SYRA SMITH
Insight Meditation & Mindfulness
Insight Meditation & Mindfulness
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Syra Smith is an artist, organizer and mindfulness educator interested in deep ecology and manifesting a culture where we can turn toward fearless abundance and generosity.
An SF Bay Area native and lifelong meditator, Syra began her personal meditation practice as a teen in 1988 and has been practicing in the Theravada Buddhist tradition since 2009. She graduated EBMC’s Commit to Dharma study program in 2011 and Spirit Rock Meditation Center's Community Dharma Leadership Training in 2017. Syra is a Community Teacher with the East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland California, where she is co-creating space with one of the most diverse communities of dharma practitioners in the US. Syra has served in many roles with EBMC over several years including the Center’s Fundraising Event Manager and Development Associate in earlier days. There, Syra helped to raise community and a robust generosity driven Center economy. Syra has been educating and working with young people for more than 20 years. She coordinated and co-facilitated EBMC’s weekly Teen Sangha and eventually established and served as Co-Guiding Teacher for the Center’s first peer-led Young Adult Deep Refuge Group. Syra has been committed to offering tools for resiliency to at-risk and incarcerated youth. In 2013 Syra Founded Oakland’s Dana Cafe, a monthly gathering offering transformational teachings at no cost to participants. One of 7 recipients nationwide, in 2014 Syra became a Sharing Cities Fellow and founded the East Bay ShareFest. After serving as lead organizer for 2 consecutive years, this decentralized open collaboration brought together over 80 local sharing projects and organizations in solidarity. Syra works with Resolve to Stop the Violence, an award winning program in the San Francisco County Jail System utilizing contemplative and restorative practices to impact violence and recidivism in our prison communities. Syra co-leads Spirit Rock Meditation Center's Monday night Community Welcome group for new practitioners and beginning meditators. She teaches Insight Meditation and mindfulness throughout the SF Bay Area and beyond and is a Core Teacher with the San Francisco LGBT Sangha. Syra currently resides in Lake County, California with her wife of 24 years and 5 precious felines! |
Syra is Leading Regular Online Meditation & Practice Groups Accessible via Zoom. Please view upcoming sits below and join us!
(see how to Zoom) These classes are being offered freely and are supported by the generosity of our community Tue 11/10 7pm-8:30pm Alphabet Sangha - East Bay Meditation Center (Offered for members of the LGBTQ+ Community) Zoom info: Please email “alphabetsangha at eastbaymeditation dot org” to request Zoom link. Mon 11/16, 5:30-6:30pm San Francisco LGBT Sangha (Offered for members of the LGBTQ+ Community) https://zoom.us/j/844085275 Meeting ID: 844 085 275 Password: (Check weekly email or write us to get it) For more, please explore Recordings and Talks by Syra Contact Syra: syra@projectroot.org You may offer dana to support Syra's teachings via Venmo if you are so inclined: @Syra-Smith |