This workshop will help you learn the practice of Ornitherapy - a practice of mindful birding.

Through guided instruction, we'll learn simple mindfulness exercises to engage our sensory awareness while intentionally tuning into the birds surrounding us. Techniques and prompts called “Orntiherapy Explorations”accompany the gently guided walk, which through observation enhances our identification skills, while promoting a deepening of our experiences with birds around us. This in turn amplifies the multitude of benefits birds provide to our overall wellness. Participants will be provided Ornitherapy Journals to increase observation and awareness and have a take-away from the experience to continue wherever they go.

Benefits of Ornitherapy:

• Enjoy a reprieve from life stressors and pressures
• Stimulate overall wellbeing: mind and body
• Gain enhanced sensory awareness (sight, sound, smell, touch)
• Better understand birdlife through intentional observation
• Sharpen your observation skills
• Enhance your identification skills, while building a stronger foundation for overall bird ID
• Increase self-reflection through birds and nature

Event details: 2.5 hour workshop 

Location: Philadelphia Metro Area; Please contact us to learn more about how to create your own group of specially guided sessions, or a private guided Ornitherapy Experience.

Holly Merker

Holly is an avid birder, educator, writer, lecturer, and cancer survivor who credits Ornitherapy in helping to save her life. Holly used mindful birdwatching—Ornitherapy—as a powerful tool in fighting cancer and credits the technique as a frontline weapon in restoring and maintaining good physical and mental health. She is lead author on a book on the subject, aptly called Ornitherapy: For Your Mind, Body, and Soul, which guides readers into deeper connections to the birds around them.