A 2.5 Hour Applied Learning Experience
Virtual via Zoom
This training is for people whose work centers on the wellbeing of others. Over two and a half hours, CBR Director Carlos Rodarte and Faculty member Yikai Xu will guide you through an evidence-based framework for understanding stress, sustaining compassion, and bringing your whole self to the people you serve.
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 meets you where you are. The content is practical, immediately applicable, and grounded in the realities of frontline care.
Bring Your Whole Self A central thread throughout the training is the importance of coming to practice as your full self. Your cultural background, lived experience, and the communities you come from and serve are not left at the door. They are part of the practice.
WHAT YOU WILL GAIN
- A deeper understanding of how to sustain yourself in your work, building the capacity to stay present, calm, and open even in emotionally challenging moments
- An accessible introduction to CBR’s Awareness, Balance, and Connection curriculum, the ABCs of Resilience
- Guided meditation and periods of instruction you can begin using right away
- A personal workbook to support your ongoing practice
- A self-care manual on how to care for others with an open and undivided heart
- Small group discussion with peers who understand the challenges of frontline work
- A grounded understanding of how contemplative practices affect the body and nervous system
- 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.
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 Yikai bring together expertise in neuroscience, psychology, contemplative practice, and community health to create a grounded and accessible learning experience.
Yikai Xu, Certified CBR Faculty
Yikai Xu, M.Phil. M.Ed., is a clinician, researcher, educator, contemplative practitioner, and mentor devoted to healthy equity and compassion across systems. His expertise centers on Asian indigenous contemplative wisdom, emotion regulation, psychological health, and scalable interventions. Yikai is a Ph.D. candidate in the Clinical/Counseling psychology program at New York University. He is currently conducting a randomized-controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a brief online intervention that leverages Asian dialectical wisdom for stress reduction. Yikai is also a clinician at the Psychosis Risk Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and an adjunct faculty member at the Counseling for Mental Health Counseling and Wellness master’s program at New York University. Concurrently, Yikai advises and supports organizations (e.g., Mind & Life Institute, Contentment Foundation) to leverage contemplative wisdom to promote individual, community, and system-wide well-being.
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: Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 12:00–2:30pm 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
The Garrison Institute taps the power of contemplation, wisdom traditions, and contemporary science to help build a more compassionate and resilient future. Our initiatives include Contemplative-Based Resilience, Pathways to Planetary Health, and Spirituality and Social Change. We hold multiple retreats and virtual events throughout the year. For more information, visit www.garrisoninstitute.org