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Meditation for Liberation
Meditation for Liberation is a series of free workshops I offer to community organizations and organizers. There are different curriculums to choose from (as shown below) all of which start with teaching basic mindfulness meditation techniques, before moving on to deeper exploration and discussion.
Who this is for
Meditation for Liberation workshops are intended for organizations that are promoting justice in this world. It's up to you to decide if you fit the description. I'm particularly interested in working with liberatory political organizations, environmental and climate action groups, and labor and tenant unions.
You do not have to have any experience with meditation to attend one of these workshops, and there is no metaphysical element to the meditation I teach. Mindfulness meditation is a foundational practice in Buddhism, but the practice itself is secular.
Although these workshops are educational, I'd like to emphasize that I am not a wise old sage. I don't intend to lecture from a pedestal or insist on any specific ideas. My primary intention is to teach the practice and facilitate conversations about our organizing efforts, our political situation, and how we can relate to these aspects of political life in a way that empowers action.
What to expect
These workshops are 4-8 weeks long, depending on the curriculum. This amount of time gives the group time to warm up to the practice and to see the effects for themselves. This allows for more interesting, revealing, and productive conversations as the workshop progresses.
Each session will begin with a silent meditation, which starts with meditation instruction. After the meditation has concluded, I will give a short talk to inform a discussion. Discussion topics will range from how to organize effectively, how to see yourself as part of the web of life, and so on. These sessions can range from 45 to 90 minutes, depending on how much time you have, and which parts of the workshop you'd like to emphasize.
These workshops are available online or in a hybrid format, and I am also open to and interested in hosting them in physical spaces. If your organization has a reservable space at your disposal, then let me know when you fill out the interest form! In-person workshops will only be available to groups in the Bay Area, for now.
Alternative Options
If you are an individual organizer who is interested in one of these workshops, but you are not part of an organization that wants to host one, please fill out the interest form anyway. I may also host public versions of these workshops for people to attend outside the context of their organization.
Curriculum Options
Gentleness, Precision, and Letting Go
Exploring the foundations of a sustainable relationship to practice and self.
4 weeks / 6 weeks
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Based on Pema Chödrön's The Wisdom of No Escape, this curriculum introduces three core qualities of a sustainable meditation practice, which also applies to cultivating a healthy relationship with the self. Participants learn to approach their practice and their daily life with gentleness rather than self-criticism, precision rather than vagueness, and the ability to let go rather than clinging to outcomes.
World as Lover, World as Self
Unlearning philosophical, ecological, and spiritual dualism.
4 weeks / 6 weeks
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Based on Joanna Macy's book World as Lover, World as Self, this curriculum encourages participants to challenge black-and-white thinking, to reflect critically on our individuality, and to explore what it means to be an integral part of the living Earth. Changing your perspective from one of individuality, alienation, and separateness to one of community, interdependence, and belonging can transform burnout and despair into grounded, sustainable action.
The core idea explored is what Macy identifies as the four views through which we see the world: the limiting views — World as Battlefield, World as Trap, and the liberating views — World as Lover, World as Self.
We Are the Earth Defending Itself
Falling in love with the Earth is a political act.
6 weeks / 8 weeks
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This is my favorite workshop to teach.
Drawing from Joanna Macy's book (mentioned above) and Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass, I will do my best to make you fall in love with the Earth.
Capitalism tries to convince us that we are individuals — separate and alone — entities that exist above and outside of the natural world. I believe that a meditation practice can dissolve the barriers that make us forget our interdependence with each other. When we remember our connection to all living beings, we may find that we have much more to fight for.