Unique & Connected: New Approaches to Ignatian Spirituality

Please note: All webinar sessions are about one hour in duration.

We are delighted to announce the availability of the recordings of our webinar series, entitled “Unique & Connected – New Approaches in Ignatian Spirituality.”

Those familiar with Ignatian Spirituality understand it’s built on the idea that “God is in everything.” This webinar series examines how that deep wisdom is revealing itself in exciting, fresh ways for the 21^st century.

The series will be guided by the international workshop leader, Nita Neshama Ng. She has deep roots in the Ignatian tradition as well as broad experience in areas like yoga, art and interspirituality.

In this webinar, you will review the foundations of Ignatian Spirituality as a prelude to exploring new expressions of St. Ignatius’ enduring vision. Participants are asked to engage on a deep and personal level and discern. The webinar offers holistic, experiential spiritual formation, “where your heart and soul and body are far more important to learning than your notebook.”

Christians will benefit from Nita’s warmth and her inclusive, contemplative teaching style, but so will all people who seek a deep connection with their Higher Power, however they name it, a connection that can lead to mystery, collaboration and peace.

Please discern before you decide. But know now you are welcome to come with your spiritual inclination intact, or none at all. Indeed, the last session will focus on Ignatian Practice & Interspirituality.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Week 1: History of Ignatius & Introduction to Ignatian Spirituality

Part 1: Ignatius and Ignatian Spirituality: the basics

• Introducing Ignatius of Loyola as a person.
• Introducing Ignatian Spirituality.
• “Finding God in All Things.”
• Definition of Contemplation vs Meditation in Ignatian Spirituality.

Part 2: Spiritual Exercises

A personal relationship with God and Self.

• A brief overview of the Spiritual Exercises St. Ignatius wrote; how they can be used as a “retreat” in daily life.
• New way of looking at discernment.
• Awareness: our thoughts and feelings
• Becoming aware of our desires, dreams, and our feelings
• The importance of awareness and living in the present moment within the context of Ignatian Spirituality.

Briefly introduce the Idea of “Inter-Spiritual Exercises”

• Making Ignatian Spirituality more inclusive.

Question & Response (before meditation every week)

Meditation: Noticing our desires and feelings in the present moment.

Week 2: Contemplative in Action

Part 1: Starting with our Bodies

• Somatic Awareness – this will be an experiential session where participants will be invited to use their bodies (through simple stretches)

• Examples from case studies

Part 2: Gratitude in Mind, Heart, Body and Spirit

• Finding love / life / something to be grateful for in the “busy-ness” of each day.
• Balanced life: Contemplation in Action or Action in Contemplation?
• How to make decisions & take actions in loving Intention.
• What am I most grateful for AND what am I least grateful for each day.
• Noticing our patterns over time.

Meditation: Experiencing the Examen; the Ignatian gratitude prayer.

Week 3: Ignatian Spirituality as Catalyst for Creativity, Empowerment, Management and Change

Part 1: Art

• Using art to express, explore, and engage in a more holistic mind-body-heart & soul deepening process.
• How can we learn to articulate knowledge & experiences more; how can we learn to listen with more of our senses, especially when words can be finite & limiting.
• Participants will experience a meditation using one of Nita’s paintings, followed by an experience of drawing or coloring as a form of meditation (incarnation and art).

Part 2: God and I, and the world (the whole creation)

• Detachment, comparing this with modern marriage vows; looking at the concept within Zen.
• Relationship with Creation.
• Facing all the times we have experienced shame in our lives acknowledging them, respecting them, even honoring & feeling grateful for them.
• Ignatian Spirituality and its influence in business management (almost 500 years before the idea of MBA training).
• The empowerment of women.

Meditation: Ignatian Imaginative Prayer

Week 4: Inter-Spirituality

Part 1: The Universality of the Jesuit Spirit and Ignatian Spirituality

• Trans-border, trans-cultural history.
• Pedro Arrupe and how he influenced Ignatian Spirituality.

Part 2: Engaging with the rest of the world

• Relating this spirituality to other spiritualities and faith practices.
• Adapting the Spiritual Exercises to become more inclusive as the Inter-Spiritual Exercises.
• Other areas of interest cosmology (Teilhard de Chardin), energy and near-death experience.
• Call to Love, holding space for the Divine to enter into relationship with us to model for us the ways of Love.
• Mysticism within Ignatian Spirituality e.g. Dark Night of the Soul – The Song of Songs – Rumi’s poetry.

Meditation: Breathing In, Breathing Out, Love and Light

Additional Information:

Who may join the webinar?
Everyone is invited to participate in SDI Webinars. Learn about technological system requirements and how to connect on the webinar FAQ page.

Are CEUs available?
SDI will provide a certificate of completion for self-reporting to agencies continuing education units (CEUs).

WEBINAR LEADER 

Since 2006, Nita Neshama Ng has lived and worked full-time in retreat centers in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. She teaches in religious and secular settings, to multigenerational and spiritually diverse audiences.  In 2015, the Catholic Bishop of Penang invited her to create the Ministry of Retreat and Spirituality at a diocesan level, a first in Southeast Asia. This ministry is open to all, regardless of faith or background. She became first non-ordained spiritual director appointed to the national Catholic seminary, and also represented Malaysia at the World Community for Christian Meditation 2016 conference in London for her work in sharing the gift of meditation with children.

Nita currently balances her time between the East (based in Hong Kong & Malaysia) and the West (based in London) offering retreats, workshops, spiritual direction, training & supervising others to be Compassionate Listeners, Empowered Grace-Full Women, and in New Ways of Being, in English and Chinese, and online. Her books include My Little Meditations Book, Meditations with Icons: For Children and the Young-at-Heart and Chinese Heart Songs. She also prays through art. Her batik paintings have been exhibited internationally.

Nita is a former SDI Coordinating Council member, a New Contemplative in 2014, presented workshops at SDI’s annual conference in 2015 and 2016. She has also contributed to SDI publications – Presence, Listen, and Connections. Previously, she was an international business consultant. She managed projects for NGOs, and taught yoga.