Mary Chapman

Fox Walkers Youth Program Instructor

Mary Chapman grew up in the east Bay Area with her adventurous family exploring the natural surroundings and learned a deep reverence for nature at a young age. Sunday morning excursions became church, and this shaped her understanding of our relationship with nature as the most sacred and profound journey this life offers. An avid gymnast, acrobat and circus performer, led to embodiment and deeper awareness which eventually led to yoga, and mindfulness practices honing a deep appreciation for balance in all things. For years she taught kids, teens and adults in many movement arts realms. Her love for warm weather and ocean adventures took her to Hawai’i where she lived 12 years, got her bachelors degree in kinesiology and learned to live off the land. Growing food, foraging, natural building and learning the Hawaiian ways became a lifestyle. She had a lead role in an off-grid sustainable community that ran programs helping kids interact with the land in a playful and respectful way. Now back to her roots of California, she is embarking on a journey facilitating the youth to develop a healthy relationship with nature. She believes it is our responsibility and privilege to caretake this earth, and really the most important thing we can do as a humans is to leave it better off than it was when we got here. For Mary, gratitude and service lead the way, and she is a forever student of the forest. Honored to be working with Fox Walkers teaching the skills to thrive in our natural environment.