A 9-month journey in a community of Sensory Awareness practice.
Online September 20 – June 15, 2025

Focusing on how our love for life wants to express itself opens a vital, unfolding path that guides us into what we can do, rather than being trapped or overwhelmed by what we cannot do.

In our community of practice we will support each other to rely on our sensory experience as a source of renewal, sustenance, connection, and responsiveness. We will open to the challenges we are facing rather than deny or avoid them, and we will journey through grief to how our love wants to express itself.

We will support each other to recognize the urgency of these times and the need to slow down in order to connect and respond; to understand that there is no time to waste and overwhelm is not useful. Our practice is to let our hearts open, to be present and dedicate ourselves to the contributions we can each make. When we practice in community we cut through isolation and multiply our strength and our ability to be true to what we have to offer. Sensory Awareness practice brings us into the resource, refuge and possibility of each moment which is the only place from which we can respond and live.

Structure:

Opening and closing online weekend workshop from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Pacific time)
Eight 2-hour monthly online classes in which we will practice Sensory Awareness, journal, listen to and witness each other. Monday mornings from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. (Pacific time). At each session a poem, song and video, along with other resources, will be offered as a source of information, inspiration and encouragement.
Quarterly online 3-hour sessions provide an opportunity for participants to go deeper and to lead and inspire each other. Monday mornings from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. (Pacific time)
A 45-minute monthly individual check-in with Lee to support each person to meet what is present for them.
All zoom recordings will be available for participants.
An 8-day in-person workshop in Mexico for those who are able to attend. (You may participate in the online program without attending the in-person retreat, though you are strongly encouraged to attend if at all possible. Being together in person is strengthening, deepening and renewing. There is a separate fee for the in-person retreat.)

Schedule:

Sept. 20 – 21, 2024 A Caring, Kind and Joyful Approach to Life

“There’s a common misunderstanding among all the human beings who have ever been born that the best way to live is to try to avoid pain and just try to get comfortable. A much more interesting, kind, adventurous, and joyful approach to life is to begin to develop our curiosity, not caring whether the object of our inquisitiveness is bitter or sweet.”
~ Pema Chodron

“Like living cells in a larger body, it is natural that we feel the trauma of our world. So don’t be afraid of the anguish you feel, or the anger or fear, because these responses arise from the depth of your caring and the truth of your interconnectedness with all beings.”
~ Joanna Macy

Oct. 14, 2024 Lay it All Down: Learning to Rest


“The times are urgent, let us slow down.”
~ Bayo Akomolafe

Nov. 25, 2024 The Expansive Power of Gratitude

“We are never more than one grateful thought away from peace of heart.”
~ Brother David Steindl

Dec. 16, 2024 Heartbreak and Love for Life Belong Together


“In any moment, we have a choice in how we greet life. Either we meet it 
 with a clenched fist or an open palm.”
~ Nipun Mehta

Jan. 13, 2025 Abiding in the Request of Each Moment


“If the problem can be solved why worry?
 If the problem cannot be solved worrying will do you no good.”
~ Shantideva

Feb. 3, 2025 Strength in the Midst of Challenge 


“Let this darkness be a bell tower
 and you the bell. As you ring,
 what batters you becomes your strength.
 Move back and forth into the change.”
~ Rainer Maria Rilke

March 10, 2025 Honoring “Yes” and “No


“It’s important to realize that everything we meet has some positive invitation 
 for us, including saying ‘No’ to it. 
 To say ‘No’ to things is often very positive.”
~ Charlotte Selver

April 14, 2025 Confidence Beyond Despair

“Despair is never a solution, it is the ultimate failure. In Tibetan we say, “If the rope breaks nine times, we must splice it together a tenth time.” Even if ultimately we do fail, at least we will have no feelings of regret. And when we combine this insight with a clear appreciation of our potential to benefit others, we can begin to restore our hope and confidence.”
~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama

May 12, 2025 The Refuge of Kindness

“It is only kindness that makes sense anymore.”
~ Naomi Shihab Nye

June 14 – 15, 2025 It is a Good Time to Be Alive

“We are the midwives, the guides, the elders to our future life. 
 It is a good time to be alive.”
~ Frances Weller

“We don’t know if what we do is important, but it is important that we do it.
We continue to work on our own transformation and bring that into our action in the world and act without attachment to results.”
~ David Loy

Quarterly 3-hour meetings – 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. Pacific time

• October 28, 2024
• December 2, 2024
• March 24, 2025
• May 26, 2025

Eight-day In-Person Workshop in Mexico               February 8 – 15, 2025


The course begins at 3 p.m. on February 8 and ends at noon on February 15

Fees:

Fee for the online program including opening and closing retreats, monthly classes and 
quarterly 3-hour classes: $1725
Fee for the in-person retreat in Barra de Navidad, Mexico: $875
For more information or to set up an interview to explore participating in the Choose Life program: Contact Lee 415-307-6043 or leelesser@gmail.com
Everyone is welcome to participate at whatever level of exchange is possible for you. No one should avoid participating because of financial concerns. Just let me know what works for you.

The Week

An optional opportunity for those who would like to participate in The Week online program together which includes three 1.5 hour sessions in one week to watch an hour-long video and engage in a thirty minute dialogue each time.

“The Week” is a very well-crafted, loving invitation, inspiration and guide for recognizing and responding to the challenges we are facing in the midst of our changing environment. The creators describe it as a “climate action group experience to help us see what’s coming and what we can do about it.” I have watched it with members of the Choose Life group before and it has been meaningful and encouraging. There is no fee to participate.

• Option One: October 21, 23, 25 from 9 – 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time
• Option Two: April 7, 9, 11 from 9 – 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time