A refuge for people of various intersectional identities seeking to connect deeply with the natural world and support healing, community-building, and activism through eco-dharma / earth-based mindfulness and compassion practices.
We honour and celebrate the diverse identities within our community, fostering inclusivity, equity, and cultural sensitivity as core values to support collective healing and activism.
We acknowledge the roots of mindfulness in Buddhist dharma and engage with these teachings and diverse expressions of them respectfully, striving to practice without appropriation and with deep gratitude for their origins.
We strive to approach our work with honesty, care, and integrity, creating a space for genuine exploration, connection, and transformation.
Staying Tender Through Times of Change: A Mindful Earth Gathering
Last month we anchored ourselves in grief and love for the Earth. This month we turn toward the practice of staying tender amidst change, not by forcing the heart to stay open, but by learning to trust the natural rhythms of opening and closing, expanding and contracting, like the breath of life itself.
Together we explore how to stay tender even when we feel ourselves harden and close, knowing that too is a natural movement and just right in its own way. We practice expansion and contraction with radical acceptance and compassion instead of judgment. We explore the idea of collective share and care, trusting that when one of us contracts, another opens, and together we create the field that carries us forward.
Through meditation, earth connection, and shared reflection, we will practice meeting life as it is, softening our grip on certainty, and leading with compassion and trust in the larger movements that hold us.
Our 90-minute session offers a practical pathway to pause, unwind, and reconnect with ourselves, our community, and the wisdom that has supported activists and humanitarians for thousands of years. In this session, you'll have the opportunity to decompress through guided sitting or lying meditation, gentle mindful movement, as well as readings and poems that inspire a deeper connection to the inner and outer resources that sustain us.
As Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us, “Wake up to the beauties of the planet to heal yourself and wake up to the suffering of the world and try to help.” This practice provides space to step back from the constant doing, be held by a larger body of teachings, and find solace and strength in community care.
Our refuge is designed for people of diverse and intersectional identities who long to connect deeply with nature and support collective healing, community building, and activism through mindful and compassionate practices. Here, we come together with our inner and outer landscapes, cultivating the courage to make a meaningful difference in the world.
When & Where
When:
Thursday, May 29, 2025
7:00–8:30 pm (Registration begins at 6:45 pm)
Where:
Wonderlit Studio
243 Wallace Ave, Toronto, ON M6H 1V5 (near Lansdowne TTC)
This session is open to all, with a sliding scale fee of $15–$20.
You are welcome to pay via Etransfer. Please choose that option at check-out, and your registration will be complete upon receipt of your e-transfer to mindfulearthrefuge@gmail.com. No payment reminder emails will be sent, and your ticket will be voided if we haven't received your e-transfer within 24 hours of your booking
Schedule
6:45 pm Arrival
7:00 pm Introduction to practice
7:15 pm *Doors Locked* Guided Practice (seated or lying down, occasionally including gentle movement)
7:50 pm Dharma Talk and Q&A
8:20 pm Closing Circle
Please note: the studio is located up a flight of stairs and offers one gender-neutral bathroom. Tea and water will be provided (please bring your own mug). Folding chairs, pillows, and space for personal cushions or yoga mats are available.
Together, we gather in the spirit of presence and active hope, ready to embrace our shared vulnerability and step forward with love and action.
Rose Mina has been practising and teaching mindfulness meditation, mindfulness interventions for mental health, and therapeutic yoga for over 20 years. She discovered long ago that being in the mountains, surrounded by trees and greater-than-human beings, made her feel safe and at home, with a deep sense of belonging and unconditional love, unlike anything she had ever experienced.
Her diasporic journey, South Asian/South African roots, passion for ecological and social justice, and EcoDharma practice inform her teaching and worldview. She has studied with senior teachers from True North Insight (TNI), Rocky Mountain EcoDharma Center, Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, and Plum Village.
Rose Mina completed a two-year Meditation Teacher Mentorship with TNI. She holds a Master's in Spiritual Care with Psychotherapy and a BMATH and works with Data and Higher Education Technology. She is a Registered Psychotherapist in private practice and teaches and adapts mindfulness-based programs with a culturally sensitive and trauma-informed lens. Rose Mina is pursuing a PhD (ABD) in Adult Education at the University of Reading in the UK on mindfulness and compassion-informed, anti-oppressive education and care.
For more, see: https://www.roseminamunjee.com
Simona Irwin is the creator of the Befriending Fear series, a mindfulness teacher, and a neuroplasticity coach. She recently graduated from the 2-year Mindfulness Teacher Training Program with Tara Brach, but her mindfulness journey began much earlier, at 16, when she attended her first Metta meditation sit. This transformative experience sparked a lifelong practice of communion with nature, guided by her passion for permaculture and deep ecology.
Her teachings are informed by her journey through C-PTSD, chronic illness, and an ACE score of 10, giving her a uniquely compassionate and trauma-informed perspective. As a former mentor at Primal Trust™ Academy, Simona integrates expertise in somatics, parts work, and earth-based practices into her offerings. She leads weekly classes and masterclasses on Befriending Emotions and Chronic Illness Symptoms, creating spaces that foster belonging and connection.
Simona is also a mom of two and runs a consulting business in the organic food industry. Her passion for conscious movement practice, inquiry, and stillness is woven into all aspects of her work. She has completed the Eco-Sattva Training with One Earth Sangha and Joanna Macy's Active Hope training, furthering her commitment to community building around these uncertain times.
For more, see: https://www.turningtowards.me
