Mind Body Ecology Institute

Welcome to The Mind Body Ecology Institute!

We specialize in offering nature-based mindfulness programs, immersive eco retreats, resilience workshops, meditation trainings, and holistic environmental education to reawaken a sense of interdependence with the living lands, communities, and inner landscapes so individuals and communities can flourish.

Our approach blends Western science and humanities with Indigenous and contemplative wisdom.

Our programs are a fusion of eco mindfulness, somatic practices, and inner/outer regenerative sustainability education. We see life’s challenges as opportunities for resilience and growth. Our programs provide practical tools for living with greater compassion, awareness, and connection to the Earth.

Participants in our eco retreats and workshops often share that they leave with deeper self-awareness, emotional resilience, and a renewed sense of belonging as a part of the natural world.

Together, we cultivate reverence for life in all its rich variety and empower each person to foster the collective flourishing of Earth, community, and self.

Flourishing begins within and with nature!

ECO IMMERSIONS

Our in-person programs explore the interdependence between the inner landscapes of ideas, values, and emotions while engaging with the natural environment. Along our journey, we build community, practice eco mindfulness techniques, explore somatic movement practices, and engage in vibrant discussion.

We have a proven track record of offering these nature-centered programs in multiple formats from 10-day immersives and 6-to-3-day variations to day sessions.

SERIES + WORKSHOPS

These experiential–educational programs explore the ingredients of flourishing and the skills of well-being in an accessible, online community platform. Virtual options attract interest from diverse groups as we feature nationally recognized visionary teachers to contribute their knowledge. Through guided practices, participants shift perspectives beyond the human lens, attuning to a greater sense of interconnection.

TRAININGS

Healing with Nature is a 12-month certification training on healing the physiology and psychology of trauma with nature. MBEI Director and program teacher Dr. Rochelle Calvert, PhD is a licensed therapist and former professional training director at the University of California–San Diego's Center for Mindfulness.

The Eco Resilience Workshop is an eco-wellness training initiative designed to help people who help others, especially K-12 teachers, nurses, retired persons, and parents. Participants learn the the ingredients of flourishing and the skills of well-being. The trainings promote personal and community resilience, while instilling a deeper appreciation for nature. Participants develop ways to integrate nature-based mindfulness skills and eco-awareness into their own lives, workplaces, and projects.

WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS

Our environmental issues along with mounting mental health challenges, particularly among young adults, reflect a profound disconnection from self, others, and nature. Developing the skills of well-being along with nature-based learning and practice help.

DRIVERS OF THE CHALLENGES

• Overwhelm: Rapid societal change, impact of AI, stress.
• Distraction: Compromised attention and mental health from excessive social media use, work demands and burnout, inequity, and information overload.
• Disconnection: Isolation from community, the natural environment, and heritage.

YOUR PARTERNSHIP IS AN INVESTMENT IN ECO WELLNESS

Data collected one month or more after our in-person programs:

91% developed skills to better support mental health100% feel more connected to nature

91% feel more self-compassion100% feel a wider sense of community and belonging

95% experience significant improvements in mental health and emotional resilience

100% feel more compassion got nature and other people

OUR CORE IN-PERSON PROGRAMS

• Ecology of Resilience, Ecology of Self (6-day to 3-day variations). So far, we have offered versions at High Ranch and the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center
• Ecology of Flourishing (our flagship 10-day program hosted in Costa Rica, which provides an opportunity for participants to experience a slower-pace lifestyle attuned to the natural cycles. After three fantastic years, this one did not run due to U.S. political and economic concerns).
• Healing with Nature Trauma Care Facilitator Training Retreat (an optional eco retreat that serves as a supplement to the training)
• Eco Resilience Workshop Retreat (High Hope Ranch). The capstone in-person retreat for a new cohort-based program series that gently introduces participants to MBEI’s work, culminating in the retreat.

DIMENSIONS OF OUR WORK

MBEI offers a distinctive blend of several integral dimensions of self-growth and development which are key ingredients of resilience and flourishing.

Community and Belonging

• Community building
• Talking circles
• Storytelling

Awareness and Creativity

• Nature-based mindfulness and eco meditation
• Somatic movement practices
• Nature walks
• Creative arts

Insight and Understanding

• Exploration of cognitive and behavioral patterns
• Educational discussion of topics such as self-awareness, ecosystem awareness, environmental awareness, worldviews, values, systems theory, authenticity, interdependence, kinship, reverence, resilience, and flourishing 

Meaning and Responsibility

• Reflection on personal skills, talents, passions, and networks with a focus on actionable steps forward in wise and responsible environmental stewardship.
• Life-design techniques and impactful ways to cultivate an ecologically and socially-engaged path to support individual and planetary health.

We hope people who attend our programs leave well equipped with the skills of well-being as well as an expanded self-awareness, enhanced social connectivity, and greater resilience and compassion.

We believe the first step to a better world is to help people thrive personally, so they can harness their inherent capacity for growth to contribute meaningfully to their communities and a flourishing world.

Our flourishing future begins within and with nature.