Mindfulness-Based Nature Connection
2025 & 2026 Pilot Programs
About the 2025 Pilot Program Launch
At Mindful of Nature, we understand that the growing disconnection from the natural world has fueled two of the greatest challenges of our time: a global mental health crisis and the ecological emergency. More and more, people—especially youth, caregivers, and underserved communities—have been experiencing loneliness, anxiety, and burnout. At the same time, climate change and biodiversity loss continue to accelerate.
These crises are interconnected. When people lose contact with the natural world, their sense of inner resilience and ecological responsibility weakens. That’s why we launched our 2025 pilot program—to show that reconnection with nature through mindfulness is a powerful tool for healing, both personally and collectively. This pilot is now underway, serving as a proof of concept that demonstrates the measurable impact of nature-based mindfulness practices on well-being and lays the groundwork for broader community access.
Mission Statement
Mindful of Nature is a nature-based organization, that helps foster people’s connection, awareness, and love of the natural world through offering mindfulness-based nature practices, programs, and retreats, which in turn helps people develop care and stewardship for the earth and all species.
Objectives
- To educate and guide people in the techniques and practices of mindfulness in nature that support a deeper and more engaged relationship with the natural world.
- To offer programs where people access a natural sense of well-being, healing, joy and peace through meditation in nature.
- To increase access to nature for underserved populations, elders, and communities who have diminished access to the outdoors.
- Offer programs encouraging youth and young adults that foster understanding and connection to their local environment.
- To offer programs to first responders, health care workers, teachers, and other service professionals as a support for resilience, mental health and well-being.
- To work with leaders, change-makers and environmental visionaries and support them using nature-based practices and perspectives.
- Delivering evidence-based programs and courses available in various formats, from half-day to one-day offsite programs, to multi-week courses, to residential retreats.
- To research current nature meditation programs that demonstrate the efficacy of cultivating mindfulness in nature.
Who We’re Serving
The 2025 pilot has engaged ten partner organizations, each representing a unique population that is either underserved, at-risk, or playing a vital role in community well-being. Each organization is hosting a mindfulness-based nature program for at least ten participants from one of our target audiences. By focusing on these diverse groups, we are gathering insights into how nature-based mindfulness supports resilience, stress relief, emotional healing, and a deeper sense of belonging across different life contexts.
Open Sections to Learn More
- LGBTQ+ Individuals – People facing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities – Communities experiencing systemic inequalities.
- Indigenous Peoples – Native communities with historical and ongoing inequities.
- Individuals with Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses – People with physical, mental, or developmental challenges facing barriers to inclusion and access. Individuals with long-term or severe health conditions.
- Seniors with Limited Support – Older adults without family or community resources. Seniors in isolated locations with limited access to services.
- Survivors of Domestic Violence – Individuals recovering from abusive relationships.
- Underhoused and Low-Income Families – Individuals and families living below the poverty line or struggling to meet basic needs. People lacking stable, permanent housing.
- Unemployed and Underemployed Workers – Those unable to secure adequate or stable jobs.
- Formerly Incarcerated Individuals – People reintegrating into society after imprisonment.
- Immigrants and Refugees – People adjusting to life in a new country with limited resources.
- Park Rangers & Conservation Officers – Respond to emergencies in parks, including search and rescue or wildlife incidents. Handle emergencies related to wildlife, environment, and poaching enforcement.
- Search and Rescue Personnel – Locate and assist people in wilderness or disaster scenarios.
- Wildland Firefighters – Specialized in combating forest and wildland fires.
- Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Members – Trained volunteers who assist professionals during climate disasters.
- Healthcare Professionals – e.g., Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare service professionals who support the health and well-being of the community who can benefit from nature based stress reduction.
- Public Health Emergency Responders – Including Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who offer basic medical care and transportation to healthcare facilities, as well as paramedics who provide advanced medical care and life support in emergencies.
- Crisis Counselors – Provide mental health support during and after traumatic events.
- Veterans, Coast Guard, National Guard Personnel – Military service members facing challenges like PTSD, homelessness, or unemployment. Coast Guard members that responds to maritime emergencies and search-and-rescue operations. National Guard members mobilized during large-scale environmental disasters.
- Adolescents – Typically aged 12–18, navigating the transition from childhood to adulthood.
- Young Adults – Usually aged 18–25, beginning to establish independence and identity.
- At-Risk, Runaway or Homeless Youth – Facing challenges such as poverty, family instability, or exposure to violence. Lacking stable housing and support systems. Young people facing significant challenges such as poverty, family instability, or exposure to violence. Kids in the foster system who lack stable family support.
- Youth Leaders – Advocating for peers and taking leadership in community or school activities. Young change-makers inspiring their generation to take action.
- Peer Educators and Mentors in Training – Sharing knowledge and support within their age group. Learning leadership and guidance roles to support peers or younger individuals.
- Gap Year Participants, Interns, Entry-Level Workers – Taking time to travel, volunteer, or try new experiences, lifestyles, and ideas to define their identities before continuing education or career paths. Gaining work experience frequently in their first full-time jobs.
- Youth Volunteers and Activists – Contributing to community or causes through unpaid efforts. Advocating for social, environmental, or political change.
- Youth with Chronic Conditions – Youth who are navigating health challenges while building their futures.
- Visionaries & Policymakers – Individuals who imagine and articulate innovative futures for their communities or the planet. Leaders working within systems to create laws and regulations for positive change for the environment.
- Sustainability Experts – Innovators promoting renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, or green business practices. Urban planners designing eco-friendly cities and communities.
- Indigenous Leaders – Protectors of ancestral lands and stewards of traditional ecological knowledge.
- Green Entrepreneurs & Tech Innovators – Founders of businesses focused on sustainability and environmental impact. Leaders creating technologies to mitigate or adapt to environmental challenges.
- Restoration Ecologists & Conservationists – Leaders focused on rehabilitating degraded ecosystems. Protectors of natural resources, biodiversity, and ecosystems.
- Environmental Policy Advocates & Organizers – Champions for specific environmental causes, raising awareness, building coalitions, and mobilizing resources for environmental action. Experts pushing for legislative reforms on environmental and social issues.
- Circular Economy Advocates – Champions for reducing waste and promoting resource reuse.
- Equity Advocates – Leaders addressing environmental justice and the equitable distribution of resources.
- Local Grassroots Community Builders – Changemakers working directly within communities to inspire action. Facilitators who unite diverse groups for common environmental or social goals.
- Peace builders – Leaders addressing environmental conflicts and advocating for harmony between humans and nature. Leaders addressing international issues like deforestation, ocean health, and global warming.
- Teachers and Educators – Teachers in the primary and secondary education systems.
- Environmental Educators – Environmental educators spreading knowledge about ecology, sustainability, and action steps.
- Science Communicators – Translators of scientific knowledge into actionable public understanding.
- Documentary Filmmakers – Storytellers highlighting environmental and social issues through visual media.
- Arts & Cultural Influencers – Using art, storytelling, or media to inspire environmental and social change.
- Intergenerational Advocates – Bridging youth and elders to create long-lasting, inclusive change.
What These Programs Look Like
Each pilot site is hosting one of the following Mindfulness-Based Nature Connection (MBNC™) formats, delivered by a trained teacher from our national network:
- Daylong Retreats: Immersive, full-day experiences in natural settings
- Half-Day Retreats: Half-day sessions designed for flexibility and honoring busy lives
- 2026 Pilot # 2: Immersion in our in house designed MBNC 6-week course
These programs integrate mindfulness meditation, sensory awareness, guided nature connection practices, and small group reflection. Sessions are trauma-informed, inclusive, and rooted in the teachings of respected traditions such as the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing, nature-based mindfulness from Awake in the Wild, Kripalu Mindful Outdoor guides, Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects and the Nature Dharma teacher training program.
The 2025 Pilot program is focused on the half-day and daylong retreat formats. This pilot is being conducted with a cross-section of our intended participant populations to ensure broad relevance and effectiveness. We are engaged in a dialogue with our teachers about how best to support these offerings and ensure that we have an effective plan for scaling into the future. The 2026 Pilot program will focus on offering the six-week version of the MBNC course.
How We’re Measuring Impact
To evaluate the effectiveness of this pilot, we developed a structured data collection process to measure changes in participants’ well-being across six domains:
1. Emotional resilience
2. Stress and anxiety
3. Sense of connection (self, others, nature)
4. Purpose and meaning
5. Physical relaxation and presence
6. Ecological awareness
Each participant is completing pre- and post-program surveys. We are also gathering feedback from partner organizations and teachers. The results will inform case studies, stories, and reports that we will share with communities, teachers, and funders.
How You Can Get Involved
We believe that access to nature-based mindfulness should be a right, not a privilege. This pilot is just the beginning. You can help bring these powerful programs to more communities:
Funders & Donors: Your support allows us to pay teachers fair rates, offer programs at no cost to participants, and build long-term partnerships with organizations that serve those most in need. Contact us to learn how you can support the pilot or future scaling efforts.
Teachers: Are you trained in nature-based mindfulness and aligned with our mission? We are growing our network of facilitators for future offerings. Subscribe to our Newsletter to learn about opportunities and how to join our teacher network. We would also love to hear from you, so feel free to contact us through our website or submit a proposal of the kind of program you would like to be funded to offer to one of our target audiences.
Partner Non-Profit Organizations: If you serve one of our ten target populations and would like to host a future program, please reach out. We’d love to hear from you. Together, we are building a movement—reconnecting people to nature, to themselves, and to what matters most.