Mindful Outdoor Guide Certification, Level 1 Forest Community

Level 1 introduces the core skills needed to lead meaningful, mindfulness-based experiences outdoors. This training shows you how to invite others into a reciprocal relationship with the Earth, where time in nature supports restoration, belonging, and deeper awareness. By weaving together cross-cultural wisdom and contemporary mindfulness, the program reimagines outdoor leadership as an act of connection and care. It is well suited to anyone who feels called to share the healing power of nature within their community.

Why Kripalu?

Training with Kripalu offers the opportunity to bring leadership and a profound relationship with the natural world together. Built on 50 years of experience in mindfulness and embodied practice, this program prepares you to guide others toward presence, resilience, and reverence for the earth. As a guide, you will help people slow down, reconnect with themselves, and remember their essential bond with nature.

What You Will Learn

The 9 steps of a Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Experience
This signature KSMOL method offers a complete, intuitive, and accessible experience of connection with self, place, and community.

• Orientation in place and time
  Learn to shape your guiding in harmony with daily and seasonal rhythms through the philosophy of Ayurveda (The Science of Life) and the Celtic Wheel of the Year.
• Early morning community fire meditation and sit spot
  Begin each day with a dawn fire meditation in basecamp, followed by a 45-minute sit spot, nature meditation practice, and journaling.
• The science of nature connection
  Explore current research on the health benefits of time spent in nature and learn how to share those insights with others.
• Naturalist awareness training with Mass Audubon
  Work with expert naturalists from Mass Audubon to deepen your awareness of birds, trees, and the animals that share our world. You will also learn how to strengthen your own relationship with the “more than human world” and pass on those “ropes of connection” to the people you guide.
• Birthing fire
  Develop the essential skill of safely and responsibly building and tending a fire. You will learn the foundations of fire-making and explore fire as a powerful support for meditation.
• Home project
  Look for ways to help connect people with nature in your own community. During the break between Level 1 and Level 2, you will complete a personal project to share with the class, based on research into an aspect of your home environment and how you plan to bring those elements into your work as a Mindful Outdoor Guide.

Discover if this training is for you

Attend one of the free online information sessions to meet faculty from the Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership and learn more about the trainings.

FAQs

Are there pre-requisites?
A consistent mindfulness practice is required. You must be comfortable spending the full day outdoors in a range of temperatures and settings, and be able to walk 2–3 miles, climb several flights of stairs, and move across natural, uneven terrain.

Are there any scholarships?
A limited number of scholarships are available for some Kripalu Schools trainings. If you are accepted into one of the Schools and scholarships are available, you will receive a link to the scholarship eligibility form in your acceptance email.

What do scholarships cover?
Partial scholarships are available for select Schools trainings. On-campus scholarships cover 50% of the total cost, including tuition and dorm housing. Hybrid Schools scholarships cover 40% of the total cost, including tuition and dorm housing. Online Schools scholarships cover 30% of total tuition. If you choose housing other than a dormitory, you are responsible for the full housing cost.

Where can I learn more about housing options?
Contact with questions.

Is there required pre-reading?
Yes. The required reading list includes:
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv
Your Brain on Nature, Eva Selhub and Alan C. Logan
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer
Please read ‘Learning the Grammar of Animacy,’ “Allegiance to Gratitude,” “In the Footsteps of Nanabozho: Becoming Indigenous to Place.”
The Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh
Your Guide to Forest Bathing: Experience the Healing Power of Nature, M. Amos Clifford
Rewilding: Meditations, Practices, and Skills for Awakening in Nature, Micah Mortali
What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World, Jon Young

Will there be any homework?
There are no homework assignments beyond the required and suggested reading.

Is there a written final exam?
There is no final written exam.

What course materials are provided?
Students receive a course manual.

What is the attendance policy?
100% attendance is required for all on-campus and online sessions. Full participation is expected, and for online sessions this includes having your camera on and being present. Excused absences with required make-up assignments may be granted case by case for unexpected illness, travel delays, or family emergencies.

Is there a graduation ceremony?
Graduation takes place on the final day of the training and is open only to program participants.

Required Reading List

• Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv
• Your Brain on Nature, Eva Selhub and Alan C. Logan
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer
• Please read ‘Learning the Grammar of Animacy,’ “Allegiance to Gratitude,” “In the Footsteps of Nanabozho: Becoming Indigenous to Place.”
• The Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh
• Your Guide to Forest Bathing: Experience the Healing Power of Nature, M. Amos Clifford
• Rewilding: Meditations, Practices, and Skills for Awakening in Nature, Micah Mortali
• What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World, Jon Young

Suggested Reading

• The Way of Council, Jack Zimmerman and Virginia Coyle
• The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age, Richard Louv
• The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, Florence Williams
• Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Roger Tory Peterson
• National Audubon Society Field Guide to Trees: Eastern Region, National Audubon Society
• Tracking and the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Signs, Paul Rezendes