White & Awakening: Mindfulness Practices for Exploring and Disrupting the Impact of White Conditioning - Live Question and Answer Sessions (WA1C25)

Registration will close at 9:00am (US Pacific Time) prior to the fourth class on Friday, May 23, 2025. A waiting list will be created if the program fills early. A recording* will be available within 48 hours following each class.

Designed for self-identified white folx, or those for whom whiteness is a significant part of your identity.

Description of Live Q&A Sessions:
In this class series, Crystal Johnson will host four live Q&A sessions to support learners who have taken or are taking the on-demand course White & Awakening: Mindfulness Practices for Exploring and Disrupting the Impact of White Conditioning. (sold separately).

This is an opportunity for participants to ask questions, request clarification of course content, hear the comments and insights of your peers, and discuss ways to apply the material to everyday situations.

For more information on the White & Awakening on-demand course, and to purchase it, go here.

The Q&A sessions will be organized around the W&A course sections as follows:
Session 1: May 2
Introduction and Overview
The Story of Whiteness
How Racism Works (for us)

Session 2: May 9
Avoiding The Trap of Shame and Guilt

Session 3: May 16
Unpacking Microaggressions
Pause, Relax, Open

Session 4: May 23
Apologies
How to Respond When You Are Called Out
Calling Other White People In

Online Only: We are offering this program online via Zoom.

Class dates are: May 2, May 9, May 16, & May 23; all classes are held on Fridays from 10:00am – 12:00pm US Pacific Time.

Description of White & Awake On-Demand Course:
This is a self-paced, on-demand course for self-identified white folx and those for whom whiteness is a significant part of their identity. The course walks the learner through the historical creation of whiteness and how it operates systemically and offers exercises, techniques, and mindfulness practices for working with the difficult emotions that arise when exploring racial conditioning.  The course offers learners an opportunity to reflect on their own experiences of whiteness and offers a framework and strategies for addressing the harm that arises through microaggressions and other types of interpersonal interactions. The course is designed to offer an introduction or a refresher for white people to strengthen their knowledge and skills for building relationships in diverse communities.

Participants may take the course on their own or with a group of peers and do the exercises and discussions together.

The course includes recorded videos with related readings, video resources, meditation instructions, and prompts for journaling, discussion, and other suggested exercises. The course is taught from a Buddhist perspective, though it makes use of other frameworks as needed. Material is presented in language that is designed to be accessible to those who are not familiar with Buddhist teachings. Key Buddhist teachings include the Four Noble Truths, ethical conduct, non-self, impermanence, and compassion.

This course has been produced by and for the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) and is offered here as a collaboration between EBMC and Spirit Rock.

Length: 10 hours

White & Awakening Course fees are Donation-Based (Dāna). Go here to register separately for the OD course, and CEC fees if applicable for you.

Sliding Scale for Q&A Series: Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports the teachers as well as Spirit Rock and your fellow practitioners who need to pay less.

Benefactor – $600
Sustainer – $300
Basic – $150
Scholarship Rate (M/K) – $75

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org by 12:00pm (NOON) PT on the day prior to class.

*Recording Note: Registration includes unlimited access to this program’s recording which will be available on the online learning platform.

Continuing Education (CE) credit available:
While CECs are not available for the live Q&A sessions, homestudy credits are available for the On-demand W&A course work. If you are interested in earning CECs, you will have to register for the OD Course and pay for the additional CEC fees.

The OD Course offers 10 homestudy CE credits for $100 for psychologists and California-licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors. Please review our Continuing Education Credit information page to determine if your association or board will accept credits offered by Spirit Rock.

Teachings are appropriate for health care professionals as well as the general public.

White healthcare providers can benefit from this course by better understanding diverse perspectives and cultural sensitivities, ultimately enhancing their ability to provide inclusive and equitable care to patients from different backgrounds. The resources offered in this program support white healthcare providers to engage in self-reflection, explore biases, and develop strategies for fostering compassion and cultural competence in their professional practice. Incorporating Buddhist teachings, including the Four Noble Truths, ethical conduct, non-self, impermanence, and compassion, offers additional frameworks for healthcare providers to cultivate empathy and mindfulness in their patient interactions.

Learning Objectives for participating health care professionals-

At the end of the program, you will be better able to:

• Describe effective communication strategies for engaging with individuals from different cultural backgrounds, emphasizing active listening and supporting equity based on the guidelines for multicultural interactions.
• Describe whiteness as a social construction that has a wide-ranging impact on personal identity and interpersonal interactions.
• Analyze the systemic nature of racism and how it affects mental and physical health and well-being in personal and professional settings.
• Analyze the ethical implications of one’s behavior as it measures up to personal and professional values.
• Utilize mindfulness practices for working through the difficult emotions that get in the way of anti-racist action.
• Identify strategies for navigating the interpersonal impact of microaggressions in order to repair and strengthen relationships.
• Describe practices to engage other white people in personal and professional settings that interrupt the harm of racism and create more inclusive environments.
• Identify proactive strategies for continued learning and application of new knowledge and skills to one’s own work environment that will continue the work of disrupting the impact of white conditioning in both a personal and professional setting.

Continuing Education Content level: Introductory

Note:

• For full Provider information and additional CEC information, including attendance requirements, cancellation, and grievance policies, please visit our Continuing Education Credit information page.
• For those with a license different than the one listed above or with a license from a different board or association than the one listed on our CEC info page, please contact your licensing board or association directly to request pre-approval/acceptance of CE credits offered at Spirit Rock. Spirit Rock does not confirm the applicability of credit for those with licenses different than those listed.
• Spirit Rock is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16905 for 10 contact hours.
• Credit is awarded for instructional time only and does not include extended silent meditation if offered.