Mark is an inner and outer explorer, who has devotedly studied mindfulness meditation practices for three decades. He is passionate about sharing the power of meditation and has taught mindfulness workshops and meditation retreats in six continents for the past twenty years. Mark is a senior meditation teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and has taught there since 2000. Mark holds a MA in Clinical Psychology and draws on his extensive experience in working with people as a therapist and coach.

Through the Mindfulness Training Institute Mark leads Professional Mindfulness Teacher Trainings in the US and UK annually. Mark likes to share the fruits of meditation to wider audiences and founded The Mindfulness Institute, where he has brought mindfulness training programs to companies and the nonprofit sector across North America and Europe. Mark is a trainer for the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, developed at Google and teaches on their teacher trainings.

Learn more about Mark Coleman: https://markcoleman.org/
Learn about Awake in the Wild Teacher Training: https://markcoleman.org/teacher-training/awake-in-the-wild-teacher-training/

03:33 – Sean Fargo introduces Mark Coleman
10:30 – Mark introduces what he’ll be speaking about
12:00 – How Mark’s mindfulness journey began, including how nature helped foster his understanding and inspire his teaching
19:45 – WHY would you take your meditation practice outside?
22:00 – The stimulation of our senses naturally draws us into the present
25:43 – We feel more connected when we’re outdoors
26:55 – Nature engages our heart and opens us to wonder, awe, mystery and beauty
30:33 – Overview of the practices we’ll share today and how you might take them outdoors
32:00 – Arriving practice
40:19 – About the arriving practice and our relationship with place
43:09 – Sensory awareness practice
57:30 – Sharing and questions about the sensory awareness practice
59:00 – When outdoor stimulation becomes overwhelming
1:01:00 – Being indoors may make more sense depending on your intention
1:04:00- Impermanence as the primary teaching that nature is offering
1:07:00 – Ikigai, the beauty of decay and the dynamism of death
1:12:30 – How and why being in nature quiets the inner critic
1:14:45 – Sensing our selves as of the earth, from the earth
1:16:40 – Standing practice (and the teachings of trees)
1:25:40 – Suggestions for standing practice
1:27:00 – Elements practice
1:49:52 – QUESTION: Can you share more about what inspired you to teach outdoors – and what tips you might have for those interested in teaching in nature?
1:54:00 – QUESTION: Are the nature retreats in silence?
1:54:33 – QUESTION: What books do you recommend about mindfulness and Buddhism?