Simone, Michael and Irene, one day shared a vision, that we need a different connection to nature in our frantic Valley.
We guess you do too if you are reading these lines.
Our sessions in nature are about treating ourselves with a time out in our mountains - your backyard - but they are definitely much more than that. They are about getting to know our territory more deeply, about experimenting nature differently, and about sharing it in a small and caring community.
You might be an outdoor fanatic or a contemplative stroller. You might be engaged in healing the future of our world, anxious about it, or just happy to fill yourself by being in nature. What we aim to build is about developing our curiosity, about taking the time to see, feel, learn (from) nature and from the group. Our nature here in Mont-Blanc is mind-blowing, but our intention is to go beyond the decor, to become part of it for a few hours, to feel small, clumsy and ignorant but happy, and see what happens. What these experiences, sensations and reflexions will create for you only belongs to you ... but they may well be quite powerful and transformative if repeated.
We invite you to share time with us in nature. It might be in the morning, or perhaps at night. It might be warm, or rainy. There might be one, two or three of us mentoring you through new experiences. It might be about tracking wildlife, or aligning your breath with natural cycles, or about starting a fire.
You may like some of our proposals, others not so much (and you are of course free to step aside at all times). Some will be easy, others challenging. Some might get you by surprise, perhaps you'll get the opportunity to develop a new interest. We might even deliberately not announce the precise program of our sessions in advance in order to challenge your comfort zone, likes and dislikes … after all, that is also what nature is about.
Our sessions offer an experiential circle of connectedness to nature. It is not a naturalist course, nor a hiking club. There will be joy, inspiration, active learning, experimenting and probably in the end…lots of life questions.
You will find our events here on the website and on our Whatsapp group. Unless specified, each session lasts for 3 to 4hours. For each session, you sign up and pay the session fee in advance (30€) in order to confirm your inscription. Of course, we encourage you to sign up to several sessions month after month, and offer a discount for this (125€ for 5 sessions).
Please prepare a small backpack with this content. Please carry it with you at all times, regardless of the actual activities we will be having. It will be your “nature connectedness backpack” and we are confident you will love it.
Our sessions are open to anyone above 16. We welcome anyone curious, respectful of others and able to walk up to two hours on small paths or off track with little vertical gain. Please check with us if you are not sure about your level of fitness, we will certainly comfort you ; there is no intention of performance whatsoever!
Sessions will be in both French and English.
September 3rd, 2023
Join us for a transformative session where we will rediscover our connection with the silent, steadfast companions of our planet – the trees. Trees have been keepers of ancient wisdom, offering us lessons of resilience, growth, and interconnectedness. Let's tune into their language.
Meeting at 10 am on Sunday September 3rd at the bottom of the Brévent cable car. We won't be taking the lift up, but it's a great meeting point.
WHO WE ARE
SIMONE
Simone van Velzen, Alpine Naturalist
In her work as an alpine naturalist Simone shares her knowledge and passion for the incredibly rich flora and fauna of the Alps. She is the founder of Chamonix Nature Nerds, has studied Wildlife
Management and completed a graduate course on Alpine Plant Ecology. She writes for outdoor magazines and leads excursions into the natural world, sharing the amazing natural wonders in the Alps with others.
Irene
Irene Alvarez, Nature smuggler and Hiking guide
Working for years with scientists at Chamonix's CREA Mont-Blanc, (Research Center on Alpine Ecosystems) , she discovered that ecology can be very much fun to learn and share. She also realized that the scientific journey can not go without a spiritual one if we really want our inner and outter world to transition to something new, more peaceful, fullfilling and respectful of all forms of living. This is why - as a "Sciensitivity" activist (straddling science and sensitivity) and as a mountain leader at Immersion Montagne-, she invites herself and everyone to experience new ways of being (in) Nature.
Michael
Michael Hebben, Breathwork, Shinrin yoku Nature coaching
In his work as a leadership coach at naturecoachingchamonix he works with people and teams to help them to slow down, connect with nature and in the end connect with themself . The mountains are the perfect place to slow down. Michael loves to show people the beauty and stillness of the mountains. And he wants to share his knowledge and experience with as much people as possible. So that the mountains can be that place to slow down.
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