Navigating Rough Waters
Mondays 6:30-8:30pm EDT/3:30-5:30pm PDT
June 15, 22, 29, July 6 • Online via Zoom
All Ages
Finding Our Way in the Face of Loss and Change
A Contemplative 4-week Course for All Ages
- If you are feeling overwhelmed right now due to loss and uncertainty, you are not alone.
- These are extremely challenging times, and there are accessible practices and resources that can help you see it through.
Life is often weird and confusing, but now even more so. While transitions and uncertainty are a foundational truth of life, they can be incredibly difficult to navigate. Anxiety, grief and other challenging emotions are frequent visitors that feel overwhelming during these times. This is particularly so given our cultural, social, and familial conditioning. While we cannot change the truth of life, we can develop skills and resources to cope with them, to not only find some balance but reconnect to feelings of love, joy, and ease.
During our time together we will examine the inherent quality of uncertainty and how being in alignment with truth of things is an important first step in not just survival, but to flourish and grow as well. We will hold that truth while acknowledging the cultural and social conditioning that makes being with things so difficult. From this place of alignment with reality, we will practice guided meditations rooted in mindfulness and the cultivation of the heart, connect with one another, and reflect upon our needs and our resources. These practices can allow for more clarity, emotional flexibility, self-love and compassion, resilience, and a sense of belonging.
Specific practices that will be offered are:
- Guided sitting and walking mindfulness meditations
- Grounding and relaxing techniques
- Kindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy, and Equanimity meditations
- Connection with others in small groups
- Body based movements to support balance
- Self-care support including weekly homework
Teachers
Sara Shapouri
Sara Shapouri is an Iranian-American meditation and mindfulness instructor, artist, musician and lawyer. Sara’s experience with sharing mindfulness and meditation include curriculum development and instruction at Awake Youth Project, a program offering meditation and mentoring to teenagers in Brooklyn, and teaching meditation retreats with Inward Bound Mindfulness Education. She has completed teacher training programs with the Interdependence Project in 2016 and with Inward Bound in 2018. She has also trained in conflict mediation with the New York Center for Interpersonal Development, completed the year-long caregiver training program at the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care in 2015, and in 2019 finished the Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy in Complex Trauma training. Sara is currently participating in the Community Dharma Leaders Program through Spirit Rock and is also in the Dharmapala Training through Sacred Mountain Sangha. While she is currently retired from the practice of law but remains committed to social justice, particularly issues related to human rights and children’s rights.
Enrique Collazo
Enrique Collazo is a new generation Mindfulness meditation teacher. Born and raised in Los Angeles and has been teaching and living in the Bay Area for the last 6 years. His passion is teaching the practice of mindfulness to teens. He is well loved and respected for his inspirational work at Challenge Day during the school year where he facilitates social and emotional learning workshops for thousands of young people all over the country. Enrique’s skill with teens has led to teaching internationally for Inward Bound Mindfulness Education. He is on the Guiding Teacher Counsel and Equity and Interdependence Committee for Ibme. Enrique is a frequent co-facilitator for teens at Spirit Rock and a committed advocate for bringing meditative interventions into jails and addiction treatment facilities.
Enrique is a champion for helping young people create pathways that align with their goals and deepest intentions, and empowering them to broaden their confidence by opening their eyes to what’s possible when negative internal narrative is transformed into positive effort.
He believes deeply in the power of marginalized voices to change the world.
Enrique was trained by Noah Levine and Vinny Ferraro at Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society.
Cost and Accessibility
The sliding scale for this 4-week Contemplative course is $40 – $150.
If your family earns $75,000 or more per year, then we request that you pay the full price. If your family earns less than $75,000/year, you may self-select an amount to pay. If you are in true economic hardship (e.g, recently lost job, health situation, etc.) we are offering the discounted rate of $40. If you cannot afford the discounted fee please email registrar@ibme.com and we’ll make it work for you. No teen will be turned away for lack of funds.
Application Deadline
June 15, 12pm ET/9am PT
Cost
$150 suggested tuition for families making over $75,000 a year • $40 – $150 sliding scale
Duration
2-hour sessions, 4 times
Ages
All ages welcome
Adults ages 26+ are encouraged to scale back participation to allow us to center on teen and young adult voices