Living in the Present: Practices for Being In and With Nature

A TALK BY RYAN SHEA

Most wisdom traditions in the world—East and West, Ancient and Modern—have taught the centrality of living in the present. Yet in our daily lives of distraction and hectic frenzy, we often find that the one place we never are is here and the one time we never have is now.  How can one start living fully in presence?  This talk explores ways in which we might receive this capacity directly from nature by working through several concrete practices. We will give focus to the differences between lessons from plant and animal teachers. For example, how can we learn from the caterpillar how to be here and now; from the milkweed how to be here and now. Ryan’s talk is free and open to the public.