REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED for this program. Please stay tuned for announcements about future Mudra Space Awareness programs.
Fight, flight, freeze! We live in a time of tension and uncertainty. Mudra Space Awareness is an intense mind/body practice that cuts through the heaviness of tension and releases the freshness of total involvement, insight, and confidence.
How can you stay awake when things are so intense that all you want to do is numb out? Lean into the fundamentals of Mudra – an embodiment practice to hold space and cut through to well-being and mental clarity. Founded in Buddhist principles, Mudra works from the inside out to bring moment-by-moment awareness into our lives. It is a discipline for this time of chaos, fear, and groundlessness.
Have you wondered about Mudra for a long time? Are you just hearing about Mudra? This is the moment to join in this intense practice for intense times and come back to a basic sense of being. If you’ve always wanted to know about this unique, experientially-based practice, originally presented by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in the 1970s, now is the time.
Fifty years after being first introduced at Karmê Chöling by Trungpa Rinpoche, the intensive physical and sensory exercises of Mudra Space Awareness have coalesced as a definitive practice for both personal and professional growth. Three dimensions of Mudra help us to hold the space with potent gestures in order to be able to stay present in these times of uncertainty:
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Vision: Mudra provides an experiential glimpse of non-dual perception, in which self and other co-arise in a moment of perception. Practitioners can gain a pragmatic and accessible understanding of cutting through to original mind and glimpse freedom from self-orientation. At the core of Mudra are Tibetan Buddhism’s highest non-dual teachings, in which self and other co-arise in each moment.
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Method: Exercises and postures train the practitioner to make inner “gestures” – subtle actions – that rework the mind/body relationship and alter sense perceptions while restoring balance and resiliency. These result in a refreshing level of flexibility and awareness that is applicable to every situation.
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Applications: Presented as theater training and a vital complement to meditation and contemplative practices by Trungpa Rinpoche, Mudra has evolved to be applicable to all aspects of everyday life - health, family, education, art and entrepreneurship. Applied Mudra is effective in both digital and physical settings.
Teachers of this program have spent the past decades deepening and understanding the profundity of these teachings. The weekend will present the fullness and applicability of this mind-body discipline for these intense times. Adapted to an online format for this time of Covid-19, the program brings together a community of practitioners who have benefited from this practice in-person and online and, for the first time, welcomes anyone interested to feel its power and effects.
Join us online for a day and a half of Mudra intensification practice and digital Mudra - how to bring Mudra to our digital experience. For more seasoned practitioners, we will be including the whole first set of exercises, not always offered. These will be included for everyone participating. Come feel the energetics and magic of Mudra for yourself by making your own full gesture in response to your world.
Dr. Craig Smith, Chairman of Mudra Institute, who studied Mudra with Trungpa Rinpoche, will present the view of Mudra, offering guidance on the three dimensions of Mudra and how we can apply these in our lives as they are today.
Senior Mudra teachers Acharya Suzann Duquette and Greg Heffron will work with other Mudra teachers and advanced Mudra practitioners to present these experiential exercises as they relate to spiritual awakening and lifestyle balance.
This day and a half will include intensive physical postures, sensory awareness exercises, Mudra meditations and contemplations, talks and discussion. Mudra postures and exercises can be adapted to work with individual needs. All are welcome. There are no prerequisites.
“Mudra opens me to my life and the dharma in the most profound ways.”
“Getting a taste of different energies, styles and personalities was very rich and
inspiring. The co-creation of practice made the possibility to embody mudra principles in my life very real.”
“Fills out the other teachings. So subtle and so deep and profound.”
“I never thought it would feel the same doing Mudra online, but it works, it really works.”
“Extremely valuable, opportunity to experience different teachers and styles, approaches.”
Who Should Attend?
Everyone who is interested in gathering for this unique practice of Mudra Space Awareness – from new practitioners to most advanced. Those new to Mudra will have a special introduction and training opportunities, with discussion.
Program Schedule
The program will begin Saturday, Oct. 24, at 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It will continue on Sunday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All times are US Eastern time.
More About Mudra
As part of this immersion into Mudra, we asked Mudra teachers some questions about their relationship to this transformative mind-body discipline. See their answers on our
BLOG.
Also see a collection of videos and articles about the practice of Mudra on the Mudra Institute website at
www.mudrainstitute.org
Please Note: The price below includes a $20 per person teaching gift for Dr. Smith, who is responsible for holding and developing the full scope of the Mudra Institute.
Pricing
Karmê Chöling values its commitment to making programs affordable and available to all who wish to study with us.
To support this commitment we provide two program price options.
TUITION: $170
This is the actual price of the program.
GENEROSITY PRICE: $215
We offer this generosity price to those who can afford to pay a little more. Your generosity makes it possible for Karmê Chöling to offer it's programs at a reasonable price.
Please Note:
Price does not include accommodations,
which will be added during the registration process.
Payment Policies:
Karmê Chöling has updated its payment policies. The new policies apply to all programs that start after January 1, 2019. Please read the payment policies before proceeding with registration.
Financial Aid:
Karmê Chöling offers full-time student discounts, scholarships and other financial aid.
Program Credit:
If using existing program credit to pay for a program, you must pre-register for this program at least two weeks prior to the program start date by calling the front desk (802-633-2384 x3000). Program credit may not be used to pay for housing or practice materials and may not be used on or after arrival day.
Teachers
About Dr. Craig Warren Smith
Professor Craig Warren Smith, became the first teacher of Mudra Space Awareness after receiving transmissions of the practice directly from CTR in the early 1970s. After introducing the practice to Naropa in 1974, he then began teaching the program in dozens of Shambhala Centers, culminating in the Dathun with Mudra at Karme Choling, co-taught with Suzann Duquette. At that time, under his leadership, the three-part (Vision-Method, Application) structure of Mudra began to emerged. After graduating with honors at Stanford University, he became Harvard Professor of Technology Policy at the Kennedy School of Government. He later became an advisor to world leaders regarding the regulation of the internet. Currently, he advises the Republic of Indonesia on implementation of an ethics based model, called Meaningful Broadband. (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Warren_Smith). In recent years his approach to digital dynamics merged with Mudra, e.g. by using Muda visual exercises for content creation in virtual reality. A leader of the gay rights movement in the 1970s, he introduced the topic of “queer dharma” to Shambhala Centers in the 1990s.
About Suzann Duquette
Suzann Duquette began her lifetime exploration of Mudra in 1974 as part of the Berkeley Mudra Space Awareness group. Suzann sees the power of physical awareness and embodiment as essential to awakening. She has found Mudra to be a profound method for tasting direct experience and embodiment, and putting that into effective action in all aspects of her life. Among many Mudra gatherings, Suzann has co-taught two landmark Mudra retreats - the 2004 Dathün with Mudra with Dr. Craig Warren Smith and the 2019 Mudra Summit, both held at Karmê Chöling. Former co-director of Karmê Chöling and current senior teacher, Suzann is also an instructor of Daoist-Qigong in the lineage of Dr. Eva Wong. She lives with her husband, Jan Enthoven, in Barnet, where they own and run Blue Skies, a B&B.
About Greg Heffron
Greg Heffron was the first certified teacher of Mindful Communication authorized by author and Buddhist teacher Acharya Susan Gillis Chapman, and is the Executive Director of Green Zone Institute, dedicated to her work. He has been teaching Mindful Communication workshops since 2009, and has been a teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition since 2005. In 2005, he apprenticed with senior Mudra Space Awareness teacher Craig Warren Smith, and became authorized to teach this unique mind-body meditation technique (www.mudrainstitute.org). In 2007, Greg co-taught with Professor Smith to graduating students in the Dance Division at the Julliard School in New York. Greg returned recently from a tour teaching Mindful Communication and Mudra Space Awareness in Holland, Poland and Ukraine. He coaches individuals, teaches workshops, and consults with businesses and organizations like Shambhala Mountain Center, Dechen Choling Retreat Center
(802) 633-2384
