It’s remembering that we are engaged in during our practice. Remembering to come back to the breath, remembering that we’re not our thoughts and experiences, remembering to attend to the body with kind awareness. That the present is the only place where the body resides. Remembering that we are impermanent beings who are only visiting this realm of materiality for a moment in time, and that there will be others to come after us. Remembering that our lives and the earthly experiences of everyone and everything, around and above us, below us and within us, are sacred. That we are all part of a jeweled web of interconnection and interdependence.
Amana Brembry Johnson
Residential Retreat Teacher
Amana Brembry Johnson, Residential Dharma Teacher and Community Leader, is a Core Teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC), located in Oakland, CA and co-Guiding Teacher of EBMC’s Spiritual Teacher and Leadership Training. Amana mentors local and international groups of emerging Mindfulness teachers through the Mindfulness Meditation Training Certification Program (MMTCP) designed and developed by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. Her life’s work emerges from the intersections of spirituality, social justice, somatic practices, and intuitive creativity. An accomplished visual artist, Amana creates imagery that exposes emotional and spiritual barriers of the heart as portals into kindness, compassion, self-love, and fierce action.
Amana Brembry Johnson's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land
October 20 - October 26, 2024 | Sunday - Saturday | 6 nights
Uncovering the Luminous Gold Within: BIPOC Mettā Retreat
Open to all self-identified BIPOC. There is a rich repository of deep peace and ease that resides within the heart. Mettā, the practice of lovingkindness, brings to awareness the messages of conditioning that cloak the inner sacredness of our being. Mettā transforms the heart into a sanctuary by which we are strengthened to stay lovingly engaged with the tumultuous tides of life. This retreat offers silent and guided meditation, Dharma talks, movement meditation, and restful time to nourish the body and heal the heart.
Upcoming Drop-Ins
Drop-in | Online
Wednesday, May 15 | 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Rainbow Saṅgha
Open to all self-identified LGBTQIA+.
Our Rainbow Saṅgha is a weekly gathering of self-identified practitioners within marginalized gender and sexuality groups such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, two-spirit, and gender non-conforming.
Amana Brembry Johnson
Drop-in | Online
Monday, June 24 | 7:15 PM - 9:15 PM
Monday Night Meditation & Talk
For over 35 years, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice Insight Meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a Dharma talk.
Amana Brembry Johnson
Drop-in | Online
Sunday, June 30 | 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
BIPOC Voices: Weekly Sunday Saṅgha
Open to all self-identified BIPOC.
The Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Saṅgha is a weekly gathering of self-identified BIPOC practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore the Dharma in light of our experiences. Beginners and experienced meditators are welcome.
Amana Brembry Johnson
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Amana Brembry Johnson through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.