The Universe Is My True Body: A Five Elements Retreat for BIPOC Practitioners 

Mindfulness of the body is a core practice on the Buddha's path to liberation. One of the ways we can work with this practice is through contemplations on the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space/ether. These elements exist both within and beyond our bodies, and they can be known directly through our loving awareness. Being with the elemental nature of our bodies and of the world around us is a way to connect deeply to our physical experience in the present moment which can help us tap into a felt sense of interconnection with all things. 

As practitioners who are Black, Indigenous, and People of color (including Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and/or Latinx people of color), practicing with the elements can be deeply restorative and healing. It can feel like coming home. Colonization, enslavement, imperialism, and patriarchy have all used violence to try to separate us from the natural world, because our connection with nature makes us too powerful to dominate. Let us reconnect with the elements in this weeklong retreat, in affinity space, and tap into the wisdom nature holds about how to liberate ourselves and to live together in a beloved community.