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Chant, dance or meditate your way to self-care

The newly established Contemplative Resource Center at Ƶ Boulder will hostworkshops open to students, faculty and staff during its launch week, Oct. 21–25. A full schedule of events is available on theContemplative Resource Center website.

Beginning Somatic Meditation

Monday, October 21
12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
UMC 425

In this moment, our natural quality of wakefulness is fully present. The practice of somatic meditation invites us to directly experience our awakened nature through the body. In this session, you will learn core practices from the Meditating with the Body® curriculum. The practices are accessible to all levels of experience, from beginners to advanced. The practice is of great benefit to anyone looking to find grounding, presence, and the myriad benefits that come with authentic meditation.

Bryn Rees has been a student of meditation since 2003 and teaches programs in Boulder and Crestone. His practice, in a very ordinary sense, is to open to the unbroken stream of experiential invitations that life provides. A father of two young children, he is especially interested in the union of meditation practice with the realities of family and work life. Bryn works at Ƶ Boulder in the area of Research and Innovation.

Contemplative Movement Class

Wednesday, October 23
12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
CASE E422

This workshop will take you on a contemplative movement journey intended to find ease in your body-mind, and unleash your intuitive creative flow. Basic concepts of contact improvisation, developmental movement, reflective writing, and task-based movement will be introduced. Please wear comfortable clothing that allows you to move, and bring water. No specific movement experience is necessary. All agesand all abilities are welcome!

Chrissy Nelson is a dance artist, physical therapist, and somatic-based movement educator. She has taught at many improvisation festivals, including CIIA, EarthDance, and Texas Dance Improv Festival, and is currently an Artist in Residence in the Theater & Dance Department at Ƶ-Boulder. Since living in CO, Nelson has performed with Helander Dance Theater, Hannah Kahn Dance Company, 3rd Law Dance/Theater, kim olson/sweet edge, and Tumblebones, and in works created by Onye Ozuzu, Chris Aiken & Angie Hauser, Erika Randall, Gesel Mason, Gwen Ritchie, and Ondine Geary. Chrissy also directs The Field | Boulder, collaborates frequently with sound and visual artists, and most recently created “in the backyard,” inspired by the work of performance artist, William Pope.L, and poet, Gwendolyn Brooks. Based on her extensive study of many somatic practices, Chrissy calls upon the research in Developmental Movement, Body-Mind Centering®, Alexander Technique, Movement Fundamentals, and Contact Improvisation to guide her pedagogical approaches.

Slow Looking at the Ƶ Art Museum

Thursday, October 24
12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Ƶ Art Museum

Join us at the Ƶ Art Museum for a sampler of contemplative practices introducing slow looking, walking meditation, and movement in the permanent collection gallery, which currently features the exhibition Body Language: Picturing People. This exhibition considers how the pose, the gesture and the body in motion are used by artists to convey meaning . Deepen your connection with art and artists by cultivating mindfulness practices with Sandra Firmin, Ƶ Art Museum Director; Jade Gutierrez, Ƶ mindfulness researcher and art historian; and Paulette Erickson England, mindfulness teacher and clinician at FSAP.

Encontrando mi fuerza y fortaleza interior – Arte contemplativo

Thursday, October 24
12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
CASE E422

Encontrando mi fuerza y fortaleza interior” es un ejercicio experiencial de 50 minutos para acercarnos y llegar a conocer la fuerza y fortaleza que todos llevamos dentro. Nos enfocaremos en esta parte importante que vive en nosotros mediante una meditación guiada de 10 minutos, y luego la traeremos a la realidad al darle forma y personalidad con arte. Los-as asistentes recibirán técnicas y herramientas para conectarse con su fortaleza y fuerza interior, y podrán llevarse su creación. Es importante conocer y acercarnos a esta parte de nosotros para recordarla cuando queremos sentirnos seguros-as, empoderados-as, fuertes, y capaces.

ܳó:Maestría en Salud Mental del departamento de Psicología Transpersonal de la Universidad de Naropa, con una concentración en Terapia Transpersonal basada en Mindfulness (2018). Licenciatura en Psicología Clínica de la Universidad San Francisco de Quito, (2014).

Entrenamiento/Capacitación Adicional:Terapia Enfocada en las Emociones para terapia individual y parejas: Terapia Enfocada en las Emociones para Ansiedad y Depresión; Terapia Cognitiva Conductual para Ansiedad y Depresión; Terapia para Adicciones; Terapia en temas de aborto. También he estudiado y he aplicado Terapia Cognitiva Conductual, Terapia Humanista, Terapia Psicodinámica, y Terapia para Familias.

Breve Resumen de Historial Profesional:Trabajé como terapeuta en Quito, Ecuador desde el 2014 hasta el 2015. He continuado trabajando como terapeuta bilingüe en los Estados Unidos (2015-presente) en una clínica con mujeres, y en una agencia trabajando con poblaciones involucradas con las cortes para casos de Manejo de Ira, Violencia Domestica y Conducción bajo la influencia de drogas y alcohol.

Breve Información Personal:Fuera del Programa de Asistencia a la Facultad y al Personal, disfruto de pasar tiempo en la naturaleza, especialmente cerca de ríos y lagos. Tengo una gran pasión por la comida, la música, el amor y las relaciones e interacciones humanas. Creo firmemente que la curiosidad, el amor y la compasión son la receta para una vida sana.

Chant for Emotional Well-being

Friday, October 25
12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
UMC Aspen Room

The practice of chanting has many benefits including clearing the mind for better focus and attention, opening the chest and lungs for easier breathing, and calming our emotional state. In this session we enhance these benefits by first bringing a gentle focus to our emotional well-being through a guided contemplation. We then prepare our voices with simple warm-up exercises and explore the meaning and pronunciation of the words. The chant is in a "call and response” style accompanied by live harmonium music and followed by a short peaceful meditation. No experience needed; all voices are welcome!

Amaraja Radha Devi Jones has been chanting and meditating for more than 30 years. She studied Indian music with Megan Yalkut, a student of Ali Akbar Khan, and harmonium with Mike Cohen of Kirtan Leader Institute. For Amaraja, the practice of chanting is a connection to the divine that dwells in each one of us. Chanting has been a lifeline during difficult times, and a practice which accentuates the joy and love in her life.

Kristina Eklund is an advocate of self-care via attention to our emotions. Her approach is based on a body of work which indicates that emotions are important messages from our own subconscious Self – the heart of who we are. Kristina began her practice with a focus on shame, as she faced her own struggle to heal from childhood sexual abuse. She believes emotions are key to deepening inward attention and outward connection, and loves sharing this practice.