Originally Posted on August 10, 2012
The Community Advisory Board of Zenyu, led by Luzviminda Uzuri “Lulu” Carpenter, organized a Work Party June 2nd, 2012. It was an event that supported one of our community partners, Hilltop Urban Gardens (H.U.G.) in Tacoma, WA.  Dean Jackson founded HUG in 2009 and has been cultivating their dream of food justice and sustainability. We wanted to support that dream and cultivate healing justice by connecting our community to theirs.  This WERQ Party was not a traditional work party, because yes, we spent a few hours weeding, moving soil around, and laughing and making jokes while doing it, but we also got GROUNDED in our own personal political food history, knowledge of food and healing justice, while sharing a delicious potluck that included not only lots of fresh veggie offerings but also a few bags of chips!    Stay tuned for more in-depth, in-the-dirt collaboration with HUG in the future!

Originally Posted on July 5, 2012
Loving-kindness Meditation: A Fundraiser for Zenyu’s 2012 Spiritual Wilderness Retreat for People of Color
A Bi-lingual (Spanish/English) Meditation Led by Tatiana Whizar Toscano
 
It is a fact of life that many people are troubled by difficult emotional states in these stressful times, but do little in terms of developing skills to deal with them. Lovingkindness is a meditation practice which brings about positive attitudinal changes as it systematically develops the quality of loving acceptance. This meditation is open to all folks and will be in both Spanish and English, led by Tatiana Whizar Toscano.
 
When: Sunday, July 15th, 2012, 7 to 9pm
Where: 2828 S Frontenac St
Seattle WA 98108
Suggested donation: $5-20
ALL PEOPLE ARE WELCOME!

*Please refrain from wearing any kind of scented products in our space. Muchas gracias!

More about the 2012 Spiritual Wilderness Retreat for Folks of Color: http://zenyuhealing.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/zenyu-proudly-presents-the-2nd-annual-spiritual-wilderness-retreat-for-people-of-color-3/

Posted on June 28, 2012
Zenyu is excited to offer the 2nd Annual Spiritual Wilderness Retreat for People of Color September 21-23, 2012. Yoga, guided meditation, sound healing, gorgeous hiking opportunities, bonfires under the stars, and delicious food will be offered throughout the weekend, as well as ample time for solitary reflection and exploring. If 2012 has been a wild ride for you, then there is no better place to seek healing and clarity than in the powerful presence of Nature, and with other like-hearted people. For those who are new to the outdoors, this is a gentle introduction to the wilderness. We expect good weather, fall foliage, a beautiful waxing Harvest moon, and a powerful healing adventure.
WHEN: September 21-23, 2012. Participants should plan to leave Seattle by 12PM on Friday, Sept 21 in order to get the most out of our time away. We will return by 7PM on Sunday, Sept 23.
WHERE: TBD!
COST: $125-225 sliding scale ($125 covers the basic cost of food, accommodation and organizing costs but no compensation for leaders). Limited work-exchange scholarships available.
REGISTRATION: Spots will fill up quickly so please email Christine Cruz Guiao at [email protected] to receive a registration form. A non-refundable (but transferable if we find someone to take your spot) deposit of $50 is necessary to hold your space. The remaining balance will be due September 7, 2012.
_________________________________________________________________________
ABOUT US:

 Christine Cruz Guiao is a Brooklyn-born, Northwest-grown Pinay mystic artist and healer, who has explored and worshipped in wildernesses all over the world, including the Canadian Rockies, the Himalayas, Alaska, and her own wild heart. Born into the mystical Catholic tradition of her Philippine ancestors, she has also studied for over 15 years with esteemed teachers of Tibetan Buddhism, yoga, and the Earth-based spiritualities of the Coast Salish, Aleut and Native Hawaiian people. She has led regular meditations for People of Color for 6 years and has guided urban POCs in unforgettable wilderness adventures, believing that true empowerment comes from identification with our Highest and Best Self. She is Founder and Co-Director of Zenyu. For more information, check out: http://www.tawahealingworks.com

Nari Baker grew up on a small organic farm on Vashon Island that included a multitude of animals, family, community, and flowers. As a youth, she backpacked in the Cascade and Olympic mountains and sailed in the Puget Sound waters with her family. In 2009, Nari began a serious yoga practice and started teaching in 2011. As a new teacher, she is humbled and inspired by her teachers at Seattle Yoga Arts and students at POC Yoga and Rainier Health & Fitness. Nari deeply believes in the transformative healing powers of yoga, and embodiment as a radical tool of resistance for people of color.

Originally Posted on May 31, 2012

As part of our sometimes-clumsy path towards addressing our own ableism, we are introducing a new fragrance-free policy at all Zenyu events starting this month.  This has been a long time coming and we deeply apologize to those community members who have been shut out of our events (and gotten sick) because this policy was not in place earlier. We welcome all of you to support our endeavor by wearing products that are free of artificial AND natural scents, including essential oils. For more information on how to do this, check out: http://www.peggymunson.com/mcs/fragrancefree.html

We know this can be quite a shift for many people (including ourselves) but it can also be a wonderful opportunity for all of us to be more conscious of the products that we use, both for the sake of others and for our own health. Here’s a brief FAQ on why this ish is important! Thanks to Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarashina, from whose awesome blog post we will shamelessly quote and draw from!

WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT THIS? 
ISN’T THAT JUST SOMETHING A FEW WHITE HIPPIES CARE ABOUT?More and more people are coming out about having chemical sensitivities, or what some folks refer to as chemical injury. There are many of your friends who have asthma, have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, have been through chemo, etc, who don’t mention it cause they don’t feel entitled or want to get in a fight, but if you cut down on scents, they will be really happy. A lot of people are chemically injured through doing industrial labor: cleaning houses, using or being exposed to pesticides as farmworkers, and growing up in neighborhoods with a lot of industrial pollution. Chemical sensitivity is a POC issue.Folks who have everything from asthma to chemo to rheumatoid arthritis have noticed that cigarettes, perfume (which legally can have stuff like arsenic in it and the makers don’t have to declare it), scented personal care products, pesticides, and car exhaust make them really sick.

THIS INFO IS OVERWHELMING! WHERE DO I EVEN START?
To be honest, we get overwhelmed also! One place we have started is by buying completely fragrance-free laundry detergent. We got the hippie brand 7th Generation but there are lots of good, affordable ones out there including an excellent one at Trader Joe’s. Also we are committed to phasing out our smellier body and hair products. We are running on a dental-floss budget here at Zenyu and currently can’t justify spending all that money to replace everything (lotions, face stuff, hair products, etc) at the same time since we can barely pay our rent.  However all of these things run out, and when they do, we are running to Trader Joe’s, PCC and to Fierce Bodies to replenish! In the meantime, to prepare for all Zenyu events, we shower without soap or shampoo on the day of, and revel in our own delicious natural smells!

For more info, read Leah’s awesome blog post at http://www.brownstargirl.org/1/post/2012/03/fragrance-free-femme-of-colour-realness-draft-15.html.  She gives tons of useful resources and other good ways to start.

Holla if you have any questions!

Originally Posted on May 16, 2012

The Community Advisory Board of Zenyu are working hard to support Zenyu and would like to invite you to build with them and support one of our community partners, Hilltop Urban Gardens (H.U.G.) in Tacoma, WA.  Dean Jackson founded HUG in 2009 and has been cultivating their dream of food justice and sustainability.  We wanted to support that dream and cultivate healing justice by connecting our community to theirs.  Let’s grow together!  This WERQ Party is not a traditional work party, because we want to get GROUNDED with history, knowledge of food and healing justice, and EAT together!  So bring your laughter and some potluck items and get ready to WERQ it OwT and HUG it OwT with us on June 2nd!

DETAILS
This event is for all Zenyu members & folks interested in ZENYU or HUG.  That means everyone, especially LGBTIQQ people of color and family, friends, and allies.

FLOW
12:00pm – CARPOOL, Meet at Washington Hall (153 14th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122) parking lot
12:45pm – ARRIVE at H.U.G. (2201 South Tacoma Way PMB 128, Tacoma, WA 98409)
1:00pm – Welcome/Grounding & History of H.U.G., Dean Jackson, Founder of H.U.G.
1:10pm – Meditation Circle, Christine Guiao, Co-Founder of ZENYU
1:30pm – Let the WORK begin*
3:45pm – Wrap up
4:00pm – Gathering Potluck & Land/Earth Story Telling & Knowledge Sharing about FOOD JUSTICE & HEALING JUSTICE**
5:00pm – CARPOOL back to Seattle

* In case of heavy rain, we will have an alternative work party & potluck inside that supports HUG
** Please bring a potluck item to share that will be warmed up and ready for you at 7:00pm when all the work is done.  Also, please bring your food, land, earth, and more stories to share and your curiosity about food and healing justice.
*** We need 25 participants and we want you there!

Donations of $5-$100 to support the work of H.U.G. No one turned away for lack of funds.  It takes a lot of work to be an independent urban farmer and non-profit organization director.  As a community partner, we want to encourage you to learn more about HUG and consider how to support monetarily, by long-term volunteering, and more.  Money will also go to support transportation and gas costs for people driving carpools.

RSVP by May 27, 2012 (Sunday) by sending this information to [email protected] (we only have capacity for 25 participants) with SUBJECT LINE: RSVP for HUG

• Name:
• E-mail:
• Phone:
• Can you stay the whole time? (If no, what hours would you like to attend?)
• Do you want to carpool or meet us there?
• If you can carpool, can you donate your car or do you need a ride?  How many people does it hold (including you)?
• Can you bring a potluck item?  (If yes, what shall you bring?)
• Would you like to donate to HUG? (If yes, how much?

Please make checks payable to: 
H.U.G.

Send to:
H.U.G.
Attn: Zenyu WERQ Party
2201 South Tacoma Way PMB 128
Tacoma, WA 98409

For more information contact: Luzviminda “Lulu” Carpenter, Board of Directors Member, [email protected]

Facebook invite: https://www.facebook.com/events/405775346122886/

The HILLTOP URBAN GARDEN (H.U.G.) mission is to develop systems for food sovereignty and create racial and economic justice. Our vision is communities that take care of each other. We strive to put the we back in me! HUG values interdependence, abundance and community building. We also recognize the importance of having a practical understanding of the issues that can act as barriers in our communities. While we dig our hands into the earth, HUG aims to build community-based solutions to these barriers.
http://www.hilltopurbangardens.com/

ZENYU is a Seattle-based, multicultural organization that cultivates the holistic well-being and leadership of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Inquiring (LGBTQI) People of Color through meditation classes, wilderness excursions, and spiritual retreats. We support long-term social change by developing solution-centered leadership based on compassion, mindfulness and co-operation among marginalized communities. Zenyu creates a safe, accessible, and affordable space for LGBTQI People of Color to cultivate their total well being. Through our programs, LGBTQI People of Color develop mindfulness-based spiritual practices by deepening their connection to their bodies and their spirit, and exploring the healing power of nature.

Originally Posted on May 9, 2012
Vegetalismo is an indigenous shamanic practice in the Shipibo tradition. Vegetalismo utilizes the extraordinary healing powers of master plant medicine from the Peruvian Amazon. It’s used for a wide range of problems, from depression and advanced-stage cancer to spiritual crisis. April and Christine are excited to share the strange and exciting stories (and their accompanying pictures) of the profound healing and spiritual teachings that we came home with from our recent 3-week journey. Think hot pepper topical treatments, the purifying smoke of burning tires, and vomitives followed by more vomitives…and those are just the physical aspects!  We will also be sharing with you plans to take a group of folks, in partnership with our friend Cristina Orbe, back to the Amazon for healing in December, just in time for the end of the Mayan Calendar!  

WHEN: Wednesday, May 23th, 2012, 7-9pm. 

 PLEASE RSVP to [email protected] and we will send you the address!

Posted on January 15, 2012
Zenyu is at a super-exciting stage of development. We are now recruiting a diverse Board of Directors that reaches beyond our immediate circle of friends/ organizers/ etc. We were just born and are seeking more loving family members to help raise us into the compassionate, fierce nonprofit organization that we know we can be! 

Zenyu is a spiritually-based organization committed to providing venues for healing and community-building in queer people of color (QPOC) communities in the Seattle area. We provide opportunities for QPOC’s and allies to have exposure and opportunity to find our rightful place in nature as well as facilitating sacred sound healing, meditation circles and ceremonies. Zenyu honors many spiritual traditions, but is not affiliated with any religious institutions.

We are a new organization embarking on a strategic planning process that will ground our future work in a mission and vision.  We will be developing a fiscal plan & fundraising strategy that will sustain our work  and allow us to become a long-term resource for our communities. We are interested in engaging in an authentic community assessment and shaping future programing on our findings.

Our intention is to create a board with access to a diverse network of contacts & resources.  This includes people with diverse backgrounds, as well as varied levels of professional & life experience. You do not need previous board experience to apply.  We will be striking a balance between those who are new to boards and those with previous experience.  

We hope you can be a part of this! The spiritual/personal growth of our board members is key to the success of Zenyu (and vice versa). We will be creating a mutually-beneficial relationship between Zenyu and our board members, as we each grow.

We are asking for a commitment of two years on the board. This includes:
- General Board meetings (once a month). Minimum 2-hour meeting time.  Additional preparation time may be required.
-Committee Meetings (which meet at the discretion of the committee). Average of 1 hour per month.  ALL Board Members are required to sit on at least one Committee per year.
-Volunteering at Zenyu events & Fundraisers  (about 5 times a year). Time varies for each event; however, anticipate frequent committee meetings, tasks, and event participation.
-Annual Spiritual Wilderness Board Retreat, June 15-17, 2012 for visioning, community-building, strategic planning and more!
 
Applications are due by February 5, 2012.  Please email to: [email protected] with the subject line “Board Application” followed by your name.  If you have questions, contact us directly at [email protected] or refer to our FAQ page at http://zenyuhealing.wordpress.com/about/ .

To make this nourishing and sacred brew, we invite all participants to share a single vegetable offering. We will have vegan and non-vegan options.

Space is limited so please buy your tickets now at: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/215535.

*alright, alright. We welcome all beets  but we do ask people to refrain from wearing any scented products of any kind in our space. Other accessibility concerns? Please contact us at [email protected].

Originally Posted on November 23, 2011
“Music is the inner or universal language of God.” – Sri Chimnoy

My throat still hurts from all the passionate belting we did after last night’s first-everCommunity Music Night* at Yummy House & Temple. Inspired renditions of TLC’s “Unpretty”, Stevie Nicks’s classic “Landslide”, and inexplicably the Beach Boys (w/ John Stamos on drums, remember that?!) “Kokomo” were one of many songs that rocked the Temple last night. Guitars, a clarinet, a cello, and a piano clanged along together in beautiful, sometimes-discordant (un)harmony, with some of us struggling at first to find the (musical) key. The songs may have started out a little rocky at first, but boy once we got into the groove, we really rocked that sh@&! Stay tuned for the next Community Music Night in December! Until then, join us for this month’s POC Hike on Saturday, Nov 26th and Meditation and Sound Healing for POCs on Tuesday, Nov 29th. Get at us for more info!

*Community Music Night is a monthly event that is open to ALL folks (POCs AND allies!) who want to get together and create music. Music is an integral part of all spiritual traditions everywhere and for good reason: it’s a lot of fun!  OK well there’s A LOT more to it than that (I’ll be writing more later) but for now, I can’t say it any better than Hazrat Inayat Khan, the Sufi master who said:

Originally Posted on October 20, 2011
We’ve decided not to host our monthly hike this Saturday, October 22nd.  As folks may know, there has been much activity this past week by People of Color to heighten racial awareness and decolonize the Occupy Seattle movement.  A Day of Solidarity has been announced for Saturday, October 22nd, with events starting at noon at Westlake Center. To do what we can to support, we will instead host a group meditation to support the People of Color (POC) Caucus in the Peoples Movement Rally (part of Occupy Seattle). We will then take the Light Rail to Westlake together to join in activities.

We feel it is important for people of color to have a voice in mainstream progressive & radical movements.  We also recognize that many POC’s have not felt safe to participate fully in the Occupy Seattle protest. As an organization, Zenyu does not support polarizing and fear-based politics.  Instead, we strive to remember the inherent goodness of all people, including the top 1%, while at the same time holding all people responsible for their actions in creating a just world.   We view these exciting times of Great Earth Change as unique and much-needed opportunities to practice compassion, remember our shared humanity, and join in the creation of a world that actually serves Life.

So join us Saturday.  Let’s bring the glorious light of our Souls to this mofo!!  Any questions? Email us at [email protected]!

WHAT: Pre-march Meditation & Centering ceremony

WHEN: Saturday, October 22, 2011, 10 AM.

WHERE: Occupy Yummy House & Temple (a.k.a. Hilda, Christine & April’s House)

2828 S. Frontenac, Seattle, WA 98108

across from the Van Asselt Community Center, on Bus route 36, off of Beacon & Myrtle

After the Meditation, we’ll carpool to Othello Station down the hill and Light Rail it to Westlake.

And if you need to borrow a rainjacket (it’s gonna rain), we’ll hook you up!

Details of the march and rally: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=207983679270672