Compassion is both our inherent nature as well as a capacity that can be cultivated, deepened, and strengthened throughout our lifetime.
Join us for a weekend immersion into compassion
This weekend workshop is designed to expand your capacity for compassion, towards yourself, others and the difficult situations and people that are part of our life. Through instruction and the interactive nature of the processes incorporated in this immersion, you
will have many opportunities to cultivate new ways to recognize, access, and strengthen compassion − as a response to the ever-present challenges that characterize our shared human experience.
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We will explore the common blocks to compassion and support you to identify your next "stretch" to growing compassion for difficult people, patterns, or situations in your life.
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Do you struggle with compassion towards others, especially people who have beliefs and opinions different from your own?
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Are you easily irritated, or hyper-critical, towards others or yourself?
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Is it challenging for you to step into the shoes or take the perspective of another person, especially someone you're in conflict with?
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We're often the hardest on ourselves. Is self-compassion something you're able to extend towards yourself, especially when you struggle or make mistakes? ​
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Access greater confidence in your own potential and capacity to transform how you interact and relate to the worlds you live in.
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Our highly-experiential approach includes:
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teachings on the nature of compassion
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guided compassion practices
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movement & breathing processes
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meditation exercises
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self inquiry
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writing
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emotional clearing
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group discussion
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This immersive weekend workshop will support you to cultivate
and sustain compassion as an intentional response to life.
During this Compassion Immersion, you can expect to:
EXPERIENCE heart-centered practices that expand your capacity for compassion
INQUIRE into and RELEASE some of what blocks compassion towards yourself and others
INCREASE your resiliency to navigate the stress and challenges of the human experience
CONNECT with others who are committed to living more compassionate lives
GROW your capacity to take compassionate action in your life
EXPAND into an even greater force of love and compassion in our world
"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive” - His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Workshop Facilitators: Neelama Eyres & Robert Cusick
​Neelama and Robert have been teaching Compassion Immersions together since 2015.
They bring decades of experience, knowledge and devotion to their compassion work.
Robert Cusick
Robert trained at Stanford University School of Medicine in the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research & Education (CCARE). He is a Co-Founder and Director of the Applied Compassion Training (ACT) at CCARE Stanford University. Robert is also a Stanford Lecturer and Certified Sr. Stanford CCT™ (Compassion Cultivation Training) Instructor and who has taught at Stanford University, UCSF, Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers and in multiple other venues. As a long time meditator and former monk, Robert ordained in Burma under the renowned meditation master, Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw, and studied with him from 2003 - 2012. He has studied in the Soto Zen tradition, in the Ridhwan School's Diamond approach with A. H. Almaas (Hameed Ali), and in the Insight Meditation tradition with Gil Fronsdal PhD and others. He provides grief counseling and bereavement support for fathers grieving the death of a child. Robert also sits on the Board of Directors of the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies http://www.sati.org/
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Neelama Eyres
Neelama's background includes a B.A. in Comparative Religion, the study of Eastern spirituality and Western psychology, leading compassion, meditation and contemplative retreats, facilitating personal growth workshops and trainings, transformational coaching with individuals, couples, and families and Co-Authoring the book Divorced with Love. Neelama is a Co-Founder and Director of the Applied Compassion Training at CCARE Stanford University Since 1998, Neelama has worked in the field of personal growth and transformation in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, as a trainer and facilitator of experiential workshops—now under the umbrella of Inner Journey Institute, of which she is also Co-Founder. She has designed and facilitated hundreds of seminars and worked with thousands of people over the past 20 years. Her extensive travels throughout Southeast Asia and India have given her a depth of experience in Eastern spirituality which, like her extensive studies of Western traditions, is reflected in all of her work.