It takes a Sangha: Normalizing Accessibility in Our Mindfulness Communities We are all grateful that we are able to maintain contact with one another and practice together through technology during this period of prolonged physical isolation. One of these days though, we hope we will be together in physical practice space again. Our yearning is to share embodied presence with one another. We miss the ability to touch, to be beside, to feel the rhythms of each other’s hearts as we practice. May this be soon. But for some of us, returning to physical practice spaces will not be simple.... November 19, 2020By Alison Shapiro , Tara Beech Affinity
Waking Up through Lived Experience: What Dis/ability and Deafness Can Teach Us If mindfulness means to be awake, what wakes us up? Practice, certainly. What else? It may surprise you to know that living with a chronic illness or biological challenge is also very effective way to wake up and stay awake. If attention is required to take every step or if severe pain is your constant companion, being asleep or distracted from this moment is very risky. We who are known as “dis/abled” or “hearing impaired” (whether or not we identify with these labels) live the daily experience that while the challenges with which we live can use enormous amounts of energy and concentration, they are also moment-to-moment opportunities to practice.... July 30, 2020By Alison Shapiro Affinity, SocialJustice, teachings
Welcoming the Newly Formed Sangha for People with Dis/Abilities and Deaf People During a focus group session in August, participants overwhelmingly expressed a desire to form a virtual affinity group for individuals who require alternative methods of practice due to dis/ability, deafness, illness, or injury. IMCW leadership responded with resounding support.... December 12, 2019By General Affinity, announcement
IMCW People of Color Focus Group, Dec. 11 If you identify as a person of color, we invite you to join Heather and Sade, persons of color, Tara Brach, and members of our Visioning Team on Wednesday, December 11, from 9-9:45 p.m. for a special focus group.... December 2, 2019By General Affinity, announcement
Finding Refuge in Our Buddha Nature and in Sangha When I first came to Tara’s Wednesday Night class 21 years ago, other than the Buddha sitting next to her, I was the only person of color in the meditation hall. My immigrant parents taught me at an early age to assimilate into white culture in order to succeed in this country... July 26, 2019By La Sarmiento Affinity, teachings