Alexis Thomason

Mindfulness Practice

The Noble Maat Collective

Please tell us about your mindfulness meditation background and the population you serve.

I first learned to meditate 20 years ago and it has been a part of my life and work since then. I am a certified MMTCP graduate and am currently in the Brown Mindfulness Institute's second cohort of BIPOC practitioners being certified in MBSR to bring it into BIPOC communities. I am also an administrator for the MMTCP BIPOC Alumni Association Sangha. That's my education, however in terms of my actual teaching practice, I focus most of my work in the Third Sector supporting helpers and executives like myself heal from burnout using minfulness and contemplative practices, and to re-align to their organization's mission or their sense of purpose as part of their own life's work. As a non-profit leader, I witnessed so many teachers and program staff become lesser and lesser of their best selves as they bore the weight of vicarious trauma coupled with organizational practices that perpetuate harm to staff or unintentionally on the communities they serve.

Tell us what secular mindfulness looks like in your part of the world.

Secular mindfulness is missing from most of my circles of influence. It is still treated as "esoteric' and "woo woo". Or for some they know mindfulness as a buzzword, and they automatically think it's not for them. On the other hand, there are numerous companies offering mindful leader programs, many of which are not based on implementing a daily practice or cultivating present-moment awareness. There are not many secular mindfulness spaces in the Third Sector where organizations are working with families with multiple life barriers, who need it most. The only area we see mindfulness in the Third sector is schools. The work there is directly with children, but it is often used as a behavior management tactic and does not lead to any real growth or shift in behavior for the adults in the space.

Any additional information about you and your practice you would like us to review for inclusion in this article.

I am passionate about creating a space where BIPOC communities can access affordable and consistent mindfulness practice spaces such as workshops, sanghas or, community friend groups and retreats. There is currently a wave of new BIPOC teachers that are entering the field, and we want desperately to address the inequity issue in the field and make the teachings available to everyone. The movement amongst BIPOC teachers is one of restoration and reclamation. Repairing the harm done, but returning the teachings to their origin with fervor- the Black and Brown people of the Global Majority, who by far have been disenfranchised from their access to freedom in the West.