Sebene Selassie is a meditation teacher and certified Integral Coach®. She has been studying Buddhism since majoring in Comparative Religious Studies as an undergrad at McGill University. For over 20 years she worked with children, youth, and families nationally and internationally for small and large not–for–profits. Her work has taken her everywhere from the Tenderloin in San Francisco to refugee camps in Guinea, West Africa. Sebene is a two–time breast cancer survivor.
True belonging — a sense of connection, freedom, and joy — is possible in any moment, in any circumstance, for anyone. However, true belonging is not a destination; it is the process of continually reconnecting to the present moment, including everything happening in our lives and in our world. In this current moment, we may be feeling the belonging of interconnection: Everyone in the world is in the same rough waters of a global pandemic. Every American is tied to the history of slavery and anti-Black racism. But we also may feel the separateness of varying circumstances: We have differing "boats" to traverse these waters. We may have benefited or been oppressed by systems of institutionalized white supremacy. We belong to it all. Our practice teaches us to recognize our differences while never letting go of our inherent interconnection.
