The Art of Mindful Birdwatching: Reflections on Freedom & Being

Description

Who has never stopped to gaze enviously at a bird soaring effortlessly through the sky? Or delight in a sudden burst of birdsong through an office window? Bird flight and song are symbols of freedom and inspiration for the practice of mindful awareness, which in turn offers us greater freedom in our own experience of our minds and lives. The Art of Mindful Birdwatching explores how cultivating a deeper awareness of nature's songsters is a natural focus for practicing mindfulness meditation every day. Through personal anecdote and expert insight, Claire Thompson takes us on a journey through the natural world. She reveals how, through noticing bird life in habitats from the city to the coast, we connect with nature and appreciate the beauty, freedom, and complexity all around us.

Claire Thompson is a Conservation Programme Support officer for BirdLife International, the world leader in bird conservation. She worked for the World Land Trust, an international conservation organization which works to protect the world's most biologically important and threatened habitats across the world. Claire leads retreats in mindfulness and nature across Europe, and is a fan of the kingfisher. She explores mindfulness at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, and is the author of Mindfulness & the Natural World.

"In The Art of Mindful Birdwatching, Claire Thompson elegantly weaves a narrative full of her own delightfully documented encounters with birds in amongst sage guidance on using mindfulness to help readers become deeply aware of the present moment. Following Claire's clearly described exercises has the potential to lead one from mere identification to making deeply insightful observations into the life of birds." * British Trust of Ornithology * "Read how the practice of mindfulness enriches our birdwatching experiences and how birds are the ideal inspiration for the practice of mindfulness." * Veggie magazine *