Self-Care Through the Cycles of Nature
An online interactive course for caregivers of all kinds who find nourishment in nature!
Next Class September 2026 - May 2027
Registration Opens June 2027
It is challenging in this hectic and unpredictable world to build and maintain healthy habits in our daily lives. Self-care is recognized as essential for not just surviving, but thriving, and it takes more than a few days or a short course to build a supportive self-care routine.
We cannot take care of others without taking care of ourselves.
Self-Care Through the Cycles of Nature is a 9-month online course, starting September 1, that presents a way to step out of the busy work-focused cycle into a more natural flow that includes all aspects of living. Using techniques of mindfulness, nature meditation, “inner tracking”, nature journaling, and observations, we can move through the seasons and our lives with more ease and awareness.
In a low-stress environment, participants can glean as much or as little as they have time and capacity for in the moment. We start with observations that enhance awareness. You may notice simple things in the world around you that were hidden before. Incorporating frequent reviews and returning to assignments with different perspectives as we move through the seasons, this course brings together a new way of looking at life through the lens of the ebbs and flows of nature.
Click here to take a quick trip around the seasonal cycle of the 8 directions.
This course was originally created for veterinarians who commonly struggle with compassion fatigue and burnout. Many of the techniques and philosophies shared in this course, including mindfulness and gratitude practices, have been found to reduce stress and improve well-being. The course content is relevant to compassionate people and caregivers of all kinds, particularly those who find nourishment in the natural world. Parents, teachers, medical professionals, herbalists, naturalists, wildlife rehabilitators and other animal health workers will all find something useful in this process of connecting with the cycles of nature.
“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.”
Joseph Campbell
This course was inspired by my childhood spent exploring outdoors and my children, who brought me back outside when I needed healing. Along with leading Girl Scouts, hiking, and gardening, I have spent several years studying the cycles of nature through Village Building and Nature Connection courses with Jon Young, author of the books Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature, and What the Robin Knows. It is lovely to find another outlet for my inner naturalist!
Course Details:
Creating your own personal Habitat!
Over a period of nine months, we will move through the seasons, considering their natural influences on our activities and self-care needs. This course will introduce many ways of nurturing yourself and those around you, and its relaxed timetable will allow you to pick and choose what works for you and your lifestyle. Participants will be supported in building personal habits of gentle self-care following the natural cycles of life, which include not only hard work and physical exercise, but also rest, healing, celebration, community, remembrance, and gratitude.
Over a period of nine months, we will move through the seasons, considering their natural influences on our activities and self-care needs. This course will introduce many ways of nurturing yourself and those around you, and its relaxed timetable will allow you to pick and choose what works for you and your lifestyle. Participants will be supported in building personal habits of gentle self-care following the natural cycles of life, which include not only hard work and physical exercise, but also rest, healing, celebration, community, remembrance, and gratitude.
Throughout this course, a variety of learning techniques are used to engage all the senses and enhance curiosity and wonder. This helps to awaken mindfulness and awareness of the world around you while keeping things fun and interesting!
The Nature Self-Care Community is a private online network where I host my courses. It contains a growing collection of resources for nature connection and gratitude, including spaces for sharing books, recipes, crafts, and other inspirations from the natural world.
The open community model allows for discussions and friendships to grow naturally.
The Nature Self-Care Community is a private online network where I host my courses. It contains a growing collection of resources for nature connection and gratitude, including spaces for sharing books, recipes, crafts, and other inspirations from the natural world.
The open community model allows for discussions and friendships to grow naturally.
This course includes:
- Video and written material for each module along with journaling questions, and at-home activities that help bring the subject to life. Journal responses are optional and can be posted for group discussion or sent privately to the instructor.
- A care package mailed at the beginning of the course contains gift packets that correspond to each month and provide additional sensory and experiential connections to the topics including a monthly herbal tea sample and an extra little something.
- An online community that provides a space for ongoing discussions and connection as well as sharing of resources, and nature observations continuing throughout the year.
- Monthly Zoom calls to integrate the materials and welcome live discussions of the challenges and inspirations participants encounter throughout the course.
- Weekly Ponderings in the online community that help bring the monthly topics to mind and give insight for putting them to use in your everyday world.
Every module you are encouraged to add something new to your routine or habits to enhance your Habitat. There is no pressure. Some things will be useful, others may not. Some will be familiar to you, some will be new. This is an opportunity to grow and learn in a supportive community.
Bring your curiosity!
Module Topics Include:
1. September: Introduction and Overview
- The Importance of Self-Care for Caregivers and Communities
- Cycles of Nature - 8 Directions
- Creating your Habitat with Gentle Habits
- Core Routines of Nature Connection
2. October: Southwest – Healing, Rest, and Recovery
- Supporting Health and Wellness
- Sense of Taste
- Breathing and Body Scan
- Timelessness
3. November: West – Celebration and Story Catching
- Creating Space for Appreciation and Celebration
- Catching the Stories of Others and Being Heard
- Community Building
- Handcrafting
4. December: Northwest – Honoring, Remembering, and Release
- Moving through Grief
- Compassionate Listening, Empathy, and Resilience
- Letting Go
- Meaningful and Supportive Gifts
5. January: North – Sleeping and Dreaming
- Importance of Sleep
- Reflection and Integration - Establishing goals that support personal values
- Team Building
- Love and Forgiveness - Loving Kindness meditation
6. February: Northeast – Mindfulness and Creativity
- Mindfulness, Meditation, and Quiet Mind
- Gratitude in Nature
- Cycles of the Moon
- Timeless Creativity
7. March: East – Inspiration and Wonder
- Childlike Happiness
- Herb Gardening—Nourishing Body and Spirit
- Bird Language
- Five Senses Meditation
8. April: Southeast – Movement and Motivation
- Playfulness, Energy, and Vitality
- Removing Barriers to Forward Momentum
- Orientation for the Day
- Energizing Breath
9. May: South – Positive Focus
- Setting the Stage for Focused Work and Accomplishment
- Experiential Nature Journaling – release perfectionism and follow your curiosity
- Earth Elements
- Closing Intentions and Celebration of Accomplishments
Our self-care needs change with the seasons and daily rhythms. Aspects and variations of these cycles or directions are found in many indigenous cultures that live closer to nature, including Native American, Celtic, and others. The natural cycles are also an integral part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda and other traditional medical systems. In addition to exploring these traditional cultures as an herbalist, Dr. August has spent several years studying Village Building, Nature Connection, and the 8 Shields with Jon Young, author of Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature and founder of Living Connection 1st. The model of the 8 directions encompasses a universal connection to the natural cycles and is used in a welcoming way to include diverse cultural, religious, and social life experiences. This is a respectful, loving, and inclusive community.
Let yourself be nurtured by nature!
Bio
Kris August, DVM, GDVWHM (Western Herbal Medicine), CHPV (Hospice and Palliative Veterinarian)
Dr. Kris August is a veterinarian, herbalist, and educator. She values compassionate care for animals, people, plants and our world, with a special focus on caring for the caregiver. We cannot help others unless we continue to care for ourselves. A lifelong learner, Kris also practices qigong and nature meditation. Kris enjoys bringing a holistic approach to learning through sharing her passions with others and has taught in a variety of capacities from Waldorf-inspired playgroups to Tae Kwon Do, to teaching veterinarians and veterinary students in herbal medicine, animal hospice, and self-care topics.
Dr. Kris August received her DVM from Colorado State University in 1991 and earned a Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine (GDVWHM) through the College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies (CIVT). She is a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarian (CHPV) through the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC) as well as a contributor to the certification program, a co-author of the IAAHPC Animal Hospice and Palliative Care Guidelines (2013) and the textbook Hospice and Palliative Care for Companion Animals: Principles and Practice (2017, 2022). Dr. August has had an integrative veterinary housecall practice in Ames, Iowa since 2005 with a primary focus on geriatric and end of life care, and herbal medicine. Dr. August also lectures and writes on topics concerning end of life care, herbal medicine and “caring for the caregiver”.
Explore
About MeSelf-Care Through Nature
Courses
Writings
Blog
Contact Me
Join my e-mail list for blog and article updates, course offerings, and seasonal inspirations.
