The Innerwork Center’s labyrinth in North Side offers a contemplative place to walk. (Photo courtesy The Innerwork Center)
When her 6-year-old daughter, Reese, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2009, Sherry Klauer found herself searching for ways to build an emotionally and spiritually fulfilling life. Part of that journey was deciding, in relation to her career, that she “didn’t want to be in a corporate setting” any longer, she says.
While caring for her daughter, who is now cancer-free, Klauer maintained peace and calm by working toward certifications in yoga and mindfulness. Her new lifestyle became a career when continued mindfulness training led her to The Innerwork Center, where she now works as program director.
Formerly The Chrysalis Institute, the 26-year-old nonprofit went through its own transformation last year. It changed its name to identify more clearly its mission of guiding people on a path toward inner strength by cultivating self-awareness, resilience and spiritual transformation. The center offers a series of evidence-based programs, many of which are low-cost or free.
It’s a mission that’s particularly relevant when a worldwide fight against the coronavirus pandemic requires social distancing to slow the rate of new infections, resulting in the loss of emotionally restorative social networks and leading to increased anxiety and depression.
The center has moved its programs online, consulting with instructors from the Center for Mindfulness at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine for training and best practices. Innerwork teachers consider how to “protect the [program] experience in an online format,” Klauer says. “Everything is meant to be really personal. … We want to be interacting with our students, and we want them to be interacting with each other.”
In addition to its original programming, which is “timeless in recognizing when we are struggling and how we may deal with that,” Klauer says, The Innerwork Center has also developed courses that address COVID-19 anxieties.
Beginning April 14, facilitators will offer “Grounding 101: Cultivating a Space for Centering,” a four-week online course focused on creating a space within your home dedicated to escape and cultivating peace of mind. “It’s a good idea to have a space in your house, especially right now, where we can separate from work, home and business,” Klauer says.
On April 23, hospice nurse and internationally respected Buddhist teacher Frank Ostaseski will give an online talk sharing lessons on cooperation and compassion he has learned during decades of caring for people at the end of life.
Some free, drop-in programs focus on harnessing meditation to improve mindfulness, exercise compassion and relieve stress through creative processes. For those who want to add movement and the outdoors to their mindfulness practice, Innerwork’s labyrinth in North Side offers a contemplative place to walk. Labyrinths are an ancient tool used in many cultures for walking meditation practices.
Innerwork’s low-cost programs are often subsidized by donations from past participants. While many offerings are free, financial assistance is available for fee-based programs. So far this year, costs have been waived for 60% of participants.
“Now is the time people are struggling,” Klauer says. “They are losing their jobs, and they are home and may not have as much to do. We can talk about how challenging this is and learn some tools to deal with this challenge.”
Toni Maxey, a Lakeside resident who has participated in Innerwork programs for over six years, says strategies she has learned to tame her stress and anxiety are “saving my life” during the pandemic. She often receives financial assistance to participate in Innerwork programs and pays it forward by mentioning the organization’s benefits during virtual chats over coffee, a way to stay connected during social distancing.
“I’m reading these stories about people who no longer have a job, and I just went so off-center and was depressed,” Maxey says. “[I reminded] myself to be grateful, and I started to go through all of the tools that The Innerwork Center has provided me … to be present in the moment and not worry about financial insecurity.”
Maxey says she will continue her own spiritual journey with like-minded individuals through Innerwork’s online programs to “maintain sanity” amid social isolation and constant anxiety. “[Innerwork] is a beautiful community of people who are each on their own path,” she says. “Inner work is solitary work, but you cannot do it alone. [It’s] in community with others.”
One positive outcome of the pandemic-related shutdown could be that it offers people time for introspection, Klauer says. “Not everyone makes time to connect to what is inside,” she says. “Sometimes that is really hard work. We don’t spend a lot of time investigating ourselves, [or asking how] we cultivate joy. What’s a good life for me? How do I cultivate compassion for myself?”
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