Mindfulness with the Meadow
A Monthly Nature Immersion at Conestee Nature Preserve
Monthly | 90 minutes | $25 | Limited to 25 participants
There is a moment that happens when you stop moving long enough to really look.
When you notice the way morning light catches the edge of a leaf. The sound of wind moving through tall grass. The particular stillness of a meadow that has been here long before you arrived and will be here long after you leave.
In that moment, something in you exhales. The noise quiets. And for just a little while, you remember something essential about who you are and where you belong.
That moment is what Mindfulness with the Meadow is for.
Why Nature?
We live in a world that moves faster than our nervous systems were designed to handle. We are overstimulated, overscheduled, and chronically disconnected — from each other, from the earth, and from ourselves.
And yet the antidote has always been right outside our door.
Research consistently shows that time in nature:
Lowers cortisol levels and reduces physiological stress
Decreases activity in the part of the brain associated with rumination and negative self-referential thinking
Improves mood, focus, and overall sense of wellbeing
Restores attention and cognitive clarity
Deepens feelings of awe, connection, and meaning
But this isn't just about stress relief. Indigenous cultures and earth-based wisdom traditions have known for thousands of years what science is only beginning to confirm — that nature is not a backdrop to human life. It is a living, breathing teacher. And when we slow down enough to listen, it has a great deal to say.
What to Expect
Mindfulness in the Meadow is a gentle, guided immersion into the natural world — part mindfulness practice, part sacred wandering, part community gathering.
Here's how a typical gathering unfolds:
We begin together with a grounding practice — a simple, accessible mindfulness exercise to help you arrive fully. To feel your feet on the earth, your breath in your body, and the aliveness of the world around you.
From there, you'll be invited into a sacred sit and wander — unstructured time to move through the preserve at your own pace, with gentle invitations to notice, to be curious, to let the natural world speak to you in whatever way it will. This is not a hike. It is not exercise. It is permission to slow down and simply be present with what is here.
We come back together to close — sharing what arose, what was noticed, what surprised us. Poems and readings that honor the natural world and the wisdom it carries. And the particular warmth that comes from being in community with others who are learning, like you, to pay attention.
You may leave feeling quieter than when you arrived. More grounded. More connected — to the earth, to something larger than yourself, and to the part of you that already knows how to belong here.
"The earth has music for those who listen." — William Shakespeare
Who This Is For
Mindfulness with the Meadow is for anyone who:
Feels the pull of nature but rarely makes time to actually be in relationship with it
Is curious about mindfulness but finds indoor meditation difficult or inaccessible
Longs for a sense of connection — to something greater, to community, to themselves
Needs permission to slow down
Wants to experience the kind of quiet joy that only comes from paying attention to the living world
No experience with meditation or mindfulness is necessary. All bodies and abilities welcome. Come as you are.
Details
Location: Henderson Meadow, Conestee Nature Preserve, Greenville, SC
Duration: 90 minutes
Date and Time: Sunday, May 24th, 1030am to 12pm
Investment: $25
Group size: Limited to 25 participants to preserve intimacy and spaciousness
Wear comfortable clothes, sun/bug protection, and shoes suitable for walking on natural terrain. Bring water. Leave your phone in your pocket if you can.
Mindfulness with the Meadow is rooted in earth-based wisdom traditions and informed by the work of Bill Plotkin and the Church of the Wild. It is open to people of all spiritual backgrounds and no spiritual background.
MEET YOUR GUIDE
Andrea is an ordained Interfaith Minister, 500-hour yoga teacher, and Hakomi practitioner who has spent years exploring the intersection of embodiment, spirituality, and the natural world. Her love of nature is not academic — it is personal and devotional. She has found God in yoga studios, on mountain tops, paddleboarding at sunset, and standing barefoot in the grass. Trained in the tradition of Church of the Wild and deeply influenced by the earth-based and soul-centered work of Bill Plotkin, Andrea believes that nature is not a backdrop to human life — it is a living teacher, and one of the most reliable paths home to ourselves. She created Mindfulness with the Meadow because she wants everyone to experience the particular kind of quiet joy and belonging that only comes from slowing down and paying attention to the world that surrounds us.
Have any questions?
Send your inquiries my way to andrea@embodiedwayfinding.com