“This comprehensive course combines skills taught separately in other trainings—mindfulness meditation, compassion meditation, imagery and breath-work—giving you the tools needed to reduce stress and enjoy a more connected, resilient and purposeful life.”

—CBRT founder Joe Loizzo, MD, PhD

The 8-week CBRT course includes:

  • Eight live, 90-minute online modules with teaching, group discussion, guided practice, and Q+A

  • Foundational teachings on mindfulness and compassion—plus how to integrate them in daily life

  • Introduction and development of contemplative practices: mindfulness, compassion, breathwork, and healing imagery/visualization

  • Inspiring talks on the intersections of contemplative science research and eastern wisdom traditions

  • Comprehensive student manual + member access to student site with bonus resources and guided meditation practices

  • Weekly optional office hours—drop-in, online 1:1 time with Alexa for personal practice guidance

  • Upon completion of course, access to ongoing personal development and connection with Nalanda Institute CBRT graduate community (at no additional cost)

Nalanda Institute’s Compassion-Based Resilience Training (CBRT) is a complete, evidence-based method of training the resilience of mind, heart, and body we need to sustain lives of well-being, engagement and purpose in our interdependent world. It was developed and tested at the university hospitals of Columbia and Cornell, where it has been offered continuously since 1998.

“I took CBRT because I wanted better insight into how to be a more compassionate person and more patient with people, less reactive. I have aging parents and I needed to be able to meet them more on their level, to gain a better understanding of how they were feeling.

Since finishing the course, I’m more patient and empathetic. I’m more aware of when I’m feeling impatient and can respond to that more effectively as well. Something that surprised me about the course is that I realized I wasn’t the only one with patience issues. It was helpful to hear other people in the class talk about their challenges with those things. Alexa fielded questions and articulated answers to the class so well. She helped me understand the science and insight of compassion and resilience in a way that made sense, and I really appreciated that.

I’m now better at recognizing when I need to take a step back and am more confident in my meditation practice. I would recommend this course to teachers who are struggling with work and burnout, and anyone who is feeling constant stress. I also see the stress level of high school students today and if I were still teaching, I would take the techniques I learned in CBRT and use them in the classroom. Alexa was able to address a diverse group of people who were all looking for something different, and she was able to pull all that together.”

–Tom, ski instructor, retired teacher

“I took this course to explore ways to develop richer connections with people. I was looking for new strategies to counterbalance broad social trends of disconnectedness, intolerance, and anxiety. I want to contribute something to improving our world; it seems like the best place to begin is by improving myself. 

This course was a revelation in uncovering the positive resources that already exist within myself. It not only gave me real, practical tools for relationship-building, but it left me feeling inspired by the vast goodness and power that resides in all people if we’re willing to pursue it. The concept of mental spaciousness was especially key. In an hyper-cluttered, information-overload world, the gift of mental spaciousness is exceptionally powerful. 

Alexa is a deeply knowledgeable mindfulness practitioner who combines extraordinary intellect and compassion to offer an effective, focused mentorship. The knowledge gained through the CBRT course and working with Alexa has given me greater self-awareness; it empowered my ability to manage relationships more effectively, and this makes the world a better place, one person at a time! High praise for Alexa as a guide on the journey to balance, compassion, tolerance and better living.”

—M. G., retired business executive, active educator

Testimonials

Weeks 1–4: Mindfulness

  • Embracing Suffering with Body Mindfulness: Practice Body Mindfulness to reconnect with our inner lives and begin releasing the survival habits of stress, trauma and reactivity.

  • Practice Mindful Sensitivity to deepen the capacity for conscious self-regulation and cultivate balanced awareness.

  • Practice Mindful Awareness to cut through the mesh of reactive habits and stress instincts that normally block the full openness and clarity of our mind.

  • Practice Mindful Insight to cut the roots of reactivity and grow proactive new ways of being in the world.

“I joined this course because I was interested in learning more about how mindfulness can help build resiliency. I was already very familiar with meditation and mindfulness but never really looked through the lens of how we can use contemplative practice specifically to build resiliency.

As someone who has always been very sensitive, resiliency is something that I’ve had to build and work towards−and I see the same in many of my students and clients.

What stood out for me in this course is the solid scientific foundation that the practices rest on. The practices are delivered in a down to earth way and are directly applicable in real-life situations.

While many of the practices find their roots in spiritual traditions, this course offers a modern, relevant, and grounded approach to mindfulness and compassion practices. For example, I would not hesitate to recommend this course to someone who has never meditated before.

Alexa teaches this course with passion, wisdom, and empathy. She has a talent for explaining complex concepts in a way that everyone can understand them. She is clearly very versed in the topics she teaches and supports everyone with true compassion, warmth, and care.

For me, this course has offered a new perspective on mindfulness and compassion and how we can use them in our daily lives to feel less stressed and more resilient.

I will definitely revisit the course materials."

–Deniz, coach

“My biggest challenge before taking this course was managing my emotions in my relationship with my mom as I am her main caregiver. To clarify, trying to be more patient and compassionate toward her neediness, and not allowing her words and behaviors to trigger guilt and feelings of not being enough or not doing enough. I hoped to gain insight and tools into managing this challenge but also wanted to better understand the science behind how contemplative practices can contribute to well-being on many levels.

The most impactful part of this course has been giving myself permission to feel feelings that I used to avoid or push away (worry, overwhelm, disappointment). I found many parts of the course helped me to understand this. Emotional resilience and opening and softening often helps me step back and absorb, without judgment or fear, what is going on for me. This willingness brings clarity and then the ability to move on.

I found the content of this course fascinating and life changing. But the best part was how Alexa combined her tremendous knowledge with such a gentle, soft, and welcoming approach in her facilitation. She encouraged and embraced participation from all of us and her responses were always genuine and affirming toward the participant who shared. This material is challenging no doubt and having someone like Alexa teaching it makes it all the more accessible. I think everyone needs this course.

I feel I had some of these skills before the course as I’ve been interested in contemplative practices for several years. I am more of a giver in my life than a taker and this course has helped me to find more balance with this by realizing self-compassion allows me to be more compassionate with others. The course has helped me to find perspective in difficult situations which enables me to work through them more fluidly now that I have more tools. 

I think CBRT would be valuable for any and every one. It really is life changing. While people will extract different components in different ways according to their own needs, hopes and individuality, the bottom line is that it is all good and however it is absorbed it will enhance your well-being. In our current world, with its many challenges, I think the time is so ripe for people to understand the value of contemplative practices and learn how to apply them. While the content in and of itself might not always be easy to understand, embrace, or practice, Alexa’s warmth comes through so genuinely and seemingly effortlessly. It is a course that really can only be valuable if taught well and I can’t imagine a better facilitator.

—Deb, creative business owner

Testimonials

Weeks 5–8: Compassion

  • Practice Equal Empathy to unlearn implicit social survival biases while deepening and expanding our sense of connection to others.

  • Practice Self-Compassion to develop a wise, caring mind that orients to our common humanity.

  • Practice Wise Give and Take to explore our boundless human potential for care and strengthen our social muscles of love, joy and equanimity.

  • Practice role model visualizations to stretch our sense of self into a fully empowered, resilient and compassionate being.

FAQs

Do I need to have a background in meditation to take this course?

All practice levels are welcome, from beginner to advanced. This curriculum is tailored to meet you where you are—whether that’s at the start of your meditation journey, at a plateau, or seeking to dig deeper into the lesser-known factors that contribute to compassion and resilience in everyday life.

Do I need to attend all sessions live? Will there be recordings?

Live attendance is strongly encouraged, as each session will include time for group discussion and learning. That said, you are most welcome to join the course if you can’t attend all live sessions. Each class will be recorded and available for up to one year after the course ends.

Can I meet individually with Alexa during the course?

Yes! Alexa will hold “office hours” once per week for anyone seeking extra support in their personal practice. These will be hosted in a drop-in manner via Zoom.

How is this different from other mindfulness trainings, like MBSR?

CBRT combines mindfulness, compassion, visualization, and breathwork practices to offer an extremely robust and comprehensive foundation for contemplative learning. This training is centered on the fact that humans are social animals and life is inherently relational: we root the teachings and practices in their applicability to daily life. CBRT also works to meet each participant where they are—we ground the work into how it can benefit you exactly as you are.

Compassion-Based Resilience Training has a long tradition of supporting individuals in their health, work, relationships, and well-being. Learn more about its history and impact here.

The next training will start in early 2024.

Get on the waitlist to be the first to know when registration opens.

CBRT is open to all levels of contemplative practice. Please reach out with questions about the training if they aren’t answered on this page or you’d like to learn more. Sliding scale is available for students and those who are underemployed.