Join us:
Friday, January 24 • 5:00pm—8:30pm EST
and
Saturday, January 25 • 9:30am—4:30pm EST
Click here to convert to your time zone.
Dear friends,
We invite you to join us for our 2025 Annual Retreat (online and in person) with dharma teacher and sangha friend Valerie Brown, leading our retreat for for the sixth year.
Location:
Seekers Church
276 Carroll Street NW
Washington DC, 20012
Scroll below for registration.
Who is Valerie Brown?
Valerie transformed her high-pressure, twenty-year career as a lawyer-lobbyist, to human-scale, social equity focused work to foster trustworthy, compassionate, and authentic connections. She is an ordained Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition founded by Thich Nhat Hanh and a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Valerie is an accredited leadership coach, international retreat leader, writer, and Chief Mindfulness Officer of Lead Smart Coaching, LLC, specializing in application and integration of mindfulness and leadership, and is a Co-Director of Georgetown’s Institute for Transformational Leadership. As certified Kundalini yoga teacher, she helps people rediscover the wisdom of their body. She leads an annual transformational pilgrimage to El Camino de Santiago, Spain, to celebrate the power of sacred places.
Spiritual power and presence are among the greatest forces for healing and transformation personally and societally. This annual retreat occurs at a time when you might be pondering, "what now? How do I deepen my spiritual practice, resource myself, and re-engage even more committed to supporting a morally and socially just world?"
During this retreat we will engage in practices like sitting, walking, eating and resting in the Plum Village tradition to restore balance and support healing, as well as listen to inspiring Dharma talks, and connect with a vibrant community. You’ll leave the retreat with a renewed sense of understanding and engagement to support you and your work in the world.
Friday evening we will begin with a relaxing potluck meal, orientation to mindfulness practices, and introductions to each other. On Saturday, we will continue to explore and practice together.
Because we aim to create a space for sharing that holds everyone’s experience as valuable, you may with to review our guidelines for sharing.
We are intentionally making space for a diverse group of practitioners by prioritizing BIPOC individuals attendance, offering captioning for the dharma talks and affinity dharma sharing in-person groups for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Persons with Disabilities, and White practitioners.
Dharma talks and guided meditation will be streamed and, depending on the needs and capacities of the online group, we will offer one or more dharma sharing breakouts rooms.
Retreat Registration and Fees
The Opening Heart Mindfulness Community seeks to foster understanding and compassion by providing vibrant and generous opportunities to practice mindfulness within a diverse community. We recognize that in supporting racial and social justice equity within our sangha and throughout the mahasangha, we support the work of transformation individually and collectively.
Because we aim for a more diverse retreat, we will be inviting folks to register on a rolling basis based on identity. The earlier you apply, the easier the process will be, and the more likely you will be to get a spot.
Our goal is to create an environment that supports everyone by proving a space with 1/3 or more self-identified BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color), BAME (Black Asian or Minority Ethnic), and/or Global Majority folks. This is why we ask you to share your race/ethnicity in your application.
We know that the energy of a space is affected by the balance of people who attend. Overwhelmingly white spaces risk duplicating the culture’s default of white privilege, whether we realize it or not. We hope you understand and support our intentional process to maintain diversity in order to help us co-create a mindful, safe space for all.
FEES:
We are offering the 2-day retreat on a sliding scale.
In person: $50 (for those who need support), up to $200 (for those who can support others).
Online: $50 to $100.
We don’t turn anyone away for lack of funds, so if you need a further discount, please let us know by emailing us at info@openingheartmindfulness.org.
PLEASE NOTE:
Non-BIPOC applicants will be placed on a temporary waiting list while we are collecting applications. We will send regular updates and offer registration to all applicants as soon as space becomes available.
REFUND POLICY:
In person: Full refunds will be given up until 2 weeks before the retreat (January 10, 2025). After that date, no refunds will be given.
Online: No refunds available.