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‘The smaller we come to feel ourselves
compared to the mountain,
the nearer we come to
participating in its greatness.’
– Arne Naess

‘The smaller we come to feel ourselves
compared to the mountain,
the nearer we come to
participating in its greatness.’
– Arne Naess



 

From the outset, our vision for Way of Nature was to support better lives and work by reconnecting to nature. For us, this means bringing in some of the deeper principles of our work into  different kinds of human system – schools, communities, even businesses and governments. The question being – ‘how can we realign human systems with the wider systems we are part of?’

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In response to all this, our own work with organisations has evolved quickly, and today we are developing it in two strands: firstly through direct commissions from organisations and collaborators, and secondly through work with a sister project  – The Bio-Leadership Project.

In terms of direct work and commissions, we are now working with people to design specific learning and transformation programmes to help the connect, explore and work with nature.

Alongside this, The Bio-Leadership Project is about helping to address 21st challenges by drawing inspiration from, and working in partnership with, nature. This programme is now running open programmes, research initiatives and offering advice to different kinds of organisation. If you have any questions about how to connect or shift organisations or human systems to nature, this may be an area of close interest.

Today, a growing number of people involved with Way of Nature internationally are supporting sustainability, social development, systemic innovation and leadership development. Do get in touch if you would like to discuss or explore any aspects of this work.

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Organisational Retreats
“For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf,
and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
– Rudyard Kipling

Organisational Retreats

Our retreats take teams and communities on profound journeys into of change. We take people to wild places and thread in ideas and activities rooted in a core set of Way of Nature principles. Hosted with care and insight, they are an extraordinary way to help a team develop insight, flow, creativity and connection as a whole.

Retreats are not just about new ways of thinking, but about deepening qualities of presence, relaxation, resilience, compassion, and authentic connection to ‘Source’. These are the qualities we believe are needed to support profound 21st century change.

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Leadership inspired by Nature and Earth Wisdom
“What is the good of having a nice house
without a decent planet to put it on?”
– Henry David Thoreau

Workshop on leadership inspired by Nature and Earth’s wisdom traditions

Central London – Dates TBC

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” – Arundhati Roy

Join us on an exploration of new forms of leadership, inspired by Nature and the Earth’s wisdom traditions. In a world in need of new balance and purpose, here we renew capacities for awareness, presence, purpose, reconnection, compassion and a rebalancing of the ‘yin’ with the ‘yang’.

The workshop will be led by Andres Roberts and Jennifer Menke, who have delved deep into wisdom and Earth teachings while working across new boundaries of leadership, systemic innovation, nature connection and spirituality.

Jennifer is in the UK for only a short time and this is a great opportunity to share ideas from her work with the Academy for Systemic Change in the US. This workshop also builds on an earlier gathering Andres and Jennifer co-hosted on ‘Leadership and the Feminine’, held in Colorado last Summer.

We are delighted to be able to hold this workshop together, committed to supporting deeper connection, clearer minds, more open hearts and realignment of ourselves, our collective purpose and healthier society and planet.

Key Themes

– How can we reconnect to deeper purpose and our path as leaders for our communities and for our planet?

– How might we develop presence, flow, connection and balance in a way fit for ourselves as human beings and the world we are part of?

– How to open the senses and awareness to interpret and navigate an accelerating and more complex world?

– How do we nourish capacities for being as much as doing; and for openness and receptivity as much as striving and ‘advancing’?

– How do we listen deeply to the Earth to inform our actions, so that they are in alignment with the natural rhythm of the planet?

– How can we seduce this new world that our hearts know is possible?

What to Expect

– Ancient practices to develop awareness, presence and connection to Source, ourselves and each other

– Embodied activities to bring to life a full feeling of flow, reconnection and balance

– A deep, full and honest dialogue – and physical practices – related to rebalancing masculine and feminine forces in us and all the world

– Deep dialogue and deep listening practices at a time when we must listen to each other and the earth

– Safe space for story-telling, personal reflection and action setting

– Mini ‘solos’ to connect with inner and outer nature

– The beginning of new community dedicated to leadership in alignment with ourselves and the Earth

Dates and Logistics

The workshop will take place over two days near central London, with the option to come for both days or the first day alone. The first day will emphasise leadership as Self. The second day will look at how to translate these qualities to the wider world.

Inspiration

Jennifer and Andres bring knowledge from a number of elders and wisdom teachers, applied to modern work and challenges. We would like to take this opportunity to honour the people we have learnt from to do this work, including John P. Milton, Miss Lane Moonwalker, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joanna Macy and the many other teachers and peers. In this session we will be introducing and working with ideas and practices from across mindfulness, Buddhism, T’ai Chi, Qi Gong, Taoism, Native American traditions, Systems Thinking and Nature herself. We will do so while making space to work practically with our own stories while also responding to collective needs and stories as they emerge.

Cost

We would like to offer a voluntary pricing structure with the suggested range below.

– Career/Journey Starters: £60 plus VAT per day

– Professional: £125 plus VAT per day

– Organisations or feeling abundant: £250 plus VAT per day

Registration

To express interest please contact andres[at]wayofnature.co.uk.

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Day long workshops and retreats
From developing Presence to resilience to
exploring ‘cycles of change’,
our day long retreats and workshops
are a refreshing way to find
space and new perspectives.

Day-long retreats and workshops

A challenging world calls for different ways of working with change and leadership. Our day-long programmes, consisting of practices from our core principles, support a range of needs in invigorating ways. Where possible, we try to work with groups outside. Sometimes we start indoors then head to local parks – even a gentle walk, together with our processes, can make a huge difference.

We run a couple of basic day-long experiences that can also be adapted to different needs:

Presencing and Awareness Workshop

For thousands of years, people from many traditions have gone into the wild to find peace, wisdom and guidance. In today’s world it is harder to find this time, but Nature is still there waiting for us, ready to help us on our journeys.

In Japan, there is a practice called ‘Forest Bathing’. This involves going into the Forest with special intention – to relax, to let go, and to open up to the goodness Nature offers. It has been shown that time in Nature reduces stress hormones, increases white blood cell counts and increases creativity. These are just some of the things Nature can help us do.

Through this programme, the idea is to go more deeply into these principles. Working with relaxation and presence, and with the help of some interesting models for reflection, you will be invited to explore natural cycles of change in your life and work.

– An opening into relaxation and presence

–  An introduction to Qi Gong practices to support awareness and flow

– Mindfulness practices

– An exploration of the cycles of change through ancient wisdom models

– A mini solo alone (AllOne) to support reflection

– Space to consider how to thread new forms of balance into life.

Cycles of Change Workshop 

An exploration of how we sense and work with change. Here we work with three core Way of Nature principles: Presence, Relaxation and Energy. These are at the heart of developing awareness, staying grounded and developing capacity to sense and adapt to change more skilfully.

From here, we will work with fascinating ideas from indigenous medicine wheels and the Taoist elements: Fire, Earth, Stone/Metal, Water and Wood. Always enlightening – and always about working with heart as much as head – these help us explore how any ‘form’ has different forces and forms of energy around it. These contrasting forces exist in us and in everything around us. Understanding these forces can help us to us to shape and work with change more profoundly.

“All forms are constantly changing. All forms are connected. All forms constantly fall and rise from Source.”

Not least, in this programme we make space for some brief periods of time alone (AllOne) ‘solos’ outdoors. This can be a gift we hardly ever give ourselves – time completely alone to ourselves.

At the end of the experience we will reflect on how to take insights and practices drawn from the day back into everyday life.

Held lightly and playfully, this is an inspiring and heart-warming experience to help many aspects of work and life.

An opening into relaxation and presence

– An introduction to Qi Gong practices to support awareness and flow

– Mindfulness practices

– An exploration of the cycles of change through ancient wisdom models

– A mini solo alone (AllOne) to support reflection

– Space to consider how to thread new forms of balance into life

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