When any of the hindrances arise, there might be this inclination to slam on the brakes and say “No, I don’t like this. This doesn’t belong in my practice.” As we slam on the brakes we spin out and lose control. We lose the plot in our practice. The invitation is to bring a sense of tenderness—some nourishment, some kindness when we see these arise in our experience. To begin to bring some gentleness, some compassion. We’re falling into the flow to see how we can move with this, how we can allow it to be a portal of wisdom.
Leslie Booker
Residential Retreat Teacher, Movement Teacher
Booker brings her heart to the intersection of Dharma, Embodied Wisdom, and Liberation; using this framework to support folks in creating a culture of belonging. She shares her offerings as a university lecturer, public speaker, and Buddhist philosophy and meditation teacher.
Booker began training at Spirit Rock through the Mindful Yoga and Meditation training (2012), and supported by her teacher Gina Sharpe, continued her formal Dharma teacher training in the Community Dharma Leaders Training (2017), and the 4 year Retreat Teacher training (2020). Throughout these years, she worked as the Director of Teacher Trainings for Lineage Project where she shared the practices of yoga and mindfulness with incarcerated and system involved youth for over a decade. She also facilitated a Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy intervention with the youth population on Rikers Island through the LionHeart Foundation and the National Institute of Health, and shared these practices with New York City’s most vulnerable populations through several other NYC non - profits. This is where she learned to take her practice off the cushion and into everyday life.
She has spoken at several conferences including Mind & Life’s International Symposium and Wisdom 2.0’s Mindfulness in America Conferences, and has been a featured speaker and facilitator at the Fetzer Institute, Vassar and Pitzer Colleges, and the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia. She’s especially passionate about supporting folks on the front lines to thrive in their work, and training future leaders through the Peace Corps’ Jaffe Fellows and Teaching Residents at Teachers College at Columbia University, as well as the Dalai Lama Fellows.
Booker is a co-author of ‘Best Practices for Yoga in a Criminal Justice Setting’, a contributor to Georgetown Law's ‘Gender & Trauma—Somatic Interventions for Girls in Juvenile Justice’, contributed to Sharon Salzberg's book ‘Happiness at Work’ and Dr. Rima Vesely - Flad’s book ‘Black Buddhist and the Black Radical Tradition’. Her writing and other work can be found in Lion’s Roar, Tricycle Magazine, Yoga Journal and 10% Happier. She is a co-founder of the Yoga Service Council at Omega Institute and the Meditation Working Group of Occupy Wall Street. In 2020 she was a Sojourner Truth Leadership Fellow through Auburn Seminary, and was voted by her peers as one of the 12 Powerful Women in the Mindfulness Movement. She currently lives in Philadelphia with her partner and pup, and is a Co-Guiding Teacher of New York Insight.
Leslie Booker's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land
November 3 - November 8, 2024 | Sunday - Friday | 5 nights
Nourishing the Beautiful: A Retreat for the LGBTQIA+ Community
Open to all self-identified LGBTQIA+.
Spaces Available. Awakening to the beauty that is within and around us is an essential part of the Buddhist path, and it is particularly important to those of us who have been taught to view ourselves and the world in a different light. Practicing together, we will closely consider—and deeply nurture—what beauty means for us, both individually and collectively. This retreat supports all levels of practice and inclusivity for LGBTQIA+, GNC, and non-binary communities, and is open to all levels of experience.
Retreat | On-Land
December 1 - December 7, 2024 | Sunday - Saturday | 6 nights
In the Presence of Love: A Mettā & Qigong Retreat
Spaces Available. This retreat focuses on cultivating lovingkindness (mettā in Pāli), infusing our hearts, minds, and bodies with a strong, caring wisdom. Lovingkindness practices open the heart, allow a kind embrace of ourselves, and connect us intimately with all of life. Qigong—a practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness—perfectly complements traditional sitting meditation practice and has a well-established connection to contemplative traditions. On this retreat, lovingkindness practices will be supported by guided instruction as well as Qigong, meditation, and meetings with teachers.
Retreat | Online | Hybrid
December 7 - December 8, 2024 | Saturday - Sunday | 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Living in the Mystery: How to Practice with Uncertainty
A sense of certainty allows us to feel that there's solid ground beneath us, yet every form of comfort rests on an unreliable foundation. Confronting the reality of instability can evoke fear, anxiety, and grief. The teachings remind us that liberation arises from a true understanding of the Three Marks of Existence: impermanence or Change (anicca); suffering or unsatisfactoriness (dukkha); and not-self or insubstantiality (anattā). In this retreat we will explore these teachings through Dharma talks, group discussions, and meditations.
Retreat | On-Land Non-Residential | Hybrid
December 7 - December 8, 2024 | Saturday - Sunday | 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Living in the Mystery: How to Practice with Uncertainty
A sense of certainty allows us to feel that there's solid ground beneath us, yet every form of comfort rests on an unreliable foundation. Confronting the reality of instability can evoke fear, anxiety, and grief. The teachings remind us that liberation arises from a true understanding of the Three Marks of Existence: impermanence or Change (anicca); suffering or unsatisfactoriness (dukkha); and not-self or insubstantiality (anattā). In this retreat we will explore these teachings through Dharma talks, group discussions, and meditations.
Retreat | On-Land
June 27 - July 3, 2025 | Friday - Thursday | 7 nights
This is How Civilizations Heal: The Alchemy of the Three Poisons -
Open to all self-identified BIPOC. Registration Opens November 13, 2024.The three poisons—greed, aversion, and delusion—are mind states that cloud the heart and mind. However, by clearly recognizing the three poisons, we can meet them with their antidotes of generosity, mettā, and wisdom. Generosity expands our ability to feel connected and reminds us that we belong to each other. Mettā opens the heart, protecting us from both inner and outer harm, while wisdom allows us to see things right sized as we move through the world.
Retreat | On-Land
July 4 - July 8, 2025 | Friday - Tuesday | 4 nights
Moving into Meditation: Mindful Yoga and Embodied Dharma
Registration Opens - March 4. Nourish your body, mind, and heart and reconnect with what matters most to you. Through gentle, mindful yoga—suitable for all levels of physical ability—you’ll calm and balance your nervous system, unwinding the physical and emotional knots that can block your connection to open-hearted presence. You’ll also practice meditation seated, standing, walking, and lying down, learning skills that can help you stay grounded, centered, and open-hearted as you take your practice off the mat and cushion and back into the world.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Leslie Booker through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.