Sparrow Bar & Kitchen To Host Regular Monday Meditation Sessions

Sparrow Bar & Kitchen To Host Regular Monday Meditation SessionsPhoto: Camden Avery/Hoodline
Camden Avery
Published on January 12, 2017

Next Monday, January 16th is the inaugural session of Meditation Mondays, a new meditation series on Monday evenings hosted by Zen practitioner and Saltwater Buddha author Jamail Yogis.

But Meditation Mondays won't be held at a yoga studio or a Zen center—instead, it'll take place at Sparrow Bar & Kitchen (1640 Haight St.), which is otherwise closed to the public on Mondays. 

Sparrow co-owner Veronica Lopez has known Yogis for years, since they were volunteers together in a village in Costa Rica. When she heard he was looking for a space to host meditation sessions, she offered up Sparrow. 

The series, which is open to the public for a suggested $20 donation, will be a weekly two-hour session incorporating qigong and zazen, and "will teach the Buddhist psychology of mindfulness," Yogis said in his announcement of the series. It'll be hosted on Sparrow's back deck, weather permitting.

The first session will also include a screening of Yogis' film based on Saltwater Buddhawhich documents his quest to find zen through surfing. 

"There's a lot to dig into," Yogis said, "but the basic gist is that we'll become expert 'mind surfers.' When our mental waves are good, learning to be present with them makes them more impactful. But if we can be fully present with sadness or anger or fear, those emotions can be further carved up, and don't have to be negatives."

Trailer for Saltwater Buddha.