Episode 26 of the Nature Therapy podcast falls on Christmas day 2020. So for all of you who ‘do’ Christmas….Happy Christmas! And for those of you who don’t (or who are listening retrospectively), tune in for some thoughts around seasons, festivities—and a little snow meditation! Click on the slim black player above to listen.

In episode 26 of the ecotherapy podcast, I share my thoughts around nature and the many ways in which it interacts with cultural festivals such as Christmas. No matter where you live, or which cultural festivals are celebrated in your part of the world, festivals such as Christmas often have many significant ties with nature.

I start this week’s nature podcast by talking about a little task that I tried with a local ecotherapy group here in Scotland yesterday. I invited the group to find things from nature that represented this time of the year for them. Almost everyone—including myself—instinctively looked for symbolic things associated with Christmas, rather than the season of Winter more generally. I thought that was really interesting and something worth exploring. It’s fascinating how the cultural can overtake the ‘natural’ in our minds when we make associations at certain times of the year.

I also offer a short guided snow meditation, to get you into the general vibe of December in the Northern Hemisphere! I do hope that you find it to be a positive experience.

Wherever you are, and whatever is happening within nature or culture where you live, I hope you are well. Enjoy nature, my friends, and see you in 2021.

Snowy Smiles,

Stephen x