Keeping a center going during these uncertain times often means fundamental operational changes, from what services we are able to offer, to how much they should cost. In this webinar, deepen your understanding of your center’s financial viability and discover tools and variables to use as you explore the sustainability of your current business model.
[Read more…]A Pilot Initiative for the Lunar New Year
By Jenyng Wu
Friday, February 12, 2021 is the Lunar New Year. In my home growing up it was the Chinese New Year. We would spend the day saying things like ‘May the New Year be full of happiness,’ and ‘Congratulations and good fortune to you.’ Blessings are shared, gifts of food symbolic of health and prosperity are bestowed, and firecrackers pop as dragons dance to celebrate the ‘new.’
Chinese New Year is also commonly known in East Asian cultures as the Spring Festival, marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring in the lunisolar calendar. It’s only appropriate then that the Holistic Centers Network, an organization representing a network of international centers, will be piloting an initiative, “Act Local, Think Global” to celebrate the tradition of community, wellness, and hope.
[Read more…]Nice is not Enough: Anti-Racist Practice for White People
A half-day online program with Dr. Robin DiAngelo, author of the bestselling book
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People to Talk About Racism
Many white people who are committed to racial justice ask: How do we work through our personal barriers and create and carry out effective actions for change?
This half-day session is for white people who have a general understanding of whiteness and systemic racism and seek to deepen their anti-racist analysis and practice.
[Read more…]The Psychedelic Renaissance
We are living in the midst of a modern renaissance of psychedelic research. After decades of a culture war on drugs, the taboo is finally thawing, allowing the true story and benefits of these extraordinary compounds to emerge.
Now, for the first time, The Open Center is bringing together the world’s leading experts from the scientific, medical and research fields for an engaging 6-week series exploring the past, present and future of psychedelic research.
The Open Center is pleased to present:
The Psychedelic Renaissance: Past, Present and Future
February 22nd – March 29th
Moderated by clinical psychologist and professor, Anthony Bossis, who is currently conducting FDA-approved psychedelic research on the effects of psilocybin, this dynamic series will feature in-depth presentations, thought-provoking Q & A sessions and breakout sessions. Join us and explore the world of psychedelics like you never have before from the leading minds in the field.
Embodied Spiritual Activism in Polarised Times
Thank you to Swami Jaya Devi, Bhava Devi and Agni Ma from Kashi Atlanta Urban Ashram in Georgia for beautifully hosting our first webinar of the year, with so much wisdom, love and clarity of purpose.
View the recording here;
https://www.centersnetwork.org/resource/embodying-spiritual-activism-in-polarised-times/
The ashram’s location in the heart of the civil rights movement inspires their work and Swami Jaya Devi, Spiritual Director, shared around the following areas;
Practicing Mindfulness during COVID-19 Times
With 85 million cases and counting, the COVID-19 pandemic has redefined our personal and professional lives. Everything, from our daily routines and work ethic to dietary habits and mental well-being, has felt the impact of living an isolated life devoid of human interaction.
If you have been feeling stressed out, depressed, or anxious in the last few weeks, you are not alone. There are millions of people who are experiencing the same paradigm shift in their lives due to COVID-19. The good news is that there is a remedy you can rely on – mindfulness. Many of us are familiar with this practice through our deep connection with holistic education and as we embark on 2021 we offer this resource as a supportive reminder.
[Read more…]My Hungry Heart – the road to Findhorn
By Yvonne Cuneo
At 26 I left Sydney to travel the world on my own for a year. I had left a marriage which I had wanted with all my young, innocent and needy heart, because I was restless, starved of something unnameable, and hungry to put myself out there to explore the infinite possibilities of life. My father said I had read too many books; he was probably right.
I didn’t realise that apart from the one small bag I took with me, I was carrying much excess luggage from a childhood rife with tension, hostility, and a lack of tenderness and love, a malnourishment of an emotional and spiritual kind. That luggage, which contained unconscious defiance, recklessness, unfathomable pain and a hungry hungry heart, remained locked and bolted for some time.
At 38, and two relationships later, I was living the life I thought I wanted. After a year in Cairo, then in Dubai, New Orleans and Aberdeen, I had an international lifestyle with endless travel, shopping trips to exotic locations filling my home with beautiful artefacts, excitement, adventure, a lively social scene and a healthy body. I had done an Experience Week at the Findhorn Foundation and found a temporary calm and some hope for a world I had given up on as violent and cruel. I felt safe and fed in some ways but was dependent on constant movement and tension to feed a gnawing emptiness.
The “Anxiety Pandemic” – Manage, Transform and Move Beyond.
Sunday, November 15th with David Raithby & Jennifer Hilton
Even before COVID-19, people talked about anxiety as a growing challenge for themselves and others in their life. With COVID-19, almost everybody has experienced some level of isolation, uncertainty, overwhelm, and what might be called helplessness, all of which are the hallmarks of anxiety.
This 5-hour event, ‘Anxiety and Beyond’, hosted by The Haven addresses the current high level of individual and societal anxiety and, more importantly, explores how we can go beyond anxiety into transformative and life-affirming understandings and actions.
Explore a truly unique and fulfilling perspective on anxiety, while offering valuable information, vital connection with others, practical and usable “take-home” tools, and a mix of creative, embodied and experiential learning opportunities.
[Read more…]Justice in Motion: the JEDI Wheel
Published by kind permission from the Retreat Center Collaboration (RCC).
In a recent RCC Community Call with Jenyng Wu, we explored the work of retreat centers through the lens of JEDI — Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Let’s take a closer look at the collaborative design process and our collective takeaways coming out of the call. If you weren’t able to join us, we invite you to explore the JEDI Wheel and take note of elements you might apply at your retreat center or allied organization. Check it out!
[Read more…]Join the Art of Dying Virtual Event
What is Art of Dying?
The Art of Dying Institute, an initiative of The Open Center, is dedicated to fostering an engaged community of practitioners; researchers & scholars; educators; front-line innovators; partners; and investors to address the need for a cultural awakening around the theme of death and our mortality, how we die and the consequences for how we live. Join the 25th Anniversary Event Oct 31 and Nov 1st 2020.