The heart-mind is transformed through the practices of forgiveness. Through connecting with our senses and bringing loving awareness to ourselves, we are waking up to our humanness—our mistakes, our fumbling, our grace and beauty, co-existing in the often troubled world. When we lift up a candle in the darkness, holding forgiveness for ourselves, others, and all the worldly conditions, we hold that light with a fierce and tender grip. When we let go into forgiveness, we gather a deep sense of joy and gratitude without turning away, without remorse, seeing everything as a blessing.
Noliwe Alexander
Residential Retreat Teacher
Noliwe Alexander has been a student of Vipassana meditation for over 20 years. Throughout this time of deep devotion to the Dharma, Noliwe has become a dedicated practitioner, meditation teacher of various retreats and sitting groups, day-longs and class series programs. She dedicates her BuddhaDharma practice and teachings to the BiPOC, LGBTQIA+, At Risk and Elder communities. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock's CDL4 program, EBMC's Commit 2 Dharma program in 2010 and is a graduate of Spirit Rock Teacher Training from 2017-2020. Noliwe is the founder of Peace At Any Pace, Inc. a non-profit organization that offers a Journey to Healing from Intergenerational & Ancestral Trauma retreats and Elder & Youth programs, which are exclusively for people from the African Diaspora. Noliwe is a wisdom keeper and humbled by the presence of her ancestor’s spirit that lives within and walks beside her.
Noliwe Alexander's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land
April 9 - April 16, 2026 | Thursday - Thursday | 7 nights
Insight Meditation Retreat: A Path to Clarity and the Cultivation of the Heart of Wisdom
Spaces Still Available! Grounded in mindfulness, investigation, and compassion, this retreat offers a supportive and contemplative space to gently turn inward, observe the nature of the mind and body, and deepen your understanding of impermanence, interconnection, and the possibility of inner freedom. Open to all levels, the retreat fosters clear seeing and the development of heart qualities—equanimity, lovingkindness, compassion, and joy—within the quiet refuge of noble silence.
Retreat | On-Land
August 21 - August 28, 2026 | Friday - Friday | 7 nights
Liberating the Heart: Navigating Seven Gates to Inner Freedom
Designed for self-identified womxn of Black African Ancestry only. Spaces Still Available! In stillness, the heart softens and the mind finds rest—making space for clarity, healing, and inner freedom to arise. This retreat invites us to release confusion and attune to the Seven Gates of Awakening through mindfulness, joyful investigation, and compassionate rest. We’ll begin in intentional community, then settle into silent sitting and walking, embodied movement, Dharma talks, and teacher meetings. With deep listening and steady hearts, we open to awakening—even in a world that trembles.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Noliwe Alexander through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.