JOIN US for online sangha
MONDAY december 8, 7:00pm - 8:30pm EDT
Magda will facilitate
Meditation schedule
Upcoming events
We’d love to hear from you.
Have a suggestion, question, or reflection to share with the sangha? Use the form below to let us know.
All submissions are anonymous unless you choose to include your name.
Adopt a Family during the holidays
The Opening Heart Mindfulness Community (OHMC) has once again been invited by Community Family Life Services (CFLS) to participate in their Adopt-A-Family project this holiday season. CFLS is a dedicated organization that empowers children, families, and adults to overcome poverty and homelessness. In addition, CFLS provides vital support to women re-entering society after incarceration, helping them achieve lasting stability and self-sufficiency.
Through the Adopt-A-Family Project, children and their mothers share holiday wish lists, and donors have the opportunity to purchase gifts directly from these lists or donate gift cards. This year marks OHMC’s fifth year supporting this meaningful initiative.
Love is the Strongest Force
We’re honored to share that Dharma Teacher Annie Mahon’s article, Love is the Strongest Force, has been published on the Plum Village website.
Written at the start of the current administration, the piece explores how fierce compassion—rooted in mindfulness, community, and the Four Noble Truths—can help us respond to injustice and suffering without turning away from love. Annie reflects on how practicing boundless care allows us to transform both personal and collective pain, and to build sustainable communities that truly care for all.
We are all one
We recognize the struggles of immigrants because many, though not all, of us have experienced immigration, arriving in this country ourselves or our ancestors arriving before us. We also stand in solidarity with members of the LGBTQ+ community who experience discrimination and hardship.
To offer support, we warmly invite you to review the information and links we provided.
Organizations we support
Love in Action - Supporting those harmed in the war in Ukraine
In response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, OHMC, Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center, and Washington Mindfulness Community have come together with a project that is a concrete manifestation of our engaged practice.
VOLAR’s mission is to co-create a cooperative community in East Baltimore owned by Black and Brown people … built through the reclamation of land, healing, reconnecting and building a base of community power.
Learn how VOLAR has evolved and where it is going — and how you can be a part of this incredible initiative.
LEARN MORE
Engaged Buddhism / Deep Listening to our Differences
by Annie Mahon
In this article we explore the transformative art of deep listening while door knocking in the lead up to the US election from Annie Mahon, an engaged practitioner and Dharma teacher in The Plum Village Tradition.
All are invited to join our community
Mindfulness is being here now, with kindness and open hearted curiosity.
The Opening Heart Mindfulness Community is open to everyone and meets to practice sitting and walking meditation and discuss mindfulness-related topics every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Circle Yoga. We practice together in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
No previous mindfulness or meditation experience necessary.
No registration is required, and there is no fee to attend. Donations are joyfully accepted to support this and other similar programs Sitting meditation can be done on the floor or in a chair.
In consideration of those who have chemical sensitivities, we ask that you do not wear any fragrances (including essential oils) while attending Opening Heart meditation events.
Making-Visible
The Opening Heart Mindfulness Community created this special sangha to build awareness on the issues of social injustice facing our country and the world today.
Dear friends,
This week, we will meet Monday evening, December 8, from 7-8:30PM ET online; Wednesday morning, December 10, from 7-8AM ET in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, December 12, 12-1PM ET online.
On Monday night, OHMC’s Engaged Mindfulness Circle will host the Oak Flat Buddhist Working Group, made up of Plum Village practitioners who are working with the Apache Stronghold in an effort to protect their sacred land.
Oak Flat is a sacred site in Arizona's Tonto National Forest that is vital for Apache religious ceremonies but is slated for destruction by a copper mine. The site is also a popular recreational area for activities like camping, hiking, and rock climbing. A 2014 defense bill authorized the transfer of the land to the international mining company Resolution Copper, leading to a legal battle by groups like Apache Stronghold to protect it.
Oak Flat Buddhist Working Group members Limei Kat Chen, Cathy Cockrell, and Joanne Connelly (bios are below) will be guests at our sangha and will share their experiences of supporting Apache Stronghold over the last year. Known in Apache as Chi’chil Bildagoteel, Oak Flat is a sacred site cared for by the Western Apache from time immemorial. This holy land is in danger of being destroyed by Resolution Copper.