CONFERENCE BROCHURE - Mind & Life Institute

Mind and Life Summer Research InstituteJune 16 – June 22, 2012Andrew Dreitcer, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Spirituality, Director of Spiritual Formation, andExecutive Director of the Center for Engaged Compassion at Claremont Lincoln University and ClaremontSchool of Theology. He holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Wabash College, M.Div. fromYale University, and a Ph.D. in Christian Spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union (with UCBerkeley). He was the co-founding director of a seminary program in spiritual direction, and served15 years as a Presbyterian pastor. Studies with Henri Nouwen and a year spent at the ecumenicalmonastic community of Taizé significantly shaped his own spiritual life. Among his publications is theco-authored Beyond the Ordinary: Spirituality for Church Leaders. Andy’s current interests lie in theexploration of contemplative practices across religious traditions, the relationship between Christianspiritual practices and neuroscientists understandings, (neurospirituality.blogspot.com), and the waysin which contemplative practices (especially those in the Christian tradition) form lives of “engagedcompassion” (cec.claremontlincoln.org). As part of the Center for Engaged Compassion he is involvedin training prison volunteers across Canada in compassion formation. He has recently co-led workshopson contemplative practice, compassion, healing, and reconciliation for pastors, tribal chiefs, and governmentofficials in Zimbabwe, for church leaders in the United States, and for U.S. Congress membersand congressional staffers on Capitol Hill. The father of two daughters, he lives with his wife inthe San Francisco Bay Area, and keeps trying to learn to play Blues harmonica.Richard Freeman has been a student of yoga since 1968. He has spent nearly nine years in Asia studyingvarious traditions which he incorporates into the Ashtanga yoga practice as taught by his principalteacher, K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India. Richard’s background includes studying Sufism in Iran,Zen and Vipassana Buddhist practice, Bhakti and traditional Hatha yoga in India. Starting in 1974 healso began an in-depth study of Iyengar yoga, which eventually led him to Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga.Richard is an avid student of both Western and Eastern philosophy, as well as Sanskrit. His ability tojuxtapose various viewpoints, without losing the depth and integrity of each, has helped him developa unique, metaphorical teaching style.Richard teaches public classes at the Yoga Workshop as well as spending a good part of each yeartraveling as a guest instructor, teaching at studios throughout the world. As the founder of the YogaWorkshop, Richard sets the standard for the classes at the studio. As part of that he offers Teacher Intensivecourses and special classes through the Yoga Workshop and also gives Studio Talks on Indianphilosophy at the studio on a regular basis. He is the author of the book, The Mirror of Yoga (ShambhalaPublications). Visit www.yogaworkshop.com.Andrew Dreitcer, Barry Kerzin, Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan Halifax, Geshe Dorji Damdul, and Richard Freeman participatingin the Contemplative Practice Forum at the 2011 MLSRI.21