Mountain Zen Den Podcast

  Do you ever feel like you’re just living from pay check to pay check, trying to fill your life with things, attempting to buy your way to happiness…but not really living? At a time when people in the West have the highest standard of living that we have ever had, why is it that we are so empty and dissatisfied, always searching for more? More things to make us happy? We find ourselves so restless and always scratching and clawing for more. As humans we’re wired to become dissatisfied. We have an addiction and a craving for more. More, more, more… And we are encouraged to support and maintain the addiction through technology and information. All you have to do is turn on the TV or radio, open a magazine or book to learn that you are not enough. If you would just buy this product or wear this article of clothing or drive this car or use this lotion you would be happy and have exactly what it is you want and need and everyone would admire and adore you. Truth is, everything you need, you already have. The soon

What would this world look like if we were the only living beings?” Not counting trees and plants of course. No cheery, warbling birdsong, no interesting movement in the air, on the ground or in the trees. No dogs barking, squirrels or rabbits playing, deer foraging or horses or cattle grazing. No tree frogs or crickets singing in the meadows and marshes, no fish biting and jumping in the ponds, rivers and lakes, no dolphins splashing or seagulls and shorebirds feeding in the ocean… No real mystery or wonder or possibility. Just a quiet, eerie planet with maybe a bit of wind blowing over the grassless plains. You see if there were no butterflies or bees to pollinate the flowers or birds to carry and drop seeds, if there were no coral to filter the oceans or beavers to create broad and wonderful wetlands, the world would basically whither up and turn into one vast and dull, lifeless and barren desert. A wilderness of nothingness. All animals play important roles in our ecosystem. It’s part of the ecological ba

We share the planet with beautiful wildlife and amazing creatures and don’t even realize the benefits we receive from them. There is often an intuitive connection that we immediately feel when in the presence of a non-human living being.  One of the things that attracts us to animals and that we especially love about our pets is their authenticity and trusting nature.  What you see is what you get.  They don’t play games with your emotions or generally try to hide the truth.  You don’t have to walk on eggshells around them, (unless they’re chickens).  They just are who they are and love you unconditionally. Have you ever thought about how amazing this is? What a gift! Join us for today's show!  Come on in...

Have you ever really stopped to think about and appreciate how amazing trees are? I mean, picture this – what would the world be like if we didn’t have them? Well for starters, we’d all be dead because we depend on trees to take our exhaled carbine dioxide and turn it into wonderful, life-giving oxygen that we kinda depend on. There are many more benefits that trees bring to the earth besides producing oxygen. Aside from the fact that they are beautiful and provide a rich aesthetic quality to the landscape, they provide shade, they yield delicious fruit and nuts and provide shelter and living quarters for birds and smaller animals, they soothe and relax us, they reduce pollution, improve the beauty of our neighborhoods and surroundings, lower our energy costs, and even increase the value of your property! Not only that, but even their color - green, is a cool and calming color known to help our eyes quickly recover from strain. We also love and revere trees for what they stand for. Since time began, trees hav

“Why is it when I try to meditate, my mind wanders all over the place and I can’t seem to be still?” We all struggle with this annoying little monster in our daily meditation practice.  There’s this constant chatter going on in the back of our minds.  The voice and circular, recycled thoughts that won’t seem to go away no matter how hard you try. And who is that voice, by the way?  We listen to it all the time and think it’s us.  It is constantly narrating and talking and making judgments inside our head.  And it never shuts up.  It talks about, thinks about and judges everything and is never still.  It has a need to express worries and doubts and anxieties and all the things it thinks you should be doing or shouldn’t have done, and on and on and on… If you struggle with stillness in your mind, today's show is for you! Come on in..

Research has shown that just 15 minutes in nature can make you happier.  After just sitting outside in a park or forest for 15 minutes people reported that they began to feel psychologically restored. So what are you doing to give yourself that extra boost of Vitamin N here in the dead of winter? Join us for today's show as we continue our adventure in Thoreau's chapter called "Winter Animals" from his classic, "Walden". You'll feel better...even if it is just second-hand Vitamin N!

For some folks, winter-time is a time for personal hibernation, where you just want to crawl under the covers and eat and sleep and watch TV. Getting out in the frigid arctic air and taking a winter’s walk and getting some “Nature exposure” is the last thing you feel like doing. If you happen to be one of those kind of people, I have some good news for you!  There are plenty of other ways to get your Nature-fix" and stay mindfully inspired on a daily basis, capturing some of the goodness and benefits she has to offer without necessarily going outdoors or on a long hike or camping trip. You can set yourself up for success not only in connecting with nature, but for meditation by creating an environment of beauty and inspiration right in your own home or workspace. Today's show will give you some great ideas for setting up your own Zen Den. Glad you're here!

Is there something in particular that is stressing you out right now, at this moment?  There is something you can do about it. Breathe.  Practice breathing every time you are aware that you are feeling stressed and you will begin to feel relief. No, it doesn’t necessarily immediately solve the problem, or pay the bill, or fix the relationship or whatever.  But what it does do is give you the balance and harmony and inner peace, strength and courage to realize that you have it within you whatever it takes to deal with the issues of the day in the moment. If we’re willing to just trust the process and not freak out, we can not only deal with the challenges that are coming at as at a thousand miles and hour, but we can learn to enjoy the experience by knowing that the "superpowers" we have been given are more than sufficient for dealing with each situation as it comes. When you combine faith and prayer and trust, by doing the simple things you know to do, a courage and strength will come from deep within that w

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 world. Here are a few reasons you should keep a Nature journal...

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. For the next stretch, Wednesdays will be known as “Walden Wednesdays” here at Mountain Zen Den because we’ll share some of Thoreau’s wisdom and cover his ideas of simplicity in living with the natural world. The other day we read from the chapter “Winter Animals”, and we’re going to pick up where we left off there today. Welcome to "Walden Wednesday" at Mounta