Dear friends,
Apologies for the long silence since sharing my adventures running my first Mindfulness in Nature course in the stunning Austrian Alps. There is however an exciting reason for this: I am busy writing a new book !
In this second book – after Mindfulness and the Natural World: Bringing our Awareness back to Nature – I am exploring the joys of Mindful Birdwatching with a focus on:
- How watching birds can inspire us to be more mindful in every day life
- How mindfulness enhances our birdwatching experiences
- How birds can bring beauty and joy into our every day lives
- How birds can teach us about living happier, more fulfilling lives
- inspiring us all to enjoy the wonder and magic of watching birds
The book is planned to be published in 2017 – as part of same series as the last one. Rest assured, you will not need any previous experience of mindfulness or birdwatching to enjoy it. It aims to inspire us all, regardless of birdwatching experience to welcome more birds and mindfulness into our lives. For the experienced birdwatchers amongst you, it is an invitation to enhance your birdwatching experiences through the practice of mindfulness.
In the meantime, if you have any birdwatching experiences you would like to share, be it the intimate encounter you had with a blackbird on your way to work last week or the amazing moment when you spotted an eagle on your mountain holiday this summer, I would love to hear about it! Please share any experiences as comments below…
I look forward to hearing from you all !
Hello Claire,
I’m delighted that you’re at work on another book in the excellent Leaping Hare Press series, and Mindful Birdwatching will be a splendid addition. You say in your post that no previous experience of birdwatching is required to enjoy this mindfulness practice, and I couldn’t agree more – all the birdwatching books which I’ve encountered are, understandably, fixated on naming species, and this isn’t conducive to mindfulness for me.
The unimportance of nomenclature is beautifully expressed in one of my favourite poems, which you probably know: ‘Growing, Flying, Happening’ by Alastair Reid. Just in case you’re not familiar with this poem, it’s in a collection of Alastair Reid’s poems entitled ‘Weathering’ (Canongate, 1981). I’ll give you the first verse below and, if you’d like me to send you the rest of the poem by email, I’ll happily do so.
Best wishes for your work on the book,
Christopher
Say the soft bird’s name, but do not be surprised to see it fall
headlong, struck skyless, into its pigeonhole –
columba palumbus and you have it dead,
wedged, neat, unwinged in your head.