A CONTEMPLATIVE RESILIENCE TRAINING IN AWARENESS, BALANCE, & CONNECTION
A 3 Hour Applied Learning Experience
Monday, June 22, 2026 • 12:00–3:00pm ET • Virtual via Zoom
This training is for people whose work asks a great deal of them, and who want to meet that demand from a place of renewal rather than depletion. Over three hours, the Contemplative Based Resilience (CBR) Director Carlos Rodarte and Faculty member Federica Lari, will guide you through an evidence-based, body-grounded framework for understanding stress, cultivating contemplative resilience, and drawing on your natural capacity to regenerate.
WHY JOIN
Deepen Your Practice, Not Just Your Knowledge This training goes beyond tips and techniques. Drawing on neurobiology and embodied learning, you’ll explore not just what contemplative practices are, but how and why they work in the body and nervous system.
Designed for the Work You Actually Do Whether you’re running a solo practice, supporting a small nonprofit, or serving a community-based organization, this training is built around the realities of your work. The content is practical and immediately applicable.
You Don’t Leave Yourself at the Door This training is built around the understanding that who you are is not separate from your practice. Your cultural background, lived experience, and the communities you come from and serve are part of the practice.
WHAT YOU’LL GAIN
- An accessible introduction to CBR’s Awareness, Balance, and Connection curriculum, the ABCs of Resilience
- Guided somatic and movement practices, including meditation, you can begin using right away
- Small group discussion with peers who understand the challenges of frontline work
- A grounded understanding of how somatic and contemplative practices affect the body and nervous system
- An understanding of how the body is an expression of the earth, and how the principles of cellular regeneration show up across your practice and everyday life
- An entry point into a broader community of practice and future CBR offerings
The ABCs of RESILIENCE FRAMEWORK
This training introduces Contemplative-Based Resilience’s evidence-based framework through three integrated modules:
Awareness: Bringing Attention to What Is Awareness of the neurobiology and psychology of stress, its causes, and its impacts. Cultivate present-moment awareness to recognize your stress patterns before they overwhelm you. Learn how mindfulness strengthens your capacity to respond rather than react, and discover practices that create space between stimulus and response.
Balance: Sustainable Compassion in Action Balance of the body and mind through simple techniques for mental, emotional and physical awareness. Find the equilibrium between caring deeply and caring sustainably. Explore the difference between empathy that depletes and compassion that renews, and understand how self-compassion is not self-indulgence. It is the foundation of sustained service.
Connection: Our Shared Humanity Connection with ourselves and with the people we care for, through reflection and action. Recognize that isolation amplifies suffering while connection heals. Discover how acknowledging our common humanity across roles, disciplines, and differences builds resilience and reminds us why this work matters.
WHAT WE’LL DO
Opening & Welcome Settle into the space together with Carlos and Federica, and orient to the day’s framework.
Overview of the ABCs of Resilience An introduction to CBR’s core curriculum: Awareness, Balance, and Connection. You’ll learn what each means, how they interact, and why this framework works.
Teaching, Somatic Practices & Guided Meditation Each module includes both teaching and practice. You’ll learn how contemplative approaches are supported by neuroscience, then experience them firsthand.
Small Group Breakout Discussions Connect with peers to reflect on the material and share how it lands in the context of your specific work and community.
Closing & Next Steps Guidance for carrying these practices into daily life and work, along with information about ongoing CBR offerings.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This training is designed for frontline professionals who want to deepen their understanding of contemplative practices and how to apply them in direct service roles. It is especially well suited for those working in small nonprofits, community-based organizations, and solo or small-group practices across healthcare, social work, and public health.
If your work involves caring for others and you want to do that work more sustainably, you’re in the right place. No prior meditation or contemplative experience is needed.
MEET YOUR FACILITATORS
This training is led by two members of the Garrison Institute’s Contemplative-Based Resilience team. Carlos and Federica bring together expertise in neuroscience, psychology, contemplative practice, and community health to create a grounded and accessible learning experience.
Federica Lari, Phd, certified CBR Faculty
Federica Lari, PhD, is a Faculty member of Contemplative-Based Resilience (CBR) at the Garrison Institute, and Invited Faculty at the Nova Institute for Health, where she facilitates mind-body contemplative practices to support the wellbeing of educators and helping professionals.
In 2023 she founded Planetary Health Yoga: an integrated approach to wellbeing rooted in science, spirituality, and movement to help us reconnect and heal our relationship with ourselves and Mother Earth as a foundational capacity of our physical and mental health.
She holds a PhD in cell biology from the University of Oxford and 10 years of international research experience in the biomedical sector. She is also a certified Yoga teacher and practitioner of “Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet” by Plum Village.
Carlos Rodarte, Director, Contemplative-Based Resilience Program
Carlos brings over 20 years at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and contemplative practice to his role as Director of Contemplative-Based Resilience at the Garrison Institute. As a systems entrepreneur and mission-driven executive, he has built and led organizations applying business strategy to advance health equity and community wellbeing. His career has spanned management consulting with health systems and life-science companies, leading patient-focused data initiatives at PatientsLikeMe, and supporting community health centers, nonprofits, and startups to advance resilience-based care models and reduce burnout. He has published in peer-reviewed literature on patient-led research and spoken on health innovation nationally and internationally. Formally trained as an environmental scientist with a business background focused on social impact. A certified mindfulness mentor, he integrates contemplative approaches into daily life, translating evidence-based practices into practical tools for frontline practitioners, community organizers, and business leaders facing systemic pressures.
DETAILS
Host: Garrison Institute’s Contemplative-Based Resilience (CBR) Program
Date & Time: Monday, June 22, 2026, 12:00–3:00pm ET
Format: Virtual via Zoom (link provided upon registration)
Cost: Sliding scale, with a suggested price listed at registration
Groups & Teams: Interested in registering together? Reach out at cbrproject@garrisoninstitute.org
Accessibility: We welcome participants of all abilities. Please share accommodation needs during registration or contact us at cbrproject@garrisoninstitute.org
What to Have: A quiet space, comfortable seating, water, and an optional notebook for note taking and reflection.
Technology: Computer or tablet with stable internet and Zoom capability. Webcam and microphone are optional but encouraged for small group discussions.
REGISTER NOW
After registering, you will receive:
- Zoom link and access details
- Pre-training preparation suggestions (optional)
- A brief self-care practice survey to help us understand where you’re starting from (optional)
- Information about CBR and what to expect
Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. If the training fills, you can add yourself to our waitlist and we’ll notify you of future offerings.
Questions? Contact us at CBRProject@garrisoninstitute.org
Learn more about CBR: www.garrisoninstitute.org/programs/contemplative-based-resilience