Mindful Advocacy is a real-world, socially engaged contemplative way of being and doing that transforms suffering into joyous, compassionate action. Resilience Inquiry is a systematic approach to stopping or avoiding harm or adapting to inevitable change. The radical mash-up of these two emerging technologies can empower seasoned activists and those looking to engage in the thorny issues of our time with know-how to

• identify, celebrate, and sustain the essential essence of who we are as individuals, a community, and society
• avoid spirit-eroding traps (e.g. unmanaged emotions, toxic communication, and reflexive action)
• meet resistance in ourselves and others with love, skill, and the energy of fierce compassion
• lead ourselves and our community away from difficulty toward lasting well-being
• manifest the justice and healing we aim to create “someday” in the here and now

Based on her new book, Ocean of Insight, Heather will explore the fundamentals of Mindful Advocacy and Resilience Inquiry to unlock the power of curiosity, fearlessness, friend-making, spiritual authority, non-reactivity, experimentation, and creative non-violent action. Lively group sharing and readings on Friday night will reveal similarities and differences between Mindful and traditional advocacy and offer real-life examples. On Saturday you will learn a series of secular, anywhere-anytime tools for living and working from a place where the justice and well-being you seek comes alive in the present. The group will explore obstacles to personal and community resilience and identify symbolic and effective strategies to nourish well-being, stop harm, and adapt to change. You will also design your own Mindful Advocacy Program (MAP), a personal blueprint for enhancing inner and outer resilience in your life and circles.

“I encourage you to participate in this workshop because the synergy of Mindful Advocacy and Resilience Inquiry is transformative; it is our best chance to uproot deep societal ailments, like racial violence and climate chaos—Heather”

Spiritual ecologist Heather Lyn Mann is a practitioner of Buddhism and Mindful Advocacy. She founded and led the not-for-profit Center for Resilient Cities—an organization supporting healthy, resilient people in healthy, resilient places. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh ordained Heather into his core community of practice—the Order of Interbeing. Ocean of Insight, her memoir of six-years sailing the Great Atlantic Teacher, was published November 8, 2016.