The Mindful Birding Podcast
The Mindful Birding Podcast – Cultivating the health benefits and joy of Mindful Birding
Join co-hosts Holly Merker and Holly Thomas, along with other voices of the Mindful Birding Network and beyond, as we explore topics surrounding the practice of Mindful Birding.
Episodes will delve into this style of observation, which pairs together elements of mindfulness and birding, amplifying the personal wellness benefits of both. Here, you’ll find episodes featuring insights into Mindful Birding from people around the globe, science segments, author interviews, tips for enhancing your Mindful Birding practice, plus a spotlight on the joy of birdsong.
The Mindful Birding Podcast
Episode 9: Prescriptive Nature
In this episode, we explore the concept of Prescriptive Nature, and gain a better understanding of how and where these prescriptions are being used today in preventative medicine across the globe.
Special guest Dr. Joe Blanda MD discusses the ParkRX program and shares how he prescribed nature to his own patients while a practicing orthopedic surgeon, and continues this initiative through projects in his local community in Akron Ohio.
Holly Thomas shares the poem The Cure For It All by Julia Fehrenbacher
In the Mindful Birding Nerding Science Segment, Holly Thomas explores why Prescriptive Nature might face hurdles in traditional medical settings, and highlights some of the work going on in Poland, specifically that of two pioneers in the area of the therapeutic benefits of birding Dr. Piotr Tryjanowski Dr. Slawomir Murawiec, and Dr. Katarzyna Simonienko - specifically her article on Therapeutic Ornithology
For our Joy of Birdsong segment, Holly & Holly bring you with them on a slow walk through an autumn landscape in southeastern Pennsylvania, sharing a few moments of their wondrous encounter with a pair of dueting Great Horned Owls
We invite you, our listeners, to share moments of gratitude you have with or for birds in our upcoming episode centering around Gratitude. Please email us before Nov.20. 2023 your recordings of gratitude, one minute or less, to: mindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com
Other Links:
Japanese results of prescriptive nature: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/8/781
WHO Paper: https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/state-mental-health-globally-wake-covid-19-pandemic-and-progress-who-special-initiative
Dr. Katarzyna Simonienko https://www.forest-therapy.pl/en/forest-therapy/
Slawomir Murawiec
https://naturallybalanced.org/en/author/slawomirmurawiec/
Birding during COVID - http://www.psychiatria.com.pl/artykul.php?a=941
Nature and Mental Health: Birding is a Proven Solution https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9623220/
Intro music: “Inspired by Nature” by PlayAgain
Intro Birdsong & Clips throughout : Western Meadowlark
Outro music: “Inspired by Nature” by PlayAgain
Outro Birdsong: Eastern Meadowlark
Mindful Birding Network Website
Instagram: @mindfulbirdingnetwork
Produced by Co-hosts Holly Merker and Holly Thomas
