INNER PEACE, OUTER PEACE
Inner Peace, Outer Peace:
Mindfulness Meditation for Healing & Transformation for People of Color
6 Week Course starts 10/7/2021 Thursdays 7:00-8:30PM (Pacific Time)
Taught Virtually via Zoom
This is a class where people of color can explore and practice the path of mindfulness together, honoring and healing ourselves and our ancestors. A world in which white supremacy is in the air we breathe and the water we drink can be exhausting for POC, and certainly not nurturing of our well-being. While the path of mindfulness offers deep individual and collective healing, practicing in community requires enough safety and trust to be able to let our guards down and allow ourselves to be vulnerable, to reach the deepest parts of ourselves and know they will be witnessed and held with dignity and compassion.
Please respect this as a safe space for people of color.
Sign Up Today!Why practice?
Meditation is not just something we do for a certain period of time in a very specific place (i.e., the meditation cushion). It is a way of being – present, awake, receptive, non-reactive, compassionate, and taking appropriate action – with ourselves and all that is. It is a way of cultivating peace within ourselves, and by so doing, cultivating peace in the world.
Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
In this 6-week course, we will explore how to increase happiness and transform suffering through mindfulness practice. We will start out with fully guided meditations to help you enter deep relaxation, explore postures that help support your practice, and engage in discussion and ‘homework’ to help you deepen and benefit from your practice. This class is appropriate for those new to meditation as well as those who are open to practicing with a beginner’s mind
About the Instructor
Prajna Choudhury
On a spiritual path from childhood, Prajna found her home as a mindfulness meditation practitioner in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in the early 2000’s. She has facilitated meditation groups for many years and in 2013 was ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh as a lay practitioner (Buddhist chaplain) in his Order of Interbeing. She has first-hand experience with the deep healing and inner resources that mindfulness practice offers, and loves sharing the benefits of practice with others through her class and ongoing practice group. Knowing that mindfulness practice requires safety, Prajna offers special classes for POC and LGBTQ affinity groups.
What Folks Think of the Program
Anon, Oct. 2020
Nov 01, 2020
I appreciated...: Prajna's gentle strength, presentation methods, her ease of smile and most especially her time of sharing her knowledge, wisdom & guidance.
I noticed...: A calmer reaction to negative situations and an enhanced ability to find even more sweetness in my daily life.
Anon, Oct. 2020
Oct 31, 2020
I appreciated...: All the useful tools we learned about, the sense of community that was built in just a few short weeks, the examples were very helpful too, everyone's willingness to share openly, the fact that so many of the meditations were guided, the exercises like legs up the wall,...
RJC, Oct. 2020
Oct 31, 2020
There was so much to appreciate! The course was so much more than just sitting meditation. It incorporated many aspects of mindfulness and other forms of meditation. And Prajna was so supportive, both during class and then after hours when I had technical issues with accessing the student portal...
Financial Aid Available
This class has been awarded funding by the Red Envelope Giving Circle and other private donors to provide financial assistance for low-income BIPOC interested in attending an Inner Peace, Outer Peace series. Please use our online form to apply.
ApplyReflections on Inner Peace,
Outer Peace
Don’t Believe Your Thoughts: Freeing Our Minds, Part IV
Sep 09, 2021
In this final installment of freeing ourselves from the unhelpful stories of our minds, we’ll explore the final step in Byron Katie’s process of Inquiry, which are the Turnarounds. After we’ve identified and written down our stressful thoughts, as well as answered...
Why a People-of-Color Only Meditation Class?
Aug 24, 2021
Buddhist Meditation practice can provide an important path of healing and awakening for all people, regardless of background. Unfortunately, the social context in the U.S. has historically made it less accessible for people of color.
Historically, Buddhist communities in the...
Don’t Believe Your Thoughts: Freeing Our Minds, Part III
Aug 05, 2021
In the last 2 posts (Do you have a Gollum in your head? and Don't Believe Your Thoughts), I wrote about identifying repetitive, ensnaring thoughts (vs. identifying with them, as part of who we are) - to see them clearly, and turn our attention back to what’s real, in the present moment....
Energy Matters Sangha
After attending the 6-week class, there is an ongoing, bi-weekly opportunity to practice with the Energy Matters Sangha (meditation group). Whether or not you have a home practice, sangha is for you! There is guided meditation, singing meditation, a short talk by Prajna, and optional sharing in community. Visitors (those who have not attended the 6-week course) are welcome, and can pre-register by calling our office.
