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The written word has always been a distinct part of the human experience, capturing our history and creating beautiful stories to escape into. Some of the earliest discovered writings were poetry, with many celebrating the natural world as its muse.

Humans have a complex and symbiotic relationship with nature, although the modern understanding of nature can often oversimplify our relationship with our environment.

Poetry is a beautiful way to bolster mental and emotional wellness by providing comfort and boosting mood during periods of stress and trauma. The powerful combination of meter, metaphor, and imagery helps us make sense of the world around us and how we fit into it.

Different studies have found that poetry can be therapeutic for patients dealing with various types of adversity.

Welcome to Episode Forty of The Nature of Wellness Podcast.

On this episode, we sat down with nature poet and wellness advocate Jennifer Gordon. Jennifer is a yoga instructor, meditation guide, fitness instructor, avid hiker, and runner.

Born out of "writing to process personal trauma," Jennifer has published three poetry collections since 2021, mainly covering themes of love, loss, and the natural world. Her third project, "Blue-Colored Muse," collaborates with different Michigan visual artists to celebrate the natural world.

Join us as we talk to Jennifer about her connections to nature and wellness, how advice from a mental health provider prompted multiple published works, and how nature inspires her to quiet her mind and "just keep going."

She shares the importance of finding joy in self-care, how learning to process emotions can lead to a beautiful life trajectory, the power of communities, and her advice for anyone who wants to begin writing…she even reads a couple of her nature poems.

This conversation was a beautiful start for soothing our souls and filling our hearts.

Please subscribe, rate, and leave a review anywhere you listen to this podcast.

We appreciate you all.

Be Well

-NOW

Website: www.jennifergordonpoetry.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifergordonpoetry?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Instagram: @jennifergordonpoetry

Jennifer’s List of “Favorite Poets to Follow on Instagram”:

Lauren Bowman (@l.e.bowman.poetry)

Blake Auden (@blakeaudenpoetry)

Steph Klees (@s.m.klees_poetry)

Alix Klingenberg (@alixklingenberg)

Joy Sullivan (@joysullivanpoet)

Alexa Hoggatt (@alexa.hoggatt)


* The unbelievable Shawn Bell produces the Nature of Wellness Podcast and makes us all sound so good.

** The NOW theme song was penned, performed, produced, and provided by the dynamic duo of Phil and Niall Monahan.