Caring Culture Grant: Staff & Faculty Wellness at NYU

With support from NYU’s Caring Culture Grant, Lead Instructor Melissa Moore of The Healing Circle Foundation led a special staff wellness initiative for administrators, faculty, and students. Through He Yi Dao movement, Energy Spiritual Dance, and teachings from The Power Within: Face to Face with Your Subconscious Mind, participants gained tools to release stress, strengthen resilience, and foster work-life balance. This initiative directly supported NYU’s goals to address burnout, build compassion, and create a sustainable culture of workplace well-being.

Under the leadership of Melissa Moore, Lead Instructor, the program addressed the urgent challenges of burnout, stress, and isolation among administrators, faculty, and staff—issues that have intensified since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through a series of community-based wellness workshops, participants engaged in He Yi Dao mindful movement, Energy Spiritual Dance, and guided practices drawn from Teacher Lu Xia’s book, The Power Within: Face to Face with Your Subconscious Mind. These activities combined physical movement, breathwork, reflection, and discussion to cultivate balance, empathy, and resilience. The sessions empowered staff and leaders with practical strategies for restoring energy and promoting self-care, while also strengthening a shared culture of compassion and psychological safety in the workplace.

The program aligned directly with NYU’s Caring Culture Grant goals by: