JOIN US for online sangha
MONDAY April 13, 7:00pm - 8:30pm ET
Magda will facilitate
Meditation schedule
Upcoming events
We’d love to hear from you.
Have a suggestion, question, or reflection to share with the sangha? Use the form below to let us know.
All submissions are anonymous unless you choose to include your name.
Love is the Strongest Force
We’re honored to share that Dharma Teacher Annie Mahon’s article, Love is the Strongest Force, has been published on the Plum Village website.
Written at the start of the current administration, the piece explores how fierce compassion—rooted in mindfulness, community, and the Four Noble Truths—can help us respond to injustice and suffering without turning away from love. Annie reflects on how practicing boundless care allows us to transform both personal and collective pain, and to build sustainable communities that truly care for all.
We are all one
We recognize the struggles of immigrants because many, though not all, of us have experienced immigration, arriving in this country ourselves or our ancestors arriving before us. We also stand in solidarity with members of the LGBTQ+ community who experience discrimination and hardship.
To offer support, we warmly invite you to review the information and links we provided.
Organizations we support
Love in Action - Supporting those harmed in the war in Ukraine
In response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, OHMC, Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center, and Washington Mindfulness Community have come together with a project that is a concrete manifestation of our engaged practice.
VOLAR’s mission is to co-create a cooperative community in East Baltimore owned by Black and Brown people … built through the reclamation of land, healing, reconnecting and building a base of community power.
Learn how VOLAR has evolved and where it is going — and how you can be a part of this incredible initiative.
LEARN MORE
Engaged Buddhism / Deep Listening to our Differences
by Annie Mahon
In this article we explore the transformative art of deep listening while door knocking in the lead up to the US election from Annie Mahon, an engaged practitioner and Dharma teacher in The Plum Village Tradition.
All are invited to join our community
Mindfulness is being here now, with kindness and open hearted curiosity.
The Opening Heart Mindfulness Community is open to everyone and meets to practice sitting and walking meditation and discuss mindfulness-related topics every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Circle Yoga. We practice together in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
No previous mindfulness or meditation experience necessary.
No registration is required, and there is no fee to attend. Donations are joyfully accepted to support this and other similar programs Sitting meditation can be done on the floor or in a chair.
In consideration of those who have chemical sensitivities, we ask that you do not wear any fragrances (including essential oils) while attending Opening Heart meditation events.
Making-Visible
The Opening Heart Mindfulness Community created this special sangha to build awareness on the issues of social injustice facing our country and the world today.
Dear friends,
This week, we will meet Monday evening, April 13, from 7-8:30PM ET online; Wednesday morning, April 15, from 7-8AM ET in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, April 17, 12-1PM ET online.
On Monday night, Christopher and Sunil from Wake Up DC will facilitate alongside Magda. The Engaged Mindfulness Circle has invited them as a continuation of the Cartas de Paz Project with Casa de Paz Colorado—a letter-writing initiative to support individuals detained by ICE that began on April 4 and will continue on May 2. Christopher and Sunil will guide a session exploring the role of Wake Up DC through a lens of compassion and interbeing, inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings and legacy.
“The soul is healed by being with children.”
-Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“Every child begins the world again.”
-Henry David Thoreau
At a recent art exhibition I participated in at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation, I noticed a little girl speaking with Mary Smith from our sangha as they stood before my illustration, The Gifts for Little Girls. The piece is intricate, filled with many elements—including twelve girls—yet the child’s attention rested on a single small figure: a girl sitting quietly beneath Bodhisattva Quan Âm, meditating and receiving a dove from Avalokiteshvara. The moment quietly filled me with hope. I found myself imagining future generations receiving an education rooted in interbeing and the Wake Up spirit—children growing up in mindfulness and deep awareness.