Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery

by Mark Coleman

“Nature deficit disorder” has become an increasingly challenging problem in our hyper modern world. In Awake in the Wild, Mark Coleman shows seekers how to remedy this widespread malady by reconnecting with nature through Buddhism. Each short (two to three pages) chapter includes a concrete nature meditation relating to such topics as Attuning to the Natural World, Reflecting the Rhythms of Nature, Walking with Compassion, Releasing the Inner Noise, Freeing the Animal Within, Coming into the Peace of Wild Things, Weathering the Storms of Life, and more. Incorporating anecdotes from the author’s many nature retreats, Buddhist wisdom and teachings, important nature writings by others, and nature itself, the book invites readers to participate in, not just observe, nature; develop a loving connection with the earth as a form of environmental activism; decrease urban alienation through experiencing nature; embody nature’s peaceful presence; and connect with ancient spiritual wisdom through nature meditations.

Genres: Nature, Buddhism, Nonfiction, Meditation, Psychology, Spirituality, Health

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

Reviews

[John Stepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book.

I happened to to start reading it while staying in a house in the woods which was a fortunate coincidence(?), as almost all of the meditations involve a natural setting setting, and that might have been a bit frustrating in the city!

I read the book slowly, one short chapter at a time, savoring it. I attempted some of the meditations (there’s one in each chapter). For sure, reading the book changed my walks and meanderings for the better.

I feel it’s a book I will return to again and again.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to become more connected to the natural world.

[Katrina Dreamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt such excitement and joy reading this book...so many great exercises and meditations and a simple and elegant wisdom that comes from the author's many years studying Buddhism. I feel these practices marry well with my own terrapsychological practices.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved all the meditations in the book.

[Had Walmer]

on reading few passages this is like a dear friend and dharma brother, gently showing what we are present with, in this moment

[Had Walmer]

Have just read a few passages and already am enjoying this fine book;
like a dharma friend to join on a hike anywhere, 'in nature'.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the connection between mindfulness and nature, this book was very special to me.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was required reading for a class I took, but I really enjoyed it! Excellent guidance for mindful meditation in nature.

[Alex Furst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self Discovery by Mark Coleman.
4/5 rating.
Book #12 of 2020. Read February 29, 2020.

This was a great book about the power of nature to make us be more aware, loving, and awake in our everyday lives.

Mark is a meditator and uses this lens to review the beauty and power of nature. As he says: "Putting ourselves in the midst of something greater than our personal dramas, difficulties, and pain - as we do when we walk in the open plains, hike in rarefied mountain air, or ramble on an empty beach - can give us a sense of space and openness, lifting us out of our narrow selves."

The book consists of short little chapters with a small talk about different aspects of nature, followed by mindfulness meditations to be done out in nature. I thought all of the meditations were great ideas and will definitely try some of them out!

Some of Mark's best quotes that I loved:
"There are always flowers for those who want to see them."
"In nature, as in life, it is easy to forget that happiness is always available here in this moment, and not in grasping after some imagined future."

Quotes:
"We can't help but be touched by the gracefulness of the flight of a hawk, or the peace emanating from trees softly swaying in the breeze."
"Putting ourselves in the midst of something greater than our personal dramas, difficulties, and pain - as we do when we walk in the open plains, hike in rarefied mountain air, or ramble on an empty beach - can give us a sense of space and openness, lifting us out of our narrow selves."
"This world, after all our science...is still a miracle: wonderful, inscrutable, magical and more." - Thomas Carlyle
"'Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.' - John Lubbock, 'The Use of Life'"
"It can be useful to ask ourselves what price we pay for doing and accomplishing a lot. Stepping outdoors, away from this frenetic pace, we may begin to question if all this hurry brings us the peace of mind and satisfaction for which we so deeply long."
"It is a man's sympathy with all creatures that truly makes him a man. Until he extends his circle of compassion to all living things, man himself will not find peace."
"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect."
"If we fully understood and held in our awareness the depth of our interconnection, how much more respect and reverence and care would we give to the oceans, skies, and forests?"
"We can find peace anywhere, even in the midst of difficulty. It all depends on our relationship to what is happening."
"We grow slowly, and only with patience and love, not force."
"Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition. Man is the only being who knows he is alone."
"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter...to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life."
"When you have less, you begin to notice more."
"As the Buddha says in The Dhammapada, 'With our thoughts we create the world.'"
"Conversely, freedom is a mind that clings to nothing, the heart that is supremely content with what is. The ability to let go of our attachments to what we want, or how we want things to be, is a sure path to attain peace wherever we are, with whomever we're with, no matter what material things we have or don't have in our possession."
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his mind and his eyes are closed." - Albert Einstein
"Enlightenment is an accident, but meditation practice makes us more accident-prone."

[Henning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Det här är en underbar bok om naturen och vårt förhållande till den. Under läsningen hinner man tänka mycket på var man befinner sig i livet och hur man tar vara på det. Att börja tillbringa mer tid utomhus är för övrigt bland de bästa val jag gjort i mitt liv; rekommenderas!

Bäst blir boken när Coleman är riktigt personlig och talar om andra erfarenheter än sitt förhållande till naturen. På några ställen mot slutet hade jag gärna sett att han valt sådana exempel istället för sina evinnerliga naturmetaforer, som exempelvis när han talar om sorg och stora förluster.

[Amy Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way he describes being in nature with such detail to make you really relish it when you're out there. It's an important reminder for me to slow down and appreciate the beauty and wildness as a gift ..too often ignored and taken for granted.

[Linda Smelser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book opens the door to seeing Mother Nature with new eyes. If you want a deeper relationship / experience with her (Nature), this is a wonderful book to get you started. I can't wait to start reading it again!

[Craig Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, helpful, instructional book on Buddhism and meditating in nature. Each short chapter offers a description and commentary on a topic in Buddhism and a meditation to specifically focuses on that chapter’s topic. A lifetime of examples and practices here.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant book.

[Chris Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really thoughtful and well-articulated book on the dance between Buddhist concepts and the natural world

[Mandee Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d give this one 4 stars. This book goes deep into practice so it’s a bit heavy and took me awhile to finish, but overall I really enjoyed it. It’ll be a reference book for me, one I revisit and come back to in the future.