Generally, members of our community enter our space, carrying individual loads of grief, emotional baggage and unique life experiences which shape their perspective on what personal “peace” may or may not be.

Shortly after greeting one another, we acknowledge and honor their presence, welcoming them with open arms, hearts and minds, to provide a safe space where judgment of self, others and respective circumstances are abandoned, at least for the duration of the class. With kind and clear points of communication as to what they can expect to experience during our course, we’ve watched the load on their shoulders shift and dissipate; their faces and eyes soften; and their willingness to participate climb from fear to joy. We’ve watched individuals who’ve never painted or drawn before, extend a 10 minute drawing exercise and ice-breaker, into a 90-minute, focused, fully immersed mindful practice.

Some people have shed tears during our workshops. Phrases like, “I feel free,” from a 10 year old to exclamations of “Oh my goodness, I feel lighter,” from a elder, are all of the signs that the work we’ve invested in is working, and smoothing out the callous scars that life has inflicted on our community.