WELCOME to the CCH Student Resources page
Here you can play/download meditation recordings, read/download course materials, and link to other resources. The materials for each week are separated by tab and will be available before the scheduled class meeting. The class recording will be available to stream by 9 am PT the following morning. You have lifetime access to these materials, apart from the class recordings which will be removed two months after the last class.
Your Course Information
INSTRUCTOR | BRITTA ESKEY | compassioneducation@stanford.edu
DATES | 8 Tuesdays, January 21 – March 11, 2025, 4-6 pm PT/7-9 pm PT
Meeting ID: 935 0560 0341
Passcode: 679858
bit.ly/CCH2025Q1
Course Materials
GeneralWeek 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6Week 7Week 8
Assignments
- Do the Breath-Focused Meditation daily.
- Establish your buddy relationship. Contact your buddy(s), set up a regular weekly check in, and determine how you want to connect (text, email, phone call…). This week, check in with your buddy about your intention for the course.
- Engage in the Daily Informal Practices.
Class Materials
- Presentation Slides | Week 1
- Quote | Pema Chödrön and Poem | Allow | Danna Faulds
- Class Recording | January 21, 2025
Guided Meditation
- Breath-Focused Meditation by Britta (15 min)
- Breath-Focused Meditation by Lee (10 min)
- Breath-Focused Meditation by Shandra (20 min)
Video
- How Compassion and Altruism Create Resilience | Kelly McGonigal, PhD
Scientific Readings
- Study Shows How Slow Breathing Induces Tranquility | Bruce Goldman
- Police Officers Get Their Serenity On, Meditate Before Hitting Streets | Elyse Wanshel
- Rhythm of Breathing Affects Memory and Fear | Neuroscience News
- 5 Reasons to Meditate | Pema Chödrön
Recommended Reading
- Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body by Daniel Goleman, PhD & Richard J. Davidson, PhD
Assignments
- Do the Compassion for a Loved One Meditation daily. While daily meditation is the goal, if you miss a day don’t judge yourself and don’t throw out the whole process. Just do what you can to make it a priority and get back on the “meditation wagon.”
- Continue to establish your buddy relationship. Contact your buddy(s), set up a regular weekly check in, and determine how you want to connect (text, email, phone call, etc.).
- Engage in the Daily Informal Practices.
Class Materials
- Presentation Slides | Week 2
- Breakout Room Protocol | Week 2
- Poems | I am Breathing by Mary Oliver | Love Does That by Meister Eckart
- Class Recording | January 28, 2025
Guided Meditation
- Compassion for a Loved One Meditation by Britta (12 min)
- Compassion for a Loved One Meditation by Lee (13 min)
- Compassion for a Loved One Meditation by Shandra (20 min)
Scientific Readings
- Study Shows Compassion Meditation Changes the Brain | Dian Land
- Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation Effects of Meditative Expertise | Antoine Lutz, Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, Tom Johnstone, Richard J Davidson
Recommended Reading
- Listening in the Raw: Coming Home to Receptivity by Randall Alifano
- Awakening Compassion at Work by Monica Worline, PhD
Assignments
- Practice Week Three’s Compassion for One’s Self Meditation daily. You may use either this week’s audio, or any of these short Self-Compassion step meditations led by Britta. Each of these video meditations is 5-8 minutes long. You may wish to pause and spend some time in silent contemplation.
- SELF-COMPASSION STEP 1 | Acknowledging our distress/our suffering
- SELF-COMPASSION STEP 2 | Reassuring ourselves that it is okay to feel this way
- SELF-COMPASSION STEP 3 | Recognizing common humanity
- SELF-COMPASSION STEP 4 | Skillful self monitoring/self kindness
- SELF-COMPASSION STEP 5 | Complete self-compassion exercise
- Practice tips for meditation:
- When you picture a time when you were suffering, take good care of yourself by not going to the worst thing you can recall.
- Find a photo of yourself as a child to place near your meditation spot. Seeing the photo will connect you to the visualization in the Self-Compassion Meditation from class.
- Daily Informal Practices | Week 3
Class Materials
- Presentation Slides | Week 3
- Journaling Prompts | In-class exercise
- Blessing | To Come Home To Yourself | John O’Donohue
- Quotes | Boyle and Rosenberg
- Class Recording | February 4, 2025
Guided Meditation
- Breath-Focused Meditation by Britta (15 min)
- Breath-Focused Meditation by Lee (10 min)
- Breath-Focused Meditation by Shandra (20 min)
Scientific Readings
- Self Compassion, Wellbeing, and Happiness | Kristin D. Neff and Andrew P. Costigan
- The Five Myths of Self Compassion | Kristin D. Neff
Recommended Reading
- The Kindness Cure | Tara Cousineau
Assignments
- Do the Self-Appreciation and Compassionate Resource Meditation daily
- Daily Informal Practices | Week 4
Class Materials
- Quote | Sonya Renee Taylor and Poem | Nuptial Song by Susana Thénon
- Journaling Prompts | In class exercise
- Class Recording | February 11, 2025
- No slides this week
Guided Meditation
- Self-Appreciation and Compassionate Resource Meditation | by Shandra (20 min)
- Self-Appreciation and Compassionate Resource Meditation | by Lee (16 min)
- Self-Appreciation and Compassionate Resource Meditation | by Britta (13 min)
Scientific Readings
No readings this week
Assignments
- Practice the Embracing Common Humanity and Widening the Space of the Heart Meditation daily.
- If you would like an additional resource to dive more deeply into the Compassionate Image, feel free to Britta’s Daily Grace Meditations, where she goes through several versions of a Compassionate Image. As with Britta’s Self-Compassion Meditations, each meditation is about 5-8 minutes long and you may wish to pause and spend some time in silent contemplation.
- Daily Informal Practices | Week 5
Class Materials
- Presentation Slides | Week 5
- Quotes | Einstein, Sozhenitsyn, Chodron, Brown, Jr., Alyan, and Thubten
- Class Recording | February 18, 2025 (chat log)
Guided Meditation
- Common Humanity and Widening the Space of the Heart Meditation | by Shandra (20 min)
- Common Humanity and Widening the Space of the Heart Meditation | by Britta (16 min)
- Common Humanity and Widening the Space of the Heart Meditation | by Lee (16 min)
Videos
- Look Beyond Borders – 4 Minute Experiment | Amnesty Poland
- All That We Share | TV 2 Denmark
- Don’t Put People in Boxes | NewHope Church, United States
- Ambivalent Stereotypes Support Inequality and Conflict – or Peace | Susan T. Fiske
Scientific Readings
- Stereotype Content: Warmth and Competence Endure | Susan T. Fiske
Assignments
- Practice the From Triggers to Compassion Meditation daily.
- If you would like to connect more deeply to a source of compassion at any time this week to assist you in accessing deeper compassion while triggered, you can also use any of Britta’s five Compassionate Image meditations from last week.
- Daily Informal Practices | Week 6
Class Materials
- Presentation Slides | Week 6
- Class Recording | February 25, 2025
Guided Meditation
- From Triggers to Compassion Meditation | by Shanda (20 min)
- From Triggers to Compassion Meditation | by Britta (14 min)
- From Triggers to Compassion Meditation | by Lee (14 min)
Scientific Readings
Differential pattern of functional brain plasticity after compassion and empathy training | Klimecki, Leiberg, Ricard, and Singer
Empathic Care and Distress: Predictive Brain Markers and Dissociable Brain Systems | Ashar, Andrews-Hanna, Dimidjian, and Wager
Is Empathy for Pain Unique in Its Neural Correlates? A Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies of Empathy | Timmers, Park, Fischer, Kronman, Heathcote, Hernandez, and Simons
Assignments
- Practice the Emanating Compassion Meditation daily.
- If you would like to connect to a source of compassion to assist you in accessing deeper compassion before making requests, feel free to use any of Britta’s five Compassionate Image meditations from Week 5.
- Daily Informal Practices | Week 7
Class Materials
- Feelings List
- Presentation Slides | Week 7
- Class Recording | March 11, 2025
Guided Meditation
- Emanating Compassion Meditation | by Shandra (18 min)
- Emanating Compassion Meditation | by Lee (12 min)
- Emanating Compassion Meditation | by Britta (9 min)
Scientific Readings
- No readings this week
Course Evaluation
When you have a moment, please complete the short anonymous Course Evaluation. Your feedback is invaluable to us!
Assignments
- Practice the Integrated Heart Meditation daily.
- Daily Informal Practices
Class Materials
- Select Readings | Heartfelt Advice for Hard Times by Pema Chödrön | The Way of The Heart Warrior adapted from Pema Chödrön | We Always Have a Choice by Pema Chödrön
- Class Recording | March 11, 2025
- No slides
Guided Meditation
- Integrated Heart Meditation | by Shandra (18 min)
- Integrated Heart Meditation | by Lee (14 min)
- Integrated Heart Meditation | by Britta (9 min)
Video
- Grateful: A Love Song to the World | Empty Hands Music and Daniel Nahmod
Scientific Readings
- No readings this week
Playing and Downloading Meditation Recordings
- Select the meditation.
- A new tab/window will open in your browser where the meditation can be played.
- To download the meditation file to your computer, click the three dot menu and select download.
- A pop up window will show you where the file will be downloaded. Select Save.
- The file should then start downloading.
Reading and Downloading Course Materials
- Select the document.
- A new tab/window will open in your browser where the document can be read.
- To download the document file to your computer, select the download button located at the top right of the window.
- A pop up window will show you where the file will be downloaded. Select Save.
- The file should then start downloading.
The Guided Meditations and Course Materials may not be reproduced, distributed, published, displayed, modified, or used to create derivative material. If you would like permission to use any of these materials, you must contact CCARE. ©The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University 2024. All rights reserved. All or portions of these materials include copyrighted materials belonging to Stanford University.