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Spiritual Enrichment

Spiritual Enrichment is a committee of the Board of Deacons that offers workshops, retreats and experiential opportunities that encourage spiritual growth and deepen our connection to the sacred. We sincerely hope you’ll find opportunities in 2013 to enrich your spirit.

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Summer 2013 program

Compassionate Communication

July 10, 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fireside Room. Please register; $75, partial scholarships available.

This full-day introductory workshop is designed for people who are interested in learning the basics of the compassionate/nonviolent communication model (NVC) developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg. Individuals, couples and families who have begun to integrate compassionate communication into their personal and professional lives have experienced the following benefits:

• A greater connection to their core values, contributing to an improved sense of self
• A shift away from depression, shame, or self-judgment by using self-empathy
• Individuals learn effective tools to diffuse heated conflicts in emotionally charged situations
• Deeper, fuller, more respectful, empowering connections with colleagues, intimate partners, family and friends

We will practice:

• developing a vocabulary of feelings and basic human needs we all have in common;
• clearly expressing observations, feelings, needs and requests;
• linking our feelings to the needs that have triggered them;
• understanding the difference between our common needs and the actions we take to meet those needs; and
• using empathy to diffuse emotional pain, calm stress or to find empowerment in difficult situations.

The workshop facilitator, Yvette Erasmus, M.Ed., has experience teaching Compassionate Communication at the Aslan Institute and with diverse groups.

For additional information, go to www.cnvc.org or contact the program coordinator, Anne Seltz, at anneseltz@aol.com.

Co-sponsored by the Religious Exploration and Spiritual Enrichment Committees.

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Winter-Spring 2013 programs

Compassionate Communication

Jan. 26 (new date is a change from the published flyer), 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fireside Room. Please register; $75, partial scholarships available.

This full-day introductory workshop is designed for people who are interested in learning the basics of the compassionate/nonviolent communication model (NVC) developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg. Individuals, couples and families who have begun to integrate compassionate communication into their personal and professional lives have experienced the following benefits:

• A greater connection to their core values, contributing to an improved sense of self
• A shift away from depression, shame, or self-judgment by using self-empathy
• Individuals learn effective tools to diffuse heated conflicts in emotionally charged situations
• Deeper, fuller, more respectful, empowering connections with colleagues, intimate partners, family and friends

We will practice:

• developing a vocabulary of feelings and basic human needs we all have in common;
• clearly expressing observations, feelings, needs and requests;
• linking our feelings to the needs that have triggered them;
• understanding the difference between our common needs and the actions we take to meet those needs; and
• using empathy to diffuse emotional pain, calm stress or to find empowerment in difficult situations.

The workshop facilitator, Yvette Erasmus, M.Ed., has experience teaching Compassionate Communication at the Aslan Institute and with diverse groups.

For additional information, go to www.cnvc.org or contact the program coordinator, Anne Seltz, at anneseltz@aol.com.

Co-sponsored by the Religious Exploration and Spiritual Enrichment Committees.

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Beyond the Basics: Compassionate Communication Deepening

Saturday, Feb. 16, 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fireside Room. Please register; $75, partial scholarships available.

This series is designed for people who are familiar with the Marshall Rosenberg model, who have attended a basic training at Plymouth or elsewhere, or who have read the Rosenberg book NonViolent Communication: The Language of the Heart.

Through structured activities and guided discussion, we will explore subtle differences between "Being Giraffe" and "Doing Giraffe," the protective vs. the punitive use of force and drawing from power with others as opposed to power over others in human relationships.

Participants will:

• Develop their capacity to be present to another
• Deepen their capacity to empathize with themselves and others
• Develop a deeper awareness of intentions when speaking or acting
• Practice "screaming in giraffe"
• Practice working with anger more effectively

The workshop facilitator, Yvette Erasmus, M.Ed., has experience teaching Compassionate Communication at the Aslan Institute and with diverse groups.

For additional information, go to www.cnvc.org or contact the program coordinator, Anne Seltz, at anneseltz@aol.com. Co-sponsored by the Religious Exploration and Spiritual Enrichment Committees.

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Meditation for the Busy Professional

Monday, Feb. 18, 7-8 p.m., Fireside Room. Please register; no fee.

Susan Wiens' statement: "Finding an outlet for relaxation and calming of mind and body is a complicated task when one’s work life is consumed by conflict and confrontation. As a busy lawyer, litigator and mother of three, I found it difficult if not simply impossible to find the time and an appropriate outlet during my demanding workday to de-stress. First, I turned to running, then marathon running, and after many running injuries, I was forced to look to Yoga to relieve my stress. Yoga was my gateway to meditation and meditation my ultimate doorway to an inner calmness that is no longer so easily unruffled by the everyday stressors of life. I shockingly discovered that meditation was even better than running for soothing my critical mind and allowing me the space to be content and happy.

"This was a long journey for me. I’m hoping it won’t be such a long journey for you. As a left-brained, analytical hard-driving professional, I was not convinced that simple meditation could provide me with the stress relief I required. I needed “hard proof” that meditation was going to help—and of course, I wanted help immediately. Until recently, science was unable to explain the health benefits of meditation, so I stumbled along practicing meditation and yoga, reading as much as possible, while hoping to find the benefits of meditation. It worked. My meditation practice started to ease my agitation and my mind became more still. I began reading about the recent laboratory studies that now document the health benefits of meditation. These new studies provide evidence that meditation not only provides psychological benefits but actual physiological benefits as well.

"With this new scientific discovery, a window has opened to help convince professionals, of all walks of life, to at least give meditation a try. Recent groundbreaking neurological studies demonstrate an irrefutable link between meditation and a stronger more resilient brain. New scientific research reveals our own extraordinary ability to physically change our brains to enhance our focus, long-term memory and change the way we respond to stress and other physical and emotional pressures. The simple act of meditation can significantly impact regions of the brain that influence our addictive tendencies, our happiness quotient, our cognitive skills, and our ability to keep our youthful functioning brain. Just five to ten minutes a day is sufficient to increase our brainpower and provide resistance to life’s stressors. Isn’t it time you experience for yourself the immense untapped power of meditation?"

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Writing Sabbath

Fridays, March 1-29 & April 12, 9:00-10:30 a.m., Parsons Room. Please register; no fee.

Join others for contemplative writing, as winter becomes spring. These six weeks of quieting, deepening and reflecting through writing are specially designed to coincide with Jeff Sartain's sabbatical experience, and our final session together will be an opportunity to welcome him back among us, freshly returned from his own journeying. Opening meditation will lead into a quiet time of writing. Those who wish will be invited to share their insights with one another at the close of each session.

Themes explored:
• March 1: Sacred Place
• March 8: Sacred Time
• March 15: Awe
• March 22: Awakening
• March 29: (Good Friday) Sorrow
• April 12: Joy

The leader is Rev. Gretchen Thompson, Unitarian Universalist minister, grief counselor and doctoral candidate at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in New Brighton. The meditation practice the group will use weekly will be taught on March 8 by Ben Vincent, Jeff’s yoga teacher. Ben’s studies include various traditions of yoga, meditation, mysticism, music, philosophy, conflict resolution and sustainable farming.

Registration: minimum of 3 participants and maximum of 12

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Connecting Communities Through Food: Cooking as Spiritual Practice

CANCELLED as of March 28, 2013—please watch for this workshop to be offered in fall 2013.
Saturdays, April 6, 13, 20 & May 4, 9–11 a.m., in the church kitchen. $75.00 includes class materials. Please register. Limited to 15 participants.

Jesus said, “We come to serve.” Join Plymouth’s own Chef Jeff in a five-week cooking course that will enrich your spiritual practice. Jeff’s stated mission is to use his passion for food and service excellence to create memorable meals. Discover different ways of how food connects us all, and new cooking disciplines that will add meaning each time you prepare and serve a meal.

Jeff Riley, executive chef and owner of Chef Jeff catering, is proud to be one of the founding members of the Minneapolis Technical Institute’s Culinary program, providing culinary training and mentoring for local youth.

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Using the Enneagram Tool for Women’s Personal and Generational Healing

Mondays April 8–29, 7–9 p.m. Room 207 April 8 only; remaining dates in Fireside Room. Please register; four sessions for $50. (If you attend with your mother, daughter, daughter-in-law or sister, 2 people for $90.)

Specifically for women familiar with the Enneagram who want to go deeper, this workshop is about claiming our power as women and coming back to ourselves. It is for women of all ages who want to take more joy in their life, connect with their creativity and have the life that is waiting for them. Participants will gain clarity about ways in which our mother’s history continues to influence our choices, health, beliefs and life. We will explore the spoken and unspoken messages and repeating family patterns passed to us by our foremothers. The feminine ways of learning that will be used to enhance this journey are: storytelling, ritual, making marks, creating with color, music, imagination, intuition and much laughter.  
 
Anne Muree is a personal and spiritual coach and Enneagram educator. She is a master teacher and has been facilitating adult groups for 30 years. Mother-daughter relationships through the lens of the Enneagram are of special interest for Anne, and she has been conducting workshops in this area for 12 years. She is currently writing a book on this topic. Anne has studied and used the Enneagram in her work for 25 years. She is certified to teach the Enneagram by Helen Palmer, Dr. David Daniels, Don Riso and Russ Hudson. She also has studied with Claudio Naranjo. She has served on the board of the International Enneagram Association and is active in the Minnesota IEA Chapter.

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Wholehearted Living

Mondays May 6, 13, 20 and June 3, 6:30–8:30 p.m. Please register (limited to 10); $50. FULL but you may sign up for wait list.

"Authenticity demands wholehearted living and loving—even when it's hard, even when we are wrestling with the shame and fear of not being good enough . . ." —Brene Brown

Our experience will be guided by a curriculum developed by Brene Brown, an expert in the field of shame resilience and wholehearted living. This four-week class will be a unique opportunity to journey with other participants who desire to reclaim their hearts from shame in an exchange for greater joy, gratitude and authenticity.

Carol Burling (pictured), a spiritual director, is currently training as a facilitator in Brene Brown’s Connections Curriculum. Paula Northwood is a spiritual director and Minister of Education at Plymouth Church.

 

 

Online registration is available for Spiritual Enrichment and Religious Exploration programs that require it. View Religious Exploration programs here. Download PDF for winter-spring 2013 and NEW winter-spring 2013 offerings for both programs.

Keep in touch: To receive regular email notices about these opportunities, send an email with "Adult Learning" in the subject line.

At a glance...

Yoga

PlymouthSpirit blog: Explore spirituality from
your laptop or home computer

Winter-Spring 2013 programs

Compassionate Communication

Beyond the Basics: Compassionate Communication Deepening

Meditation for the Busy Professional

Writing Sabbath

Connecting Communities through Food: Cooking as Spiritual Practice

Using the Enneagram Tool for Women’s Personal and Generational Healing

Wholehearted Living

Meditation

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Meditation

Meditation continuing, 9:30 a.m., Sundays, Fireside Room. Diane Boruff and Jan Mattox lead.

In silence we come to know and live from the Divine Mystery within us. Join this ancient spiritual practice which includes three parts: opening meditation, walking meditation, closing meditation. No experience is necessary and everyone is welcome!

Meditation is a method and discipline designed to promote contemplative prayer. Each Sunday, there will be helpful instruction and then we will pray in silence. After the prayer, there will be time for discussion. This ancient Christian spiritual practice of meditation allows us to draw closer to God and to know God in daily life. In this age of media overload and busyness, it is transforming to add the joy of silent prayer to daily life. Today mediation is widely recommended by doctors to promote mental health and well-being. With modern machines, neuroscientists can now document the beneficial changes in brain activity and body functions such as blood pressure that occur during meditation. Science is now catching up to the knowledge that the mystics have experienced for ages. While in the prayer one goes inward in silence, the “fruits” or blessings of the prayer are revealed in daily life. Praying in silence with a group deepens the experience and adds a dimension of community. Having come to deep interior silence, one goes out into the world to serve in love. All are welcome to join in silent prayer.

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Yoga

Ben Lee

Every Wednesday except holidays,
6:45-8:00 p.m., One Groveland

Beginning Yoga: Have you ever wanted to touch your toes? Do you often feel tension in your neck or shoulders? Ever wonder what yoga is all about? This fun and exciting class will leave you feeling stronger, calmer and more flexible.

Each class begins with gentle movements designed to enhance body and breath awareness, then moves into traditional yoga poses that create strength, energy and flexibility while at the same time supporting the development of a perfect balance between body and mind. Class ends with a guided relaxation to strengthen your immune system and leave you feeling light and refreshed.

This invigorating class is open to all levels and is set in a safe and supportive environment. No experience necessary. Just wear comfortable clothing and enjoy.

About the instructor: Ben's been studying and practicing yoga since 1994 and teaching since 2001. He brings his knowledge of anatomy and a thoughtful approach to individual differences to each class. Ben’s class combines postures and sequences from various styles of yoga that emphasize strength, energy, balance and deep relaxation.

Cost: $10 per session (no pre-registration)

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Explore Spirituality from Your
Laptop or Home Computer

Plymouth’s Spiritual Enrichment Committee hosts a web-based discussion forum that invites your participation. Each week, one of our clergy posts the liturgical reading for the next week’s worship and offers questions for discussion. We encourage members to share their own reflections on the website. It’s free, convenient and another means of rich, meaningful spiritual experience we so deeply enjoy at Plymouth. Go to plymouthspirit.wordpress.com

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