Naropa’s Community Practice Day is a unique event held each semester, typically on Tuesday of the eighth week of the semester. On this day, administrative offices are closed and classes are not held. The entire community is invited to participate. This year, Practice Day is on Tuesday, October 7th.
The day opens with a session of sitting and walking meditation, followed by a main talk presented by a faculty panel or guest speaker on a specific theme. Some of the themes in past years have been “Spiritual but Not Religious”, “Body Fullness”, and “Writing from the Lip of the Void”. The theme for Fall 2014 is “Celebrating Body, Speech, and Mind through Stillness and Movement.”
In the afternoon, individuals can select several workshops in which to engage. The workshops give participants an opportunity to explore various contemplative practices, some of which include movement, art-making, yoga, music, prayer, meditation, engaged social activities, and awareness around environmental issues, sustainability, and diversity. Also included are practices from various traditions and religious orientations such as Sufism, Paganism, Christianity, and Buddhism. The focus of these workshops is on experience and enjoyment of a variety of mindfulness practices that are foundational to Naropa’s contemplative pedagogy.
Most of all, Practice Day gives us an opportunity to strengthen our sense of community by joining in activities outside of our usual roles so that we may develop a deeper appreciation for the work that we do together in our daily roles as students, staff, and faculty.
We look forward to sharing in practice with you! Below is the schedule for Practice Day.
Morning at the Nalanda Campus:
8:30 – 8:50 AM: Coffee and tea served in Student Lounge
9:00 – 11:00 AM: Community sitting and walking meditation session (in the Events Center) led by Ugur Kocataskin. Includes Loving Kindness Practice with Masters of Divinity students Carla Marie Mueller & Lasette Brown.
Alternative offering: An introductory talk with Giovannina Jobson on Naropa’s rich offerings of contemplative practice, including mind-fullness and meditation instruction (in Dojo 9180); followed by restorative yoga with Joshua Dillon.
11:00 – 12:15 PM: Celebrating Body, Speech, and Mindfulness in Movement and Stillness — With Barbara Dilley, MacAndrew Jack, and Acharya Lama Tempa Gyaltsen. A conversation on contemplative practice & pedagogy as expressed through the interaction of body, speech & mind.
12:15 – 1:15 PM: Lunch — please remember to bring your own!
1:30 – 2:45 PM: Workshops; First Session (see below for details)
3:00 – 4:15 PM: Workshops; Second Session (see below for details)
4:20 PM: Closing dedication in the Nalanda Events Center
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Afternoon at the Nalanda Campus:
1:30 – 2:45 PM (First Session)
Aikido — With Jude Blitz Aikido: A contemplative martial partner practice. Join us to explore messages the Body can convey to alter Mind’s presence, our inner dialogue, and communication with our training partners.
Dàoist Qì Gong — With Chad Federwitz: These exercises are attributed to two of the Eight Dàoist Immortals, namely Zhongli Quan and Lü Dongbin. This set of Qì Gong is practiced by both Dàoists and non-Dàoists alike, and is primarily concerned with health.
Interanimation with Mother — With Francesca Howell, Wiccan Priestess: Our interanimation permeates us in all we do. Nature is with us and we with Her. Working with our bodies, our minds, our speech, we can learn to hear and experience a deeper knowing. As we explore this interbeing with Nature and with the All, we can discover new meanings of mindfulness, sustainability, and diversity.
Walking Meditation: “Let me walk with your feet”, Thich Nhat Hanh — With Acharya Dale Asrael: Walking meditation as a practice of wisdom and compassion.
Christian Insight Meditation — With Stephen Hatch: This practice combines traditional Christian mystical teachings on spaciousness as the dwelling place of God, with an awareness – present in writers like Meister Eckhart and Thomas Merton – that all thoughts, emotions and phenomena exist as echoes of a divine love-word.
Raga Toning — With Chaitanya Kabir: We will work with sonic transformation, or the means of transforming consciousness and awareness using sound. This class will focus on attuning to individual tones and the 5 tone raga they make together.
Bearing Witness — With Jeff Hohensee and Eco-Dharma Sangha Boulder: Guided contemplative practice focusing on bearing witness on the global impact of our individual lives on the world ‘carbon karma’. We will address briefly how our lifestyles are complicit in causing climate change. This will include silent meditation, reflection and discussion. Inspired to creating a connection with the Naropa community.
Tell me who you are: An invitation to awaken through poetic reflection and dyadic exchange — With Regina Smith: In this workshop, poetry and the sacred exchange of contemplative dyads will be used to, as Parker Palmer says, “hear each other into speech” to invite the unconscious into awareness.
3:00 – 4:15 PM (Second Session)
Centering Prayer — With Reverend Michelle Danson: This workshop will introduce the method of Centering Prayer, includes a 20 minute sit, and offers time for questions and reflections on the experience.
Authentic Movement — With Rachael Bonaiuto: Authentic Movement is a self-directed movement process employing the wisdom of the body as a pathway to awareness. Experience the individual and collective body as a vessel for healing and transformation and creative process.
Hindu Goddess Puja: Offering, Mantra & Chant — With Sreedevi Bringi: Participatory community ritual honoring the Divine Feminine with prayers for wellbeing and wisdom. With offerings of light, flowers, water, sacred powders, fruits, sweets (prasad) and chanting.
T’ai Chi Ch’uan — With Beth Rosenfeld & Lee Fife: All levels welcome!
Contemplating Belonging — With Tommy Lee Woon, Director of Diversity and Inclusion: Explore the sense of belonging in a diverse world, consider ways to create it, and learn about the research on its importance for academic performance.
Vocal Sonic Meditation — With Ana Cristina Caelen: In this practice, we will use our voices to explore the boundaries between language and non-conceptuality with a playful sense of humor and an integrative approach to the unique relationship between mind and body. It is available to everyone and requires no music training.
Ikebana: The Art of Japanese Flower Arranging — With Karen Roper: Session accommodates 12 participants. Please sign up in advance with Tashi Browder (tashi@naropa.edu).
Afternoon at the Arapahoe Campus:
1:30 – 2:45 PM (First Session)
Contemplative Herb Walk — With Brigitte Mars: Discover the wonderful medicinal and edible herbs that grow on our campus!
1:30 – 5:00 PM (First-Second Session)
Chado: The Way of Tea at the Naropa Tea House — Japanese Tea Ceremony fostering peace through serving a simple bowl of tea. Our practice is to embody the four principles of tea: harmony, purity, and tranquility. Three Sessions, 1:30 – 2:30 PM, 2:45 – 3:45 PM, & 4:00 – 5:00 PM); each session accommodates 5 guests. Please sign up in advance with Tashi Browder (tashi@naropa.edu).
Naropa University welcomes participants with disabilities. Please contact Giovannina Jobson at 303-245-4603 or gjobson@naropa.edu to inquire about accessibility and disability accommodations needed to participate fully in this event.
Submitted by:
Giovannina Jobson // Contemplative Practice Coordinator
gjobson@naropa.edu // 303-245-4603
The Learning Commons // Naropa University 