Open Air Humans is a bi-weekly podcast in which outdoor luminaries share incredible stories about how they've found a happier, healthier more human life outside. For millennia, humans spent 90% of their lives outside. Today, they spend 90% inside. It’s no wonder so many feel out of balance and disconnected from their essential nature. Recent scientific studies prove what many have long suspected: that more time outside makes ...
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Leigha Horton & Travis Norman of Silvae Spiritus dig into the ritual and physiology of thermic cycling: the practice of combining sauna with cold therapy and how it can help us stay close to nature in the winter months as days get colder and darker. For more about Silvae Spiritus visit silvaespiritus.com. For the other sauna experiences mentioned visit openairoutpost.com, cedarandstonesauna.com, www.littleemberco.com. This episode is brought to you by The Open Air Outpost, a nature retreat with tiny cabin just 2 hours from the Twin Cities. Experience winter at the Outpost with a Goodland wood-burning hot tub and a spacious wood-burning sauna (built by SotaSauna). Use the coupon code “podcast” for 10% off your stay.
Tim Clemens, who goes by the handle mnforager, is known for his educational posts on all things related to harvesting wild foods, be it plants, mushrooms or insects - and often in an urban setting. Today we dig into the practice of urban foraging, the art of eating insects or entomophagy, Tim’s first-ever hunting experience and what happens when you move from observer of nature to participant with nature and how that informs a growing nature ethos.
Swedish American writer Linda McGurk is the author The Open-Air Life and There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather. In episode 17, she shares some of the fascinating Scandinavian histories that gave rise to the Nordic concept of Friluftsliv and how it’s practiced today - from troll forests to barefoot walkabouts to forest cemeteries.This episode is brought to you by The Open Air Outpost, a nature escape with luxury tiny home and glamping options just 1.5 hours from the Twin Cities metro and 2 hours from Madison, Wi. Learn more at openairoutpost.com
Ep 16 is a very special and very musical episode of Open Air Humans! The Okee Dokee Brothers are a Grammy Award-winning bluegrass and American roots children's music duo of Joe Mainlander and Justin Lansing. They’re known for their joyful brand of music that that inspire families to spend more time outside. In 2012, the duo won a Grammy for their adventure album Can You Canoe, which was created during a month-long paddle down the Mississippi River. They followed with two more adventure albums Through the Woods and Saddle Up - also created on wilderness adventures. In March of 2023, they released their new album Brambletown and are currently touring in support of it. In this discussion, we hear about the inspiration behind their music with live performances of songs including The Life That’s In You, Church of the Woods and The Great Grandmother Tree. Themes explored include the interconnection of all living things, how to “lose yourself in the woods to find yourself again” and the need for more spiritual and ritual experiences in modern American society. You can download the music of the Okee Dokee Brothers including their latest Brambletown from anywhere you stream your music and you can learn more about the band, watch videos and order their latest on vinyl at okeedokee.org. And for a special treat, Joe is releasing a new Spotify mix called The Church of the Woods, which can be found here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4oYoDSKvLxNWpw4ImSPuIl?si=26ea82e4b6664041&nd=1
In episode 15, Dexter Patterson, who enthusiastically extolls the many benefits of what he calls bird joy through his exuberant online presence, The Wisco Birder, shares how paying closer attention to winged creatures forever changed his life. He’s now on a mission to inspire other people to slow down, look up and let the magic of birding bring all of us the joy it brings him. If you’re ready to get out there and experience all that bird joy has to offer, follow along with Dexters birding adventures and tips on IG at @wiscobirder - and if you’re in the Madison Wisconsin area you can even get out with Dexter by joining up with the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin.