Guide: Melanie Pensak

Melanie Pensak, a Certified Mindfulness Teacher and Earth Protector, offers nature-based meditation experiences designed to honor Mother Earth, cultivate interconnection with the land and guide humans into a daily mindfulness practice.

Melanie presently leads nature classes on Shoshone-Bannock land in Boise, Idaho.  During this time of safe distancing, she offers online nature meditation classes via Zoom as well as one-on-one nature-based mentoring. She is known for her 4 -year Airbnb Experience Meditate @ the Beach in Los Angeles and is presently offering nature meditation sessions as an Airbnb Experience host online and in Boise, Idaho.

Melanie is particularly interested in the concept of reciprocity creating outdoor mindfulness workshops which integrate giving back to the land through ceremony and regenerative practices.  She feels passionate about helping people incorporate mindfulness and nature into their modern, busy lives after living in cities herself for 15 years.

During the pandemic, Melanie lived and worked in community on an organic farm and engaged in land stewardship on a ranch.  In her free time, she enjoys learning how to be a part of the shift towards regenerative living for all beings and compassionate activism.

You can also find her online as a hostess and course manager for Sangha Live. She is presently diving deeper into the earth-based practices of her Ukrainian and Polish ancestry.  When it is time to play, Melanie can be found exploring in nature, salsa dancing, and refining the art of doing nothing.

Melanie is currently recovering from CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) caused by biotoxin exposure from living in water-damaged buildings. The changes in her physical abilities and presence of invisible disability have inspired her to consider how to make earth-based practices and nature meditation more accessible to those who identify as having a chronic illness and/or disability.