements and Medicine Wheel. These are things I’ve wanted to learn more about, and experience in an embodied way. I’m curious how that might be intersecting with the Sacred Questions and what we are learning about the coaching process, or actual coaching sessions with clients, or how it might come into your processing as a coaching client!
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Heather, Thank you for this sharing! You have a beautiful way of weaving your memories into the story of your connection with nature. What stands out to me is the knowing that you always have a place in nature. And the idea to use your relationship with nature as a model to emulate with your human relationships! I’d be curious to hear more about how you envision this! Another piece of what you said resonates strongly with me, about food and water being nature. In that point I hear that we as humans are connected to nature in that most basic way of eating and drinking, no matter how much we realize it or how distant from the food system we become.
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What does it mean to be connected to Nature, and how can that relationship support your coaching?
Being connected to Nature means to have presence and awareness to the liveliness of everything which envelopes us. The breeze of the winds, the songs of the birds, the intensity of the Sun, its movement across the sky, and the turn of the seasons.
Being connected to Nature is simply listening and having attunement of what is happening in this container of Earth we exist in. Paradoxically, it’s also having this deep listening and attunement to self, as we are Nature ourselves. The thoughts we think, the feelings we feel, and having awareness of what is happening within us.
I think this relationship can support our coaching process because we have a better understanding of Human Nature, behavior, processes, habits, etc. What isn’t Nature? Having an understanding of Nature and our connection with it can support the growth, development and evolution of our very own being… because we are all going towards that direction. There is that Truth of us going “home” one day, when our. material form reaches a limit and passes to the other side. Understanding this process and the details within it can help me better show up for “clients” in their “natural process”.
Understanding Nature can help me be nature in its fullest form, and guide all that which is nature (everything) with insight. It’s a surrender, but having tools/tricks to help better navigate the journey we are in. Something that is coming up for me, is the paradox of not having a choice of being Nature, but having a choice of how we go about it. And that is where the magic occurs.
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When Coyote’s Guide arrived in the mail, I hugged the book and said, “No way!” I then immediately ran upstairs to my office and pulled an old friend out from one of my bookshelves.
I think it was in 2007 when I sat sponge-like, taking in every word of Richard Louv’s talk at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder was a book that grabbed and shook me, affirmed what I didn’t always have the words for, and set me firmly back on my path, from which I had faltered a bit, with new fire and determination. I was a teacher and a summer camp director, and Mr. Louv’s book helped me at a point in my life when I started understanding that my seemingly disconnected passions, both professional and personal, were actually quite connected. As I read, my head swirled with conversations I’d had with parents and guardians over the years about boosting resumes for second graders, insisting upon summer tutoring and academic enrichment programs over camp so learning wouldn’t be lost, or favoring the computer lab activities over those at the creek. And all these years later, here he was on the cover of Coyote’s Guide, another book that is grabbing me with every page. Both books offer much to consider around the question of what it means to be connected to nature.
There is a familiarity that can develop on the surface of things. One can stand atop something with the support of the tension created by the connections of its basic elements, or a net created by interwoven aspects. The surface is safe, it may become familiar territory, and as such, it remains unremarkable. You can dismiss the surface area and dwell atop it unchanged. There is no true connection, no venturing beneath. This is also true when it comes to Nature.
To be truly connected to Nature, one needs to venture beneath the surface, surrender to the unknown, trust, and listen. One can apply learned formulas to Nature, describe its cycles, and identify its components, but recognition and application do not translate to connection. A connection is a relationship between two things. There is a reciprocity in connection. When it comes to Nature, I get caught up in identifying where that reciprocity is and what it looks like. What is nature getting in return from our connection, our link, our relationship? Communication is a key to any successful relationship, and when it comes to Nature, that communication can’t stop short at just being out on the land. We must listen, be present, and in turn communicate back. Part of my journey is examining what communicating back to Nature truly looks like.
Coyote’s Guide says, “When we say connection, we mean a familiarity, a sense of kinshi, just as we all experience with our human family. The goal includes knowledge and skills, but ultimately relationship restores our bond to nature.” That bond will lead us to care and as much as Nature is an essential part of our health as humans, so are we essential to the health of Nature and the world around us. Therein lies an opportunity for reciprocity- an exchange of natural energy that will lead to a positive cycle of health, support, growth, and evolution.
Nature can also teach us about how we show up as coaches and guides. It is always its most genuine self and is always fully present. Nature doesn’t judge, it listens deeply, it doesn’t discriminate, and it doesn’t interrupt. Nature was present before humankind, and it has an infinite store of truths for all of us. What truths do we hold for Nature?
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Summary: In <i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Wilderness As A Healing Place, John Miles refers to wilderness walking and mindful walking in ways that resonated with me after this module. Running has been what I always referred to as my moving meditation, and I don’t hold any land speed records, but I have noted that I more easily drop into a calm, contemplative state while I’m moving quickly through space. This week, I was exhilarated to reconnect with also being able to achieve that state of being while moving slowly through space, taking the time to stop and listen, <i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>truly listen, to nature.
In addition to my deepened awareness around movement, I also deepened my connection with my sit spot this week. The nature awareness that we practiced is more nuanced and intentional than what I’ve practiced in the past. A gift to me from that nature awareness was the ability to maintain the sphere around me and carry it back inside during the sessions throughout the intensive. It was a bubble that held the magical space and time that I shared with everyone during the intensive. I will explore how else to dwell inside that sphere and what other sacred spaces it can hold.
