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Mindfulness

A Few Friendly Weeds for Foraging

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There are likely many wild edible and medicinal plants, that are considered weeds, growing right in your backyard! Our Guide, Kendall, shares a few plants growing wild in her backyard in Maine including yarrow, lamb's quarters, dandelion and red clover. If you are interested in learning more about how to use wild edible plants in the kitchen and for medicinal purposes, look for classes from Through the Trees HERE and try our Wildly Mindful Community online for weekly foraging classes, a monthly …

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Dandelion Sun Salutation

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Today we are offering a Dandelion Sun Salutation in the video below. All of us at Through the Trees love to get outside as much as possible, and Yoga is no exception. If you are able, try this outdoors, taking in the grass, sun, fresh air, and if you can find them, the dandelions! Dandelion's energy is all about cheerful perseverance. Connecting with this flower during your sun salutation can be a beautiful way to start your day.

Practicing Sun Salutation for a few minutes each day helps to bri…

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6 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

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This Thursday, April 22nd, is Earth Day. At Through the Trees, we encourage connecting with and caring for the Earth every day, but finding special ways to do this on Earth Day serves as a celebration for our beautiful planet. This week we would like to share several ways to care for and honor Mother Earth. 

  1. Practice Sit Spot. We talk about and practice Sit Spot quite a bit, because it gives us the opportunity to slow down and be mindful in nature. Finding a place to sit or lie down outdoors …

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Nature Teaches Us To Find Our Light Through the Darkness

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"All the buried seeds crack open in the dark the instant they surrender to a process they can’t see."

- Mark Nepo -


Nature is such a powerful teacher. Spring, especially, is such a gift in this way, a reminder to wake up. All winter we are in a sort of hibernation, tucked away just waiting to burst back to life. All around us, everything small and buried surrenders to a process that none of the buried parts can see. 

It is almost certain that all of us are working on something within ourse…

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Three Ways to Care for the Natural Places that Have Cared for Us This Year

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Today's blog post was written by Through the Trees board member, Corie Washow. Visit Corie's own blog here.

Are you one of the many people who has developed an extra deep appreciation for Maine’s abundance of beautiful outdoor spaces this past year?  What a refuge our public parks and trails (and backyards) have been over this tremendously challenging time.  As a Through the Trees community member, I know you don’t need me to tell you that! But I do want to take a few minutes together to reflec…

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A Simple Life Hack For Deep Happiness: Practicing Gratitude

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“Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.” -Lionel Hampton

 

Maybe the simplest and most effortless habit for living a happier life is to take a few minutes every day to focus on what is already here in your life for which you feel grateful.

Gratitude can help you to…

  • Lift your mood and boost motivation very quickly.
  • Find the things in your life on which you want to focus even more of your time and energy.
  • Not just take things for granted and find joy even dur…

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How to Practice Maitri: Loving-Kindness to One’s Self

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Are you someone who has zero trouble accessing compassion for others, but when it comes to lending that same compassion to yourself, you fall short?  I know I have an easier time accepting other people’s mistakes (a.k.a. humanness) than I do my own; I freely forgive other people’s flaws while I beat myself up for mine. I readily feel empathy and compassion for the suffering of strangers but sometimes have a hard time comforting and being kind to myself.

Sound familiar? We’re not the only ones.

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Breathe on and Be Free

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This article was contributed by our Guide and member of our Board of Directors, Jewels Gordon.

I am Jewels. 39 years old with a backpack filled with my own issues, a heart full of love, some experiences that I wish I had not experienced and the grace and wisdom to find meaning and value in all of it. My childhood in one sense was typical and amazing - playing in the woods, laughing with friends, camping for days on end, homemade pizza every Friday night, and the freedom to explore and live …

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