Eight-week online curriculum:

Curriculum includes:

Streamed lectures
Streamed lectures and do-on-your-own exercises from the Internet, including audio-guided meditation sessions, reflection questions.

Online Group Conferencing
Four online group conferencing events, where you are invited integrate and apply practice content with faculty and cohort students.

Forum Discussions
Online forum discussions to get acquainted with, network, and learn from other students from your cohort group.

Download Materials
Download links of course reading material.

Access to Experts
Lectures and access to guest faculty and experts.

Course Instructor

Lead Faculty

Special Guests

Gaylon Ferguson

Gaylon Ferguson is Core Faculty at Naropa University. He received a doctorate in cultural anthropology from Stanford where he was a Fulbright Fellow to Nigeria. He is the author of two books: Natural Bravery: Fear and Fearlessness as a Direct Path of Awakening (2016), Natural Wakefulness: Discovering the Wisdom We Were Born With (2009). He has led group retreats in mindfulness-awareness meditation for 40 years.

Marty Janowitz

Marty Janowitz has been involved in environmental change and sustainability for more than 25 years in Canada and internationally. He is Chair of the Nova Scotia Roundtable on Environment and Sustainable Prosperity and is active in Buddhist climate change initiatives. He was Chair of the Authentic Leadership in Action (ALIA) Institute and is currently a trustee of Naropa University.

Judith Simmer-Brown, PhD

Judith Simmer-Brown is a Distinguished Professor of Contemplative and Religious Studies at Naropa University, where she has taught as a Founding Faculty member since 1978. She is the founder and Senior Faculty Adviser to the Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education (CACE), exhibiting the University’s leadership as the pioneer institution for contemplative education.

Jim Rosen

Jim Rosen is a professional coach working with individuals and teams. His experience spans the breadth of both business and contemplative worlds. As an entrepreneur he co-founded two successful software firms and has extensive experience in the technology industry. He has held senior roles in some of the largest technology companies in the industry.

Reverend angel Kyodo williams

Rev. angel Kyodo williams, Sensei, is an author, maverick spiritual teacher, master trainer and founder of Center for Transformative Change. She has been bridging the worlds of personal transformation and justice since the publication of her critically acclaimed book, Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living With Fearlessness and Grace.

Tami Simon

Tami Simon founded Sounds True at the age of 22 with the mission of disseminating spiritual wisdom. As a pioneer in the conscious business movement, she focuses on bringing authenticity and heart into the workplace while honoring multiple bottom lines. Tami hosts a popular weekly podcast called Insights at the Edge, where she has interviewed many of today’s leading teachers.

Dale Asrael

Dale Asrael has taught in the field of contemplative education for more than thirty-five years. In addition to teaching at Naropa, she leads meditation retreats and dharma programs internationally, and trains meditation instructors. Dale has been appointed by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche as the Dean of Meditation Instructors for Shambhala International. She is also a practitioner of the ancient contemplative body-mind practice Qigong and has been appointed to teach in the Xiantianwujimen and Xiquan lineages by Daoist lineage holder, Eva Wong.

Peter Grossenbacher, Ph.D.

Peter Grossenbacher. PhD teaches courses in Contemplative Education and Contemplative Psychology degree programs at Naropa University, including Perception, Cognitive Psychology, Statistics and Research Methods, Mindfulness Meditation, and The Mindful Teacher. His research focuses on the teaching of contemplative practice, and the effects of meditation on personal worldview and engagement with awareness. He is Professor, BA Contemplative Psychology and Director of the Consciousness Laboratory at Naropa.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the live conference calls be recorded?

All course live events will be recorded. You may watch the video or listen to an audio recording of the calls online at your convenience.

Will I have access to the course after it has ended?

Yes, you will have 8 weeks following the course completion date to review all content, take notes, engage with your classmates in the forum, and download handouts and audio files that you may have missed.

What if I’m new to online learning?

Our helpdesk team will be here to help walk you through the classroom and assist you with any technical questions you may have. You will be comfortable with the classroom in no time.

I have a busy schedule, what if I fall behind?

This course has been crafted with active schedules in mind. The self-led portion is available 24/7 for you to access at your own pace and schedule within the course presentation timeframe.

How much time does the course take each week?

We estimate that it takes approximately 2-3 hours a week to participate fully in the course. There will be an additional two 1-hour live class conference sessions.

Will I have direct access to the faculty?

Yes. At multiple intervals during the course, there is a live conference call and you are invited to participate in the Q&A/discussion period. Additionally, the faculty will participate in forum and chat conversations with you and your fellow classmates.

Will I have interaction opportunities with fellow participants?

Yes. Course participants are encouraged to comment on each other’s postings in an online forum, and it’s recommended to practice the methods taught with study partners. Online messaging tools enable private and group communications between faculty and participants.

Participants are also encouraged to identify two other participants to form a small accountability team to increase success in applying the self-coaching techniques.

Can I earn Continuing Education Units?

This course does not offer a continuing education credit option at this time.