We teach people how to pay attention. We connect people to the earth. We build economic solidarity.
These are old technologies - mindfulness, earth-work, mutual aid. They are getting lost in the race to the future. In the constant "disruption" of the present, we are cutting ourselves off from the wisest traditions of the past.
"To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul," wrote Simone Weil, French philosopher and political refugee during World War II. Rootedness means living bonds to sources of energy that help people lead fulfilling, joyful, and ethical lives. "Uprootedness," on the other hand, is a "near-universal condition" afflicting the human soul (aka consciousness) "resulting from the destruction of ties with the past and the dissolution of community." (Weil, The Need For Roots, 1952)
"Destruction of ties with the past and the dissolution of community …"
Sound familiar? It's how we live now and what we are experiencing today.
Featured Programs
Mindfulness
Clubs
Mindfulness Club helps high school students train the mind for wise decisions and healthy relationships.
Mindfulness
Circles
Mindfulness Circles offer adults a moment of freedom. Family mindfulness Circles includes free childcare on site.
Freedom
Fund
Freedom Fund offers no-interest loans to members of select Mindfulness Circles, helping reduce interest on debt.
Wellness
Dividends
Wellness Dividends are a way for people with low wealth to improve their economic security and overall well-being.
Mindfulness Clubs
Mindfulness Clubs help high school students train the mind for wise decision-making and healthy relationships. We teach students how to train their attention. They teach us about the special challenges they face. Together we learn how to apply mindfulness to everyday life. Together we learn how to be admirable friends.
Teens in Palm Beach County face unprecedented challenges to their health and well-being. Connected to phones all day every day, young people are a tap away from cyber bullying, pornography, unethical marketing platforms, peer pressure, and harmful conversations. Is it any wonder so many local teens suffer from anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders?
High school students need new tools to contend with modern challenges. Mindfulness Clubs give students the skills they need to avoid the many distractions and temptations lurking in their phones, in their neighborhoods, and in themselves.
Family Mindfulness Circle offers a moment of freedom to parents and children. While parents enjoy mindfulness of movement, stillness, and authentic connection, children engage in supervised nature-play and light mindfulness activities.
Skills and relationships developed through Family Mindfulness Circle can be transformative for individual and family well-being.
- Children socialize and play outdoors.
- Parents get a break from childcare and a chance to recharge, together with other parents.
By offering holistic well-being for adults and children in the same place, at the same time, with the same purpose, families grow in unity, peace, and understanding.
Tuesdays 6:00-7:30 pm
Cocoplum Nature School
342 N Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach 33444
No experience is necessary. All ages are welcome.
“During the free childcare, my son [who has ADHD] was able to read a whole book from start to finish! We practice the conscious breathing before bed and he is able to fall asleep faster.”
Mindfulness Circles
Soil & Soul Mindfulness Circles are a breath of fresh air. Circles meet weekly in urban nature-spaces in Delray Beach , with access to shelter in case of inclement weather. Just being in these nature-spaces is revitalizing. But co-creating a mindfulness circle under the open sky, in touch with the breeze, birdsong, sunlight, and shade — these gatherings invite us to come to our senses and appreciate the miracle of life.
Regular weekly circles include three main activities:
- Mindfulness of movement – light stretching with awareness of breathing
- Stillness – guided mindfulness meditation
- Heart-talk – structured dialogue for healthy connection
In short, participating in a mindfulness circle is permission to be human for a moment. Several moments. An average circle lasts 75-90 minutes, depending on the number of people present, usually limited to 12-15.
What are the benefits? Energizing the body, renewing the mind, refreshing the spirit. Process thoughts, emotions, and experiences we might not be able to process in isolation. The wisdom of the circle, helping us to grow courage and kindness as well.
Will you gift yourself some time to renew the mind, refresh the spirit, and energize the body in nature? We have two open circles: The Set Circle at The Hive and Family Mindfulness Circle at Cocoplum Nature School.
Fridays 12:30-2:00 pm
The Set Circle at the Hive
34 SW 5 Avenue, Delray Beach 33444
For a glimpse the Family Mindfulness Circle, watch this short video:
Freedom Fund
Freedom Fund provides no-interest loans to active members of two circles in Delray Beach: (1) Family Mindfulness Circle at Cocoplum Nature School, and (2) The Coalition Wellness Circle.
- Active circle membership means attending at least two circles per month and embodying the four agreements with circle members: loving speech, deep listening, no fixing, and confidentiality.
- Members become eligible for Freedom Fund loans after completing four circles. Loan amounts depend on number of circles completed.
Wellness Dividends
To date, we have raised over $250,000 in cash and pledges for Wellness Dividends for residents of The Set.
- From August 2023 to July 2024, we distributed $6,000 per month to members of the Village Academy Mindfulness Circle (12 parents @ $500 each month).
- In June, we added a second circle for more parents – and staff – of Village Academy, increasing our dividend distribution to ~$12,000 per month.
In the absence of a guaranteed income, and in the face of persistent wealth disparities, Wellness Dividends are a way for people with low wealth to improve their economic security and overall well-being.