BEGINS OCTOBER 2ND, 2024*
*For the first time ever: Europe-friendly Zoom call times
The Buddha taught that radical compassion is the synonymous with full awakening, and that one must begin with compassion for oneself. Compassion is a healer, an alchemical force, a grossly underestimated state of heart and mind.
Self-compassion could heal every part of you.
This course is a primer in how.
For most of us, this might sound great but our experience of self-compassion remains elusive, slippery, perhaps altogether alien. Or we might be able to experience self-compassion, but not know how to use self-compassion to move in the direction of getting unstuck. Whatever the case, there are tools. There are steps one can follow. There are resources right in front of us that we often miss.
This course starts where we are: most likely overworked, needing some care, wanting to feel better. We focus on reconnecting to the most essential aspects of our lives: body, breath, the Earth, and how to experience compassion directly. We bring relief and rest to the nervous system, explore the challenges involved in letting go, and release help tension in the body. You’ll learn some of the neuroscience of embodied presence, the art of emotional self-regulation, pain management techniques, how trauma works, and how to access the resources of compassion.
All of Ralph’s course offer a fusion of East-West wisdom: meditation, somatic psychology, trauma theory, and the Internal Family Systems’s revolutionary process of “parts work.”
*Flexible payment options and no one turned away for lack of funds.
NOTE:
EMBODYING SELF-COMPASSION is also Module One of THE PATH: GROUNDED TRANSFORMATION.
You do not have to sign on for the The Path to take this course or to benefit from this course…
But if you want to go deeper after taking this, you can.
A mix of self-paced content and weekly live Zoom calls.
EVERY WEEK YOU’LL GET
One or more guided meditations that deepen as we go
Pre-recorded dharma talk (20-30 mins)
Handout to accompany the talk
Reading assignment + journal prompt
Online discussion forum moderated by the amazing Tess Felder
Four group Zoom calls with Ralph on Wednesdays
Your choice:
Evening: 5-6pm PT / 8-9pm ET
Mid-day: 11am-12pm PT / 2-3pm ET (Europe-friendly option)
All Zoom calls are recorded and shared the next day to course participants
GOOD TO KNOW
Ideal time investment: 2 - 4 total hours per week. You’ll be supported in however deep you choose to go (or not go).
You do not have to do every single thing offered to get substantial benefit
Optional private sessions with Ralph are available
Each module is four weeks
Readings assigned from The Monkey Is the Messenger: Meditation and What Your Busy Mind Is Trying to Tell You by (ahem) Ralph De La Rosa
If you are a “yes” to one or more of the following:
You feel stuck, like there’s some piece of the truth you must be missing
You like the idea of self-compassion, but experiencing self-compassion is another story
You want practices + learning to support your ongoing therapy
You’ve been to therapy and needed something more instructive and engaging
You’ve tried all the things and still feel half-healed
You desire community with folks who are healing and growing like you are
You long for a space that’s non-hierarchical, where your inner wisdom is just as important as anyone else’s and the “teacher” is someone doing the work alongside you
You’re a helping professional interested in IFS training (which is best learned experientially)
You desire an experiential exploration of Buddha Nature (a.k.a. the heart of compassionate action)
You want to begin, refresh, or deepen your meditation practice
…this is for you
These courses are guided by the following principles:
Radical non-pathology: The audacious notion that nothing is wrong with you. You’re not broken, dysfunctional, or neurotic. You had to figure out how to survive and feel emotionally safe in some tough situations, though. You were also born into an emotionally unintelligent society where aggression is normal and conformity is demanded. Whatever’s driving you to this course—be it depression, anxiety, relationship rollercoasters, grief, self-medication cycles, or simply the sense that there must be more—is the product of how you adapted to all this. And it worked. You survived. And it is also an excellent idea to evolve now.
Compassion first: Compassion is the strongest, cleanest fuel for healing and growth. Curiosity is the doorway to removing obstacles and past conditionings. Self-love is the essential nutrient we’re hungry for. If self-shaming and self-punishment worked, you wouldn’t be reading this.
Start where you are: Whatever the level (or lack) of trauma, whether you’re a beginning meditator or a fifth-level bodhisattva, we all start in the same place: what it’s like here and now. We all do the same work, even if at different levels of subtlety. And we will all mess up, miss a day, get behind, etc. In these courses, the invitation is to continually accept where we are, and keep going from there. (If you’re getting the vibe that you’re allowed to be utterly human around here, good.)
Community amplification: Healing in isolation is one thing, healing with folks who are having their own insights and breakthroughs amplifies our own process—even for introverts who are attached to our pillow forts.
Meditation is a must: We all know change comes from within, but how much time do we spend there, within? If we want our lives to evolve, we simply must relate directly to what’s happening inside of us. Meditation offers us a self-governed home base where we can do inner work any time, anywhere, and free of charge. The meditations offered here different. They are an invitation to a kind of self-relationship that’s only available when we spend time inside. Busy minds are welcome here.