We are following COVID-19 protocols

Spring QTBIPOC Retreat

A Metta Retreat for Queer and Trans People of Color

May 14-18, 2025

Featuring meditation and movement

with teachers Fresh “Lev” White, Bita Shooshani and Gayah Imani Gillson aka Mother Gayah Samahita

In-person, residential retreat

Please join Lev, Bita and Gaya as we offer a Metta Retreat for Queer, Trans, Intersex, Gender Expansive People of Color (QTIPOC) and a limited number of BIPOC allies. We will feature meditation, movement, rest and limited time for connection, while discovering or touching into the love within and beyond that is available to us. We will offer practices we hope will encourage self-compassion and equanimity as we also honor the struggles and burdens we each may experience in the world today.

Many of us in the QTIPOC* and BIMPOC** community have been working very hard for our own rights as well as others, this is why rest will also be included in our daily practices. See the upcoming schedule for more details.

This is a silent retreat. There will be no talking except as instructed by the teachers or as needed with teachers or staff.

All levels of meditators, including beginners, are welcome. All activities are optional and the morning and evening sessions will be strongly encouraged.

Why we are choosing Metta for this retreat:

Metta, also known as Lovingkindness, is a virtue of Buddhism that encourages love for ourselves and all beings. It can be cultivated as a foundation for compassion, or self-compassion. We wish love for ourselves and others no matter what’s happening, and especially when we are suffering. Ajahn Chah, a monastic from the Thai Buddhist tradition reminds us: "There are two kinds of suffering: the suffering, which leads to more suffering, and the suffering, which leads to the end of suffering. The first is the pain of grasping after fleeting pleasures and aversion for the unpleasant, the continued struggle of most people day after day. The second is the suffering, which comes when you allow yourself to feel fully the constant change of experience – pleasure, pain, joy, and anger – without fear or withdrawal. [This] suffering of our experience leads to inner fearlessness and peace." We practice to learn how to meet our moment to moment experience with love, compassion, and joy to benefit not only our own well being but for all beings.

*Queer, Trans, Intersex, People of Color

**Black, Indigenous, Mixed, People of Color

This is a Dāna supported retreat

Dāna (दान) is a Sanskrit and Pali word for the virtue of generosity. The Buddha said the teachings were priceless, more valuable than all the jewels in the kingdom and so are offered freely to all. This has amazingly been sustained for 2,600 years. Honoring this tradition, the teachings at Dhamma Dena continue to be offered freely.

Teacher, center and cook support is provided by voluntary donations at the end of the retreat. These offerings are often the only source of teachers’ income and an important source for the center. Donations to the center help sustain the cost of buildings and food.

Covid Protocols

Please review our full COVID-19 Protocols for a residential retreat here.

Fresh “Lev” White

Fresh "Lev" White is a love and compassion activist. He offers mindfulness, mediation, diversity training, writings, and coaching as tools for shifting all of us towards more authentic, conscious, and passionate living. From SF Drag King 1999, to SF Pride Grand Marshall 2016, to celebrating his 9th year as a teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center, Lev uses their coaching, leadership, and teaching certifications to entertain, ground us in the present, and prepare us for the work of both meeting and creating our future with seeds of love, compassion and empathy. https://affirmativeacts.org

Bita Shooshani

Bita Shooshani is a queer-identified Iranian American therapist and a student of the dharma. She has extensive experience working with members of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrant, international, and communities of color using a strength-based approach in her work as a therapist and educator. Bita uses an intersectional analysis to understand how systems of oppression impact our mental health and relationships. The Buddha (wisdom that exists in each of us) Dharma (laws of nature) Sangha (sacred friendships) have been a source of continuous clarity and guidance in navigating these troubled times. Bita is a graduate of the Dedicated Practitioners Program at Spirit Rock and a graduate of the first Commit to Dharma cohort at East Bay Meditation Center. In addition to enjoying music and time in nature, she is also a partner and parent of an energetic toddler.

Gayah Imani Gillson aka Mother Gayah Samahita

Gayah Imani Gillson aka Mother Gayah Samahita, is a BIPOC, QTPOC, TwoSpirit International Artist, Healer, Visionary Activist, Lay Monastic, and Spiritual Worker. She is the founder and artistic director of Theater of the Liberated, a performance community in Gowanus, Brooklyn, and soon to launch, 'Artist Temple,' a multi-media online company.

Gayah's work spans multiple disciplines:

1. Activism: Focuses on social justice, racial equity, community engagement, and empowerment.

2. Spirituality: Integrates meditation, mindfulness, ancestral wisdom, rituals, sutras, and healing arts practices.

3. Education: Facilitates workshops, retreats, and training programs.

4. Theater/Movement/Performance art: Creates/directs interactive, immersive, socially conscious, and enriching movement, dance, and performances, sometimes including fine arts (drawings, paintings, colláge, pottery, etc).

5. Film/Music: Highlights/celebrates themes of intersectional visibility, opening conversations for heightened awareness and social change.

Retreat FAQ

What is the nearest airport to the center?

Palm Springs International Airport (PSP). Ontario (ONT) is the second closed aiport (about an hour and a half away) and sometimes has cheaper flight options, however we are unable to do pick ups and drop offs there.

Will I be able to get a ride to and from the airport to the center?

We offer rides to and from the Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) for $30 each way. You can specify that you need to be picked up or dropped off in your registration and we will contact you to arrange that. You can also email us at retreats@dhammadena.org. Please be prepared to wait for consolidated pick-ups and drop-offs and please avoid late night or early morning arrivals and departures. There will also be a retreat carpool/ride share and encourage retreatants to support each other and the center by offering each other rides to and from the retreat.

I want to come but I can’t afford to get there. Is there any support I can get with travel costs?

The Open Dharma Foundation offers scholarships for helping to cover the cost of travel for retreats. You can apply here: https://opendharmafoundation.org/scholarship

Does this retreat include food and lodging? What will those be like?

Yes, this retreat includes lodging and 3 vegetarian meals daily, prepared by retreat cook extraordinaire, Parisa Ghaderi. Dhamma Dena has been lovingly (and often creatively) built by Ruth Denison’s students over the course of the last forty years. The structures and atmosphere can be described as rustic, quirky, beautiful and a work in progress. There is a main house where the kitchen and the office are located, the zendo (or meditation hall), two main houses for retreatants, as well as a range of other structures and trailers to stay in. On the grounds, there is also a walking labyrinth as well as four outhouses, two outdoor showers and a bathhouse. Residents are provided with either their own room or trailer or a shared room or trailer and access to single stall shared bathrooms as well as outhouses and outdoor showers around the land. Housing options depend on what is available at the time you arrive. Please let us know if you have accessibility needs around your housing before you come. We have a very limited number of single rooms, so please only request this if it is absolutely necessary for you. Camping on the land or staying in your van/RV are also options.

I’m on a special diet. Will I be able to cook my own meals?

Food provided for retreatants will include options for a variety of diets, and we ask that you indicate your dietary needs in the registration form so we can meet them. We do have kitchens available if your diet requires that you cook your own meal. Please indicate this is what you plan to do on your registration form (or email us at retreats@dhammadena.org) so we can arrange a kitchen for you to use.

How much dana should I give?

There is no one answer to this question. We encourage you to give dana according to your heart and your means and to cultivate and appreciate the beautiful quality of generosity within. The meditation center, the teachers and the cooks offer their services freely and receive no payment other than what the community gives to support them and to support the teachings to continue to be given freely into the future.

Can I bring my dog or pet?

No, we cannot accommodate dogs or other pets on this retreat. If you have a service animal as described in the American Disabilities Act, please let us know as soon as possible so we can reserve you an appropriate room.

Is this retreat wheelchair accessible? Will it meet my access needs?

Yes, the facilities are wheelchair accessible, offering two ADA bedrooms and bathrooms and a fragrance free environment. Please let us know your access needs when registering. Dhamma Dena is committed to making the center accessible to all who would like to come.

What do I need to bring?

Loose and comfortable clothes, suitable for both moderate and cold weather
Slip on shoes for going in and out of buildings more easily
Shoes suitable for hiking in the desert
Sunglasses
Sun hat
Sunblock lotion
Water bottle
Flashlight or headlamp
Alarm Clock (we have additional alarm clocks to borrow from the office, as you are asked to check in or put away your mobile phone for the retreat)
Toiletries and personal hygiene products – please avoid all fragrances (see the Fragrance Free Policy)
Warm outerwear as evenings and mornings can be quite chilly in the desert
Optional but highly recommended: fragrance free lip balm, body lotion or oil (skin gets dry in the desert), gloves & scarves, umbrella & rain gear, your personal meditation cushions/benches (the Zendo is well-stocked with a wide variety of these, as well as chairs, so you don't need to bring your own unless you wish)
Sheets and towels will be provided but you’re welcome to bring your own

If you have further questions about this retreat, reach out to us at retreats@dhammadena.org

Report abuse