CBD 2026: Interactive Workshop - Sowing seeds in the field of consciousness: the teachings of Yemima Avital with Naama Sadan, PhD

In this interactive workshop, we will explore and practice the teachings of Yemima Avital, a Jewish-Moroccan mystic and teacher (1929-1999) who taught inner psychological awareness and relationships as sacred work. We will learn a short teaching that speaks to the importance of making mistakes as part of spiritual growth and learning. We will then spend most of the time practicing Yemima's contemplative writing method, drawing on the text we learned. "You are allowed to make mistakes and as many as you want...they can agree or not. Your right to exist precedes all."

This workshop explores contemporary Jewish teachings that emphasize inner psychological work and relationship—especially through the lens of women teachers like Yemima Avital—reshaping traditional focus from canonical texts toward discovering the divine within ourselves and our relationships.

Naama Sadan, PhD is a postdoc at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and an affiliate of the Ardoin Socioecology Lab. Originally from Jerusalem, Israel, she completed her Ph.D. at the Hebrew University, conducting fieldwork in California as a visiting student researcher at UC Berkeley, where her dissertation focused on integrating eco-literacy into California school districts. At Stanford, her research explores the role of rituals in promoting sustainable behaviors in both religious and non-religious contexts, and she serves as co-chair of the Applied Collaboratory for Religion and Ecology (ACRE). A former high school teacher, permaculture designer, and translator of mystical texts, she is passionate about cultural work that reconnects individuals and institutions with the earth.

This session is part of the FREE Contemplation by Design Summit, Oct. 14-25, 2026.

The full summit schedule for this year will be posted at: https://med.stanford.edu/contemplation/summit.html.