Mettā is the heart of love turned towards the good qualities of ourselves or another being, and compassion is the heart of love turned towards suffering. Mudita is the heart of love turned towards the good fortune of others, and equanimity is the heart of love turned towards wisdom. Equanimity is the heart of love that is able to hold the truth of suffering; the truth of change, the unfathomable workings of karma, and able to be with the fact that we’re not able to control circumstances all the time. It’s the heart that’s able to hold all of these things and to love anyway. Equanimity is not the same as indifference. It’s just love with a lot of space. That space makes it a sustainable kind of love, and one that’s very useful for challenging times.
Kate Johnson, MA
Residential Retreat Teacher
Kate Johnson is a meditation teacher, facilitator, writer and mama. She has practiced Buddhist meditation in the Insight lineage since her early 20’s, and was authorized as an independent dharma teacher through Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s four-year retreat teacher training. Kate began facilitating organizational training and retreats after co-founding the Meditation Working Group at Occupy Wall Street. She later joined the faculty of MIT’s Presencing Institute, and went on to work at Buddhist Peace Fellowship, where she designed online programs integrating spiritual and political education and practice. She is the author of the book Radical Friendship: Seven Ways to Love Yourself and Find Your People in an Unjust World.
As a consultant, Kate works with leaders and organizations committed to equity, sustainability, and the practice of wise relationships, using awareness-based and embodied practices to support communication, strategy, and culture. As a meditation teacher, she regularly offers courses and retreats integrating relational spirituality, social justice, somatics and creativity. Kate also coaches a handful of dedicated meditation practitioners in private study to clarify and deepen their practice. In her off hours, she can be found exploring Philly with her kid, sipping tea with friends, and looking for all manner of good trouble.
Kate Johnson's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land
August 9 - August 14, 2026 | Sunday - Friday | 5 nights
Grounded and Spacious: Mindful Yoga and Embodied Dharma
Spaces Still Available! How do we stay rooted like a mighty oak when the winds of life blow strong? This retreat draws on Dharma and Yoga traditions to help settle the nervous system, ground energy, and cultivate ease amid personal and global challenges. Each day includes gentle Yoga; seated, walking, standing, and lying down meditation; Dharma reflections; and small group meetings with a teacher. With steadiness and heart, we’ll explore how to hold life’s changes with grace and resilience.
Retreat | On-Land
September 20 - September 26, 2026 | Sunday - Saturday | 6 nights
Our Sacred Roots: A Meditation Retreat for Women
For those who identify as women. Spaces Still Available! For thousands of years, women have contributed to and deepened Buddhist practices of liberation across cultures and continents. Women’s voices, experience, and stories, however, have been largely neglected in Buddhist history. By retrieving the sacred roots of our feminine lineage, we imbue spiritual life with wisdom, tenderness, courage, and resilience. During this retreat we will reconnect to and embody women’s unique expression of spiritual life from the time of the Buddha through the present-day across the cultural spectrum.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Kate Johnson through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.