Staying Centered: Spiritual Life at NYU Starts at GCASL

NYU is home to three religious centers: The Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life, the Catholic Center at NYU, and the Islamic Center at NYU. It also hosts 70 chaplains representing the many faiths, denominations, and spiritual groups of the NYU community.

The Of Many Institute for Multifaith Leadership at GCASL was founded in 2012. Ever since, it has trained students and spiritual leaders in multifaith dialogue. It is also committed to using service as a force for positive social change. To that end, one of its main offerings is in-depth workshops on multifaith outreach. Additionally, discussions on the intersections of faith, spirituality, non-faith, gender, and sexuality are often on the lineup. The Institute even created an academic minor in Multifaith and Spiritual Leadership—a program that’s the first of its kind in the United States. Two of the leaders of the Institute, Imam Khalid Latif and Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, are the subjects of an award-winning documentary. Called Of Many, it played at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Mindfulness and meditation are helpful tools. NYU students use them to balance academics with life in bustling New York City. GCASL’s MindfulNYU offers free daily yoga classes for all levels. They also host group meditation sessions and provide quiet meditation spaces for individual practice. Additionally, through their mindfulness workshops, students learn to tune into their bodies, manage stress, and assess their feelings in a welcoming and judgement-free environment.

Spiritual life at NYU is welcoming, and GCASL’s educational programming is open to all students. Recently, the center hosted a panel on the effects of colonization on indigenous religions. There are also regular self-care sessions for students of color, in addition to workshops about how to support victims of intimate partner violence, and occasional mindfulness hikes in upstate New York.