I am because we are: Creating Beloved Community from the inside out

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

The 2022-23 course is now underway. Information on the 2023-24 course can be found here.

A six month intensive meditation course on Zoom led by Singhashri and Balajit.

I am because we are is a traditional saying from the African Ubuntu tradition invoking the truth of interconnectedness and the promise of beloved community.

“We will not end…any form of human evil…by trying to tear it to pieces. Instead, we can offer people better ways to belong and better things to belong to.”

- Resmaa Menakem, My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Mending of Our Bodies and Hearts

We all yearn to find and engage with others in spaces of deep meaning and heart-felt belonging, where we are each doing our own work in authentic connection with one another.

This is the ideal of Beloved Community.

Our dharma practice provides a crucible where we hold the tension between our ideals and what is happening now, which sometimes feels very far from our ideals.

How do we show up for ourselves and others with an attitude of openness and curiosity, willing to see clearly the parts of us that are both longing for freedom and those still in the shadows, confused, or actively resisting change?

This question is relevant to both how we work internally and also how we engage in beloved community. It is the ground from which true inclusivity can take root, grow and flourish, creating beloved community from the inside out.

Over this six months we’ll explore the following:

• Our intentions for practicing and our vision for liberation for ourselves and others

• How our unique conditioning shows up in the space of meditation and how we relate to what’s happening now

• Embodiment as a radical act

• The role of joy and pleasure in opening to ourselves, one another and the world

• How a creative response to fear, grief and anger can support our efforts towards collective liberation

• The co-created and interconnected nature of experience and reality

For those with at least six months meditation experience interested in deepening their personal and collective practice in the context of social and environmental justice activism.

Course Dates

We will meet on Zoom the first Saturday of the month from 10:30am-1:00pm and 2:00-4:30pm.

Oct 1st

Nov 5th

Dec 3rd

Jan 7th

Feb 4th

Mar 4th

In addition to scheduled Zoom sessions, the course will also include:

• Monthly 20 minute one-to-one practice reviews with Singhashri or Balajit with an option to audio record reviews for your own personal use (five reviews in total)

• Reading material excerpted from a draft of the forthcoming publication - The Radical Embrace, by Singhashri

• Access to a dropbox folder with audio recordings of each session, reading materials, and additional resources

• Option to join a What’sApp group for those on the course to connect with and support one another on our collective journey

• Invitation to join the Radical Embracers Facebook group for all those who have been or are currently on retreat or a course with us

To book

This course is now full. If you’d like to be put on a waiting list please email Singhashri@radicalembrace.org. It’s worth doing, as places often do come up at the last minute!

Space are limited to 24 to ensure we can build a strong sense of connection and safety as a group and meaningfully support each participant. Therefore, please reflect on whether this is the right time to commit to a course like this and ensure you can attend all sessions before booking.

If you have any questions about whether this is the right course for you or challenges with any of the dates, please do write to us and we can explore together.

Dana

This course is offered on a dana (donations) basis. Please give what you can but only if you can. Those who give the maximum amount (or more!) make it possible for others with less financial resources to attend.

No one turned away for lack of funds.

Suggested donation between £175 - £475

Donations can be made via PayPal at paypal.me/radicalembrace or by bank transfer. Please request bank details by emailing Singhashri at singhashri@radicalembrace.org