From the canyons of city skyscrapers to mountain wilderness, we are a part of nature. Nature is inside us too, we are made of nature. Connecting with nature and learning to care for places is deeply restorative, but it is also challenging as connection goes hand in hand with an awareness of the ways we are taught to disconnect.
At the core of reading nature is the practice of a “sit area.” Finding a place in ‘open air’ where the presence of birds, trees, the sun and wind touch your senses. Visit your area often, be still awhile, notice what’s happening around you. How do the birds respond to your presence? Get to know the birds, plants, animals and seasons where you are. When you get to know a place, ways to care for, support and participate as a part of nature begin to come naturally.
Topics include:
- Ways of knowing nature
- Getting to know birds, plants, clouds, wildlife track & sign
- Reading micro-climates – soil, water, air, sun
- Ways to give back to your place through small-scale habitat restoration
- Seasonal care – care for plants, pollinators and your own connection to place
- Sit area practice and sensory care
- Access to land and the dis-connective tissue of settler colonialism
Nature is made of love, there is no way to prove or explain this, yet it can be felt – especially in places that have been cared for.
WORKSHOP DETAILS
Group size: 5 to 10
Location: Online via Zoom
Ability: Requires ability to access Zoom with working audio and camera, access to the outdoors in less than 5 minutes via an open window, balcony, rooftop, patio, yard, community space, park, field or forest.
Duration: 1 to 1.5 hours per session x 4 sessions
Price: $175/person. Community pricing available.
Community agreements: Kindergarten rules apply in shared spaces. Please bring your whole self – giggles, tears and all – but you will be dismissed or sent to quiet time if the potential for harm to others arises. We value restorative practices including relationship, respect, responsibility, repair, and reintegration for people, places and plants. Reading Nature welcomes marginalized parts of ourselves including LBGTQIA+, neurodivergent and BIPOC identities.