What might it mean to turn towards our obstacles and challenges with awareness and compassion, rather than trying to avoid or fight them? The paradigm of “feeding not fighting” draws on the teachings of the great 11^th century Tibetan yogini Machig Labdrön, suggesting that hidden in our fears, anxieties, and negative patterns lies the potential for insight and even wisdom. When we nurture the unmet need within our encumbered patterns with compassion, we allow them to open into clarity, strength, and deep knowing. Lama Tsultrim Allione, a Western Buddhist teacher and author of Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict, developed a process called “Feeding your Demons,” inspired by these ancient teachings and drawing on methodologies of Gestalt psychology. An initial research study conducted on the process has shown positive results in reducing depression, anxiety, and symptoms of stress. This workshop introduces the underlying teachings and guides a process, giving participants a direct experience of this powerful and transformative modality.

This interactive workshop is part of a three-part series taught by Charlotte Rotterdam during the Contemplation by Design Summit. You are welocme to attend one or all three sessions. The other sessions include a lecture titles Compassionate Presence: Contemplative Skills to Engage a Complex World on October 21st and a workshop titled A Compassion Practice: Tonglen on October 22nd. 

Charlotte Rotterdam, MTS, is a contemplative educator, meditation instructor, and Buddhist teacher. She directs Naropa University’s Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education (CACE) and has been faculty in the Core College, World Wisdom Traditions, and Graduate School of Psychology since 2002. Charlotte co-developed and teaches Naropa’s Mindful Compassion Training, a secular program to cultivate compassion in personal and professional contexts. The Training has been offered widely online and in-person; to teachers in the Great Falls, Montana School District during Covid; and most recently to employees of the City of Boulder. She served as a compassion consultant and meditation instructor for the University of Colorado-Boulder Institute of Behavioral Sciences and the Crown Wellness Institute’s Compassion and Dignity Training for educators. A Senior Teacher (Dorje Lopön) and lineage holder at Tara Mandala Buddhist Retreat Center, founded by Lama Tsultrim Allione, Charlotte teaches meditation and other Buddhist practices worldwide. She received a Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. Charlotte is mother of two boys. She has published essays in Mandala, Lion’s Roar, Buddhadharma and Fearless Nest, an anthology. Co-authored with her husband, her book, Skymind: The Radical Path of Open Awareness, reflects on Buddhist nature of mind teachings from the great 11^th century Tibetan yogini Machig Labdrön and their application in modern life (forthcoming from Shambhala Publications, 2026). www.naropa.edu/cace   www.skymind.us

This session is part of the FREE Contemplation by Design Summit, Oct. 15-27, 2025.

The full summit schedule is posted at: https://med.stanford.edu/contemplation/summit.html.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stanford-contemplation-by-design-summit-2025-online-oct-15-27-registration-1520413249959