AcademicsPersonal Enrichment

Personal Enrichment Through a Contemplative Education

Explore the benefits of contemplative education and meditation practice at the “birthplace of the modern mindfulness movement.”

Established to provide a contemplative education that finds deeper meaning in academic and artistic work, Naropa University continues to be a place where students can study Buddhism and other Eastern and Western religions, as well as science, psychology, writing, and the arts, while also receiving training in meditation and contemplation.

Nurturing a lifelong joy in learning, Naropa offers personal enrichment programs with a focus on meditation, mindfulness, contemplation, and Buddhist practices for transpersonal growth, personal awareness and development, spiritual wisdom, and career enhancement.

Benefits of Mindfulness

Naropa’s personal enrichment programs are a much more affordable way to get the Naropa experience without the financial and time commitment of a full academic degree program. In addition to lower costs of attendance, Naropa often offers discounts and scholarships for personal enrichment programs.

Who should participate in personal enrichment?

  • Students interested in personal and spiritual growth through Buddhism and mindfulness practices
  • Professionals seeking to incorporate meditation, mindfulness, and contemplation into their work and lives
  • Alumni who want to stay engaged with the Naropa community and continue their contemplative education

Naropa University welcomes personal enrichment participants with disabilities. If you have questions about accessibility or require disability accommodations, please contact Naropa’s Office of Accessibility.

Why Mindfulness?

10X

10X More Focused

50%

Immunity Boost

65%

Increased Wellbeing

You are Ready.

Discover how to integrate mindfulness, meditation, and contemplation into your personal and daily life with Naropa University’s
personal enrichment programs.

Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education

An international resource and hub for educators, the Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education promotes the ongoing study, dissemination, and development of contemplative education to expand knowledge and experience. CACE offers a variety of events and trainings that explore various topics and disciplines in contemplative education, including contemplative arts, classroom practices, community engagement practices, student and faculty workshops, mindfulness and compassion trainings, and more. Focused on foundations in mindfulness and contemplative education, these personal enrichment events are designed for the Naropa community and the public to illuminate the broad range of an inclusive, contemplative community.

Joanna Macy Center at Naropa

The Joanna Macy Center (JMC) at Naropa seeks to advance the vision and legacy of Dr. Joanna Macy’s work to empower present and future generations in building a more resilient world that works for everyone. The Center focuses on three specific areas:

  • Joanna Macy’s root teachings known as The Work That Reconnects
  • Liberation Buddhist scholarship
  • Nuclear Guardianship

Through personal enrichment events and training, JMC creates opportunities for Naropa University, the local community, and the greater world to research Joanna Macy’s theories on the confluence of Buddhist teachings and general systems and the resulting social impact.

Online Learning Courses

Participate in meditation, contemplation, and Buddhist teachings from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world and on your own schedule.

Mindfulness: What It Is, Where It Comes From, and How to Practice It is a free online course from Naropa University and The Awake Network with four introductory lectures that explore the relationship between the secular mindfulness movement and the Buddhist traditions of mindfulness, as well as mindfulness practices that can be integrated into your daily life. The online course also offers simple explanations of and instruction on the mindful practices of wisdom, insight, and calm abiding.

The Three Turnings of the Wheel delivers four six-week courses designed to spark insight and encourage greater self-awareness by bringing together deep study with contemplation and meditation in the Buddhist tradition of compassion practice and training the mind. The online series will help you discover the foundation of mindfulness for a deeper, more complete understanding of the historical roots and central pillars of the Buddhist tradition.

Degrees for Personal Enrichment

Develop yourself spiritually while earning a graduate degree. Naropa’s academic programs offer a variety of opportunities for personal enrichment through meditation, mindfulness, and contemplation in an academic setting. In particular, you may be interested in our Master of Arts in Yoga StudiesMaster of Divinity, or Master of Arts in Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology.

Experience Naropa's Contemplative Education

Join us for a special online program that will spark your curiosity and renew your spirit. The Experience Naropa Virtual Open House offers a brief, engaging event where you’ll meet staff and faculty who are leaders in mindfulness practice and learn how a Naropa contemplative education will serve you now more than ever.

Students, Transformed

CACE Personal Enrichment Blog: The Soft Spot

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YOU ARE READY.

This is where experiential learning meets academic rigor. Where you challenge your intellect and uncover your potential. Where you discover the work you’re moved to do—then use it to transform our world.

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Naropa Campuses Closed on Friday, March 15, 2024

Due to adverse weather conditions, all Naropa campuses will be closed Friday, March 15, 2024.  All classes that require a physical presence on campus will be canceled. All online and low-residency programs are to meet as scheduled.

Based on the current weather forecast, the Healing with the Ancestors Talk & Breeze of Simplicity program scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday will be held as planned.

Staff that do not work remotely or are scheduled to work on campus, can work remotely. Staff that routinely work remotely are expected to continue to do so.

As a reminder, notifications will be sent by e-mail and the LiveSafe app.  

Regardless of Naropa University’s decision, if you ever believe the weather conditions are unsafe, please contact your supervisor and professors.  Naropa University trusts you to make thoughtful and wise decisions based on the conditions and situation in which you find yourself in.