Tag: Compassion

Registration for this program is now full. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please email kiersten@smithcenter.org.

with Brandel France de Bravo

Compassion Cultivation Training©, Thursday evenings (6:30 pm to 8:30 pm) on Zoom from July 9 through August 27th. Would you like to start or deepen a meditation practice and also help support the Smith Center? One hundred percent of course fees will be donated to the Center. And for those experiencing financial difficulties, please don’t let course fees keep you away! Tuition reductions and waivers are available by emailing the instructor (see below).

Thanks to Covid-19 and its economic and emotional aftermath, we are facing challenges never experienced before, individually and as a society. By strengthening our natural capacity for compassion, empathy and kindness—for ourselves and others—we can become more resilient and better able to cope with the uncertainties of life during a pandemic.

Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT©) is an eight-week course developed over a decade ago by a team of contemplative scholars, clinical psychologists, and researchers at Stanford University. Many who have taken the course say that it has given them a sense of balance and allowed them to live with greater joy and intention. When we become more aware, open, and curious about the world and the people around us, we can tap into the compassion inside of us to connect with others and be gentler on ourselves.  Practicing compassion can alleviate our worries and fears so we can become powerful forces for good — in our relationships, families, workplaces, and communities.

Classes will be held weekly on Thursdays via Zoom (6:30 pm to 8:30 pm) from July 9 through August 27th. Each class builds upon the previous but if you have to miss a class one week, that’s okay. Each week includes:

  • In-class guided meditations and online recordings for use at home
  • Group discussions and in-class exercises relevant to each week’s theme
  • Optional readings, videos, and practices for outside the classroom to enhance learning and support a daily meditation and compassion practice

Cost of course: $325 before July 1st. Beginning July 1st, regular tuition of $375 applies. ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO THE SMITH CENTER FOR HEALING AND THE ARTS. To request that the course fee be reduced or waived due to financial hardship, kindly email Brandel France de Bravo and let her know what amount is comfortable for you to pay. Write to: bravofrance@gmail.com

About Brandel France de Bravo

Brandel France de Bravo holds a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University and is a graduate of Warren Wilson’s MFA Program for Writers. She has two decades of experience researching and designing health interventions in the U.S. and abroad. She has run an HIV prevention program in Africa, designed harm reduction strategies for intravenous drug users in Central Asia, and developed materials to help cancer patients in the U.S. make informed decisions about their treatment. She is co-author of a parenting book influenced by the RIE philosophy of infant-toddler care and is a published poet and essayist. She studied Compassion Cultivation Training with founding faculty while a fellow at Stanford University and is honored to be a certified teacher of CCT.

http://www.brandelfrancedebravo.com/

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Harpreet Gujral, DNP, FNP-BC

We will discuss what self-compassion is and learn about it’s 3 elements. We will learn practice tools to cultivate self-compassion for our own healing and for loving others.

Wellness in the Time of COVID

The Washington Home

This 6-month integrative wellness series, sponsored by The Washington Home, will be offered to caregivers, those who are critically ill, and those facing cancer-related challenges during this especially difficult time.

Check out the full series program schedule HERE!

About Harpreet Gujral, DNP, FNP-BC

Harpreet Gujral DNP, FNP-BC is both a clinician and healthcare administrator who brings three decades of experience in various clinical areas. She helped with the launch of Johns Hopkins Sibley Integrative Medicine (SIM), both as the Program Director and Nurse Practitioner. She currently co-leads this program by directing and managing day-to-day operations of SIM and provides integrative medicine consultations. She is a Family Nurse practitioner and most recently served as Program Director and Nurse Practitioner at the Sibley Weight Loss Surgery department. She helped create and lead a successful multidisciplinary medical weight-loss program at a community hospital. Additionally, she has served as Senior Practice Advisor at the American Nurses Association.
She received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree focusing on Integrative Health and Healing track at University of Minnesota under mentorship of Dr. Mary Jo Kreitzer. She has a deep interest and is well informed in modalities like Aromatherapy, Guided Imagery, including various Eastern modalities such as Ayurveda, Mindfulness, and Meditation that are enhanced by her roots in India. She deeply believes in one’s inner capacity to heal. Additionally, she has also completed Integrative Nurse Coach certificate program with Dr. Barbara Dossey and Susan Luck. She is currently enrolled in the 2-year Meditation Teacher Training with Drs. Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield.
Her interests include mindful eating, self-compassion, healthy cooking, mindful pausing, health coaching that brings together various aspects of integrative health. She enjoys uplifting and nurturing her colleagues using mindful pause, appreciation Qi Gong and the practice of gratitude. She loves to walk in the nature with her family and friends, engage in music and poetry.