Module 1 – Waking Up
Recognizing How Patterns Frame Your Life
Waking Up invites a reorientation toward what is right in front of you. In this module, you’ll explore how you relate to your inner world—your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations—and how you meet your outer world, especially the people in your life.
As your awareness grows in one of these areas, the other naturally begins to shift as well, creating a supportive environment for lasting change that lines up with your intentions.
Module Outline
Week 1: “Becoming Mindful 1”
Establishing a Daily Mindfulness Practice
Seeing Others as Loving Beings
Noticing Your Thoughts and Patterns
Meeting the Challenges of Meditation
Week 2: “Becoming Mindful 2”
Listening with Care and Presence
Recognizing Judgments
Turning Toward Difficulty
Opening to Kindness
Week 3: “Exploring Habits 1”
Identifying Habits and Patterns
Investigating Triggers, Behaviors, & Rewards
Checking our Understanding of Others
Investigating the Source of Reaction
Week 4: “Exploring Habits 2”
Investigating Habit Loops
Recognizing Body-Mind-Emotion Interplay
Checking Perceptions
Choosing a Response over Reactivity
Week 5: “Managing Pain And Strong Emotions”
Examining Patterns around Pain
Disrupting Stress-Based Habits
Building Resilience and Emotional Steadiness
Sending and Receiving Kindness
Week 6: “Examining Unknown Horizons”
Asking Beautiful Questions of Yourself
Using Poetry to Say the Inexpressible
Considering Awareness as Source of Peace
Reflecting on Your Learnings
Next Mod 1 Class…Fall 2026
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Cost & Contributions
Module 1 is offered on a by-donation basis. There is no required fee to participate, and cost is not meant to be a barrier. If you feel drawn to the work, you are welcome to register regardless of your financial situation.
If, at registration or after you’ve experienced the course, you would like to support this work, you’re welcome—but never expected—to make a contribution. PayPal link.
Commitment to Self-Inquiry
The course is a practice-based, immersive program, not a casual workshop. It's an invitation to a personal internal journey. With the help of a study guide, participants are expected to engage in daily self-inquiry, guided reflection, and mindful practices. This consistent rhythm—30-60 minutes a day for six weeks—is essential. It allows for deep integration of ideas, insights, and inner shifts that stick.
Each week, here is how you'll turn inward to explore sacred engagement:
Daily guided meditations and reflection practices
Selections from:
Curated readings and short videos
Journaling prompts to bring awarenesses into your personal life
Insights from poets, scientists, philosophers, and spiritual teachers.
Your consistent, honest attention is what makes the experience meaningful. These activities are designed to give you the opportunity for real change—practical and lasting.
Weekly Zoom Sessions
Each week we gather for a live 2-hour Zoom session. These are small, intimate groups designed for connection using your new skills extending outward to people around you.
The time distribution:
~75% of the time is spent in a breakout room with two other people
~25% of time is for group learning, Q&A, and shared reflections
You'll practice skills and share your experiences with others
Your regular participation is vital to your own growth and that of others.
Group Size
We intentionally keep the Zoom groups small to ensure a personal, supportive environment. And each breakout room is composed of only three people and needs the reliable participation of each person so each one can practice supportive skills in three different ways. Your growth in the skills of kind and responsive interactions in just six sessions is our goal.
Alumni Network
After you complete Module 1, we invite you to join the alumni gatherings. These monthly Zoom calls plus our biannual weekend retreats offer the alumni a chance to stay connected, reflect together, and continue learning as a community.
“Since taking the Sacred Engagement course, I have connected more deeply with myself, my thoughts, and my feelings.
The Zoom sessions, especially the breakout room interactions, opened my eyes to the experiences of others and taught me that I wasn’t alone.”
–Jen, Regina, SK
Who this is for
Sacred Engagement is a space for learning, reflection, and inner exploration. It’s not psychotherapy or medical treatment and is not a substitute for professional care. If you are in the middle of an acute crisis, recent major loss, or ongoing trauma, it may be wise to have additional support in place — such as a therapist, counselor, or other trusted professional — and to consider whether this is the right timing for participation in this program.