
Staying Sober During Turbulent Times
Sunday, April 27th 2025
9AM – 1PM PT (Time Zone Converter)
HYBRID
With Vimalasara Mason-John and Shawna Adkins
Closed Captioning Provided on Zoom
The center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible
N95/KN95 masks required
Buddhism, the oldest recovery program that we know of to date, teaches us to turn towards our challenges with loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. These practices of the heart help us to face the harsh realities unfolding in the world.
Join Vimalasara and Shawna in person for a morning of 8 step recovery healing.
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.
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.
Universal Access Requests on Zoom to help with sound and video quality. If possible…
1. When speaking, introduce your name, pronouns, and (optionally) a brief physical description of yourself.
2. If using virtual backgrounds, please use static, simple, high-contrast backgrounds.
3. Please keep your camera still while your camera is on.
4. Please repeat your name when you speak to help those with visual impairment.
5. The host/volunteer will attempt to read any comments that appear in the chat out loud.
6. Please strive for clear audio and mute when you are not speaking. Phone access is also available.
7. If you have unmet access needs, please send a message to the volunteer or host in the chat. If the chat is not accessible to you, please offer them briefly in one minute or less via voice. Please do not send access requests directly to other participants.
Teaching Team
Vimalasara (Valerie) Mason-John is the author of the new revised edition of Detox Your Heart – Meditations For Emotional Trauma published by Wisdom Books in 2017. They are co/author of the award-winning book Eight Step Recovery – Using The Buddha’s Teachings to Overcome Addiction. They are also a TEDx speaker and are the author and editor of 11 books including their award-winning novel Borrowed Body. They are the curator of Teachings in Uncertain Times, an online retreat by Teachers of Color for Tricycle Magazine February 2017. A founding facilitator of Dr Gabor Mate’s Compassionate Inquiry, they are a leading African Canadian voice in the field of Mindfulness for Emotional Trauma and Addiction. Vimalasara is a senior teacher in the Triratna Buddhist Community. And one of the founders of Freedom Together, a mindfulness accredited course by the Global Majority for the Global Majority.
Shawna Adkins was born and raised in the Bay Area and has been practicing at East Bay Meditation Center for over 10 years. She works as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker supervising social workers and has a private practice. Drawing on both her professional and personal experience, Shawna integrates compassion, empathy, and respect for individual choices into her work with others.
Shawna is a graduate of the East Bay Meditation Center’s Practice in Transformative Action Program, Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Training Program, and Dedicated Practitioners Program. She is also a former board member of the Buddhist Recovery Network. Shawna finds joy in dancing, listening to music, DIY projects, exercising, and spending time with her husband and three children.