What we’re about
OutBreath is a community in Boston for all LGBTQ people interested in meditation, mindfulness, and Buddhism. We started our journey as an organization in 2009.
OutBreath's mission is to build community and create welcoming events where every person can find inner freedom and outer realization through meditation. We work with meditation centers across all Buddhist lineages to create LGBTQ-affirming meditation classes, workshops, community events, and residential retreats.
We welcome LGBTQ people of all ages, identities, and backgrounds. Come as you are. Whether you are brand new to meditation, a long-term practitioner or anywhere in between, you are warmly invited!
Also, check out these other OutBreath resources:
Join OutBreath on Facebook! Join our Facebook community for fun discussions, wisdom, Dharma humor, and info. on events you may enjoy. facebook.com/groups/OutBreath/
Sign up for OutBreath emails! To get the latest/greatest updates on OutBreath, sign up for our email list! You'll get the information on upcoming OutBreath events and ways you can get involved in OutBreath. Our email list is strictly private. It is never shared and used only for monthly member updates. http://outbreath.us2.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=8c3b25c5422d40151980cb2b9&id=480dc85c71
Check out OutBreath on the Web! To see upcoming OutBreath events and, check out our website: www.outbreath.org. There will be many more developments to come. Our vision for outbreath.org is to offer many free services for you, including:
• Curated content on LGBTQ issues
• LGBTQ-specific Dharma talks
• Videos
• Podcasts
• Blogs
• ...and more!
Medtation Classes for Beginners: If you're brand-new to meditation, OutBreath is the perfect place to get started! We work with LGBTQ-affirming meditation centers to offer a variety of introductory workshops taught by renowned, local meditation teachers. Beginner programs are offered in multiple Buddhist lineages. You'll be joining other LGBTQ friends who are brand new in an LGBTQ-affirming community. We'll announce beginner's workshops and seminars here on Meetup.
We look forward to seeing you at an OutBreath event soon!
May all beings have comfort of heart
May all beings be free from suffering
May all beings live in love and in understanding
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Garrison Virtual LGBTQIA+ SanghaLink visible for attendees
Take a mindful break from your life at noon (eastern) on the first Tuesday of the month with a loving, supportive LGBTQIA+ meditation community!
Garrison Institute's new LGBTQIA+ Sangha is a gathering of self-identified LGBTQIA+ practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore contemplative practices. This sangha cultivates an environment that welcomes diverse voices and builds community.
The guided meditations will be facilitated every first Tuesday of the month by experienced teachers and practitioners Jacoby Ballard (he/him) and Isabel Adon (she/her).
NOTE: To register, you must sign up on the Garrison LGBTQIA+ Sangha website in order to receive the Zoom link. You can register anytime; there is no charge. Garrison will send you a unique Zoom link that will work for all virtual sangha events.
**Click here to register and receive the Zoom link. **Enjoy!
- LGBTQIA+ Retreat: Waking Up Fabulous – Taking Refuge & Care (2025)Garrison Institute, Garrison, NY
WAKING UP FABULOUS: TAKING REFUGE & CARE
A MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND LGBTQIA+ RETREAT IN GARRISON, NYOpen to all who identify as: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, or Queer +. Co-sponsored by the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, and Cambridge Insight Meditation Center.
This retreat is an opportunity for us to come together as an LGBTIQ+ community and care for ourselves: to remember who we really are and to recollect our true inner goodness. We will explore ways of sustaining a kind heart, a clear open mind, and a strong body. We will engage with the ancient teachings and practices offered by the Buddha that cultivate compassion, wisdom, and skillful actions.
This retreat will be held in Noble Silence. In silence, we are illuminating the heart and mind. It is a real-time practice of stillness and clarity. Participants are asked and expected to refrain from using any electronic devices. This allows for a rare opportunity to unplug and get to know our own reality show with compassion and wisdom. Within this commitment, we are the guardians to each other’s solitude while in this precious community. The more we know and understand our inner landscape, the more we are able to engage with others and the world with both skill and grace.
Guided meditation instructions, Q&A, heart practices, gentle yoga, group meetings with a teacher, and dharma talks will be offered on this retreat. Hope you can join us!
A limited number of scholarships are available. Click here to apply.
Teachers:
Madeline Klyne has been practicing insight meditation for over 30 years. Madeline is a co-founder and teacher at South Shore Insight in Hanover, MA, a teacher at Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, and an assistant teacher at the Insight Meditation Center in Barre, MA. https://www.dharma.org/teacher/madeline-klyne/
Isabel Adon, LCSW is an Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapist and Trainer. She has over 20 years of experience in the mental health field. Isabel works with individuals, children and families.Movement Teacher
Jacoby Ballard has been teaching yoga for 20 years and now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his partner and child. His teaching style is playful and profound, integrating the teachings of the dharma into how we move and breath on our mats and with each other.Retreat Manager
La Sarmiento (they/them) is a teacher with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, and Cloud Sangha and contributor to the Ten Percent Happier app. La lives with their life partner Wendy and rescue pups Annabel and Bader and loves the mindfulness practice of building Lego. To learn more about La's work please visit this page.FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER:
Please go to: https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/event/lgbtqia-retreat-waking-up-fabulous-taking-refuge-care-2025/ - Garrison Virtual LGBTQIA+ SanghaLink visible for attendees
Take a mindful break from your life at noon (eastern) on the first Tuesday of the month with a loving, supportive LGBTQIA+ meditation community!
Garrison Institute's new LGBTQIA+ Sangha is a gathering of self-identified LGBTQIA+ practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore contemplative practices. This sangha cultivates an environment that welcomes diverse voices and builds community.
The guided meditations will be facilitated every first Tuesday of the month by experienced teachers and practitioners Jacoby Ballard (he/him) and Isabel Adon (she/her).
NOTE: To register, you must sign up on the Garrison LGBTQIA+ Sangha website in order to receive the Zoom link. You can register anytime; there is no charge. Garrison will send you a unique Zoom link that will work for all virtual sangha events.
**Click here to register and receive the Zoom link. **Enjoy!
