IN PERSON: Finding Liberation in Relationship for BIPOC
2026-05-04 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-11 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | East Bay Meditation Center, 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA, 94612, United States
Finding Liberation in Relationship for BIPOC
With Regent Brown and René Rivera
4 Monday evenings: April 20, 27, May 4, 11
6:30-8:30pm PT
In person only at 285 17th St., Oakland CA 94612
Masking is strongly encouraged
The center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible

This popular class series is back again this year for BIPOC only, and we need it more than ever! As systems collapse, our relationships are a crucial refuge. For us, as people of color, our friendships, partnerships, family and communities can be a source of joy and support, and also of struggle and suffering. In this four week class we will explore concrete practices grounded in Buddhist meditation, somatics, and transformative justice to bring more choice and agency to our relationships with ourselves and others.
Through turning towards the delight and difficulty in our relationships we will build resource and resilience and create space to be our most authentic selves in our relationships and in the larger world. Our world is falling apart, conflict is rising and our freedoms are being taken away, together we will turn our attention to find our ground in our beloved communities.

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.
Regent Brown
Venmo: @Regent-Brown
CashApp: $RegentBrown
René Rivera
Venmo: @ReneRivera
PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ReneRiveraOak

For in-person participation:
We strongly encourage masking for all who are able to do so. We will provide N95 masks at the center if you don’t have one.
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 has bike parking inside the center.
– Please note that parking meters are enforced Monday – Saturday, 8 am – 6 pm, and Sunday 12-6pm.

Teachers

Regent Brown (Queen) is a biracial Afro-Indigenous, disabled, two-spirit womxn who has been practicing the Dharma since 2016 and part of the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) community of practice since 2018. Regent’s story has had many twists including surviving cancer twice, relocating during the pandemic, and being married for over a decade. And these twists have only deepened Regent’s passion for liberatory practices in the dharma. Regent supports liberation and decolonization as a coach, circle keeper, trainer, healer, facilitator, and participant in interdependent community wellness. As a recent graduate of the inaugural Freedom Together Mindfulness Teacher Program, and a current member of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders program, Regent joins a bountiful group of BIPOC mindfulness teachers working to weave decolonized practices through their work, relationships, and communities. Regent’s other practices of manifesting joy include karaoke, goats, traveling to photograph sunsets, gardening, and discovering small parks while walking her 7 year old Corgi mix pup, Perkelsnertz.

René Rivera (he, him) is a meditation teacher and restorative justice facilitator working and learning in all the spaces in-between race, gender, and other perceived binaries, as a queer Latinx trans man. René teaches heart-centered, trauma-informed meditation, as a core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center. He has co-led the first residential meditation retreats for transgender, nonbinary and gender expansive people, and offers classes and retreats for many Buddhist centers and groups. René is a restorative justice facilitator, working to heal sexual and gender based violence.

In-Person Kapwa Gathering for Filipinx/a/o Practitioners
2026-05-16 15:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-20 15:00 - 17:00, 2026-07-18 15:00 - 17:00, 2026-08-15 15:00 - 17:00, 2026-09-19 15:00 - 17:00, 2026-10-17 15:00 - 17:00, 2026-11-21 15:00 - 17:00, 2026-12-19 15:00 - 17:00
Dear Kapwa Sangha,
You’re invited to a new monthly gathering for self-identifying Filipinx/a/o (including mixed) practitioners offered at EBMC this spring. The intention is to offer a consistent, low-pressure space for practice and community connection.
Gathering Details
Dates:
Third Saturdays
March 21, April 18, and May 16
Time:
3:00–5:00 pm PT
Location:
East Bay Meditation Center
285 17th St, Oakland
Format
– Peer-led meditation or contemplative practice
– Potluck and time for informal connection
Food offerings are completely open. If possible, please label items with ingredients or common allergens (e.g., dairy-free, nuts, gluten).
Accessibility & Care
This gathering will follow EBMC’s existing policies regarding masking, fragrance-free spaces, and accessibility.
Children are welcome. Adults are responsible for any minors they bring. No childcare will be provided.
Attendance
This is an in-person offering; no Zoom option will be available.
Participants are always welcome to just show up. If you plan to attend, you’re also welcome to email me (mpapaya3 at gmail dot com) in advance so I can get a general sense of attendance. You’re welcome to attend one gathering, some, or all of them. Building community happens through presence; through showing up, sitting together, sharing food, and practicing alongside one another over time. This gathering is offered in that spirit, with the hope of creating a space that can be shaped collectively through our participation.

IN PERSON: Ancestors Welcome Here Practice Group
2026-05-20 18:00 - 19:30
IN PERSON: Ancestors Welcome Here Practice Group 2026
Facilitated by Ream
Third Wednesdays, 6-7:30 PM PST
January 21, February 18, March 18, April 15, May 20
At EBMC, 285 17th Street, Downtown Oakland
For self-identified white people

This group invites a reconnection to our ancestral lineages through meditation, healing, and repair, to inspire our action to end injustice in the world, with the support of our wise and loving ancestors.
Practices we will be in together include: directly engaging with our ancestors of lineage, working with unhealed patterns in order to relate more wisely and compassionately to ourselves and our people, inviting connection with the Earth through tending our relationship to land and spirit by offering gratitude, and listening and receiving the Earth’s wisdom. This ancestral healing work makes it possible for us to more fully embody our commitment to justice.
💥 This group is offered through the practice of radical generosity.
Suggested donation per session: $20-75.
To make a gift to sustain the work of East Bay Meditation Center, you may do so at https://bit.ly/ebmc-give 100% of our programming is sliding scale and no one will ever be turned away for lack of funds. Please reference “Ancestors” in the donation info. 💥

Scent Free and Masking Policy
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.
East Bay Meditation Center is a scent free / fragrance free space and is wheelchair accessible. Masks are strongly encouraged and will be provided by the center.

Register here:
TinyURL.com/AncestorsAtEBMC

IN-PERSON: Earth Drum Medicine: Women’s Drum Circle
2026-06-20 12:30 - 14:00, 2026-07-18 12:30 - 14:00, 2026-08-15 12:30 - 14:00, 2026-09-19 12:30 - 14:00, 2026-10-17 12:30 - 14:00, 2026-11-21 12:30 - 14:00, 2026-12-19 12:30 - 14:00, 2027-01-16 12:30 - 14:00 and 7 more dates
Earth Drum Medicine, Women’s drum circle facilitated by Afefe Oke’ and Rosetta Saunders.
Combining meditation with the powerful practice of drumming, this group will meet at our Webster site on the third Saturday of each month at the EBMC Webster St site, 2406 Webster St., Oakland.
The circle is open to all women-identified folks and gender-expansive folks who identify with women’s community.
While some drums will be provided, you are encouraged to bring your own if you have one!

Third Saturday of each month
12:30pm-2pm
Please arrive early to allow time for parking

All skill levels are welcome! Everyone is welcome regardless of their drum abilities. We sit in a circle and will do what we can to help this with mobility limitations.
To register, or for more information, please contact Afefe Oke’ at ginittaglass at gmail dot com
PLEASE NOTE: There will NOT be a meeting in May 2026. We will resume in June 2026.

IN PERSON: Fierce Vulnerability: Healing, Spirit & Action in Times of Collapse
2026-06-27 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-28 10:00 - 17:00
IN PERSON: Fierce Vulnerability: Healing, Spirit & Action in a Time of Collapse
Saturday and Sunday, June 27th and 28th, 2026
10 AM to 5 PM PT (Time Zone Converter)
With Kazu Haga
Open to all
The center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible
N95/KN95 masks strongly encouraged

We will discuss the teachings from Kazu Haga’s latest book, “Fierce Vulnerability: Healing from Trauma, Emerging through Collapse“. The book invites people into imagining a movement that sees injustice not as a political issue but a manifestation of collective trauma, and therefore understands that we can’t “shut down” injustice anymore than we can “shut down” trauma.
Through touching our own heartbreak and vulnerability, we will mobilize the fierceness to stop violence and injustice while cultivating the love necessary to heal it.
The workshop will include dharma talks, meditations, role-plays and interactive small group work.
All are welcome!

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.
Venmo: @kazuhaga
Paypal: PayPal.me/kazuhaga
kazuhaga.com/support
Please reference “Fierce Vulnerability”.

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 are strongly encouraged 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.

Teacher

Kazu Haga is a trainer and practitioner of nonviolence and restorative justice with over 25 years of experience in social movement work. He is a founding core member of the Ahimsa Collective, a Jam facilitator and author of Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm and Fierce Vulnerability: Healing from Trauma, Emerging through Collapse. He works with incarcerated people, youth, and activists from around the country. He is a resident of the Canticle Farm community on Lisjan Ohlone land, Oakland, CA, where he lives with his family. You can find out more about his work at www.kazuhaga.com.

IN PERSON: Kingian Nonviolence Workshop
2026-09-19 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-09-20 10:00 - 17:00
Kingian Nonviolence Workshop
TWO DAYS: Saturday, September 19th & Sunday, September 20th, 2026
10AM – 5PM PT (Time Zone Converter)
With Kazu Haga
Open to all
The center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible
N95/KN95 masks strongly encouraged.

Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation: Developed by Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr. and David Jehnsen, two allies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Kingian Nonviolence is sometimes referred to as the “final marching orders of Dr. King.” It is a philosophy that teaches us the depth of nonviolence and conflict transformation.
It teaches us to hold healing and reconciliation as the final goal of any conflict, and also reminds us of the need for justice and accountability as a necessary stepping stone to the Beloved Community.
Whether you are trying to improve conflict in your personal life, cultivate a culture of peace in your school or community, or build a powerful movement for social change, this training can be a transformative tool.

All are welcome! Full participation for both days is required.

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.
– Meter parking is free on Sunday, and enforced Monday-Saturday 8am-6pm.
– 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.

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.
Venmo: @kazuhaga
Paypal: PayPal.me/kazuhaga
kazuhaga.com/support
Please reference “Kingian Nonviolence”.

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 are strongly encouraged 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.

Teacher

Kazu Haga is a trainer and practitioner of nonviolence and restorative justice with over 25 years of experience in social movement work. He is a founding core member of the Ahimsa Collective, a Jam facilitator and author of Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm and Fierce Vulnerability: Healing from Trauma, Emerging through Collapse. He works with incarcerated people, youth, and activists from around the country. He is a resident of the Canticle Farm community on Lisjan Ohlone land, Oakland, CA, where he lives with his family. You can find out more about his work at www.kazuhaga.com.
