Opening Minds, Opening Hearts Podcast

Are you seeking to deepen your interior life through the practice of Centering Prayer? Do you have a desire to develop a closer connection to the divine as well as those around you? Opening Minds, Opening Hearts is a podcast for both the curious meditator and long time practitioner of Centering Prayer. On each episode, hosts Colleen Thomas and Mark Dannenfelser will reflect on the method of Centering Prayer with some friends of Contemplative Outreach who share their personal experience of encountering God through the prayer, and through their work in the world. Topics discussed will include New Monasticism, the value of silence, the practice of contemplation and the call to social action. Through this podcast, we hope to provide new perspectives on the future of this prayer in the rapidly changing spiritual and technological landscape. Centering Prayer is a practice and a gift and we are excited to share this blessing with our listeners.
Trailer: Welcome to Opening Minds, Opening Hearts
Listen to "Welcome to Opening Minds, Opening Hearts" on Spreaker.
This podcast can also be listened to on:
Spotify
Apple Music
Google Podcast
Pandora
Episodes:
Hosts:
Colleen Thomas
A Spiritual Director and long-time practitioner of Centering Prayer, Colleen leads contemplative prayer groups for the ‘40s and Under’ community and works closely with Contemplative Outreach's diversity outreach initiative while serving as a Program Director for Stillpoint: A Center for Christian Spirituality.
Her particular passion for expanding contemplative practice and teaching to younger and more diverse communities keeps her closely aligned with a new contemplative movement that sees contemplative life and practice as inseparable from social justice organizing and action.
Colleen earned her MA in Theology and Art from Fuller Theological Seminary. She worked in television in Los Angeles for 15 years before relocating to her hometown of Washington D.C. where she continues to explore her creative passions while enjoying the close companionship of her family. You can discover more about her work at https://soulcarela.com/
Mark Dannenfelser
Mark began a meditation practice in his late teen’s through the practice of yoga. Soon after, he discovered the Christian contemplative tradition while reading Henri Nouwen and Thomas Merton. That led him to the work of Thomas Keating and Centering Prayer. Mark’s path of personal practice inspired him to bring contemplation and meditation into his work as a youth minister and later as a psychotherapist.
Mark is a program coordinator for Contemplative Outreach, Ltd and a commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer. He is also a certified mindfulness teacher, licensed professional counselor, a certified spiritual director, and a registered yoga teacher.
Professionally, Mark is most interested in working at the point of intersection between contemplative practice and healing.
To connect further with us:
Find us on Instagram: Contemplative Outreach Ltd (@contemplativeoutreachltd) • Instagram photos and videos
Like us on Facebook: Contemplative Outreach | West Milford NJ | Facebook
Check out our YouTube channel: coutreach - YouTube
This podcast is produced by Crys & Tiana LLC www.crysandtiana.com