“Compassion reveals to us that helping others versus helping ourselves need not be a tradeoff – through compassion, we can do both.”
– Jordan Quaglia, PhD, WELCOME Instructor
In a world increasingly characterized by stress, division, and rapid change, compassion is more essential than ever. Mindful compassion — the practice of intentionally cultivating awareness, empathy, and kindness for oneself and others — can help us navigate these modern challenges with greater emotional resilience and enhanced well-being. Embracing this practice can transform not only how we relate to ourselves, but also how we engage in our relationships, communities, and society at large.
Deepen your contemplative practice and cultivate compassion with WELCOME, Naropa University’s online mindful compassion training. Led by a team of expert instructors, this unique offering explores an integrative approach to compassion training, blending cutting-edge research from neuroscience and psychology with practices and teachings from ancient wisdom traditions.
You’ll discover how mindful compassion training harnesses the power of neuroplasticity to create durable cognitive and behavioral change, transforming the brain’s natural response to empathy fatigue, emotional dysregulation, and social challenges. You’ll also learn how the benefits of compassion practice extend far beyond the individual, enhancing collective well-being alongside your own.
This 8-module course includes:
5+ hours of on-demand video lectures & mindfulness practices
Readings & compassionate “fieldwork” activities
Guided at-home meditation retreat
Downloadable audio meditations
Self paced learning on any device, anytime
This 8-module course includes:
5+ hours of on-demand video lectures & mindfulness practices
Guided at home meditation retreat
Readings & compassionate “fieldwork” activities
Downloadable audio meditations
Self paced learning on any device, anytime
Judith Simmer-Brown, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor of Contemplative and Religious Studies Emeritx at Naropa University, where she has taught as a Founding Faculty member since 1978. She has practiced Tibetan Buddhism for forty-five years and is an Acharya (Senior Teacher) of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Naropa’s founder. 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. Dr. Simmer-Brown lectures and writes on Tibetan Buddhism, American Buddhism, women and Buddhism, inter-religious dialogue, and contemplative education.
Judith Simmer-Brown, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor of Contemplative and Religious Studies Emeritx at Naropa University, where she has taught as a Founding Faculty member since 1978. She has practiced Tibetan Buddhism for forty-five years and is an Acharya (Senior Teacher) of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Naropa’s founder. 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. Dr. Simmer-Brown lectures and writes on Tibetan Buddhism, American Buddhism, women and Buddhism, inter-religious dialogue, and contemplative education.
Carla Burns, MDiv, is an Instructor in Naropa’s Core College, and Graduate School of Psychology, with an emphasis on the exploration of loving-kindness through the wisdom of the body, emotions, and the elements. She is particularly passionate about the ways in which contemplative practice communities can come to understand multiple ways of being and knowing, and how we embody and utilize space as a means to personal, collective and cosmic liberation. In addition, she is certified Mindfulness Instructor at Naropa University, co-developed Naropa’s Embodied Mindfulness in Teaching Training program and is the Program Manager for the Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education.
Carla Burns, MDiv, is an Instructor in Naropa’s Core College, and Graduate School of Psychology, with an emphasis on the exploration of loving-kindness through the wisdom of the body, emotions, and the elements. She is particularly passionate about the ways in which contemplative practice communities can come to understand multiple ways of being and knowing, and how we embody and utilize space as a means to personal, collective and cosmic liberation. In addition, she is certified Mindfulness Instructor at Naropa University, co-developed Naropa’s Embodied Mindfulness in Teaching Training program and is the Program Manager for the Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education.
Jordan Quaglia, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology, Director of the Cognitive and Affective Science Laboratory, and Research Director of the Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education at Naropa University. His research, supported by funding from Mind and Life Institute and John Templeton Foundation, has been featured in leading scientific journals and books, and relies on a range of tools, from neuroscientific measures to virtual reality, to study topics such as mindfulness and compassion.
Jordan Quaglia, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology, Director of the Cognitive and Affective Science Laboratory, and Research Director of the Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education at Naropa University. His research, supported by funding from Mind and Life Institute and John Templeton Foundation, has been featured in leading scientific journals and books, and relies on a range of tools, from neuroscientific measures to virtual reality, to study topics such as mindfulness and compassion.
Charlotte Z. Rotterdam is a contemplative educator, Buddhist teacher, and meditation instructor. She is the Director of the Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education at Naropa University and an Instructor in Naropa’s Core College, World Wisdom Department, and Graduate School of Psychology. She co-developed and teaches Naropa’s Mindful Compassion Training, a secular program to cultivate compassion in personal, professional and societal contexts. She is the Lead Teacher of the Mother Lineage (Magyu Lopön) at Tara Mandala Retreat Center. Charlotte received a Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. The mother of two boys, she has published essays on the intersection of spiritual practice and daily life in Lion’s Roar, Buddhadharma, Mandala and Fearless Nest, an anthology.
Charlotte Z. Rotterdam is a contemplative educator, Buddhist teacher, and meditation instructor. She is the Director of the Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education at Naropa University and an Instructor in Naropa’s Core College, World Wisdom Department, and Graduate School of Psychology. She co-developed and teaches Naropa’s Mindful Compassion Training, a secular program to cultivate compassion in personal, professional and societal contexts. She is the Lead Teacher of the Mother Lineage (Magyu Lopön) at Tara Mandala Retreat Center. Charlotte received a Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. The mother of two boys, she has published essays on the intersection of spiritual practice and daily life in Lion’s Roar, Buddhadharma, Mandala and Fearless Nest, an anthology.
The on-demand version of WELCOME allows you to learn at your own pace with pre-recorded video and audio content. In contrast, the live online version is offered only at specific times of the year and includes real-time interaction with instructors and participants. You can learn more about the live online version here.
The self-paced online course begins as soon as you enroll. You decide when you start and when you finish.
This Naropa On-Demand course is available through our online Learning Management System, Thinkific. After enrolling, you will be able to access the course at anytime through your Thinkific Dashboard.
For more information about Naropa On-Demand courses, visit our Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
Due to adverse weather conditions, all Naropa campuses will be closed Friday, March 15, 2024. All classes that require a physical presence on campus will be canceled. All online and low-residency programs are to meet as scheduled.
Based on the current weather forecast, the Healing with the Ancestors Talk & Breeze of Simplicity program scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday will be held as planned.
Staff that do not work remotely or are scheduled to work on campus, can work remotely. Staff that routinely work remotely are expected to continue to do so.
As a reminder, notifications will be sent by e-mail and the LiveSafe app.
Regardless of Naropa University’s decision, if you ever believe the weather conditions are unsafe, please contact your supervisor and professors. Naropa University trusts you to make thoughtful and wise decisions based on the conditions and situation in which you find yourself in.
