Support Mindful Living at Mangalam Center

Our vision is a regenerative world rooted in love and liberation that is accessible to all beings.

Who are we? 

We are Mindful Living, an alternative community of full-time volunteers living at Mangalam Center, a 501(c)(3) non profit in the heart of Downtown Berkeley. Mangalam is a space for personal and collective healing informed by teachings of the Nyingma Buddhist lineage and the exploration of the social, political and cultural systems we live in. We strive to center marginalized communities in the Bay Area. 

The members of the Mindful Living program devote energy to projects that restore balance in the community and in society.  We offer meditation/mindfulness related programs to the public, typically for free or on a sliding scale, while also developing projects that support community empowerment. 

Some of our projects include: 

BE:EastBay: workshops rooted in mindfulness for activists and activist organizations in the East Bay, led by some of our collective who are trained teachers of Full Presence Mindfulness & other modalities. For example, on Friday October 30th, we led a 2 hr action in collaboration with East Point Peace Academy  at Oscar Grant Plaza in Oakland on Compassion and Oneness, featuring mindfulness and movement practices for a Pre-Election centering. 

Harold Street Sits: The houseless population is growing every day, and this project is our way of connecting with our neighbors, checking in with what their needs are, and seeing how we can best be of service. Many around the world don't have access to their basic human needs, and the aim here is to meet those needs as best as possible. 

Mindfulness in Action: a series of courses teaching us how to apply mindfulness in our everyday activities, led in both English and Spanish

Mindfulness in Schools: a long term project to work with local schools to share new, accessible curriculum on mindfulness and personal development for students and teachers

What are we asking for?

We are a collective centered on voluntary service and we have dedicated ourselves to running our programs with no charge or on a sliding scale. In order to cover costs and keep these programs accessible and inclusive, we're offering an opportunity for monetary contribution! If you feel called to share funds with us, we would be very grateful for your support in helping us get these community empowerment projects off the ground.

History & Accomplishments

The Mindful Living community came into being at the start of 2019. We built on the work of Mangalam Center, which has been offering programs to the public since 2010, as well as our sister organization, the Center for Creative Inquiry. Over the past few years, we have pivoted our activities toward creating diverse and inclusive spaces in which we can share what we are learning, contribute our energy, and give back to the larger community. It has been a journey of discovery that has started to create results.

• In July 2017, Mangalam Center hosted a public panel on the topic of Socially Engaged Mindfulness Interventions and the Promise of Making Refuge that drew an audience of nearly 100. Later that year, we visited nearby Berkeley High School and brought a traditional practice of loving-kindness (metta) to nearly 150 students.
• In 2018, Mangalam held a monthly series of films and talks centered on community, mindfulness, and social justice, attended by over 200 people over the course of the year. Featured speakers included Brooke Lavelle of the Courage of Care Coalition and Brent Huffman, maker of the film Saving Mes Aynak.
• In 2019, Mangalam launched Mindful Living, which led to a huge expansion of events and projects centered on mindfulness, social justice, and the arts, thanks to the passion and creativity of our 8 new residents. A few accomplishments include: two free weekly drop-in meditations; a bi-weekly film series; the creation of a Buddism & Collective Liberation circle; and the launch of the Mindful Art Gallery. Our events were attended by over 600 registrants over the year.