The principles and practices of Nature Connection
Connecting with the natural world around us
A core part of our Medicine Wheel training are the principles and practices of Nature Connection, pioneered by Nature Connection Mentor, master tracker and author, Jon Young.
These heart-centred practices are simple, effective, accessible to everyone, require no prior experience, and are zero or low cost.
They are a daily practice during our Medicine Wheel & Healing Tools shamanic practitioner training, and then a stand-alone practice that we continue at home; current and past students are welcome to join us for dedicated in-person gatherings.
Your Mentor: Alex Greaves
Alex is a member of the teaching team in the UK for our Medicine Wheel & Healing Tools shamanic practitioner training, and the Nature Connection Mentor for the school.
We begin each day of the four six-day classes outside, practising some of the core routines of nature connection.
Find out more about the training
What is nature connection?
In our modern world, many of the ways that our ancestors would have connected with nature are lost to us. But we may still rediscover them – though perhaps in a slightly different form – when we know what we’re looking for. Nature connection mentor Jon Young has pioneered a collection of principles and practices that modern people can use as a means to reconnect with our ancient heritage, and it is these principles and practices that we learn as we make our way around the Medicine Wheel.
What if I live in a city?
Nature connection is accessible to all, no matter where we live.
It is not necessary to own land or even have a garden of our own.
We believe that anyone can embark on a nature connection journey, and each of us adapts depending on our circumstances.
All that is really necessary is the willingness to go outside.
Courses and workshops through the training year
There are also dedicated classes and events through the year to supplement your training if you wish.
These workshops, including the learning to make sacred fire day, below, are only attended by Medicine Wheel and Healing Tools shamanic practitioner training students past and present.
Learning to make sacred fire: a day of training with Spirit of the Inca
There is something ancient in the act of making fire—not just with flint and wood, but with intention, reverence, and heart. We gather in circle not merely to learn a technique, but to remember an old way of being.
Throughout the day, we’ll explore both the practical and ceremonial aspects of fire making. You’ll learn how to build a fire from scratch—gathering materials, preparing the fire lay, and using natural methods to bring it to life. These hands-on skills are woven together with teachings about the sacred role of fire in Andean tradition. Before a single spark is struck, we take time to connect—to the land, to our intention, and to the spirit of fire itself. The fire is not treated as a tool, but as a living presence: a sacred ally that offers warmth, transformation, illumination, and connection to the unseen realms. Each part of the process becomes a prayer. Each breath blown into ember is an offering. When the flames catch, something inside us ignites too. We sit in ceremony, tending the fire as it tends us. Stories are shared, songs arise, and prayers are carried upward on smoke. The fire becomes a mirror, a teacher, a portal. By the end of the day, we carry more than knowledge—we carry a relationship. The sacred fire is no longer something we make. It is something we meet.
