Classes for Parents

New Introduction to Heart Language Class Set To Go!

The date is set for the start of the next “Introduction to Heart Language” class! It will start on Thursday, October 8th, and run for six weeks. The dates are Thursdays, Oct 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th, Nov 12th, 19th. There will be no class on Nov 5th and the session ends before Thanksgiving.

The class will take place in the Unitarian Fellowship Hall, from 7-9pm. It is a six week class, with instruction, practice, and homework.

The class is open to UUF members, and Rose Blossom parents. Because Unitarian church members are welcome, the church space is available at no cost, and the class has no set cost; donations for my time and materials are appreciated.

Please let me know if you can attend this fun and mind-expanding class on how we can change the way to talk to ourselves, and others, and how to be more compassionate listeners. I use Heart Language at Rose Blossom, and it helps with parenting and relationships of all kinds. This year we are weaving Compassionate Communication into our peace education program with the introduction of a “Peace Table”.

“Heart Language” is another name for Compassionate Communication, or Nonviolent Communication, as taught by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg. To find out more about Compassionate Communication, or NVC, log onto www.cnvc.org

Please call Sharon Rose, at 831-334-2088 to register for this class. Thank you!

Sharon Rose, Heart Language Facilitator

In 1994 Sharon Rose was introduced to Compassionate Communication by a facilitator named Holly Humphrey in Encinitas, CA. During the six-week class, Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, the founder of the Nonviolent Communication, or Compassionate Communication process, came to San Diego for to give lectures and workshops. Sharon attended two evening lectures in San Diego, which led to two weeks of intensive teacher training directly under Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D. that summer in Switzerland.

Returning from the two week training session, Sharon had the option to join the Center for Nonviolent Communication in order to teach the process, or, to change the name and teach under the new name. Thus, “Heart Language” was born.

Since then, web sites, books, DVDs, and many other forms of communication have become available to help us all become more versed in the Compassionate Communication way of thinking, listening, and talking. New training programs have been developed, and small centers of trainers and practice groups have emerged all over the world. NVC trainers are helping schools, people in prisons, individuals, families, and people at war with one another to use a more compassionate way of talking and listening. By practicing compassionate communication, we can help to create peace in the world, one person, one situation at a time.

Sharon Rose has since become the owner and director of a small preschool, Rose Blossom Nursery School, in Aptos, CA. Now, in conjunction with the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Santa Cruz, she is able to facilitate a six-week instructional and practice session in Heart Language (NVC) twice yearly, in the spring and in the fall. See above for most current dates.

Heart of Peace Institute

Founded by Sharon Rose in 1995

Heart of Peace Institute (H.O.P.I.) offers seven programs, each designed to enhance individual awareness and connection with others. The programs provide a forum for gathering knowledge and experiences that contribute to personal development, and the creation of new possibilities.

The first three programs, Heart Language, Hopitu, and Soul-Speak, focus attention and energy inward, towards self-awareness, personal expansion, and knowledge gathering. The next three programs, Imagine, LetterTime, and Global-Awareness, are directed outward, towards society, and the world. The seventh program, I Am, offers the seeker of optimum health and personal empowerment opportunities to heal, and clarify life purpose.

Heart Language: Communication Skills

Words are powerful tools that can either connect or disconnect us from ourselves and others. Heart Language classes provide experiences, instruction, and practice using language to help promote balance and harmony, clarity and compassion, empathy and solutions. Heart Language can be practiced in any arena of life, and examples will be interspersed with instruction.

Soul-Speak: Connecting with inner voice

Soul-Speak sessions explore meditation, stillness, poetry, music, art, movement, the natural world, and ritual, as ways to recognize and listen to the quiet voice within.

Hopitu: Studying the lives and words of peaceful ones

“Hopitu” is a Uto-Aztecan word which means “the peaceful ones”. The intent of the Hopitu program is to surround ourselves, and fill ourselves with examples and possibilities of peaceful ways of living. Hopitu, as a study group, brings people together to read, discuss, and share reactions to the experiences and thoughts of people who have been dedicated to living in and creating peace. The members of Hopitu groups choose whose lives they will study; after selecting a person or group of people, reading materials, movies, online information and guidelines for the discussion groups will be presented. The Hopitu program will conclude with each group’s presentation of the people/culture they have studied.

Imagine: Caring for ourselves while respecting others

How can we balance our right to create and consume with our responsibility to be caretakers of the Earth? In the Imagine program, we examine the consequences of our actions in relation to our own bodies (health), and the preservation of the planet (life). The latest scientific technology will be researched and gathered, as well as methods used in cultures past, in the search for ideas and actions that can be taken. We come together to explore ways to preserve and honor life by creating ways to take care of ourselves while at the same time treading as gently as possible on the Earth. Imagine that it can be done....

LetterTime: Expressing through letters

LetterTime is open weekly for members of the community to gather for letterwriting — to friends or family, community members, government officials, or organizations. LetterTime addresses the need to take the time to communicate with those we cannot reach in person, whether they are personal contacts or business/social/political appreciations, preferences, or disappointments. It's about getting the message to the people who need to hear it! By combining efforts, sharing views, and setting aside the time, we can maximize the power of communication through writing.

Global-Awareness: Cultural Experiences & Global Interconnection

To enhance participant's awareness of the similarities and differences which exist in our multi-cultural world. Global-Awareness increases compassion and empathy through understanding, while developing a consciousness of the interconnection between all beings.

I Am: Know Thyself

Defining life purpose, harnessing personal power, and optimizing health and vitality. Be all you can be! Exploring the use of practices from various modalities, such as ancient myths , yoga, astrology, psychology, botanical medicine, shamanism, meditation, journaling, visualizing, the creative and natural arts, energy balancing, and sacred sound and geometry in order to heal and discover personal power and purpose.

Note: At this time, H.O.P.I. is holding classes in Heart Language through the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Sharon is looking for interested investors and support people to create non-profit status and a location for the institute. Please contact Sharon Rose at: P. O. Box 1094, Soquel, CA 95073 - 831-334-2088 -