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Election Day Sacred Pause
November 5 @ 11:00 am - 11:30 am
FreeBEAM is creating virtual spaces throughout the election day of November 5th, 2024. We recognize this election has high stakes and brings cause for a Pause for reflection, for resilience, and collective calm as we navigate this historical Election Day together.
Join us throughout the day – all time zones. BEAM will be holding a series of 15-20 minute opportunities for those who are stressed out, concerned, heavy, and nervous about this election to pause, exhale and regulate together.
BEAM will be joined by our amazing facilitators and showcase wellness tools for participants to leave with. Join us for one or all three sessions.
Registration is required for the Zoom Session only. All three sessions will be recorded for future use.
Morning Session:
Instagram Live | 5am PST/ 7am CST/ 8am EST
Opening Practice led by Yolo Akili Robinson
Afternoon Session:
Zoom | 11 am PST/ 1pm CST/ 2pm EST
Guided Pause led by Natalie Patterson
Evening Session:
Instagram Live | 6:30pm PST/ 8:30pm CST/ 9:30pm EST
Closing Meditation Practice led by Alli Simon, ED of Black Being
Accessibility Statement: ASL services are available, as well as closed captioning. ASL needs must be indicated by Thursday October 24, 2024
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Disclaimer: BEAM’s programs are meant for educational purposes only. They do not substitutes for a relationship with a licensed or trained wellness practitioner. By attending this event, you agree that you understand that this program is not a clinical therapeutic service.
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About the Facilitators:
Yolo Akili Robinson is a nonbinary writer, healing justice worker, yogi, and the founder and executive director of Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM). BEAM builds ecosystems of care for Black communities through Black-led training, grantmaking, and education using a healing justice framework. Under his leadership, BEAM has become a leading organization dedicated to mental health in Black communities.
Yolo leads the development of community-based systems of care that provide Black mental health and wellness practitioners, families, and racial justice movements with healing tools, crisis support skills, and funding to cultivate wellness. BEAM has received support from the MacArthur Foundation, Blue Shield, and the Satterberg Foundation. In 2018, Yolo received the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Equity Award and, in 2023, he was recognized by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy for Minority Mental Health Month. He was also featured in an “Empowerful Spotlight” at the 2020 BET Awards. Yolo has channeled his dedication to healing justice into radically reimagining care systems and building alternatives that support the wellness and liberation of Black communities.
Natalie Patterson (she/her/Queen) identifies as a Teaching Artist, and uses her dynamic range of expertise to masterfully make tangible abstract concepts. Natalie has the unique ability to bridge one’s personal experiences with the larger cultural occurrences using art, performance and custom workshops. Over the last 18 years, Natalie has crafted time-tested approaches to fostering cultures of growth, curiosity, compassion, and integrity. As a poet and educator, she has worked extensively in non-profit, higher education and with major brands like Sephora, Uproxx, The United Way, Summit, Darling Magazine, Adidas Women, TASTEMADE and SoulPancake. She speaks her mind, from inspiration to social justice she is equally inspired.
Alli Simon (she/her) is a 5th generation Angeleno from South LA with over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Deeply committed to creating an inclusive Los Angeles where all people are supported and liberated, Alli holds an M.A. in Management from the University of Redlands and a B.A. in Communications – Public Relations from CSU Fullerton. Since 2009, meditation has been a cornerstone for Alli, supporting her through personal challenges, grief and loss. After years of self-study and solo practice, she attended yoga teacher training with Green Tree Yoga and Meditation in 2014 and participated in her first Vipassana meditation retreat with S.N. Goenka. This personal journey evolved into more study and practice and ultimately a mission to expand access to meditation and movement, particularly for historically marginalized communities. Alli is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Black Being, a certified yoga instructor (300 RYT Yoga Alliance & LMU) and meditation facilitator (Insight LA), a community organizer, and adidas Community Ambassador. She also serves as the Senior Lead for Wellbeing and Healing Justice at Social Justice Partners Los Angeles (SJPLA), where she leads healing justice and community care workshops that address the mental, physical, and emotional toll of caretaking, especially for BIPOC workers.