Archive for the ‘1- Video Posts’ Category
14/06/2013
Tom on board his yacht in Bluff, New Zealand
I had the good fortune to meet Tom Shepherd yesterday, here in the little town of Kingston, New Zealand.
Although he won’t admit it, Tom has a remarkable story to tell, which actually isn’t over yet. He’s half way through a “figure-8 circumnavigation” of the North and South Islands of New Zealand – and he’s learning to sail as he goes along. What’s more impressive is he’s approaching his 84th birthday next month, and, he has been diagnosed with cancer. Seven years ago he was given six months to live. Every six months after that, for two years, nothing happened. He finally decided he wasn’t going to sit around to see would happen. Learn more of his story:
When he sailed in to the docks in Motueka, near Nelson, people were gathering and walking down the dock to greet him with “You must be Tom Shepherd, the fellow sailing down the coast.” Word had traveled before his arrival. Since then he’s been interviewed by the Maori Channel here in New Zealand. He was kind enough to grant me the interview (see above), but, half joking, said he was considering going into hiding.
The next leg of his journey would provide an opportunity as a recluse, as he heads from New Zealand’s southern tip into the deep fjords of the the west coast. I want to keep track of this man – who is an inspiration. He’s getting out there and doing something. He’s not posting on Facebook or blogs, he’s just doing it. Tom’s adventure is about being alive as much as it is the uncharted journey on his yacht. It reminds me of the quote by William G.T. Shedd – “A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.”
Please see the pos
t interview clip, (below) of how Mr. Shepherd “rubbed off” on a bummed out cab driver in the Christchurch area. It’s been said that one of the tenants of a spiritual person is to serve as a fire that helps kindle the soul of another. Tom Shepherd humble, but the results around him seem to be clear. He’s making this place a better world, just by living.
See this great video piece on Maori TV’s Native Affairs about Tom’s Journey
Tags:A ship is safe in a harbor, bucket list, cancer, inspiration, Kingston, life, Maori TV, Mountain Spirit, Mountain Spirit NZ, Native Affairs, New Zealand, Randall Richards, Tom Shepherd, what now, william G.T. Shedd
Posted in 1- Video Posts, Boating/Water, Health, Holistic Living, Indigenous Wisdom, Inspirational People, Leadership, New Zealand, Spiritual | Leave a Comment »
31/01/2013
Deborah Sellars
Deb Sellars and Molly Morgan, part of the ski instructor team (with Randy Richards) for the upcoming Nordic Nirvana program, talk about their background and the concept of blending XC Skiing and the Buddhist practice of mindfulness and presence while skiing in nature.
Molly Morgan
Mountain Spirit Institute is collaborating with Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH to offer a special weekend, based at the refuge, of XC skiing (possibly snowshoeing depending upon conditions) on Feb. 8,9,10th. For more info see Mountain Spirit Institute’s and Wonderwell Mountain Refuge’s webpages on the program.
Tags:Cross Country Skiing, Deborah Sellars, Lama Willa Miller, Mindfulness, Molly Morgan, Mountain Spirit, NH, Nordic Nirvana, Proctor Academy, Randy Richards, Springfield, Sunapee, Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, XC Skiing
Posted in 1- Video Posts, Climb/Ski/Mntneering, Experiential Education, Focus on MSI People, Holistic Living, Inner Work, Mountain People, Power of Place, Spiritual | Leave a Comment »
01/01/2013
“Letting the mountains meditate you”
Mountain Spirit Institute‘s director, R. Richards, continues his interview with Lama Willa Miller of the Wonderwell Mountain Refuge about their collaboration on the upcoming Nordic Nirvana Cross-Country Ski weekend retreat. This is the two organization’s second collaborative offering of mindfulness and outdoor pursuits. In Oct. 2012, MSI and Wonderwell offered Mindfulness in the Mountains.
This program promises to deliver a similar flavor of quietude but this time, with a balance of motion over snow on ski.
Tags:Adventure, Cross Country Skiing, Dartmouth Lake Sunapee region, Lama Willa Miller, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mindfulness in the mountains, Mountain Spirit, Natural Dharma Fellowship, Professional Ski Instructors of America, PSIA, Randy Richards, Sunapee, Tibetan Buddhism, Wonderwell Refuge
Posted in 1- Video Posts, Climb/Ski/Mntneering, Experiential Education, Health, Inner Work, MSI News, Spiritual | Leave a Comment »
01/01/2013
XC Skiing and Meditation
Mountain Spirit Institute is excited to once again partner with Wonderwell Mountain Refuge and Natural Dharma Fellowship to offer a weekend of nordic skiing and meditation in the beautiful mountains and woods the Dartmouth Lake Sunapee region of New Hampshire. Below is part 1 of yesterday’s interview with Lama Willa Miller, the spiritual head of the Wonderwell and Natural Dharma Fellowship of Cambridge MA. Part II is here.
Tags:Adventure, Cross Country Skiing, Dartmouth Lake Sunapee region, Lama Willa Miller, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mindfulness in the mountains, Mountain Spirit, Natural Dharma Fellowship, Professional Ski Instructors of America, PSIA, Randy Richards, Sunapee, Tibetan Buddhism, Wonderwell Refuge
Posted in 1- Video Posts, Climb/Ski/Mntneering, Experiential Education, Health, Holistic Living, Inner Work, MSI News, Spiritual | Leave a Comment »
26/11/2012
Tenacity
The Amazing Transformation of a Guy Who Never Gave Up
This veteran was a paratrooper, he jumped out of airplanes and all the stress from the landings added up. All the doctors said there was no hope for him to walk again. They all turned him down on his request to attempt the impossible, except one. An inspiring story.
Tags:Health, Mountain Spirit, Persistance, Tenacity of Pursuit, Yoga
Posted in 1- Video Posts, Health, Holistic Living, Inner Work, Inspirational People, Spiritual | Leave a Comment »
30/07/2012
Mountain Spirit Institute is collaborating with The Natural Dharma Fellowship of Cambridge Mass, and their retreat center in Springfield, New Hampshire (Wonderwell Refuge) to offer Mindfulness in the Mountains, Oct 12th-14th in the Dartmouth Lake Sunapee Region.
Mountains as Mediation – Going Back to Our Roots
Led by a unique team of experienced world-class outdoor adventurers, guides, instructors, and experienced meditators, this weekend will provide room for exploring the layers of self-knowledge possible through adventuring in our natural environment. During the weekend, lovers of nature and those interested in hiking, rock climbing and kayaking will come together to adventure without and within.
To get an idea what see the interview of Lama Willa Miller by R. Richards below:
Read more on the program at our MSI and Wonderwell’s Webpages, and stay tuned for more details posted on this blog.
Tags:contemplation, Dartmouth Lake Sunapee region, instruction, kayaking, Lama Willa Miller, Meditation, Natural Dharma Fellowship, NH, Randy Richards, renewal, Rock Climbing, Solo, Springfield, Sunapee, Wonderwell Refuge
Posted in 1- Video Posts, Asia/Himalaya, Climb/Ski/Mntneering, Experiential Education, Focus on MSI People, Health, Holistic Living, Inner Work, MSI News, Power of Place, Spiritual | Leave a Comment »
10/04/2012
By: R. Richards
We continue our interview with Lama Miller of Wonderwell Refuge in Springfield, NH, USA
See Part I or Part II
Tags:Lama Willa Miller, Mountain Spirit, NH, Springfield, Sunapee, Tibetan Buddhism, Wonderwell Refuge
Posted in 1- Video Posts, Asia/Himalaya, Holistic Living, Leadership, MSI News, Power of Place, Spiritual | 1 Comment »
03/04/2012
A walk in the woods at Wonderwell Refuge
By R. Richards,
Lama* Willa Miller, head of a Tibetan sect of Buddhism, based in Cambridge Mass, continues the interview on the new Wonderwell Refuge, the importance of being in nature, as well as her own early influences and experiences being in the wilderness with her father in Idaho. We also talked about Richard Louv’s concept of Nature Deficit Disorder, a term the author coined in his book, The Last Child in the Woods.
The early teachings of Buddhism emphasized the refuge of wilderness, the mountain top, the cave. Lama Miller sees this as a return to the traditional ways of Buddhism by encouraging her visitors to the refuge, to get out on mindfulness walks in nature. See Part I here.
*(Lama: A title given in Tibetan Buddhism to a venerated spiritual master, a monk/priest of high rank)
Mountain Spirit Institute is planning a collaborative effort with The Wonderwell Refuge to offer a Mindfulness in the Mountains retreat in the fall of 2012.
The meditation hall at Wonderwell Refuge, Springfield, New Hampshire
Tags:connection, Dartmouth Lake Sunapee region, Hiking, Ken Wylie, Lama Willa Miller, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mountain Spirit, Mountaineering, Natural Dharma Fellowship, New Hampsire, Rock Climbing, Springfield, Sunapee, Tibetan Buddhism, Walking, Wilderness, Wonderwell
Posted in 1- Video Posts, Asia/Himalaya, Climb/Ski/Mntneering, Experiential Education, Health, Holistic Living, Inner Work, MSI News, Power of Place, Spiritual | 2 Comments »
01/04/2012
Lama Willa Miller, the spiritual leader of a Natural Dharma Fellowship branch in Massachusetts, talks about a new refuge center, and the importance of mindfulness in the mountains. Part 1
Lama Willa Miller
By R. Richards
Mountain Spirit Institute
The Dartmouth Lake Sunapee region of New Hampshire, USA has the good fortune of seeing a new Tibetan Buddhist Refuge open in the tiny town of Springfield. After a recent open house, we learned about what Lama Willa Miller, the leader of the Cambridge Mass based branch of The Natural Dharma Fellowship, has in mind for the new retreat center called Wonderwell, as well as the link between Buddhism and the mountains. Learn more, check out this first in series of interviews we conducted on location. See Part II
Tags:connection, Dartmouth Lake Sunapee region, Hiking, Ken Wylie, Lama Willa Miller, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mountain Spirit, Mountaineering, Natural Dharma Fellowship, New Hampsire, Rock Climbing, Springfield, Sunapee, Tibetan Buddhism, Walking, Wilderness, Wonderwell
Posted in 1- Video Posts, Asia/Himalaya, Climb/Ski/Mntneering, Experiential Education, Health, Holistic Living, Inner Work, Inspirational People, Leadership, Power of Place, Spiritual | 4 Comments »
