STL Queer Sangha

We meet 2nd Tuesdays at Tiny Postcards Counseling & Creative Arts

6:30-8pm
4700 Virginia Ave.
Suggested $5-25 investment

Please pre-register so we know you are coming!

Even $1 is a meaningful gesture of reciprocity towards the time & energy put into facilitation, the lineage of teachings made accessible & relatable, and the meeting space provided. AND, no one is turned away for lack of funds (email deanna@sovereign-somatics.com). You can also pay via venmo @deannadanger

All facilitation is offered from a healing-centered, counter-oppressive, trauma-informed, neurocognitive-informed foundation.

• Welcome, Somatic Grounding, connection 20m

• Dharma learning - talk + engaged discussion 30m

• Guided meditation 30m

• Dharma sharing & connection 10m

Sharing & discussion is not mandatory - it's your choice to engage with the Q&A or prompts.

We start on time! If you need to arrive late, slide right in wherever we are.

HOW TO JOIN:

• Please arrive 5-10m before start time to settle in.

• Please silence all devices.

• Setup your choice of mats, cushions or chairs.

ACCESSIBILITY:

• Tiny Postcards is on the ground level, with two steps into the space + wheelchair accessible ramp access.

• There is a restroom on site that accommodates wheelchairs & mobility aids.

• Street parking is available around all cross streets.

• The nearest Metro stop is at Virginia and Mount Pleasant or Delor. Tiny Postcards is a one-block walk from both stops.

• The environment is low-scent.

• Fidgets & art supplies are available.

• You do not have to "sit" to meditate, or in any particular pose. You can lay down, walk, and even sway! It is recommended to experiment and find a position that is both easeful and alert for the meditation. Deanna will go over all options for accessibility.

• For virtual, livestream access, please email 24H IN ADVANCE deanna@sovereign-somatics.com.

COVID SAFETY:

• Masks are required when community transmission levels are medium and high, and optional but strongly recommended when levels are low.

• Masks may be required at the request of immunocompromised community members (please reach out in advance if this is you deanna@sovereign-somatics.com).

If you’re wondering, “is STL Queer Sangha for me if I don’t identify as queer,”you should know that all are welcome!

STL Queer Sangha is open to all LGBTQIA+ folks & co-conspirators. Queering the Dharma is open to all no matter how you identify, and in fact making the Dharma exclusionary would be defeating the purpose of this radical, counter-oppressive practice.

Please know however, we will definitely be queering the Dharma! It’s a great idea to check out the community agreements in place to uphold respectful space, centering LGBTQIA+ access & safety.

Beginners are welcome & no experience is required.

About this Lineage

The Three Radical Dharma Refuges:

• Refuge in our own innate Divinity & capacity for liberation.

• Refuge in praxis, our own direct experience making the practices alive through active engagement.

• Refuge in community solidarity, taking interdependence from transactional to reciprocal.

Dig these quotes? Then you’ll dig STL Queer Sangha:

“Sangha has taught me to mind the gap between what we say and what we do.” - Jasmine Syedullah, PhD

“Without inner change, there can be no outer change, without collective change, no change matters.” - Rev. Angel Kyodo Williams, Sensei

“Peace is messy. Justice is loud. If we expect that creating peace in a society as violent as the United States will be a neat, calm, and quiet process, we will be in for a rude awakening.“ - Kazu Haga