Tracking Connections 512 Natural Pathways, LLC

"Inner tracking, to me, is that interface of how we meet the world -how we meet ourselves- and how we say yes to choosing a path of the most peace, the most passion and purpose in bringing that forward."
In this episode, we are joined by Josh Lane, a long-time mentor and expert in nature connection and inner tracking. We discuss Josh's work in bridging the gap between mindfulness/meditation and deep engagement with the natural world. Josh explains the importance of cultivating presence and using the senses to deeply observe one's surroundings, as a gateway to developing a more profound connection with nature.
We discuss how facing our fears and preconceptions about the natural world can lead to deeper understanding and appreciation, as well as the scientific research behind the benefits of nature connection, including the relaxation response, epigenetic changes, and the way it can enhance our attention, intuition, and overall well-being.
We also highlight how these insights can be applied in daily life. Jon reflects on the responsibility of passing on the nature connection teachings to the next generation, and expresses gratitude for Josh, Aidan, and Sarah's roles in continuing and expanding this work.
“You go to your sit spot and you meet these rites of passage of fear and cold and dark and wet, and you then you start to go deeper into the power of meeting that place with stillness, and what I found was there are these thresholds that happen where you start to tap into parts of yourself that you weren’t aware of when you started the journey. ”
About Josh Lane
The author of the book, Conscious Nature: The Art and Neuroscience of Meditating In Nature, Josh coaches heart-centered change makers and leaders in saying YES to taking the next courageous steps in their deep-purpose work and calling.
Josh's unique visionary work teaches clients how to release limiting subconscious/energetic patterns and embrace their genius, so that they can move forward with greater confidence and inner clarity on their paths.
His background includes serving for over 25 years as a mentor in the arts of deep nature connection, with a focus on the ancient perceptual skills of wildlife tracking and reading Nature’s pattern language.
Josh’s teaching fuses primal understandings from the wild with insights from brain-based coaching, to help bridge the healing energy of Nature into the modern experience.
Learn more about Josh's work at https://www.ConsciousNature.net

Josh's Free Guidebook with Inner Tracking Tools:
How can we move beyond fear, worry, and self-doubt to bring our visions fully to life? Learn how to track the hidden inner patterns that shape your choices and future.
https://www.consciousnature.net/impact

"We feel pulled to reuniting the wild family again. We want to reconnect with all our wild kin, but we want to connect with our wild human relations as well and be able to speak that old language."
In this episode, we are joined by award winning documentary filmmaker and author Craig Foster. We discuss Craig's connection to Jon through tracking, including the impact that watching the Great Dance had on Jon and the impact that hearing Jon's Tracking CDs had on Craig. We explore how tracking and deep connection to the wild seem to lead to mysterious capabilities, and some of the ways in which the natural world seems to reach out to connect to us in turn. We also explore some of the benefits of connecting to the wild world, from our nervous system and health, to it's impact on learning, and even on our relationships.
“There’s a lot of good stuff in the tame world but it’s unbalanced. The wild person is being smothered by the tame, and what I’m saying is let’s find a balance and let that incredible, wild, intelligent person come back and nourish us.”
About Craig Foster
Craig Foster is an Oscar and BAFTA winning filmmaker, naturalist, author and ocean explorer. His films have won over 150 international awards. He co-founded the Sea Change Project in 2012.
Craig’s work has contributed to the marine sciences through the discovery of new species and new animal behaviours. He is the first person to create a method of underwater tracking in the kelp forest. His film “My Octopus Teacher” has led to making the Great African Seaforest a global icon.
Craig also has consulted for 8 years to the centre for early sapiens behaviour, SapienCE, and created an award winning exhibition about middle Stone Age human origins. Drawing on 30 years of his work with the San and other indigenous African people, the exhibit promotes Africa as the origin of science and art.
Craig believes that the greatest threat we face is the cooling of the human heart towards nature. All his work is about inspiring a change of heart, inspiring people to care for and regenerate nature around them. He has founded the Sea Change Project to share his love of nature with others, and has kept his pact to dive 365 times a year for over a decade.

Check out Craig Foster's book - Amphibious Soul

Watch the trailer for My Octopus Teacher

Learn more about the Sea Change Project and support Craig's work here

Watch: Jon Young & Craig Foster discuss Amphibious Soul
At the Commonwealth Club - May 2024

Visit https://www.livingconnection1st.net/ for more information about our work

"When there’s a pull, or a need, or a deep question, or a sincere curiosity coming from an innocent core part of ourselves, the answers often come in ways that you just can’t explain."
In this episode, Nate, Sarah, and Jon share their experiences of following intuition to answer questions that were previously unanswered or find something in a time of need. They reflect on the routines and practices that allow us to develop this sort of advanced awareness, and also on how these abilities are recognized in cultures that are still connected to nature.
"As I return to it and I look at how did that all unfold, there’s something in there that I can learn from forever."

Show Notes
Visit https://www.primalnate.com/ to learn more about Nate Summers. Get Nate's book on Amazon.

Check out Craig Foster's book - Amphibious Soul

Hear Craig Foster's interview with Tim Ferriss here

Visit https://www.livingconnection1st.net/ for more information about our work in nature connection and people connection.

"There's a moment, as a mentor, where you have to recognize, 'I'm more interested in this than they are. And in that moment, if you push, you can actually push them in the opposite direction.'"
In this conversation, Jon, Sarah, and Aidan reflect on what it means to be "tracking connections." They share about what connection feels like in different situations, how to notice it in others, and the benefits of prioritizing connection in our work, family, and personal lives. They also share some stories about what can happen when we don't prioritize connection and the impacts that disconnection can have.
"He said to us, 'I have never seen a team come together with such unity, such creativity, so much ingenuity, and such productivity; you put these other company cultures to shame. Now I see the value in connecting first.'"
Visit https://www.livingconnection1st.net/ for more information about our work in nature connection and people connection.

In this conversation, Brian Knittel shares stories and design principles learned from his ten years at the Bay Area Tracking Club. Brian shares what it was like to experience the 8 Shields principles at work from the student perspective in the beginning, and then his observations as he grew to be a station guide and then leader of the club. We hear from Brian and Jon about the finer points of using the Art of Questioning to facilitate the tracking journey, including how it relates to how the San people still train trackers to this day. If you are interested in tracking, or interested in starting any sort of group based around learning nature together, you won't want to miss this episode.
"That was really the biggest draw for me; turning that curiosity on and getting people excited to learn more.”

About Brian Knittel
Brian Knittel’s professional career was as a software engineer in Silicon Valley. He has been on a lifelong journey of spiritual exploration and nature connection.
His journey deepened when he started searching for ways to explain spirituality to his young kids and found Tom Brown Jr.'s books, which sparked a series of "Aha!" moments. He resonated deeply with Tom's teachings and has been training at the Tracker School since 2000. Once he found Jon Young’s work he trained intensively in the Kamana Naturalist journey and the 8 Shields model. He is a long time wildlife tracker and helped lead a vibrant Tracking Club on the California coast for close to a decade.
He is deeply involved in these lineages, taking classes, mentoring others, and has been on a path towards Elderhood. Helping people learn about the essential nature of core routines, community building, and living in harmony with nature brings him immense joy. He has been a leader of groups within the Mankind Project, mentoring heart-centered men on a personal growth path, which has further shaped his beliefs about the importance of cultivating a state of personal peace.
Today, he uses many healing methods – Shamanic, elements of power, nature connection, and more – to help others find their own paths to peace and well-being. His vision is to create a world filled with love, healing, deep connection, and a deep respect for Mother Earth.
He lives in Mendocino, California with his amazing partner Amanda, who shares his passions for healing and nature. They have a blended family of four wonderful children, and when he's not exploring the natural world or helping others, you might find him practicing martial arts – something he's been passionate about for over 30 years.
He's excited to share his experiences with others, exploring the world of spirituality, nature connection, and living a life of purpose and joy together.
About Bay Area Tracking Club
Bay Area Tracking Club meets on the second Sunday of each month from 8am-11am. Locations change based on where the great tracks can be found, although our home base and most consistent venue is at Gazos Creek State Beach on the San Mateo County coast.
Connect with Bay Area Tracking Club on Facebook to learn more

Visit https://www.livingconnection1st.net/ for more information about our work in nature connection and people connection.

Learn more about what Joël is up to:

Connect with Joël by email: jdubois@csus.edu
"Acorn Assembly" Backyard Naturalists https://acornassembly.wordpress.com/
This is the very simple wordpress site we use to inform people about our local “Backyard Naturalists” meetings, mentioned in the podcast, which also has a way for people to contact me. (FYI, the name “Acorn Assembly” was proposed by a group member who had no knowledge of the Acorn terminology used for team-building/facilitation at 8 Shields events—an interesting synchronicity!)
Online portfolio of classroom activities https://portfolium.com/jdubois/portfolio
This is the site I use to model for students how to showcase their work with the kind of hands-on activities I mentioned in the podcast; the “Connections” tab links to students' own representations of their work.
Internal Family Systems Trainings https://ifs-institute.com/practitioners/all/96565
This is my practitioner listing for Internal Family Systems (IFS) on the IFS Institute site, which also links to resources about this method of working with parts and self. I didn’t go into much detail about this way of working during the podcast but thought I’d provide it as a reference—unless you think this might be best left for a follow-up podcast at some point.
Book - Hidden Lives of Brahman https://sunypress.edu/Books/T/The-Hidden-Lives-of-Brahman
My academic book, “Hidden Lives of Brahman,” showcases my research in traditional Brahmin schools in India, mentioned briefly at the outside of the podcast. My ethnographic approach to the topic actually has a lot in common with the way I approach village building!
Laurence Cole
When speaking of the power of music to draw people together, I reference Laurence Cole’s website (http://www.laurencecole.com/album/) and thought others might want to draw on it.
Braver Angels (braverangels.org)
​Braver Angels provides community facilitation tools to host gatherings that provide a welcoming space and prompts for conversation between people on opposing sides of the political spectrum. At first glance this probably seems like the opposite of what’s needed to build connection, yet the emphasis on focused listening to each other's' life experiences, with pauses for reflecting back what one hears, is one of the most powerful forms of "culture of allowance" that I've experienced, which also benefits from work drawing on 8 Shield archetypes for facilitation.
https://sites.google.com/braverangels.org/fieldops/field-leadership/alliances
Visit https://www.livingconnection1st.net/ for more information about our work in nature connection and people connection.