Refuge for the Resistance 

A daylong retreat with Leslie Booker

The writer Audre Lorde said, “The Master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”  And at times it might seem that we live in a world that only values the three poisons of Greed, Hatred and Delusion.

 As activists, agitators and changemakers, many of us were taught that if we scream louder, sleep less and are more burnt out, then we would be held as the most devoted to the cause. And in response, we might incline our thoughts, words, actions, our hearts, towards these poisons.

What if we chose other tools to respond with?

In this daylong retreat, we will practice with how to direct our thoughts and actions towards Loving Kindness, to create the kind of heart that can hold the humanity of All Beings. Working with the Brahmaviharas, we'll utilize these practices to liberate the heart and build resiliency, in order to transform rage and anger into skillful action.

Booker comes to ICD from New York which has affected the costs associated with the scheduling of this daylong.  To ensure that daylongs of this nature can be brought and held at ICD an increase to the registration/dana was necessary.  However, no one is ever turned away for lack of funds, to request a scholarship please email info@desertinsight.org, you will be provided a "Promo Code" which is required to complete your registration.

NOTE: Please bring a sack lunch, ICD does have a refrigerator and microwave for your use.  If you are paying at the door, ICD can only accept cash or checks at this time.

Booker brings her heart, wisdom and compassion to the intersection of Dharma, embodied wisdom, and social justice. Working for over a decade with the most vulnerable populations in NYC, she shares her expertise nationally as a public speaker, Dharma teacher, and trainer, in the efforts to support the sustainability of front line changemakers. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock's Mindful Yoga and Meditation Training (2012), Community Dharma Leader's Training (2016), and will graduate from their 4 year Residential Teacher Training in 2020. Booker is a co-author of Best Practices for Yoga in a Criminal Justice Setting and contributed to the paper on Gender and Trauma through Georgetown Law's Center on Poverty and Inequality. She is a co-founder of the Yoga Service Council at Omega Institute, and the Meditation Working Group of Occupy Wall Street.