Guest Profile
Melanie Pensak
Melanie Pensak, an Earth Protector, offers nature-based meditation experiences designed to honor the Earth, cultivate interconnection with the land and assist people in developing their daily mindfulness meditation practice. She is known for her 4 -year Airbnb Experience Meditate @ the Beach on Chumash and Tongva land in Los Angeles.
Melanie leads nature-based meditation classes and half day retreats as well as meditation courses online. She offers one-on-one mentoring in the areas of mindfulness and nature practice. She is certified as a Mindfulness Teacher through the Mindfulness Training Institute accredited by the International Mindfulness Teachers Association (IMTA) and led by teachers Martin Aylward and Mark Coleman. She has completed additional mindfulness training through David Treleaven’s Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness program. Melanie is a Teacher of Mindfulness in Nature through Mark Coleman’s contemplative nature program, Awake in the Wild. She leads healing circles in the spirit of Council following Level 1 Training.
She is particularly interested in the concept of reciprocity, creating mindfulness workshops which integrate giving back to the land through responsible restoration and regenerative practices. Melanie feels passionate about helping people incorporate mindfulness and nature into their modern, busy lives after living in cities for 15 years. She is a Dharma Practitioner, influenced by the teachings of the Buddha.
Melanie holds over 18 years experience as a Certified Speech-Language Pathologist helping children and families communicate. Melanie provides therapy online to children and adults and offers consultation teaching others how to engage in guided therapeutic play with children outdoors.
Over the years, Melanie has lived and worked in community on organic farms and tended land on a 1000 acre ranch. You can also find her online as facilitator of the Chronic Illness and Disability Affinity Group for global Buddhist organization 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 dynamic disability have inspired her to consider how to make earth-based practices and nature meditation more accessible to all people. She feels passionate about increasing awareness around the illness, as well being a part of the change towards improving building code standards, health care and access to financial resources for those with chronic illness and invisible disability.
Melanie offers one-on-one CIRS support calls and Mindfulness Mentoring Sessions to those recovering from CIRS and/or experiencing chronic illness who wish to process their journey through the lens of mindfulness and compassion. She has completed first level Shoemaker Protocol training on CIRS and is a Proficiency Partner Diplomate. She continues learning and has completed A4M’s Breakthroughs in CIRS training as well as created The Heart of CIRS Podcast. A dana-based weekly meditation class for folks with CIRS runs each Monday, and CIRS Healing Grief Circles run seasonally.
