SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ADVOCACY

Recommended Videos

This youtube video is about the simple power of seva, karma yoga, social activism, helping the world be a better place - however you like to call it. Mary is a wonderful role model for us all that kindness and simple caring can be transformative to the world and to ourselves.
“Holding Light in the Darkness.” Swami Ramananda, speaking from The San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute, discusses how the current forces in play in our culture lead to fear, anxiety and anger. He suggests six spiritually based practices and tools for responding with a deepened perspective.
Padma has been spending time the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers and shares here their shared appreciation of the value and importance of prayer and ceremony. They say that these are the basis of community, which is what makes survival possible. As indigenous people, this is something they certainly know about. From prayer, we can take action in support of our heartfelt prayers for change.
Swami Ramananda outlines how to bring your values and a sense of purpose into your daily life.

Thoughtful Articles

”Awakening the Needs of the Times” by Eknath Easwaran Non dual philosopher and teacher Easwaran writes about the deep desire and need for spiritual awakening to meet the crises of the world.

”Awakening the Needs of the Times” by Eknath Easwaran

Non dual philosopher and teacher Easwaran writes about the deep desire and need for spiritual awakening to meet the crises of the world.

A BUDDHIST TEACHER’S MEDITATIONS ON CONFRONTING WHITE SUPREMACY Lama Rod Owensis a Buddhist teacher and activist. His new book is Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger.  In this inspiring interview he states “For me, we have to br…

A BUDDHIST TEACHER’S MEDITATIONS ON CONFRONTING WHITE SUPREMACY
Lama Rod Owensis a Buddhist teacher and activist. His new book is Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger.  In this inspiring interview he states “For me, we have to bring ethics back into secular mindfulness. Ethics means this is what is conducive to liberation, or another way of putting that is, this is what’s conducive to the reduction of violence. This is what is conducive to actually beginning to undo systematic white supremacy.” He goes on to outline how Buddhist philosophy requires us to be authentic, consistent in how we show up not just on the mat, but in our lives.

How to Make Social Change This inspiring article presents research that supports the theory that it takes only a 25% of a population to bring a shift in attitudes towards a subject or idea. Once the 25% benchmark is reached, critical mass takes over…

How to Make Social Change
This inspiring article presents research that supports the theory that it takes only a 25% of a population to bring a shift in attitudes towards a subject or idea. Once the 25% benchmark is reached, critical mass takes over, bridge building occurs between groups and coalitions are formed. These shifts bring more social action and true reform. Read to get inspired and build your Faith muscles!

Inspiring Podcasts

“If Yoga is so Peaceful, Why are Y’all So Angry all the Time?” This is a new podcast series posted by Jivana Heyman and Amber Karnes. In this first Episode they discuss the question of how the tools and teachings of yoga can support us as we work f…

“If Yoga is so Peaceful, Why are Y’all So Angry all the Time?”
This is a new podcast series posted by Jivana Heyman and Amber Karnes. In this first Episode they discuss the question of how the tools and teachings of yoga can support us as we work for equity and social change.

The War For Kindness from The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos on Apple Podcasts "Feeling you belong to a group can be great - but it also has a darker side, leading us down an unhappy path of hatred and violence towards people with different id…

The War For Kindness from The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos on Apple Podcasts
"Feeling you belong to a group can be great - but it also has a darker side, leading us down an unhappy path of hatred and violence towards people with different identities and backgrounds." This podcast dives into the research on prejudice and empathy and makes the case for our interconnectedness.

Great Books on Social Justice

Time to Stand Up by Thanissara Thanissara, a former nun, is a highly respected climate change activist and Buddhist teacher and advocate for engaged Buddhism. The book retells the story of the historical Buddha, one of the greatest sacred activists …

Time to Stand Up by Thanissara
Thanissara, a former nun, is a highly respected climate change activist and Buddhist teacher and advocate for engaged Buddhism. The book retells the story of the historical Buddha, one of the greatest sacred activists of all time, as a practical human being whose teachings of freedom from suffering are more relevant than ever in this time of global peril. Evolving onward from the patriarchal template of spiritual warriors and their quests, she explores awakening from within a feminine view where the archetypes of lover and nurturer are placed as central and essential for a sustainable world.

Altruism: The Power of Compassion To Change Yourself and The World by Matthieu Ricard The author, a buddhist monk, presents the message that compassion and mindfulness can be the vital answer to saving the 21st century. He approaches the subject fro…

Altruism: The Power of Compassion To Change Yourself and The World by Matthieu Ricard
The author, a buddhist monk, presents the message that compassion and mindfulness can be the vital answer to saving the 21st century. He approaches the subject from personal, economic, environmental and global perspectives. 

All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks This is a beautiful book by renowned Black feminist bell hooks, an important predecessor to people like adrienne marie brown. In it, she examines both the ways in which our ideas of love have been affected…

All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks

This is a beautiful book by renowned Black feminist bell hooks, an important predecessor to people like adrienne marie brown. In it, she examines both the ways in which our ideas of love have been affected by structures of oppression and how love itself can be a force for personal and social transformation.

“If you are going to save the world, don’t save it out of fear and anxiety. Save it because you love it.”

      Gary Snyder