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Inspired Nature offers Mindfulness-informed Wellbeing Walks and Therapeutic Art-making

Winter Wellbeing group returns. Begin your year with mindfulness, connection and creativity. 

TBC Spring special day events. New life, new beginnings, the birth of a new season and Nature’s unfolding. 

• make space for your inherent creativity
• find the motivation to embrace the outdoors whatever the weather
• branch out and develop confidence with new people 
• share mindfulness and appreciate nature 
• support your wellbeing

Who can join?

I welcome adults of any culture, age, ability. You’ll need to be able to stroll for about 30-45 minutes at a time, with sitting stops. There’s no art experience necessary. I offer a phone call or email contact when you first sign-up to discuss any accessibility needs or questions you may have. 

What can I expect from a session? 

Every Inspired Nature session includes walking, art-making, and tea. Sessions follow a similar form while being totally unique depending on the participants, the weather and the Season. Depending on the time of year I offer four-part course which can be something to relax and settle into, establishing routine. I also offer occasional days which can be a useful way to try out something new with less commitment. 

You may come along once and give it a try, or you may decide to integrate Inspired Nature sessions as a regular part of your year. There really is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, providing you are kind with yourself, others and our environment.

What have people said about their experience?

“Eleanor is an amazing facilitator – warm, open and a calming presence”

“Helpful in So many ways, e.g. Happy in the group; happy to be me… Feel a lot more confident in art work.”

“enjoyed doing the walk together out and about. It was helpful… I would like to do this again.”

“Sign up process was clear + easy…WOCA a welcoming space… Felt very safe + comfortable… Joined to try art and different materials. Got lots of new ideas from sharing with the group.”

What’s the background?

I am motivated by offering projects that are about re-connection with Nature: our nature and the “rest of nature” (M J Rust, 2019). Many sources indicate that our spiritual, psychological, emotional and physical wellbeing all benefit from experiential contact with the outdoors.  While it may be true that “You don’t need anything to go out in nature, you just need to find something that you’re interested in or curious in” (BBC, 2024), there can be hinderances, for example health challenges, confidence, motivation, and seasonal changes affecting mood and interest. 

…

I’ve developed the sessions to be a supported way to connect/re-connect with nature, creativity, contemplation and community. The project is informed by the 6 Ways to Wellbeing (SLaM, 2008) and the four pathways to connect (Dana, 2020), the use of mindfulness awareness is informed by my own practice and training in contemplative Buddhist psychology and a Mindfulness-based Psychospiritual psychotherapy. ‘Inspired Nature’ is not a therapy itself, yet it does share some parallels with therapeutic process, providing a boundaried space in which to relax, create and reflect with the intention of supporting health and wellbeing. 

I look forward to welcoming you to an Inspired Nature session soon.

References for this article:

Rust, M-J. (2020). Towards an Ecopsychotherapy. Confer Books: London. 

BBC. (2024). Could you be suffering from ‘plant blindness’? . Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/videos/cyvppyvpmj4o [Accessed 7th June 2025]. 

South London and Maudsley (2008). Wheel of Wellbeing. [Online]. Available at: https://southkentmind.org.uk/wheel-of-wellbeing. [Accessed 15th May 2025].

Dana, D. (2020). Deb Dana: Befriending Your Nervous System. Sounds True. [Video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxpxyzZx_rw. [Accessed 30th May 2025].

Kumar, S. (2010). People Planet Health. Resurgence & Ecologist, Issue 261. Available at: https://www.resurgence.org/magazine/article3119-people-planet-health.html [Accessed 7th June 2025]. 

Bristol Shrine Flowers, 2023 E.M.

© Eleanor Minney Drawing All work Copyright Eleanor Minney 2025