Playfully Expressing the Dharma: Mudra Space Awareness with Mitra Lee Worley

Nalandabodhi Seattle invites you to explore a treasury of exercises derived from training in Tibetan monastic dance February 14–16, 2025 (Valentine’s Day weekend). Called “Mudra Space Awareness,” these were originally presented to western artists in the 1970s by meditation master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

Participants will be guided through the first level of postures, which, in combination with movement, meditation, and mindfulness allow the creation of a joyful artistic experience for solo and group improvisation to emerge. Letting our dharma texts be our creative bodies, voices, and imaginations, this playful approach to space awareness encourages us to shake off old habits, broaden our expressive horizons, and embrace a spirit of joyful expression that will surely warm our hearts as we connect deeply with others.

Format (onsite only!)

This workshop will presented for onsite participants only at Nalanda West. If you are interested in participating and would like to be housed with a Nalandabodhi Sangha member, please contact us.

Schedule

The first session, Friday evening, 14 February 2025 from 5:00-7:00p is open to all (ie: by donation). Feel free to register for Friday evening only if you are unsure if you want to commit to a whole weekend  of Mudra Space Awareness. (It is a lot of fun and can really deepen meditation practice. We hope you can join us for the entire workshop!)

Friday, 14 February 2025
5:00–7:00p session 1

Saturday, 15 February 2025
10:00a–12:00p session 2
lunch onsite
2:00–5:00p session 3
(optional group dinner)

Sunday, 16 February 2025
Mitra Lee will present a dharma talk during Open Meditation.
2:00–5:00p session 4

Registration

Please register below at a Sponsor, Standard, or Discount level. If discounted registration is still too expensive, please contact the coordinator for dana options.

Please understand that all participants are requested to participate in the maintenance of the workshop container, ie: everyone will have a small job (dishes, bathrooms, vacuuming, etc.).

Questions?

Please contact event coordinator Karen de Luna.

Teacher Bios

LEE WORLEY, formerly an actress and theater director, is Professor Emerita from Naropa University in Boulder Colorado where she taught Performance Studies and Contemplative Education for forty-four years. Under the guidance of its founder, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, she began studying Mudra Space Awareness in 1974 and is one of a handful of authorized Mudra teachers. This work formed the basis of her Contemplative Performance training method. She holds an MA in Buddhist Studies and is a practitioner of Vajrayana Buddhism. Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche appointed her one of four Western teachers (“Mitras” [Spiritual Friends]) in the Buddhist sangha of Nalandabodhi International. Mitra Lee has written two books: Coming From Nothing: the Sacred Art of Acting and Teaching Presence: Field Notes for Players.

CASEY BEAUCHAMP began his journey into contemplative practice through breaking (also known as break dancing). As a teenager, he started teaching breaking at a local art center and soon began taking numerous dance and yoga classes there. This experience inspired him to get certified as a yoga teacher to complement his emerging dance teaching career. While studying yoga, he discovered meditation and quickly became captivated, which led him to Naropa University. While earning his BFA in Performance and Traditional Eastern Arts, he met Lee Worley in 2006, who became his acting teacher and introduced him to space awareness practice. After completing his undergraduate studies, Casey entered the MA in Contemplative Education program, where Lee taught space awareness to educators to foster teaching presence. He then relocated to New York City, where he worked as a teaching artist, yoga instructor, and performing artist in a variety of formal and informal settings. During his time in New York, he became a member of Nalandhabodhi and a student of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Currently, he serves as an elementary Physical Educa6on and Wellness teacher at a small independent school, where he delights in sharing his passion for movement arts, contemplative teaching, and play on a daily basis.

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About the “Mitra” title: In 2005, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche empowered a group of his long-time students to be senior teachers of Nalandabodhi. He gave each of them the title Mitra, which is drawn from the Sanskrit term Kalyanamitra, “spiritual friend.” The Mitras guide Nalandabodhi’s three paths of Study, Meditation, and Mindful Activity and teach throughout the world.

COST: $108 for the weekend (discounted prices available)

SOME CITIES CLOSE BY: Bellevue, Everett, Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Seattle

ADDRESS:

3902 Woodland Park Avenue North Seattle Washington 98103 United States.