Warriors of Peace
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us;
what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal".
Albert Pike
Next Gathering:
Sunday, August 1st
3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
The Hills Swim & Tennis Club
2400 Manzanita Dr., Oakland
Benefitting:
A Safe Place
A Safe Place is an Oakland-based shelter that aims to break the cycle of domestic and family violence by providing battered women and their children with safe shelter and resources and to prevent violence through outreach and education to at-risk populations.
Cost:
Donation-based class
(see below for details)
"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,
and the life of the candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared”.
Buddha
Purchase Compassion Meditation for Home Practice
You can purchase the audio file for guided home-practice using the PayPal button below. The file provides instructions to lead you through a 35-minute compassion meditation and can be loaded onto your iPod, iPhone or other mp3 player, so you can take your meditation practice with you wherever you go.
Purchase price online through PayPal is $15. You will receive an email with instructions for downloading the file within 24-hours of making your purchase. (My computer sleeps when I do, so the reply email may not arrive immediately). If you would prefer to receive the guided meditation on a CD, send your request with a check for $20 to:
Domonick Wegesin
2859 Burton Dr.
Oakland, CA 94611
Background
The idea of 'yoga for a cause' has been percolating on a backburner of my mind for some time. This past year, one of my students participated in the AIDS Ride from San Francisco to LA. As part of her fund-raising efforts, she asked if I would lead a donation-based yoga class, with the proceeds supporting the ride. I was eager to help, especially given my past participation in the Boston-New York AIDS Ride.
The benefit class was well-attended and enjoyed by all. The venue was also quite inspiring - the Skyline Community Church, overlooking the beautiful mountainscape of the Redwood Regional Park. Laurie, the student rider, is also the pastor of the church, and invited me to consider holding a regular class at the church. With this open invitation in mind, and the structure from the AIDS Ride class as a basic format, the idea for Warriors of Peace was born.
My intention for Warriors of Peace is to create a community focused on:
1) training in yoga, mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditation
2) offering financial support to organizations that promote safety, health, happiness and peace to local 'communities in need'
An underlying premise of Warriors of Peace is the recognition that the process of creating a more peaceful and compassionate world starts with creating more peace and compassion within ourselves. To this end, we gather in community to cultivate compassion. Participants are people like you who share the intention of creating peace in the world through cultivating a more open and loving heart.
Yoga, mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditation practices are our tools of transformation.
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT DO THE WARRIORS OF PEACE DO?
The Warriors of Peace meet once each month (first Sundays) to practice yoga, mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditation. You do not need to be familiar with these practices prior to joining one of our monthly meetings. Easy-to-follow instructions are provided.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PARTICIPATE?
The class is donation-based; you contribute whatever you would like to contribute. 95% of these donations go directly to support communities in need. Each month, volunteer members of our group select local organizations to receive our support. In the past, these have included food banks, women's shelters and crisis centers, Red Cross relief in Haiti and Habitat for Humanity. There are many ways our class collection can be used to improve the lives of people in our community, and we welcome your input on directing our donations to organizations you know that are doing good work in the Bay Area.
(Note that the remaining 5% of the collection will support the administration needs of the group, including maintaining this website, as well as paying for liability insurance for participants during practice).
HOW DO YOU DECIDE THE BENEFACTOR OF THE MONTH?
As a member of the Warriors of Peace Community, you may help select a benefactor for a given month. Each month, one or two members of our community will volunteer to sponsor the monthly meeting.
As a sponsor, you will help
1) advertise the event
2)
set-up the space and organize putting it back together after class
3)
provide water service for the group
4) provide a brief description about the organization receiving our donations
In return for your service, you will help the organizers select that month's benefactor. Thus, if you have an organization that you feel is doing good work in our community to build safety, health, happiness and peace, and you would like the Warriors of Peace to support this organization with our monthly collection, then please contact Domonick.
WHO LEADS THE GROUP?
Domonick Wegesin, PhD, is a local yoga and meditation teacher. You can read more about him by reading his bio.
WHAT IS MINDFULNESS MEDITATION?
Mindfulness means paying attention in the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness meditation reflects a set of practices, including yoga, sitting meditation and walking meditation, that cultivate the ability to be more mindful. If you have taken a yoga class with Domonick, you have likely been introduced to mindful yoga practice already.
WHAT IS LOVING-KINDNESS MEDITATION?
Loving-Kindness meditation or Metta Meditation, is a practice developed by the Buddha to cultivate a loving and compassionate heart. The format of the meditation is variable, and may include sitting or walking, reflecting on good deeds others have done on our behalf, or using a mantra to wish ourselves and others safety, health, happiness and peace.
DO THE WARRIORS OF PEACE HAVE ANY RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION?
No. The yoga and meditation practices we use were developed within the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, but are applied here in a non-sectarian fashion. These practices simply help us cultivate compassion and love, help us reduce stress in our lives, and help us live more mindfully.
CAN I MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO WARRIORS OF PEACE WITHOUT ATTENDING THE MONTHLY PRACTICE SESSION?
Yes, you can use the PayPal Button below to make a contribution, or you can mail a check payable to Domonick Wegesin to: 12 Shetland Court, Oakalnd, CA 94605.
OTHER QUESTIONS:
Please contact Domonick with questions by emailing: Domonick@TheOpener.com or calling 510-219-1851.
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give".
Winston Churchill.
Domonick's photo courtesy of Michael Smith Photography
