SPIRITUAL PRACTICES ON SATURDAYS
These classes offer an opportunity for students and for the general public to sample practices used in The Servant Leadership School before making a longer commitment to a class or workshop. See our Current Schedule page for a listing of all courses and events.
WINTER/SPRING 2012 WORKSHOPS
“Presence, or ‘attention of the heart,’ is the capacity to be fully engaged at every level of one’s being: alive and simultaneously present to both God and the situation at hand.” –Cynthia Bourgeault
INTEGRAL TRANSFORMATIVE PRACTICE (ITP): A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Realizing the Potential of Our Body , Heart, Mind and Soul
Saturday, February 11, 2012 from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Combining gentle stretching, progressive relaxation, visualization, and centering prayer, Integral Transformative Practice allows
us to balance and ground our bodies, open our hearts, and clear our minds to become more present to God’s Presence within us and among us. Come dressed for easy movement. Bring a mat if you have one. Materials will be provided to begin a home practice if desired.
Location: Broome Hall, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Led by: Ruth D. Anderson, Ph.D.
AN INTRODUCTION TO CENTERING PRAYER
Saturday, February 18, 2012 from 9 a.m.—3 p.m. followed by six 90-minute sessions on Thursdays, 6:30-8:00 p.m. beginning February 23, 2012
An Introduction to Centering Prayer will be offered during the Lenten Season by John Kelsey, a national leader of Contemplative Outreach, and by Robin Britt who has received formal training as a presenter from Contemplative Outreach, the network founded by Fr. Thomas Keating. Saturday’s workshop on February 18 led by both John Kelsey and Robin Britt will include the following topics: Prayer as Relationship with God; the Method of Centering Prayer; Thoughts and Use of the Sacred Word; and Deepening Our Relationship with God. The six 90 minute follow-up sessions, offered by Robin Britt and another co-presenter on Thursday evenings, will include the following topics: Prayer in Secret; the Discipline of Centering Prayer; What Centering Prayer is and is Not; the Basic Principles of Centering Prayer; and further reflections on the Method of Centering Prayer. This intensive study of Centering Prayer provides an opportunity to delve deeply into the practice of “letting go” of our own thoughts in order to “consent” to God’s dream for ourselves.
Location: The Upper Room, 211 West Fisher Avenue
Led by: Robin Britt and John Kelsey
INTRODUCTION TO COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION
Saturday, March 17, 2012 from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Compassionate Communication is based on Nonviolent Communication (NVC),
a process of communication developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg that enables persons to
communicate their needs and feelings to others in a way that does not
produce shame, blame or guilt in either the speaker or the listener. This
class will be a brief introduction to the principals and practice of compassionate communication.
Location: Broome Hall, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Led by: Amelia Poole, M.A.
AWAKENING THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE HEART
Saturday, March 24, 2011 from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Contemporary research, including the work of The HeartMath Institute and others, shows how to transform emotional and mental energy into new, satisfying feelings and intelligent perceptions. These simple practices help to shift our often automatic responses etched into our neural circuitry to an awakening of the intelligence of the heart to Divine Presence. These methods focus on positive feelings such as appreciation, care or compassion, which help to create a coherence in our heart rhythms
that has been shown to bring the emotions, body and mind into balance.
Location: Broome Hall, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Led by: The Rev. Timothy Patterson
