Step away from the busyness of the summer season and make space for quiet and reflection.

Awe of the Ordinary is a 6 week series of in-person yoga and contemplative practices, meeting weekly on Mondays at 4pm ET (75min) from July 7th to August 11th. This series is for you if you want to explore the divine within body and nature by way of contemplative practice.

Summer is a season when we can engage with life as a spiritual journey, and our connection with God can flourish through prayerful observation of ourselves and the natural world. It’s a time when we can be willing to be amazed by the mystery of life, through the simple acts of looking around and listening inward with presence.

During this summer contemplative practice series, we will make space to connect with the sacredness of our physical bodies, interior lives and nature. We will spend our time engaging with yoga asana, a practice of embodied awarness, lectio divina, a practice of reading and reflecting on a sacred text, and terra divina, a practice of witnessing the sacred in nature, before sitting quietly for meditation and prayer, so you can experience a well rounded, reflective practice during our time together. My intention is that by the end of our 6 weeks, you'll have a deepened appreciation for summer as a season where spirit and nature are in full bloom, and feel more connected to your body and the natural world as the dwelling place of God.

This class series is for those who would like to:

• connect to the divine within yourself and nature

• explore core principles of contemplative spirituality

• deepen or re-connect with an authentic spiritual practice

• learn contemplative practices such as yoga asana, lectio divina and terra divina in an accessible way

• receive encouragement, support and care alongside others also fostering an embodied faith practice

• Please note: While we will be engaging with Christian mystics and traditions, this series is open to all. It's very common to learn more about observances and practices rooted in various world religions as a means of developing your own spiritual path, without necessarily needing to identify entirely with that specific worldview. Whether you identify as Christian or not, whether you have a pre-existing contemplative practice or not, you are welcome at this series.

What we will be doing during our time together:

This contemplative class series is intended to help connect your life in a deep and meaningful way to your body, spirit and nature as one, which can often lack attention in our busy modern lives. This series is appropriate for both beginners to yoga, contemplative practice, or a deeper exploration of faith. 

With a spacious time for practice, we will:

• reflect on Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Ávila as our guiding text

• practice lectio divina, a contemplative prayer practice on a sacred text

• digest our experiences within stillness through meditation and prayer

• explore how to apply all that we explore in this course to our lives off the mat

• practice terra divina, a contemplative prayer practice on witnessing the sacred in nature

• explore yoga asana which supports connection with, and awareness of, your own embodiment

The yoga practice we will engage with during the course of this series will be a slow paced sequence of accessible postures, suitable for beginners. If you are new to yoga or would like to ease back into your practice, now is a great time to start. We will explore foundational postures of yoga with a gentle approach. Variations will be offered for those who want either greater challenge or a lighter approach to the yoga practice.

If you can’t attend all of the classes:

Though you will get the most out of this series if you attend all of the classes, if you need to miss one or two:

• Continue to read along the text for the week, which is listed below

• Engage in your own practice at home using the framework of our previous classes together

Let us rest in awe and amazement during this special time of year.

How to Register for Awe of the Ordinary:

If you’d like to join this course, please do the following:

• Please make a payment of $120 by Monday, June 30th to secure your spot. Please write your full name, email address (if I don’t have it already), and "Awe of the Ordinary" in the payment notes section. You can pay via one of these methods:

• Venmo: @selkiemedicinals

• PayPal: Via this link

• Add class dates and readings to your calendar: (Please read the Introduction and Forward upon course enrollment, p. ix-xxix)

  • Session 1: Monday 7/7 4-5:15pm / First, Second and Third Mansions (p. 3-50)

    Session 2: Monday 7/14 4-5:15pm / Fourth and Fifth Mansion, Chapter 1 (p. 53-89)

    Session 3: Monday 7/21 4-5:15pm / Fifth Mansion, Chapter 2-3 and Sixth Mansion, Chapters 1-2 (p. 90-131)

    Session 4: Monday 7/28 4-5:15pm / Sixth Mansion, Chapters 3-6 (p. 132-166)

    Session 5: Monday 8/4 4-5:15pm / Sixth Mansion, Chapters 7-11 (p. 167-203)

    Session 6: Monday 8/11 4-5:15pm / Seventh Mansion & Conclusion (p. 207-241)

• Make sure you have access to the following materials:

  • A journal and your favorite writing utensil

  • A copy of Interior Castle by Teresa of Ávila, Translated and Edited by E. Allison Peers

  • Optional:

    • Your own yoga mat and additional suggested yoga props: a bolster, 2 yoga blocks, a yoga strap and blanket. Yoga mats and props will be provided if you do not have your own. 

    • The podcast Turning to the Mystics with James Finley: Season 2 on Interior Castle (first episode can be found here), which can be listened to as our sessions progress in order to help further break open our guiding text.

Elizabeth Gross (BA, CATP, CYT) is a contemplative care practitioner based in Kingston, NY. Elizabeth helps individuals experiencing life and death transitions navigate grief and loss as journeys towards deeper self awareness and reverence for the mystery of life. Elizabeth weaves her training as an herbalist, yoga instructor, end of life doula, Thai Yoga bodyworker, and willow casket weaver into many of her offerings. Her Catholic upbringing and adult reclamation of Christianity through its mystical and contemplative traditions greatly influences the way she approaches her work with her clients and students.

Have a question about this course?

Ask below! Please allow for 1-2 business days for a response. Thank you.