TIME: 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT | PLATFORM: Zoom | REGISTER: bit.ly/meditatewhawah
In this session, Hawah Kasat will lead a guided meditation focused on opening our hearts and minds to the possibility of a world that is united in healing, solidarity, and peace. Hawah will also share insights from his work building bridges across the world and in Washington D.C. with One Common Unity, the award-winning nonprofit he co-founded, which continues to push the frontier of innovation in social-emotional learning in classrooms and communities.
In Hawah’s words:
It all needs a place to go. Our thoughts. Our breath. Our bodies. Our spirits. Being physically confined and isolated does create an opportunity for deep emotional, mental, and spiritual exploration. The breath is the gateway to this inner sanctum. The breath is the bridge between the body and mind. During this session we cultivate our ability to remain balanced and grounded in the midst of crisis. We drop into spaces of deep meditation and discover the revitalizing affects Pranayama (the ancient yogic science of breath manipulation) has on our central nervous system, stress levels, and anxiety. The entire session is interlaced and themed from the books, “When Things Fall Apart,” by Pema Chodron and “Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting through the Storm,” by Thich Nhat Hanh.
REGISTER: bit.ly/meditatewhawah
About Hawah Kasat:
Hawah has dedicated his life to teaching about solutions to violence and ways to peace, and has traveled to over 42 countries to facilitate interactive workshops, dialogues, perform poetry, and teach yoga. Hawah is an author, poet, educator, community organizer, non-profit leader, and yogi.
Hawah is the co-founder and executive director of One Common Unity, a non-profit organization that supports a movement for peace education and the building of a non-violent culture through music, art, and education. In 2016, under Hawah's leadership, One Common Unity received the Mayor's Arts Award for Excellence in the Humanities, one of the most prestigious honors granted to an organization working in Washington, D.C. In 2018, One Common Unity was awarded the National SHIFT Award for their pioneering work in integrating the healing arts and social-emotional learning with environmental stewardship. In 2019, Hawah was honored to receive Georgetown University's "Legacy Of A Dream" Award at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The university presents the award annually to an inspirational emerging leader whose work embodies the values and spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In the years prior, Hawah worked as an Americorps community organizer and mentor in D.C.’s most under-resourced neighborhood, encouraging youth to explore the roots of oppression. After graduating from American University, he was awarded a fellowship with the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Foundation to work as a special representative to the United Nations and the World Conference Against Racism. For 4 years, he also directed the Peaceable Schools Program in D.C.’s largest public high school.
Over the years, Hawah has published four books: "Trails: Trust Before Suspicion" (2001), "Escape Extinction" (2003), "zerONEss" (2006) and "The Poetry of Yoga" (2011 & 2013). He has also produced 3 documentary films, including the award-winning, "Fly By Light" (2015); and released two musical albums.