The Nature of Mind-Body provides a comprehensive range of mental-health services, including personalized counseling, enriching workshops, and rejuvenating retreats.
Our approach blends the latest scientific research on the intersection of the nervous system and contemplative practices, with a deep respect for your unique journey. Our seasoned guides skillfully hold space for your personal growth and exploration, making each encounter a transformative experience.
"…if we allow ourselves contemplative time in nature, we can hear the voice of our conscience. If we listen to that voice, it asks us to be conscious. And if we become conscious we choose to live lives of consequence."
— Terry Tempest Williams
Our Story
It was in an orange canoe named The Sea Poppy, bobbing upon the gentle waves of North Idaho’s Lake Pend Oreille, where The Nature of Mind-Body was born. Two gals with a long history of adventure and friendship shared both future aspirations and hot drinks while the morning's golden rays adorned their wide eyes and grins as they realized they held the same vision.
Both health professionals via similar paths of outdoor guiding, yoga, mindfulness, passion for nature, and a deep desire to serve, they dreamed together how they could integrate nature, mind, and body to support the wellbeing of others. The cadence of their scheming matched the cadence of their paddle that day, and this rhythm has carried their spoken ideas into manifestation.
We are dedicated to exploring the fascinating interplay between the inextricable link of mind, body, and nature.
Our Team
Co-Founder, Guide
Jayme Vance, OTR-L, RYT, WFA
Jayme is a licensed Occupational Therapist, certified Health and Well-Being Coach, registered yoga teacher, and experienced outdoor guide who has dedicated her career to empowering individuals to live fulfilling lives. She currently serves as the Programs Manager at Therapy Abroad, combining service learning and travel abroad. She has worked with a variety of settings, from traditional rehabilitation hospitals, to community based non profits, and wilderness therapy programs. She has assisted in developing a rehabilitation program for cancer patients, mentored young veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries, provided interventions for struggling adolescents and young adults, and has created therapeutic yoga protocols for children with disabilities. Jayme recently completed her Health and Wellbeing Coach certification in 2024 through Duke University’s Health System. As a former professor at the University of Virginia, she founded, developed, and taught “Mindfulness in Nature” in partnership with the Contemplative Science Center. Jayme is passionate about recognizing the healing power of nature. In addition to working as a guide, she has personally completed two long distance thru hikes and has over 1000 days in the backcountry and counting. She continues to share her love and admiration for nature through her work as an outdoor adventure guide while pursuing her own passions for the outdoors through both recreation and stillness in nature.
Co-Founder, Therapist, Guide
Steph Ray, LCSW, RYT, WFR
Stephanie is a psychotherapist, yoga teacher, and outdoor guide who specializes in the intersection of mental health and nature. She has guided folks in the back country for over a decade in both recreational and wilderness therapy expeditions, and continues to keep her foot in the door. She’s worked at a yoga and mindfulness group psychotherapy practice and continues to incorporate similar modalities into her current approach to mental health. Stephanie founded, developed, and directed a non-profit wilderness therapy program that supported adopted adolescent girls who experienced significant trauma. She has written a research paper on the neurology and physiology of PTSD and how yoga can help from a scientific stance. Steph has found healing and meaning in her continued and profound awe of nature, and finds purpose in guiding others to this connection. Between her career in wilderness therapy, recreational guiding, and personal backpacking trips, she has north of 1000 days in the backcountry. In her free time, Steph can be found somewhere outside with a watercolor set in her backpack, exploring the landscape with her paintbrush, body, and dog.