Projects

In 2021, Loka and the International Mayan League organized the Indigenous-led Sacred Wisdom, Sacred Earth convening. In 2022, Loka began executive producing a documentary guided by our Indigenous Advisory Council, highlighting Indigenous resilience and ecological wisdom in the Great Lakes region as vital for environmental healing. This offering, also titled Sacred Wisdom Sacred Earth, is now a compelling feature-length documentary on how the efforts of Wisconsin’s Native American tribes to restore their spiritual, cultural, and environmental resilience is rooted in their sacred connection to the land and waters of the Great Lakes.

Loka created and runs a free, online certificate course on edX titled Psychology of Deep Resilience in 2024, which is co-instructed by our Director, Dekila Chungyalpa, Director of the Center for Healthy Minds, Dr. Richard Davidson, and the Dean of the Nelson School of Environmental Studies, Dr. Paul Robbisn. PDR was created in collaboration with experts in contemplative science, clinical psychology, Indigenous knowledge, and community resilience. The four-course program explores the psychological impacts of the environmental and climate crises and introduces resilience practices drawn from Buddhism, Indigenous land-based healing, and Somatics, with optional certification available. Over 2000 people from 70+ countries have taken the course. You can register here:

Loka has launched a research project exploring how ecological emotions show up in different communities and which contemplative practices can help buffer and regulate our emotions and encourage community and individual action. The work includes a study embedded in the Psychology of Deep Resilience course with guidance from a diverse advisory board of environmental professionals. Loka is also developing a Deep Resilience conceptual framework that can be applied at all scales. You can click the button to find our first paper.