WVU's "Book Club for the Soul" will be themed around meditation this summer.
Living well and finding joy in life are two things we all yearn for in these times of uncertainty and change. They are also the topics being explored in “Book Club for the Soul,” a unique summer course to be held on the West Virginia University campus during June and July.
Participants will read books by authors Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams, as well as Buddhist nun Pema Chodron and will take part in meditation classes designed to enhance well-being.
Registration is going on now for the two-part course, which includes sessions beginning June 7 and July 12. For more information, visit WVU Continuing Professional Education.
According to WVU faculty member and course instructor Margaret Glenn, participants in the June session will read “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World” by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Douglas Adams.
“In the first session, we will explore the nature of true joy, obstacles to joy and the eight pillars of joy,” she said. “Participants will learn to anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives through daily joy practices over the four weekly sessions.
“We will also listen in on discussion between the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu as they look back on their lives to answer a burning question: How do we find joy in the face of life’s inevitable suffering?”
The first session takes place on four Wednesday evenings, June 7, 14, 21 and 28, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., in Room 802B Allen Hall on the WVU Evansdale Campus.
The related meditation class, “Introduction to Meditation” will take place June 6 and 8 from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. in Room 414 Allen Hall. This class is for beginners and anyone else interested in experiencing the practice of meditation.
According to Dr. Glenn, it will focus on the practices and processes of different meditation experiences, including techniques to deal with thoughts, emotions and sensations.
The second “Book Club for the Soul” session will take place on three Wednesdays—July 12, 19 and 26—from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in 802B Allen Hall.
The book for the July session is “Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change” by Pema Chodron.
Is it possible to live well when the very ground we stand on is shaky? According to Chodron, the answer is yes!
“In this session we will explore a traditional Buddhist practice called the Three Vows or Three Commitments, offering us a way to relax into profound sanity in the midst of whatever non-sanity is happening around us,” Glenn said.
The related meditation class for this session is titled “Meditation…a Tool for Well-being” and will take place June 13, 15, 20 and 22 from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. in Room 414 Allen Hall.
This meditation class will focus on Richard Davidson’s pioneering research at The Center for Healthy Minds in which he outlined four keys to well-being—skills that can be practiced and strengthened. These include resilience, positive outlook, attention (which includes mindfulness) and generosity.
Margaret Glenn is coordinator of the Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Counseling program in the WVU College of Education and Human Services. She has investigated the meditation practices of Eastern and other indigenous cultures, is a Reiki master, and was initiated into the healing traditions of the Q’ero medicine people of Peru. She also studied Cognitively Based Compassion Training of the Tibetan Buddhists, and is certified as a Primordial Sound Meditation instructor by the Chopra Center.
Registration for “Book Club for the Soul” is going on now. The cost for both sections is $150, or they may be taken individually for $99 each. The Introduction to Meditation class is $45 and “Meditation…a Tool for Well-being” is $99.
Register online at http://continuinged.wvu.edu/ or by calling 1.800.253.2762, #3.
WVU Continuing Professional Education provides a variety of professional and personal enrichment courses for the lifetime learner. For more information, see the website or follow WVU CPE on Facebook or on Twitter at @WVUContinuingEd.
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cl/05/19/17
CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, WVU Continuing
Professional Education
304.293.9422; Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu