Strengthening the Heart

How can we expand our capacity to show up for this world wholeheartedly, even in the face of difficulty, cruelty, suffering and pain?

How might we challenge ourselves to include everyone within our circle of compassion? Even the most difficult and seemingly undeserving people? Even ourselves?

Join Turning Ground and the Centre for a Compassionate Society in deep inquiry and growth.

As we open into a life so full of injustice, unfairness and difficulty, we may find ourselves reacting in ways that perpetuate cycles of suffering - both for ourselves and for others. This could express itself in the various strategies for protecting ourselves from pain such as overwhelm, collapse, despair, or numbness. And it could also show up in more subtle forms that can sometimes even seem virtuous such as empathic distress, righteous anger, pity, or even categorising another as 'evil'.

Strengthening the Heart will be exploring the complex ways that we react to suffering. Together, we will explore Compassion as a quality of being that challenges us to expand ourselves in facing this life. To not turn away and to not close our hearts.

Petrina and Vadim will guide you through a journey which will involve:

• The cognitive science and psychology of compassion - exploring the nuances and subtleties of our psychology as we encounter suffering and cruelty
  
• Tibetan Buddhist practices and philosophies of compassion including various forms of meditation and insight practice
• Drawing on the wisdom and experience of every participant in engaging group discussions
• Processes of deep connection, sharing, and listening with others 
• Self-compassion practices
• An online portal with guided meditations and resources to cultivate compassion and resilience in your daily life 

You will come away with:

• Inner tools and resources for cultivating deeper self-compassion and compassion for others in your daily life
• Deeper insight and understanding of the counterproductive ways we respond to suffering and sometimes perpetuate it - within ourselves and towards others
  
• Deeply connective and potentially healing experiences with our group
• Greater strength and courage to face your own life challenges
  

The following links will offer more information about Strengthening the Heart:

• Click here to watch an introductory video about Strengthening the Heart where you can meet your facilitators Petrina and Vadim.
• Click here to read a more detailed overview of the program. This pdf will outline the program's 4 pillars of compassion and offer a few links to relevant scientific papers that are part of this emerging field of research in compassion. 

This event, on Wednesday September 4th, is an Introductory Evening & Community Gathering for Strengthening the Heart, it is open to all who wish to join. We will be introducing the general outline of Strengthening the Heart and sharing in a few practices of insight, reflection and group sharing.

What follows will be a 6-Week program starting on Tuesday September 10th, which you can apply for by clicking the link below. It is a separate offering and requires an application. You do not need to attend the Introductory Evening to apply for and attend the program:

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR THE 6-WEEK PROGRAM

Applications to the program will close on September 8th.

MORE ABOUT THE 6-WEEK PROGRAM:
The 6-week program is with a small closed group, and will commence on Tuesday September 10th and finish on Tuesday October 15th. It will consist of 5 in-person sessions, each 2.5 hours long. There will be an online portal with additional resources to support you in integrating the content throughout the weeks. These will include guided meditation tracks, videos, articles, talks, and scientific papers - you will have the freedom to go as deep into it as you like. The program will be held in a different venue in Thornbury, details will be shared with accepted applicants. The dates of the live sessions are:

• September 10th, Tuesday 6:30pm-9:00pm
• September 17th, Tuesday 6:30pm-9:00pm
  
• October 1st, Tuesday 6:30pm-9:00pm
  
• October 8th, Tuesday 6:30pm-9:00pm
• October 15th, Tuesday 6:30pm-9:00pm

TESTIMONIALS FROM PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS:

"Instantly I felt at ease by the welcoming and warm space that had been created. The facilitators complemented each other’s extensive skill set beautifully. They enabled the participants to derive at helpful insights  in an empowering yet gentle manner. The course content was well balanced between short guided meditations, theory, small group work and sharings. No one person dominated, and a genuine heart-warming group cohesion was formed. I felt we all left having grown, learnt and with a more open heart. I was not the only person who didn’t want the course to end ( now that’s saying something)!" - Meryl

"Strengthening the Heart feels like a balm for the calcified, prickly barnacles that have gathered over the collective heart. Petrina and Vadim hold a space of incomparable tenderness and compassion whilst striving to still yet give attention to the tense, sticky and chunkier aspects that inevitably arise in compassion practice." - Aeon

"This is an ambitious and bold course, but it is handled with such grace that it becomes easy for people to open up. The group sharing is quite phenomenal. The experience that Petrina and Vadim bring and the way they bring out the experience of others is very valuable. Compassion is something everyone knows something about, but this course brings out the fullness of the idea, the challenges of it, the boldness, the fierceness of being compassionate. They guided a whole group of people with all sorts of different experiences in life through an exploration of what compassion might be without being didactic or rigid of ideological. It was truly a journey, and I recommend it!" - Ben

"This program was such a wonderful regular group to drop into. Each week, it felt like coming home to myself and also home to a way of compassionate relating that I long for. Vadim and Petrina are inspiring in their understanding of the practice of compassion and they created an environment that felt very comfortable and supportive to learn in. I would definitely do this again myself and would enthusiastically bring friends and family too as a way to deepen my relationship with them." - Chris

PRICE:

The 6-week program is priced between at $395. However, we do not wish price to be a barrier for you. In the application form, you will have an opportunity to request a different price if you are not in a financial position to afford the full price.

Group Discount for three or more people: If there are a number of people from your workplace or community that might also benefit from this program, bulk discounts are available. Simply email programs@turningground.com.au.

YOUR FACILITATORS:

Dr. Petrina Barson is the director of the Centre for a Compassionate Society. She is a teacher of Compassion Cultivation Training, a mother, a doctor, a poet and an activist on issues of climate change and refugee rights. The thread that runs through all these domains is her passion for compassion, and her deep conviction that we have more in common than divides us.

Vadim Ragozin is one of the directors and founders of Turning Ground, and Lead of Community and Programs. He is an educational designer, group facilitator, and artist. He is continually striving to integrate our inner and outer worlds, reweaving what often gets lost in the cracks; a sense of meaning, wisdom, connection, and belonging in our lives. 

TURNING GROUND:

In addressing the entangled crises of our times, Turning Ground’s offerings are guided by the question: ‘What kinds of humans do we need to become in this moment of history?’
They offer psychotherapy, events and programs; all motivated to reweave a fragmented world.

CENTRE FOR A COMPASSIONATE SOCIETY: 

 The Centre for a Compassionate Society organises and supports activities that lead to a more compassionate way of being with ourselves, with one another and with our planet

ALL ARE WELCOME:

All ages, cultures, orientations.

This event and this series seek to create spaces for all, as we seek to build bridges, and weave trust. We hope to co-create open, connective, and generative dialogues; even in all of our differences. 

🌏  HONOURING THE LANDS AND WATERS WE GATHER WITH:

We acknowledge that this event takes place on and with unceded Aboriginal land. We pay our utmost respect to the Wurrundjeri people from the Kulin nation and invite all who join us to remember history, pain, and privilege as we seek to include history, live, love, and lead in ways that allow a more inclusive and regenerative future to emerge.

For questions, please email: programs@turningground.com.au

We look forward to seeing you.