This is the program I wish I had that time years ago. 

My life had become so over-committed, over-scheduled, overwhelming (maybe even over-caffeinated), that I couldn't bring myself to work for a few months.    

On the outside, everything seemed to be OK.

I was living in San Francisco and I had SO VERY MUCH to be grateful for.

And, on the inside – I had a persistent impression that I was living out of flow.

Not only out of my flow, but out of nature’s flow.

• I was doing purposeful work that I loved – and felt like the screens were going to s-w-a-l-l-o-w me.
• I wanted to make healthy choices – and my lunchtime falafel wrap from the neighborhood café was filling me with pesticides.
• I was receptive to the rhythmic cycles of the moon – and was constantly receiving hacks to get more things done.
  
• I wanted to mark life with meaningful rituals – and was exposed to the over-commercialization of every last holiday.
• I lived in an environmentally-conscious place – and at night could see the electric orange lights of the local oil refinery.
• I shopped at the healthiest food store – and felt assaulted by the oceans of plastic that filled each aisle.
• I was surrounded with natural beauty – and was so over-scheduled that I could barely get outdoors on weekends.
• I was hearing the ocean's invitation to slow down – and felt like I was expected to be always rushing around 

All of this seemed 'normal' to many people – but I didn’t want to get used to it.

I knew in my core that I was meant to live in a nature-centered way.

Grounded like the earth. 

In flow like water. 

Clear like air. 

Full of possibility like space. 

And as passionate as fire.

It's true that I often did feel this way.

And, I also felt frustrated. Stressed. Worried. Dissatisfied. Upset. Confused. Sad. Exhausted.  

There was so much goodness.  And also, something important felt off.

Have you ever felt this way?  Can you see this happening to you?

I tried to restore my flow.

I was doing my best to take good care of myself.  Doing things you may also be doing.

• I was going to evening yoga class at one of the only shalas in the city at the time. 
• I was meditating several times per week in front of the little altar I had created in my apartment. 
• I was journaling and creating colorful collages.  
• I was eating a rainbow of organic vegetables from the farmer's market.  
• I was volunteering at the children's hospital.  (I got to cuddle babies – the best job ever!)

All these habits were helpful.  They still are.

But they didn't quite address the underlying misalignment I was experiencing.

The subtle, nuanced sense of having been torn away from something completely vital to me – from my everyday relationship with nature.

And this underlying dis-ease was affecting me.

• Physically, I was exhausted and weak.
• Mentally, I was tangled with overexertion.
• Emotionally, I was sad and concerned.
• Spiritually, I was hanging by a thread.

And, of course, this affected the people around me. My loved ones, my community.

It also affected how I treated the Earth. I was more easily vulnerable to engage in culturally-accepted things that cause a lot of harm to the Earth.

Why do you think the Earth is hurting and people continue to fuel the fire through their actions?

It's not because people don't love nature.  We all do.  Even if you don't like to camp, you still love nature.

It's because this condition makes you more vulnerable to engaging in all sorts of culturally-accepted behaviors that cause the Earth to burn and to flood and to melt and to dry out and to become polluted and to lose many species.

Sometimes, I would catch a whisper.

A whisper of the Earth mother calling me back.

A glimpse of sparkle on the bay.

A caressing shadow of a seagull gliding by.

A moment of magic of a daisy growing through the sidewalk.

And – for a fleeting second – I would recognize myself.

My true self.

I wanted more of that wild, wondrous sort of flow in my life.

But it was evasive.

I didn’t quite know how to experience it more regularly, in what had become my "real world.”

It seemed like nothing more than a fantasy. A frivolous day dream.

It felt like an unrealistic aspiration, that couldn't co-exist with the realities of my life.

That was - until I couldn’t take it any longer.

It got so bad that I just couldn't do it anymore.

Do you see what I mean?

During my time off from work, I followed my intuition.

(a privilege we should all have to recover when needed).

I felt guided to volunteer on a local organic farm by the ocean.

I didn’t know anything about farming. But the kale, the beets, the potatoes and that dark, damp, fragrant soil welcomed me with open arms.

As I was able to offer my attention, they were able to lead me back to wonder, and awe, and back to the richness of life that I had been longing for.

This experience got me started on my way back to re-membering my vital relationship with nature.

I came to appreciate much of what I had learned from Indigenous wisdom keepers and naturalists and spiritual teachers in a whole new way.

And that changed everything.

• Physically, I became more energized, refreshed and revitalized.
• Mentally, more clear, confident and courageous.
• Emotionally, more calm, flexible and resilient.
• Spiritually, more engaged, receptive and inspired.

I didn't google my symptoms, but I did get a diagnosis.

I came to realize that my underlying unease was caused by Biological Homelessness.

And if you have this condition, then you can do sun salutations from dawn to dusk and you won’t be getting to the core of the matter.

Yes. Biological Homelessness.

This is what I auto-diagnosed myself with. Also a term I made up.

But, as it turns out, it’s a very real dis-ease and one that I see has spread like wildfire.

Biological Homelessness is a relational estrangement from nature.  And it's not necessarily physical.

It happens to nature-loving people (whether they spend a lot of time outdoors or not), who have somehow lost the depth of relationship they long to have with the Earth.

It’s a condition that has been normalized in a world that has been largely disassociated from the natural world.

A world which constantly pulls us indoors, on our screen, and away from the truth of who we are.

A world which is increasingly making unrealistic demands of us.

It’s a state of destitution that sneaks up on you.

It feels like thirst. Hunger. An unconsolable longing.

It feels like saudade, as my Brazilian friends would say.

And this is the exciting part.

Once you understand the underlying condition, you can focus on restoration.

You can begin the process of reconciliation.

You can get back onto the most beautiful path of deepening your soulful relationship with the natural world.

This is what what I call nature practice.

That's why I'm so passionate about nature practice.

I love to share what has helped me with other with nature-loving, intuitively-curious people. 

Some spend a lot of time in nature, as farmers, animal trainers, naturalists and outdoor educators.

Many work in front of their computers.

Some are feeling out of sorts – looking for more calm, clarity and confidence.

Others are feeling vibrant and rooted and would like to deepen and expand their practice.

All of them are interested in becoming more skilled and more committed to healing our relationship with the Earth.  

In the last few years, it's been my pleasure to serve as a nature practice host for hundreds of people, including for groups at:

• the San Francisco Botanical Garden, 
• One World Ayurveda in Bali, 
• the United Nations,
• Airbnb
• Stanford University and
• the Dalai Lama Fellows.

Here's the way I see it.

For hundreds of thousands of years – we were in profound rooted relationship with nature.  

Not just living on the land – but in a thriving relationship with the entire natural world.  We knew the beings that shared this Earth with us, we respected them as kin, we cared for their wellbeing. 

We were attune to the magic of it all.

We felt a love so great for the entirety of nature that the only word left for us to try to describe it is reverence.  

This reverence was such that we aligned our entire life with what was good for the Earth.

But, of course, this was not just good for the Earth - it nourished and nurtured us deeply as well - and our children and our grand and great grandchildren.  And so forth.

And so – when we lose this soulful relationship with nature it has detrimental effects in 3 main areas:

• our wellbeing (including that of our children)
• the Earth’s wellbeing
• the wellbeing of future generations

It’s no wonder that these are the 3 main crises of our time.

There are many other social and health consequences that are also linked to this disassociation from nature.

I won’t go into them here, but suffice it to say that this is why restoring our soulful relationship with nature is the most important assignment of our time.

If that sounds like a big YES to you – I'd be happy to walk you through the path that changed my life and that has transformed nature lovers from around the world.

A Nature-Centered Path Towards Mutual Wellbeing

I work with nature lovers like you who feel stressed or out of sorts – who are yearning to experience the richness, beauty and nourishment of life more deeply – and who are increasingly concerned about the state of the Earth.

When you work with me, I help you:

• RE-MEMBER what it means to be in deep relationship with the Earth.  I will share my experience and the steps I took to re-engage with nature in a more meaningful way, so you can remember your own way – based on your calling, your culture, your heritage, your spiritual tradition.  In this way, you will develop your own personal nature-centered wellbeing practice that you will want to come back to every single day.
  
  
• RENEW your enthusiasm by building meaningful friendships with nature lovers from around the world.  We will gather in a welcoming space where you can regularly drop into soulful conversations with people who are committed to a nature-centered life and who have gone through the same foundational program that you have.  In this way, you will feel understood and encouraged and re-energized.
  
  
• REIMAGINE and breathe life into a future beyond your wildest dreams.  Each month, I will build on the initial foundations to deepen and expand your repertoire of practices.  We will work together through the challenges and hesitations you might face along the way.  You will build inspiring momentum to bring forth a regenerative world from a place of profoundly-aligned, deeply-committed, fearless courage.

We do this through a creative combination of teachings, conversations, meditation, storytelling, poetry, sketching, music, journaling and different ways to celebrate nature and be in deeper alignment with the Earth.  We also support the process of rematriation, which Indigenous wisdom keepers have urgently been calling for.  

With your daily nature practice, you will restore your calm, clarity and confidence; you will reconnect with the rich, nurturing pleasure of life; and this will enable you to be in a better place to heal our relationship with the Earth.

Introducing Nature Practice Flow 

an international, intergenerational online community of people committed to aligning their wellbeing with the Earth's.

We practice 25 minutes per day.  

You do your practice on your own porch, terrace, garden, stoop or neighborhood park – on your own schedule.  It might be meditation, journaling, singing, sketching, movement.  Each month, you'll receive a set of recordings designed to guide you in creating and expanding your own personal repertoire of practices that resonate with you – with your preferences, your calling, your culture, your spiritual tradition.    

We gather twice per month for sharing circles.

This is an opportunity for you to enter into meaningful conversation with other participants – with enough personalized structure to keep you supported and accountable, and enough flow to let the magic happen.  These 90-min video calls are recorded, for when you can't attend.

We go deeper with seasonal mini nature retreats.

During these longer sessions, we make time to expand on selected themes and to enjoy more profound restoration and integration.  In the past, I have invited some of my favorite teachers to participate in these mini retreats.  These online gatherings are recorded, so you can watch them when you can't attend.

We stay in touch with pictures and stories of what's challenging and uplifting us.

We host a private online community to keep you inspired and to build friendships in between gatherings with an international group of like-minded and committed nature lovers which has come to feel like family.

You Also Get these Bonuses:

The Nature Practice Foundations Journal

Printable and custom-designed to enrich your daily practice.  It's visually graphic, fun to fill out and has been a favorite amongst Nature Practice participants.

How to Align to the Rhythm of the Moon

With this introductory video course you will learn the basics of how to listen to nature's cues and get back in touch with your own unique creative rhythm – so you can stay in flow, inspired and energized, even when you have a lot going on.

Inmanencia

my award-winning short nature meditation film will give you a mini nature practice, even when you're indoors.  You can use it to start a meeting with colleagues or to take a little break yourself.

I'm also Including:

Nature Practice Foundations

This is a pre-cursor for joining Nature Practice Flow.  This 6-week immersion, complete with audio recordings to guide you through daily practices (up to 25-mins each), will support you in the initial establishment of your groundwork.  

Each week you will learn one of the foundational themes of nature practice and once you complete this program, you will have a common language, practice and experience to share with the Nature Practice Flow community.  

AND, two Time-Limited Bonuses: 

Healing with Nature

this recording of our live 3-hour mini nature retreat will help you discover ways of working with nature to heal trauma. Our guest teacher was Dr. Rochelle Calvert, author of the book with the same title.

(Value: $108)

Opening to the Medicine of Winter

this recording of our live 3-hour mini nature retreat will help you discover ways of enjoying more of the season, rather than just enduring it.  We apply the nature practice method to help you find the gifts offered to you during this difficult time.

(Value: $108)

This is what life looks like when you deepen your relationship with nature.  

Here are 15 examples of what's 100% possible. 

You can go from:

1. a frantic pace to more flow & grace.
2. confusion to more calm & clarity.
3. exhaustion to more energy.
4. restless nights to better sleep.
5. loneliness to regular satisfying companionship.
6. spinning sensation to feeling more grounded.
7. numbness to more nourishing pleasure.
8. over-reacting to more conscious responsiveness.
9. lack of structure to an intentional practice.
10. hopelessness to more committed enthusiasm.
11. fear and worry to inspired steps forward.
12. over-rationalizing to becoming more intuitively confident.
13. random busy-ness to more purposeful action.
14. blindly doing what's expected of you to aligning to your wellbeing & the Earth's.
15. a legacy of destruction to a future beyond your wildest dreams.   

I get goosebumps just listing these for you.

The best part is that when you happen to get derailed, you will know how to get back on track.

Are you ready for this sort of transformation?

You Choose the Price that's Right for You

Why?  Because I believe that a gift economy is better for humans and for nature, than our current profit-obsessed system.

Also – I've had times in my life when money was flowing abundantly and other times when it trickled in.  I have benefitted greatly from the kindness of many people.  This is a way for me to contribute to that flow of generosity.

Finally, this approach enables me to welcome people in a diversity of situations, whose perspectives and participation enriches the program for all.

So, this is an invitation to reciprocate in whatever way feels good to you – with whatever amount you would like to contribute to help me reach a wide audience with this work.

What's the value of what's included? 

It's an uncomfortable question for me because in a nature-centered world, this should not be for sale. 

My preference would be for all this to be offered at no charge – as my contribution to the community.  And, at the same time, I wish to support as many people as would like to deepen their relationship with the Earth.  So, for now, this is the most aligned way I have found to do this work. 

Here's an estimated dollar value of what's included in Nature Practice Flow. 

The truth is that it's all priceless.

MONTHLY OFFERINGS:

• Monthly Recorded Teachings:  $54
• Monthly Group Sharing Circles:  $72
• 1:1 Guidance: $108
• Seasonal Mini Nature Retreats:  $72

Total Value of Monthly Offerings:  $ 306 per month

BONUSES:

• Journal, Inmanencia and Aligning to the Rhythm of the Moon:  $108
• Nature Practice Foundations: $324
• Recording of the Mini Nature Retreat on Opening to the Medicine of Winter:  $108
• Recording of the Mini Nature Retreat on Healing with Nature:  $108 

Total Value: of Bonuses  $ 648

But, as I mentioned, 

you are invited to reciprocate in whatever way feels good to you.

This is a month-to-month program.  No long-term commitments.

If none of these prices suit you right now, you are warmly invited to request a scholarship here.

And, if you'd like to make a donation to help us continue to offer this sliding scale, please contact us here.

A bit about me

This is one of my favorite pictures.

It was shortly after I recovered from the breakdown that I self-diagnosed as "biological homelessness," a condition which has been normalized by a society that constantly pulls us indoors, online, and away from the truth of who we are.

Once I decided that I would no longer sacrifice my relationship with nature, it affected everything – my ability to show up fully, as a woman, a mama and a daughter of this beautiful Earth.

Now my mission, as a nature practice host, and as a filmmaker, is to help you do the same.

I've had the pleasure of teaching nature practice for groups at the San Francisco Botanical Garden, One World Ayurveda in Bali, the United Nations, Stanford University and the Dalai Lama Fellows.  

Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, my perspective is infused with 20 years of study with the Dalai Lama, nature retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh, and learning from Indigenous wisdom keepers and some of the great naturalists of our time. 

natasha deganello giraudie

Nature Practice Flow

Here's What's Included

• Monthly Recorded Teachings
• Monthly 90-min, Live Group Sharing Circles
• Seasonal Live Online Mini Nature Retreats
• A Private Online Community

+ All the Bonuses

• Nature Practice Foundations - 6-week Immersion
• The Nature Practice Journal
• How to Align to the Rhythm of the Moon
• Inmanencia

DISCLAIMER

The Nature Practice programs and coaching are intended to educate, inspire and entertain you on your personal journey toward wellbeing and happiness. They are not intended to replace care best provided by qualified professionals and they are not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.