Carla Burns, MDiv, is a core candidate assistant professor in Naropa College and the Graduate School of Counseling, where she specializes in integrating contemplative practices with emotional and embodied wisdom. With a focus on loving-kindness and the interplay between the body, emotions, and space, Burns teaches a range of courses including Roots & Branches, Maitri Working with Emotions, and Embodied Wisdom. Her approach emphasizes the importance of contemplative practice in fostering personal, collective, and cosmic liberation, reflecting her deep commitment to holistic and integrative education.
In her role as Program Manager for the Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education, Burns plays a crucial part in advancing Naropa’s mission to blend contemplative practices with academic inquiry. She has co-developed the Embodied Mindfulness in Teaching Training program and is a certified Mindfulness Instructor at Naropa. Burns’s work at Naropa embodies her passion for exploring and teaching multiple ways of being and knowing, making significant contributions to both the academic and contemplative communities at the university.
