East Bay Meditation Center

Center Open Hours
2025-05-25 16:00 - 18:00, 2025-06-01 16:00 - 18:00, 2025-06-08 16:00 - 18:00, 2025-06-15 16:00 - 18:00, 2025-06-22 16:00 - 18:00, 2025-06-29 16:00 - 18:00, 2025-07-06 16:00 - 18:00, 2025-07-13 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) and 1 more date | East Bay Meditation Center, 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA, 94612, United States
We welcome you to drop by the center for unguided silent practice, our library, or a cup of tea in our kitchen.
with EBMC Staff
Sundays
4 – 6 PM Pacific Time
EBMC is a fragrance-free center and is wheelchair accessible. N95/KN95 masks required.
Note: Due to capacity limitations of our small staff, we may occasionally need to shorten or cancel open hours. We will do our best to give as much advanced notice as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Center Open Hours
2025-05-27 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-05-29 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-06-03 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-06-05 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-06-10 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-06-12 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-06-19 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-06-24 11:00 - 13:00 and 3 more dates
We welcome you to drop by the center for unguided silent practice, our library, or a cup of tea in our kitchen.
with EBMC Staff
Daytime: Tuesday & Thursday
11 AM – 1 PM Pacific Time
EBMC is a fragrance-free center and is wheelchair accessible. N95/KN95 masks required.
Note: Due to capacity limitations of our small staff, we may occasionally need to shorten or cancel open hours. We will do our best to give as much advanced notice as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

IN PERSON: Healing the Father Wound: Drama Therapy and the Dharma
2025-06-14 09:00 - 17:00
IN PERSON: Healing the Father Wound: Drama Therapy and the Dharma
For male-identified participants only
Saturday June 14th 2025
9 AM to 5 PM PT (Time Zone Converter)
With Melvin Escobar and Armand Volkas
The center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible
N95/KN95 masks required

Many of us come to the practice of meditation to undo karmic knots – traumas that build up in our bodies, minds, and hearts. The father wound is a major kind of karmic knot that, when addressed, can help us heal individual and collective wounds.
We will start the day with a dharma talk that provides context about how patriarchal masculinity distorts our relationships to ourselves and others, and then use drama therapy techniques (including improvisation, acting, psychodrama and Playback Theatre) to help us connect to our true nature and needs as men on a spiritual path.
No previous experience in theater needed – shy people are welcome!

NOTES ON REGISTRATION: 20-person maximum registration and 60% BIPOC. If you have any questions, please email programs@eastbaymeditation.org. Thank you!

Cost
The teachings are regarded as priceless. So they are offered without a fee. You are invited to support the teachings and our efforts by contributing voluntary donations (the practice of “Dana”) for the expenses of the meditation center and the support of the teachers.
The ticket prices are listed as different tiers with suggested donations based on income ranges. For those who wish to give more, you may choose an “add-on” to your ticket. For those unable to give, there is an option for that.
Other ways to give:
To make a gift to sustain the work of East Bay Meditation Center, you may do so via Paypal: paypal.me/eastbaymeditation or our website: eastbaymeditation.org/dana 100% of our programming is sliding scale and no one will ever be turned away for lack of funds.
Please also consider giving a financial gift to our teachers as well, who do not receive a salary for their work, and give their teachings freely to all.
PayPal: melvin@melvinescobar.com
Venmo: @Melvin-Escobar
Please reference “Father Wound”. The teachers will share the gifts with each other.
Thank you for the gifts of your generosity and for supporting the work of East Bay Meditation Center and our beloved teachers who have volunteered their time.

For in-person participation:
For those wishing to practice in person, space will be limited to 60 people to allow ample space for social distancing. Participants will be asked to wear N95 or KN95 face masks. (N95 face masks will be available at EBMC.) Please note: The teacher may be unmasked while teaching.
To attend in person, you need to be completely free of fragranced body and clothing products — more information and a list of fragrance free products, including those that are especially good for people of color, appears on our website: https://eastbaymeditation.org/resources/fragrance-free-at-ebmc/
East Bay Meditation Center is a scent free / fragrance free space and is wheelchair accessible.

Public Transportation/Parking:
– We strongly encourage public transportation/biking/walking since parking in the neighborhood is limited.
– EBMC is 4-5 blocks from 19th Street Bart (about a 7 minute walk).
– EBMC has bike parking inside the center.
– Please note that parking meters are enforced Monday – Saturday, 8 am – 6 pm. Please avoid parking your car on the street in a metered space during this time as it will cause an interrupted retreat experience.
– Parking on Alice, Jackson and 17th between Alice and Lakeside drive is unmetered and has no time limit on Saturdays. – There are also garages on Harrison at 15th and on Harrison between 17th and 19th. If you are planning to drive, please allow extra time for parking.

Teachers

Melvin Escobar is a Core Teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center, licensed psychotherapist, and yoga instructor. He has walked the path of service for much of his life, drawing on his experiences as a queer man of color from an immigrant working-class background. Melvin is driven by the desire to make wisdom teachings accessible in culturally relevant ways and continues daily to learn the revolutionary potential of body-centered contemplative practices for personal and social healing via psychotherapy and the Dharma.

Armand Volkas, MFT, RDT/BCT is a psychotherapist, drama therapist and theatre director. He is Clinical Director of the Living Arts Counseling Center in Emeryville, Associate Professor in the Drama Therapy and Expressive Arts Therapy Programs at CIIS, Director of the Living Arts Playback Theatre Ensemble and founder of Healing the Wounds of History, an approach that uses the power of drama and expressive arts therapy to heal generational, historical and collective trauma. Volkas is the son of Auschwitz survivors and resistance fighters from World War II. He was moved by his personal struggle with this legacy to address the issues that arose from it: identity, victimization and perpetration, meaning and grief. Healing the Wounds of History helps participants work through the burden of such legacies by transforming their pain into constructive action. At the heart of Armand’s work is a respect for the power of personal story to build bridges between people and cultures.

IN PERSON: Gather & Ground: Compassionate Community Building
2025-07-08 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-07-10 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-07-11 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-07-15 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-07-17 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-07-18 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-07-22 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-07-24 17:00 - 19:00
Gather & Ground: Compassionate Community Building
July 7th through September 30th, 2025
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
5-7 PM PT
In person only

Starting the week of July 7th through September 30th, we are piloting a new summer effort to have the center open every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 5-7pm. The first hour (5-6pm) will be for meditation in our temple or compassion room space or to peruse our library offerings. The second hour (6-6:45pm) will be for a fun social potluck in the kitchen space. Everyone is encouraged to bring something to share with the group. We hope this effort will build some momentum and energy for EBMC and bring more people in our community together in-person.

These new community building hours are the same evenings as our Alphabet (Tuesdays 7pm), BIPOC (Thursdays 7pm) and Maha Sanghas (Fridays 7pm) so we hope this effort will also encourage people to join those groups with a hope to generate enough attendance to bring them back to in-person every week! This was also based on feedback from the survey. See more info about our Practice Groups here.

There are so many reasons to be in community right now and EBMC wants to support this by opening our space during these times to anyone who needs it. We are stronger when we are in solidarity together to meet the moment we are in. We hope to see you soon! Come practice. Come snack. Come as you are. Feel free to bring a friend!

Please note: During these specific hours, masks will be encouraged, but not required. Again, this is a pilot effort that we are trying in this one area based on survey responses, with a goal of expanding our circle, but as of now, our masking policy remains the same for all other programming and events.

IN PERSON: Sacred Reconnection: A Morning of Renewal
2025-07-12 10:00 - 14:00
IN PERSON: Sacred Reconnection
Saturday July 12th 2025
10 AM to 2 PM PT (Time Zone Converter)
With Carol Cano, Arisika Razak, and Jenn Biehn
JUST ADDED TO TEACHING TEAM: Inez from Inez Healing Arts
Open to all
The center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible
N95/KN95 masks required

Join us for a morning of sacred reconnection—a time to come home to ourselves, each other, our ancestors, the Earth, and our beloved spiritual home, the East Bay Meditation Center.
In these times of deep division—social, political, and spiritual—it’s easy to feel disconnected or overwhelmed. Amid the noise and fragmentation of the world, we invite you to pause and return to what is sacred. Through ritual, earth-based practices, guided meditation, mindful movement and a community talking circle, we’ll explore how to ground ourselves in connection and meaning.
Whether you draw strength from your relationship with Mother Earth, the wisdom of your Ancestors, or the steadiness of mindfulness practice, this gathering offers space to listen deeply, share openly, and reconnect with the sacred in everyday life.
All are welcome!
Program: 10am-1pm
Brown Bag Lunch and Fellowship: 1-2pm

Cost
The teachings are regarded as priceless. So they are offered without a fee. You are invited to support the teachings and our efforts by contributing voluntary donations (the practice of “Dana”) for the expenses of the meditation center and the support of the teachers.
The ticket prices are listed as different tiers with suggested donations based on income ranges. For those who wish to give more, you may choose an “add-on” to your ticket. For those unable to give, there is an option for that.
Note that all financial gifts received here go directly to EBMC, and we invite you to give separately to our teachers, using the information below.

Other ways to give:
To make a gift to sustain the work of East Bay Meditation Center, you may do so via Paypal: paypal.me/eastbaymeditation or our website: eastbaymeditation.org/dana 100% of our programming is sliding scale and no one will ever be turned away for lack of funds.
Please also consider giving a financial gift to our teachers as well, who do not receive a salary for their work, and give their teachings freely to all.
Thank you for the gifts of your generosity and for supporting the work of East Bay Meditation Center and our beloved teachers who have volunteered their time.

For in-person participation:
For those wishing to practice in person, space will be limited to 60 people to allow ample space for social distancing. Participants will be asked to wear N95 or KN95 face masks. (N95 face masks will be available at EBMC.) Please note: The teacher may be unmasked while teaching.
To attend in person, you need to be completely free of fragranced body and clothing products — more information and a list of fragrance free products, including those that are especially good for people of color, appears on our website: https://eastbaymeditation.org/resources/fragrance-free-at-ebmc/

East Bay Meditation Center is a scent free / fragrance free space and is wheelchair accessible.

Public Transportation/Parking:
– We strongly encourage public transportation/biking/walking since parking in the neighborhood is limited.Please avoid parking your car on the street in a metered space during this time as it will cause an interrupted retreat experience.
– EBMC is 4-5 blocks from 19th Street Bart (about a 7 minute walk).
– EBMC has bike parking inside the center.
– Please note that parking meters are enforced Monday – Saturday, 8 am – 6 pm.
– Parking on Alice, Jackson and 17th between Alice and Lakeside drive is unmetered and has no time limit on Saturdays. – There are also garages on Harrison at 15th and on Harrison between 17th and 19th. If you are planning to drive, please allow extra time for parking.

Teachers

Carol Cano began her practice 30 years ago at Wat Kow Tahm in Thailand and has actively engaged in building communities and teaching Dharma internationally. She has completed a myriad of training programs at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and is currently participating in their Retreat Teacher Training. Carol is a core teacher and was a former board member of East Bay Meditation Center. Her unique teachings are deeply grounded in Basque, Native American and Buddhist influences that braid the Dharma along indigenous wisdom and Earth-based practices. Carol reminds us to keep grounded in our hearts as we uphold spiritual ideals and encourages us to remain balanced within the demands of modern life. To offer a gift to Carol to support her teachings, please do so via Venmo: @Carol-Cano-4

Arisika Razak, MPH, EBMC Core teacher, is the former Chair of the Women’s Spirituality Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Previously a nurse-midwife, her teachings incorporate diverse spiritual traditions, women’s health and healing, multicultural feminisms, queer theory, and diversity theory. She is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Dedicated Practitioner Program, the Mindfulness Teacher Certification Program, and the Embodied Social Justice Certificate Program. Arisika has led national and international healing workshops and ritual celebrations for women as well as embodied spiritual workshops for people of all genders for over forty years. She has contributed to many books and publications and continues to present at online and in-person conferences on the subjects of African wisdom traditions, Buddhism and womanism, and embodied spiritual traditions. She has co-facilitated workshops with Marlene Jones at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and regularly leads workshops at EBMC. To offer a gift to support Arisika‘s teachings, please do so via Venmo: @Arisika-Razak or PayPal: arisikarazak@gmail.com

For the past 25 years, Jenn Biehn has taught Tai Chi Chih (TCC) – Joy through Movement. TCC consists of 20 easy-to-learn accessible movements that emphasize a soft continuity of motion and can be practiced in silence or with guided visualizations. She has taught TCC to those healing from trauma in various community based organizations. At three month meditation retreat in 2013, Jenn adapted the movements to embody the Paramis and Brahma Viharas and has been delighted to share these at EBMC daylongs. Jenn loves including embodied awareness and healing movement in her life-long journey of building community. To offer a gift to support the teachings, please do so via PayPal: gemfrog4@gmail.com or Venmo: @Jennifer-Biehn-4

Inez is an intuitive energy medicine practitioner, certified sound healer, ayurvedic and healing touch therapist. She is a trained herbal medicine-woman, mindfulness meditation and hypnotherapy guide. She integrates ancient healing techniques through touch, music, sounds, chants, songs and tuning vibrations from various indigenous and modern instruments. She specializes in women’s health offeringthe sacred traditional medicine of the Mayan abdominal healing massage, ayurvedic abhyanga therapeutic detox bodywork, aromatherapy (essential oils &
plants), mindfulness living, acupressure, chi gong and reflexology.
Inez found her calling as a healer as a young single mother needing to find natural low-cost medicinal treatments to heal her three sons, herself and her community. In addition, she cared for her mother battling with Alzheimer’s and cancer by alleviating her pain and anxiety through sound healing, and herbal medicines. She has an affinity for social justice, especially issues related to cancer, mental health disparities, autism, trauma and substance abuse.
Currently Inez has a private healing practice in Berkeley, CA – leads a sound healing meditation group, corporate wellness workshops, facilitates woman’s healing circles, teaches self-love, forgiveness, mindfulness living, and grief/trauma relief. Devotes much of her time to cancer clients at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center in Berkeley the Charlette Maxwell Clinic in Oakland, and Cancer Support Community in Walnut Creek. To offer a gift to support the teachings, please do so via Venmo: @R-Inezhealingarts
