
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