CLASSES & PROGRAMS
Learn and experience mindfulness, mind-body-soul and contemplative practices at The Soulfulness Center. Informed by science, inspired by spirit, infused with culture, and centered in soul. Our offerings support and center the lived experience of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
ONLINE WEBINAR SERIES
introducing sankofa theory & practice
Sankofa Theory & Practice is a new culturally-grounded and evidence-informed approach to psychotherapy, counseling, community-based prevention programs, wellness practices, healing circles, and life coaching developed by Dr. Shelly Harrell and inspired by the African indigenous wisdom of Sankofa.
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Sankofa Theory & Practice begins with the premise that addressing pain and suffering, cultivating resilience, promoting well-being, and contributing to transformative and liberatory processes, must center the interrelated dynamics of connection, disconnection, reconnection, and interconnection. The roots of distress, disorder, and dysfunction are illuminated by understanding the nature of disconnection. Movement toward the expression of optimal well-being must include processes of REconnection and INTERconnection.
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Sankofa Theory & Practice starts from the ground of African wisdom to offer an integrative and comprehensive praxis that centers the power of connection. The approach was inspired by the wisdom of the Sankofa adinkra symbols and the associated Akan proverb, "it is not wrong to go back and retrieve what you have lost or forgotten". The nature of connection is amplified through the lens of an indigenous African collectivist-communal-interconnected worldview and its many expressions throughout the African diaspora. A foundation in Pan African Black Psychology is supplemented by congruent theory and research in multicultural, liberation, community, and humanistic psychologies, as well as by research on stress, trauma, resilience, and contemplative/mind-body practices.
COURSE FEE: $97
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Four 90-minute Zoom class sessions with Dr. Shelly Harrell (available in both audio and video formats)
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​Session 1: Orientation, Origins, & Overview
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​Session 2: The Healing Wisdom of Sankofa
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Session 3: Healing and Metabolizing Disconnection
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Session 4: Applications, Interventions, & Practices
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Summary Handouts, Study Guide Pages, and Slides available for download
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This series is a prerequisite for our Sankofa Study Circle & Practice Community for healers and helping professionals who wish to integrate Sankofa Theory & Practice more meaningfully into their work.
LEVEL 1 COURSE
A Soulful Introduction to Mindfulness
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Our 6-session flagship mindfulness class developed and taught by Dr. Shelly Harrell is available online!
COURSE FEE: $100
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Mindfulness teachings are shared within a culturally-infused, soulful vibe. This unique course offers a decolonizing perspective that emphasizes mindfulness as a path to mental and emotional liberation, as well as a foundation for collective liberation from oppression-related stress and trauma. Particular attention is given to the relevance of mindfulness for BIPOC wellness and mental health. The teachings are based on the Vipassana insight meditation tradition, infused with cultural expressions from the African diaspora and diverse cultural contexts. This is not your generic mindfulness class!
Dr. Shelly Harrell created this course in 2020 to provide an accessible resource for healing and connection within the context of the profound loss and change brought on by the COVID-19 and ongoing racism pandemics. We continue to grieve, heal, and free ourselves from the grasp of these pandemics and the many ways that stress hijacks our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls.
Practicing mindfulness regularly can help us be more present in our lives-- more present in our bodies, more present relationally and spiritually. Mindfulness-based practices give us strategies for experiencing more inner peace and balance, allowing us to hear the voice of our inner wisdom and contact the truth of our interconnectedness. It is a powerful ground to support the expression of our highest selves, align with our deepest values, and manifest our highest aspirations and purpose, both personally and collectively. Bottom line is that mindfulness can help us GET FREE!
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Six 75-minute live Zoom class sessions with Dr. Shelly Harrell
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Topics include:
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"The Inner River" (Soulfulness and Mindfulness)
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"All About Love" (Mindfulness of Love and Liberation)
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"Focus and Flow" (Mindfulness of Breath and Body)
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"Free Your Mind" (Mindfulness of Thoughts)
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"Feel It to Heal It" (Mindfulness of Emotion)
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"And Still I Rise" (Mindfulness of Life)
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Session handouts and slides available for download
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Music, poetry, and powerful quotes integrated throughout the course
MONTHLY PROGRAM
A YEAR OF WISDOM & HEALING
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Online course
$25/month or $199 for full-year program
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Our updated monthly program provides you with cultural expressions of Black wisdom featuring African adinkra symbols and Dr. Shelly Harrell's 3-part "Rising Up Rooted" soulfulness process. Get rooted in wisdom so that you can rise up into your purpose and power. Join anytime, cancel anytime.
Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting.
-Thich Nhất Hanh
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
"Just what I needed to reset from a year of struggle and sadness. Dr. Shelly Harrell provided the right mix of information and practice to calm my spirit and focus my energy on healing."
- Nichole G.
"The class I needed to jumpstart my mindfulness practice. Dr. Harrell is a skillful instructor - She is personable, engaging, and knowledgeable. I was drawn to her style of practice and I loved her infusion of music and culturally relevant content."
- Helen N.
"A great introduction to mindfulness for those who struggle to connect, as well as those who are more advanced."
- Soulful Mindfulness Class Participant