Mindful Outdoor Guide Certification Level 2: Aligning with Nature
Level 2 takes your skills as a mindful outdoor guide to the next level. The focus in level 2 is on working with the great elements of Ayurveda; space, air, fire, water and earth. These elements are powerful forces that move through all aspects of life. Through specific nature meditations and ancestral skills, such as friction fire birthing, wood carving, shelter building, and water procurement, we learn to guide ourselves and others into states of deep absorption and relationship with the living earth. Through off-campus expeditions to places of power and refuge in the Berkshires, you learn to work in partnership with the unique qualities of different places on the earth. Level 2, explores advanced skills and techniques, but is accessible and appropriate for anyone who successfully completed Level 1. Level 2 is a once-in-a-lifetime transformational journey that will provide you with tools you need to feel at home mindfully guiding others in the outdoors.
Upon successful completion of KSMOL Level 1, you are eligible to register for Level 2. No additional application is necessary.
INDIGENOUS WISDOM AND HISTORY
Your teacher is Shawn Stephens, KSMOL Faculty, Co-Director of the Alliance for A Viable Future, and member of the Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohicans, musician, storyteller, and language keeper.
ELEMENTAL MEDITATIONS
Learn to work with the Great Elements of space, air, water, earth, and fire as doorways of meditation, connection, and relationship with “the more than human world”. Practice early morning fire, water, and earth meditations which bring all the skills you are leaning into union.
BIRTHING FIRE: BOW DRILL
Learn the ancient, and sacred, practice of birthing fire with friction.
FIRE MEDITATION
Learn how to integrate fire into your mindful outdoor experiences, both as a focal point for meditation and as an ally for carving your own wooden tools and utensils.
FOREST TEA AND FORAGING FUNDAMENTALS
Learn to harvest easy to identify tree species to make nourishing teas to weave into your mindful outdoor experiences.
SHELTER BUILDING
Discover how to fashion a safe, dry, and cozy shelter using only what you gather from the forest—a crucial skill for building confidence and a sense of connection to the outdoors.
HOME PROJECT AND MENTORING
In level 2 you present the findings of your Home Project from level 1. You also receive mentoring for your solo-led, 1-hour mindful outdoor experience.
PLACES OF POWER AND REFUGE
In level 2 experience two-days of off campus excursions to explore places of power and refuge in the Berkshires. This is an opportunity to explore the different qualities, personalities, and facets of different landmarks we can be in relationship with as mindful outdoor guides. From a sacred canyon and a mysterious mountaintop, to a rich and diverse wildlife sanctuary, we will spend two days expanding our awareness of the power of place.
Level 2: Aligning with Nature | ON CAMPUS
October 17–October 26, 2025
Information Sessions
Register for one of our free, online information sessions to learn more.
LEARN MORE
Reading List
Required Reading
- The Spell of Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human-World, David Abram
- Tom Brown’s Guide to Healing the Earth, Randy Walker and Tom Brown, Jr.
Suggested Reading
- Smoke Hole: Looking to the Wild in the Time of the Spyglass, Martin Shaw
- Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, Tyson Yunkaporta
- A Field Guide to Nature Meditations: 52 Mindfulness Practices for Joy, Wisdom and Wonder, Mark Coleman
VIEW GEAR LIST
ONLINE TRAININGS
Is the curriculum different for the online versus the campus training?
There is no difference in the curriculum. However, there is additional one-on-one mentoring with Kripalu Faculty made available to our students taking the training online.
How will the trainings be shared?
All sessions of the training will be held by Zoom video call. Links, passwords, and more information will be shared once you are registered in the training.
ON CAMPUS TRAININGS
Is the whole training outdoors?
Yes, barring extreme or unsafe weather conditions the entirety of this training is held outside on the land surrounding Kripalu Center. As a Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide in training, it is important that you prepare for the training by spending regular time outdoors in a variety of weather conditions before arriving. Proper clothing and gear is also essential. You will receive a complete gear list when you are accepted into the training.
GENERAL INQUIRIES
Do I need to be an experienced outdoor leader to take this training?
No. You do not need to be a seasoned outdoor guide to take this training. The Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide certification teaches you how to lead others in connecting mindfully with nature. You do, however, need to be able to be outdoors for up to 12 hours each day for seven full days in a variety of weather conditions.
What is Mindful Outdoor Leadership?
Mindful outdoor leaders use mindfulness, which is the practice of cultivating non-judgmental awareness in the present moment, to help those they are guiding get out of their heads and into their bodies in order to connect more deeply with nature and the outdoors. In our modern society people are spending less and less time outdoors and more and more time on their devices. Mindful outdoor guides help people to open their senses in nature for greater health and quality of life.
What is Nature Deficit Disorder?
In 2005, author and journalist Richard Louv added a new word to the English lexicon, Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD). Louv defines NDD as, “The human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses.” Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, framed the loss of connection with nature as a public health issue and challenged the trajectory of our current course of unbridled and unquestioning integration of tech into all aspects of our lives to the exclusion of time spent in nature.
Do I need to be a yoga or meditation teacher?
No. In this training, you will learn to lead short centerings, simple breathing, and mindful movements within the context of nature immersion. You do need at least two years of experience with a mindfulness-based practice, such as yoga, meditation, mindful walking, Qi Gong, etc.