By slowing down, choosing to rest back into the uncertainty rather than fighting it, I was able to touch into a sense of space, precisely in moments when it felt like there was no way to keep going and I would be totally overwhelmed. If we can breathe in and out, putting our mind completely on our breathing, or feel our bodies and put all of our attention on the sensations in the body, we can create that space. We slow things down and let our nervous system recalibrate and center. The external situation may not change, but we’ve changed in relation to our external situation. If we can stop, we have the chance to touch into something deeper than overwhelm. This practice of pausing, or stopping, helps the seed of our question to mature and ripen into the guidance and direction we need.
Kaira Jewel Lingo, MA
Residential Retreat Teacher
Kaira Jewel Lingo is a Dharma teacher with a lifelong interest in spirituality and social justice. Her work continues the Engaged Buddhism developed by Thich Nhat Hanh, and she draws inspiration from her parents’ lives of service and her dad’s work with Martin Luther King, Jr. After living as an ordained nun for 15 years in Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastic community, Kaira Jewel now teaches internationally in the Zen lineage and the Vipassana tradition, as well as in secular mindfulness, at the intersection of racial, climate and social justice with a focus on activists, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, artists, educators, families, and youth. Based in New York, she offers spiritual mentoring to groups and is author of We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons in Moving through Change, Loss and Disruption and co-author of Healing Our Way Home: Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy and Liberation from Parallax Press. Her teachings and writings can be found at www.kairajewel.com.
Kaira Jewel Lingo's Upcoming Programs
Short Program | Online
Sunday, February 15 | 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Holding What Hurts: Caring for Strong Emotions in a Time of Social Harm
In this half-day of mindfulness, we’ll explore body-based practices that help us stay grounded with strong emotions. By listening to the body’s wisdom through mindful breathing and walking, we return to steadiness and care. These skills also prepare us to take part in the great turning toward more life-giving ways of being together. Drawing on Buddhist psychology, together we’ll learn to recognize, accept, and gently hold difficult emotions, allowing insight and healing to emerge.
Kaira Jewel Lingo
Retreat | On-Land
May 24 - May 29, 2026 | Sunday - Friday | 5 nights
Finding Refuge, Finding Home: A Retreat in Nature
Spaces Still Available! In the storms of our lives, we need refuge—a place of nourishment and support where we can replenish our tired bodies and troubled hearts. When the Buddha taught meditation, his first instruction was to go sit under a tree. Together, we’ll tap into the natural stillness and dynamism that surrounds us. Supported by our connection with the natural world, we can move toward being active participants in the world while maintaining balance and ease in our hearts and minds.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Kaira Jewel Lingo through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.