Join Naropa University for Community Practice Day - a day when classes and meetings are not held, and when we gather together in virtual and in-person community. The Spring 2026 theme is The Earth Is My Witness.

As Spring emerges, we gather for Community Practice Day, to honor this sacred reciprocity between self and planet, between awakening and care, we are invited to remember what the Buddha knew on the night of his awakening: that the Earth bears witness. In that moment of doubt and clarity, when he placed his hand upon the ground, the Earth did not remain silent. She rose to meet him - steady, alive, saying, I am here. I have always been here.

This gesture lives in each of us. When we touch the Earth, the Earth touches back. In our moments of courage and grief, of awakening and action, we are not alone. The living world holds us as witness - in quiet recognition of our shared becoming.

Evolutionary Change founder Don Hall, in collaboration with Alumnx Relations and the Joanna Macy Center for Resilience & Regeneration, will be facilitating a workshop on “Clarifying Your Purpose in the Great Turning” from 3:15-4:30pm in Room 9189: “In this time of escalating social, economic, and environmental polycrisis, there are so many things we ‘should’ do to help bring about a just and regenerative future, but we simply can’t do them all. So how can we best direct our time and energy to have a significant impact on our world, while creating meaningful and rewarding livelihoods for ourselves? Using meditative techniques, the Japanese Ikigai framework, and an exercise from Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects, we’ll explore the power and magic of connecting with our innate sense of purpose and let that lead us forward into designing practical eco-social action plans.”