In general terms, stress is the difference between what our body and mind expect and what we experience. Stress is part of everyday life and we are generally able to ease discomfort by adapting to the conditions. There are diverse ways that both physical and psychological stress can be accommodated to maintain health. When we walk outside in winter, for example, when we feel the stress of cold we adapt by going back inside to warmth or simply putting on a sweater. In today’s world, however, stress has become chronic and often so intense that we experience trauma. We live in what Sandra Bloom and Gabor Mate call traumatogenic (trauma-causing) cultures.

Mindfulness and meditation are simple but powerful ways to help reduce stress and anxiety. Beyond this level, these approaches return us to healthy and natural ways of living in wellbeing and peace. The Buddhist Eightfold Path is designed to provide a map for concrete translating inner realization and transformation into everyday living.

This intensive studies the eight elements of the Buddhist Eightfold Path through the lens of the Octopus. While appearing radically different from ourselves and other mammals to the extent that some scientists speculate that Cephlapods derive from extraterrestrial origins, the eight-armed Octopuses nonetheless express comparable intellectual and emotional capacities. In this journey of accompaniment of the Octopus and the Eightfold Path, we learn how we to guide our minds and lives so that they return into alignment with Nature’s values and ethics which have maintained peace and wellbeing of the entire planet for millions of years.

For more information contact us at coordinator@kerulos.org