The Buddha said that the object of our practice should be first of all, our own self. Your ability to love another person depends on your ability to love yourself. Thich Nhat Hanh says, “If you’re not able to accept yourself, how could you accept another person?” In mettā practice, receiving care from the benefactor or ally is so that love and caring for your own self increases. Because we are truly born for love. As you learn to receive love from others, this deepens your love for your own self. And this mettā manifests in the world around you.
Pawan Bareja, PhD
Residential Retreat Teacher
Pawan Bareja, PhD has practiced Vipassana meditation since 2001. She is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Teacher Training, a Buddhist Ritual Minister and a Community Dharma Leader at Spirit Rock. She has taught classes and daylongs on healing trauma using mindfulness at Spirit Rock, San Francisco Insight, EBMC, and Esalen. In her private practice as Trauma Resolution Practitioner, Pawan works with a diverse population of clients and teaches mindfulness meditation. For the past 18 years, Pawan has been a senior assistant at Somatic Experiencing trauma healing trainings and has traveled to India to teach this work to professional care providers.
Pawan Bareja's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | Online
Sunday, January 19 | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Nourishing Our Roots: Healing Ancestral Trauma
5 CE Credits. While the Dharma brings us to the present moment, you may realize that your present moment is influenced by the trauma of your ancestors, whose emotions still echo within you. Trauma can be passed down through generations because the DNA of our ancestors flows in our bloodstream. To break the cycle of our intergenerational trauma, this daylong will involve ritual, introspection, movement, and inquiry in order to delve deep into the veins of our ancestral trauma and release it.
Pawan Bareja
Class Series | Online | Dharma Institute
February 20 - March 27, 2025 | Thursday - Thursday | 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Healing Our Heart: Resolving Trauma, Reclaiming Resiliency
7.5 CE Credits. When faced with trauma or life stressors, our soft, tender heart can get hurt and close itself to the beauty and love all around us. To manage this angst, we may binge-watch movies or doom-scroll on social media. But if we learn to fully open to our wounds, we can unearth the post-traumatic growth opportunities hidden within them. Using science-backed resiliency practices, we’ll learn to reconnect with our strength and aliveness and shift away from habitual fight, flight, freeze reactions.
Pawan Bareja
Upcoming Drop-Ins
Drop-in | Online
Monday, January 13 | 7:15 PM - 9:15 PM
Monday Night Meditation & Talk
For over 35 years, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice Insight Meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a Dharma talk.
Pawan Bareja
Drop-in | Online
Sunday, January 26 | 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
BIPOC Voices: Weekly Sunday Saṅgha
Open to all self-identified BIPOC.
The Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Saṅgha is a weekly gathering of self-identified BIPOC practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore the Dharma in light of our experiences. Beginners and experienced meditators are welcome.
Pawan Bareja
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Pawan Bareja through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.