Compassion Cultivation Training is an eight-week program, developed at Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, that integrates evidence-based meditation techniques, interactive discussions and guided practices. Founded in mindfulness meditation practices, psychology, neuroscience, and contemplative practice, Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) builds our capacity to meet our own lives and collective experiences with greater awareness, compassion, resilience, and ease. As our experience of compassion for ourselves and others deepens, so does our ability to recognize our common humanity.
CCT is a weekly, two-hour class that takes place in a real-time, virtual group-learning environment that integrates evidence-based meditation techniques, interactive discussions, exploration of daily life through large and small group interaction, practical tools, daily guided meditation, and home practice.
CCT offers practical skills, tools, and knowledge. CCT supports you as you face life’s challenges, experience emotions, build courage to take compassionate action and develop resilience to manage empathy fatigue. When we become more aware, open, and curious about the world and people around us, we learn to use our natural compassion in practical ways to navigate life’s toughest challenges and begin to move through life’s ups and downs with greater ease.
To maintain intimacy in the learning community, group size will be limited to 24 participants. Early registration is encouraged. This class series will serve as a teaching practicum. The instructor and large group sessions will be recorded. Breakout small group interactive exercises and dialogues will not be recorded. Instruction will be confidentially reviewed by a founding faculty of the Compassion Institute. Participants will be invited to complete a brief mid- and final-class evaluation.
IMCW and Alem (she/her) share the aspiration that all living beings realize the freedom of their true nature, and that our world be filled with a growing expression of compassion, wisdom and peace. As part of a deep commitment to inclusion and addressing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, we are offering a tandem series: Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT), described above, and a Widening Circles of Belonging BIPOC Compassion Series. In the midst of these unsettled times, this tandem class series offers an opportunity to intentionally cultivate compassion in community and to further connection among communities.
The concurrently offered Widening Circles of Belonging BIPOC Compassion Series expands and builds upon core mindfulness and compassion cultivation in ways that aspire to extend a safe and meaningful experience for the BIPOC community. Compassion practices shared in community are a powerful means of counterbalancing experiences of separation, trauma and grief caused by systemic oppression.
Upon completion of Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) or Widening Circles of Belonging BIPOC Compassion Series, participants are invited to join a monthly online gathering to further explore and practice compassion cultivation and mindfulness. Sessions will include guided meditations, experiential exercises, group discussions, readings and whatever we are drawn to explore together.
May awareness of the needs of diverse communities continue to be recognized and grow to reflect the individuality and dignity of all.
May we all, to the best of our abilities, take actions that eliminate cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, ability and economic barriers to practice in community.
May this work on issues of diversity, race, and oppression heal the experiences of separation and reveal widening circles of belonging.
In addition to experiencing the evidence-based CCT, participants have an opportunity and are encouraged to help fund the Widening Circles of Belonging BIPOC Compassion Series and the IMCW BIPOC Diversity Fund.