BEYOND MINDFULNESS
FOUR APPROACHES TO THE CONTEMPLATIVE PATH
Taught by Joseph Bailey
4 Sundays in October| October 5, 12, 19, 26
6:00PM - 7:15PM Marigold [648 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis, OR]
[Sliding Scale] $50 • $70 • $90
REGISTRATION CLOSED
ABOUT THE CLASS
Contemplative practices have come to us from a variety of sources. In the United States, hatha yoga and Buddhist mindfulness, both originating from India, have gained the greatest traction. This series explores four different approaches to the contemplative path, beyond the mainstream. Expand your inquiry and reflection into the paths of compassion, depth psychology, ritual & ceremony, and spiritual ecology over the course of this four-week series. As you explore the range in a no-pressure and non-dogmatic environment, you'll be encouraged to reflect on what inquiries and practices are most meaningful and valuable to you at this moment in your life.
WEEKLY OVERVIEW
SESSION 1: COMPASSION AND EMPATHY
This session will investigate practices that influence the development of compassion and empathy. Most contemporary contemplatives are familiar with Metta and Tonglen practices. However, researcher Tania Singer has developed a theory and practice that is proven to increase empathy in people. This is a different technique than is used in most compassion-based practices. As part of this session you are encouraged to listen to the Mind-Life Institute Podcast, The Power of Two with Tania Singer.
SESSION 2: A JUNGIAN VIEW OF RELIGION AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Many within contemplative communities have an affinity for Jungian, or depth, psychology. In this session we will explore Jungian perspectives on the following: What cultural purposes do religious and spiritual practices serve? What needs do they fulfill for individuals? For this session you are invited to listen to This Jungian Life podcast: Toward the Upward Thread: Why We Create Religion, Episode 371
SESSION 3: MYTH, RITUAL, AND CEREMONY
Session three we will explore contemplation through the lenses of myth, ritual, and ceremony. As contemplative practices have been adopted by cultures influenced by scientific materialism, they have been stripped of cultural context. Dimensions of practice that engage intangibles are more likely to be overlooked and regarded as superstitious or unintelligent. There are some who believe this has transformed contemporary contemplative practice into a "self-help program" rather than a complete path to wholeness. Please prepare for this session by listening to The Emerald Podcast by Josh Schrei: Mindfulness Isn't Enough, S1, E88.
SESSION 4: SPIRITUAL ECOLOGY
The final session of the series will dive into the realm of Spiritual Ecology. We will explore relationships with the More-Than-Human World as a gateway for contemplative practice. This touches on traditions of Animism, Sufism, and other paths to being with those outside our own skin. For this session you are invited to listen to the Emergence Magazine Podcast: The Radical Intimacy of Spiritual Ecology.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ACCOMMODATIONS
For ability-related accommodations, please email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 541-737-4785.
CANCELLATION: This program is refundable before September 26, 2025.
about the teacher
Joseph Bailey
Joseph Bailey’s wisdom traditions inquiry spans over 50 years. It began in the early 1960’s as a child living in Japan as a secular Christian within a military culture. Retreats in India in the early 80’s deepened his practice. The last 30 years’ primary focus has been in the Buddhist tantric and dozoghcen traditions (Tibetan and Indian). He completed a variety of foundational practices and long individual retreats within the Tibetan Buddhist Nyingma and Dzogchen paths.
Somatically his path includes a variety of hatha yoga, pranayama and other Indian and contemporary movement practices. The mid-80s found him teaching hatha yoga in the Iyengar and Ashtanga traditions. He has been a student of a variety of somatic practices and lately with Continuum and Imaginal and Ecstatic Movement. Through the 80s and 90s he was a mountain, river, and wilderness guide.
Over the last 5 years he has studied nada yoga (sound practice within the Tibetan and Indian traditions).
Currently he is interested in the tantric and dzogchen wisdom traditions, ancient and contemporary somatic and sounding practices, and mythopoetic inquiries that help people thrive in concert with the more-than-human-world.