Self-Knowledge & Enrichment   

How can we experience peace in such turbulent times? “Happiness is your own treasure because it lies within you.” — Prem Rawat. This nine-week course features empowering videos of author Prem Rawat’s talks on ten themes: peace, appreciation, inner-strength, self-awareness, clarity, understanding, dignity, hope, and contentment. You will have the opportunity to discover, focus, and reflect on your own humanity and inner resources. The facilitators will involve participants with videos, activities, and meaningful interactions that explore the themes of personal peace and the art of living well.  Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.
SUGGESTED BOOK: Hear Yourself: How To Find Peace In A Noisy World, Prem Rawat, ISBN 9780063070745

Designers use the term “wicked problem” to talk about situations that are so complex that there can be no real solutions. Attempts to resolve these problems in standard ways often make the situation worse. How can our policymakers, as well as ourselves in our daily lives, deal with such situations, situations that inevitably involve people with different perspectives, values, and desires, as well as different cultures and world views? This is a conversation-based course for those interested in exploring ways of thinking about deciding, adapting, and designing in the context of such complexities. New in-person course. Format includes discussion.

SUGGESTED BOOK: Appreciative Living: The Principles of Appreciative Inquiry in Personal Life, Jacqueline Bascobert Kelm, ISBN 0977216101

Based on the book by the same name, this one-time workshop will inspire attendees to take steps to:

• Rediscover who they are, what they most enjoy, and how to overcome obstacles that get in the way of living the life they desire.

• Reclaim their power that they may have unknowingly been turning over to others.

• Be themselves — completely. How to do it and why that’s OK.

• Set boundaries that will free them to live more enjoyably.

• Strengthen relationships and make new ones.

New in-person workshop. Format includes lecture.

SUGGESTED BOOK: Finding Your Spunk in Your 60s, 70s, 80s, Christine Klein, ISBN 9798254710516

 

In stressful times, it’s of utmost importance to create opportunities for happiness and pleasure. PLAY is an excellent way to do this. We are wired to play, and with good reason: play substantially reduces stress, enhances brain function, and builds social bonds. In this class, we will engage in “play for intelligent adults” with group games drawn from the world of improv. No, we won’t try to be actors or comedians, and no one is “put on the spot.” Most of the games are played with the whole group, and it’s perfectly fin — actually a lot of fun — to simply watch and applaud your classmates. Laughter and loads of surprise are absolutely guaranteed. If you’re a former child, you’re a born expert at play.

Repeat in-person course. Format includes lecture, discussion, film, hands-on, movement.

Aging creates gradual physical and mental challenges. We all make both informed and uninformed choices daily that can have a significant impact on our future health. If you are willing to change old habits, accept new challenges, and travel outside your comfort zone, this course is for you. Join me in exploring scientifically backed principles of movement, nutrition and habits that can directly impact the effect on many diseases. Learn and sample movement and nutritional “hacks” you can use daily to improve your ability to move, increase energy levels, decrease pain, and create better mental health. If you are up for the challenge, you can optimize your health and thrive!  

New in-person course. Format includes lecture, hand on learning, and movement.

MATERIALS: Dress comfortably in exercise clothes. 

Traditionally, menopause is described as causing some rather minor discomfort and inconvenience: hot flashes, a little sleep disturbance, some weight gain, etc. In fact, some 70 bodily organs and systems depend on estrogen to function, and menopause — which causes a near-total shutdown of estrogen production — leads to things like cognitive impairment; diabetes; osteoporosis and osteo- arthritis; clinical depression (or behavior misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder or even schizophrenia); sharp increases in cholesterol without any changes to diet; muscle loss; vertigo; lung and kidney disease; bowel cancer and IBS; sleep apnea; frozen shoulder; and a number of autoimmune conditions. In 2022, a new Women’s Health Initiative refuted many of the findings of a 2002 study and concluded that the benefits of MHT far outweigh the risks for a large percentage of women. Yet many gynecologists continue to resist prescribing estrogen to patients who are good candidates for it. This is your chance to ask questions, learn about the reality of meno- pause, and decide whether MHT makes sense for you. New in-person workshop. Format includes lecture and discussion.

Groundbreaking research over the past three decades has quietly revolutionized gerontology: the years after sixty are not a winding down but a rich final chapter of development that can bring some of the most significant growth of a person’s lifetime. Over eight sessions, participants will explore their life through the lens of six areas of growth using experiential exercises, brief spontaneous writing, and small group conversations. What you share is entirely your choice. No credits. No pressure. Just learning — and perhaps a few surprises. New in-person course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and hands-on learning.