Mindfulness with Nature @ Bell Park
Free: Mondays, Jan 27-Feb 24 from 4:45-5:15pm (come and go as needed)
Join Michele Pola from The Jung Center for a different way to finish your day by simply practicing nature-centered mindfulness. We will spend time with the natural landscape through our senses, body, and spirit. Practices may include walking, sitting, gentle movement, and listening with awareness. No prior mindfulness experience needed, just a willingness to be open, curious and aware.
This offering is for individuals interested in exploring the benefits of being in and with nature. Experiencing nature with awareness through gentle movement of the body, listening and opening the senses can help reduce stress, improve your attention and focus, as well as increase a sense of well-being.
Practicing mindfulness has proven beneficial in many ways. By taking it a step further, practicing mindfulness in nature can deepen your experience of connection, relational reciprocity and joy. Mindful awareness amongst the vastness of nature nourishes your body and allows you to feel connected to the earth with ease. Being in nature brings your attention to a world beyond yourself while growing a desire to make conscious choices daily to respect and protect the world around you.
You will leave with firsthand experiences of how nature settings may inspire you. Learning how nature landscapes may bring joy to your life and give you a breath of fresh air – whether a park, a pond, a trail you love, or the beach or ocean which are accessible to all. For some, simply being in your backyard surrounded by plants, trees and small creatures can be sufficient for practice.
WHAT TO BRING:
A willingness to be open, curious in Silence;
A comfortable chair, mat, or cushion;
Water; weather appropriate clothing warm or cool protection; Sunscreen/hat.
**I will have a few additional chairs, mats, water, cushions and items to support our experience.
MEET: We will meet at: Bell Park Look for a gray Lexus SUV with the trunk open.
CONTACT: Text or call me at 832.419.1636 if you have questions, running late or can’t find me.
Background: Michele Pola, Ed.D., currently offers mindfulness naturesessions as a certified Awake in the Wild (2023) teacher through author and meditator, Mark Coleman. She is also a Mindfulness Mentor (2024) through Banyan with Tara Brach & Jack Kornfield. In 2018, she completed a year-long teaching certificate at the Mindfulness Awareness Research Center (MARC), of the Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine at UCLA. She has been teaching the essential elements of mindfulness since 2018. She received her yoga certification in 2017. Michele currently offers mindfulness classes and experiences at The Jung Center Houston. Dr. Pola’s career as a teacher, principal, executive director and chief of staff to two Houston ISD superintendent’s has given her a perspective for making the practice of mindfulness practical and applicable. She remains an active member of American Leadership Forum (ALF) and has served on numerous professional boards in the public and non-profit sector of education.
Contact: Michele Pola, michelempola@gmail.com or 832.419.1636