Online Program
Animals, Land, and Flourishing
“There is no human flourishing without Mother Earth flourishing.”
Animals, Land, and Flourishing is an interactive conceptual + experiential exploration of the intricate connections between humans and nature, and how promoting animal welfare is central to planetary health as well as the flourishing of all living beings.
The program is guided by three questions:
How is it that non-human animals have interests?
What is the role of kinship and ethical responsibility in animal welfare?
Why is our own and other animals’ well-being a vital dimension of flourishing and wise environmental stewardship?
Together we delve into the dynamic interdependence of self, animals, and Mother Earth, framed within a larger conversation about inner transformation, ethical responsibility, and well-being.
Along our journey, we build community, practice meditation, engage in vibrant discussion, and enjoy nature-centered mindful movement practices on the land as fun “homework” assignments.
This program is perfect for those looking to enrich their understanding of interdependence, flourishing, and regenerative sustainability, express their feelings about what is happening to animals and the environment, and reconnect with nature.
A wonderful way to spend a fall month in an accessible online platform as we prepare for the winter months!
Itinerary
4 Week Program
Tuesdays, 7-8:50 p.m. CST
Details
Oct. 8, 15, 22, 29
Program fee: $80, student discount available
Registration closes Monday, Oct. 14
Program will take place via Zoom link sent via registration email.
All proceeds go to support the work we do at the Mind Body Ecology Institute.
Program Guides
Session Outline
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Guest Presenter: TBA
Topics: Animals and Animal Welfare
Activities: Opening the circle, sharing stories, deep listening, interactive discussion, and introduction to nature-centered mindfulness and mindfulness meditation practices
Objective: Introduce the nuances of our interrelations with animals and the land.
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Guest Presenters: TBA
Topics: Worldviews, values, anthropocentrism vs. ecocentrism, climate change.
Activities: Meditation, reflecting on homework, mind-body integration exercise, interactive group discussion
Objective: Awaken understanding of animal suffering and environmental degradation.
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Guest Presenter: TBA
Topic: The dynamic relationship between world, animals, and self.
Activities: Meditation practices, reflecting on homework, interactive discussion of interdependence, kinship, and ecological belonging
Objective: Develop an expanded sense of the land + animal community.
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Guest Presenter: TBA
Topic: Flourishing as practice, ethical responsibility, honoring and respecting, eco consent, eco leadership, ceremony
Activities: Meditation practice, reflecting on homework, personal ecological stewardship plan development, group vision-sharing, closing the circle
Objective: Envision actionable steps towards becoming eco advocates, eco leaders, and wise environmental stewards
Supplementary Material
Supplementary Material (not mandatory!)
Handouts for assignments
Animal Meditations, Seasons 1-4.
Dave Aftandilian, Barbara R. Ambros, Aaron S. Gross, eds. Animals and Religion.
Guy Armstrong, “You Don’t Exist. But You Actually Do. Wait, What?” 10% Happier Podcast, 270.
Rochelle Calvert, Healing with Nature: Mindfulness and Somatic Practices to Heal from Trauma.
Yuria Celidwen, “Indigenous Wisdom,” Mind and Life Institute Podcast, Oct. 21, 2022.
Yuria Celidwen, Why We Need Indigenous Wisdom, Mind and Life Insights.
Yuria Celidwen and Dacher Keltner, “Kin Relationality and Ecological Belonging: A cultural psychology of Indigenous transcendence,” Frontiers in Psychology 14 (2023).
Yuria Celidwen, Flourishing Kin: Indigenous Foundations for Collective Well-being, forthcoming 2024
Dekila Chungyalpa, “Mother Wisdom: Learning to Embody Interdependence,” Mind and Life Insights.
Shaun Gallagher, “Dislocating the Self.”
Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.
Patty Krawec, Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future.
Naima Penniman, “Mama Nature told me,” naimainfinity video.
T. N. Ray, Scott A. Franz, Nicole L. Jarrett, Scott M. Pickett, “Nature Enhanced Meditation: Effects on Mindfulness, Connectedness to Nature, and Pro-Environmental Behavior,” Environment and Behavior 53 (2021), 864–890.
Jeff Sebo, Saving Animals, Saving the Planet.
C. Wolwode, N. Schäpke, O. Bine, S. Vecianaz, I. Kunze, O. Parodi, P. Schweizer-Ries, C. Wamsler, “Inner Transformation to Sustainability as a Deep Leverage Point: Fostering New Avenues for Change through Dialogue and Reflection,” Sustainability Science 16 (2021), 841–858.
