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The Mindfulness of Natural History and the Natural History of Mindfulness
The Mindfulness of Natural History and the Natural History of Mindfulness
Join Tom Fleischner and Will Duncan on an exploration of both inner and outer landscapes. Both naturalists and meditators rely on advanced skills in observation and mindfulness. Learn the foundations of these skills and then explore how to use them. In Buddhist perceptual theory, we explore what is called the “crucial point”, the essential reason we develop meditative concentration, and we take a deep dive into uncovering how that crucial point begins to affect our well-being.
Details:
Leaders: Will Duncan & Tom Fleischner
What: One-day experiential workshop connecting the practice of mindfulness and meditation with the practice of natural history
Where: Skull Valley Lavender Farm, Skull Valley, Arizona
When: Sunday, November 2nd, 2025
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Cost: $87 per person
10% for Nature Guardian Members
Tenative Schedule:
09:45- 10:00 Arrival / Tea Time
10:00-10:15 Introductions
10:15-11:30 Why, What, and How of Mindfulness and Meditation
11:30-11:45 Break
11:45-12:30 Why, What, and How of Natural History
12:30-1:00 Lunch*
1:00-2:30 Natural History in Practice
2:30-3:15 Meditation and Mindfulness in the Field
3:15-4:00 Concluding Conversation and Sharing
*Participants are responsible for their own lunch, which is not included as part of the program.
Will Duncan has taught throughout the world including Asia, Europe, Eastern Europe, South America and throughout the United States. He has spent 4 accumulative years in silent and solitary meditation retreats and presently is a lecturer, meditation teacher, consultant, retreat leader, and lavender farmer. His teachings emphasize the development of deep compassion, meditative stillness, and a strong connection with the natural world.
Tom Fleischner was the founding director of the Natural History Institute, and is Faculty Emeritus at Prescott College, where he taught interdisciplinary environmental studies for 29 years. He is the author or editor of five books, including Nature, Love, Medicine: Essays On Wildness and Wellness and the forthcoming Astonished By Beauty: A Field Guide to the Practice of Paying Attention. A Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, he has served on the boards of the Ecological Society of America, where he was President of the Natural History Section, and the Society for Conservation Biology.
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