DISCOVERING WHAT DEATH CAN TEACH US ABOUT LIFE AND WHAT LIFE CAN TEACH US ABOUT DEATH


STARTING JANUARY 2026

This year long training program, based on the book A Year to Live by Stephen Levine, is designed for people of all walks of life and stages of life. In community, we will focus on waking up and living life more fully through the exploration of death as a spiritual practice.

Most aspects of our largely death-denying modern culture discourage us from actively contemplating the inevitability of our death, or that it may meet us at any time. 

The prophets and sages recommend a very different approach to the fact of life's transience: that we use remembrance of death, not to put us in a state of anxiety or morbidness, but as a contemplative practice to assist us in our journey to awaken to that which does not die but lives beyond the ephemeral nature of our lives in this world. 

Their lives bear witness to the fact that there is a way to die to the attachments and distortions of the ego and come to the realization of a deeper self that transcends death and the perishing realm. This is reflected in the prophetic injunction, "die before you die." 

This core teaching of all wisdom traditions—that we can realize that which is eternal and transcends our physical bodies—paradoxically provides the means to live more fully and more presently while savoring the gift of each precious breath on earth. 

Ultimately, this is a year-long practice in living with presence and intention; as well as forgiveness and gratitude, while letting go of what no longer serves us on our journey. 

Through reflections from sacred texts, the prophetic teachings, and the great sages—as well as guided meditations, inquiry and small group discussions— we will journey with the support of community, through a process of living this year as if it were our last. 

All are warmly welcome!



Program Includes

  • Teachings: Monthly (12) large group sessions

  • Community Support: Monthly (12) micro-cohort sessions

  • Private Groups: Ongoing engagement with community and spaces for sharing

  • Home Practices: Guided meditations, readings & journaling

  • Access: Video and audio recordings

Participation Commitment

You’ll meet twice each month — once with the large group and once with your Micro-Cohort. Together, these two monthly sessions form the rhythm of the program. Participants are expected to do the following:

  • Attend at least 9 of the 12 monthly large group sessions — the first session is required to establish trust, safety, and shared commitment within the group container.

  • Attend at least 9 of the 12 monthly Micro-Cohort sessions.

  • Participate as fully as possible — with video on and full engagement during sessions.

  • Complete assigned readings, practices, and reflections.

Main Facilitators

This training is taught by 4 lead facilitators who each bring a unique area of specialization to the program.

Teacher & Facilitator Baraka Blue

Baraka Blue is a Sufi poet, musician, author and founder of Rumi Center. In addition to releasing multiple studio albums, authoring books of poetry, and performing internationally, he has a degree in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Washington and a Masters in Islamic Studies from Berkley’s Graduate Theological Union. After a life-altering encounter with Rumi’s poetry as a teenager he has been a student of Sufism and Sufi poetry for the past 20 years.

Teacher & Facilitator Micah Anderson

Micah Anderson is a meditation teacher and Associate Marriage Family Therapist. He is the Program Director for the Mind Body Awareness Project, an Oakland, CA.-based non-profit that provides mindfulness and emotional literacy groups and therapy to incarcerated populations, in a variety of settings. Micah has taught retreats and led trainings on mindfulness and emotional literacy in five countries, and has lead a variety of meditation groups in the Bay Area. He has a private psychotherapy practice in Oakland

Teacher & Facilitator Adeyinka Mendes

Imam Adeyinka Mendes is co-founder of the Bilal Spiritual Center and the African-American Healing, Ancestry, and Development (AHAD) Collective. He is currently the Senior Scholar at WASAT. Adeyinka Mendes is an Ohio native with Yoruba, Brazilian, and African-American ancestry, he embraced Islam at seventeen and went on to study history at Morehouse College and Arabic at the Ohio State University, as well as the Islamic sciences primarily in Syria, Mauritania, Nigeria, and the United States. He works as an interpreter of sacred texts, teacher of Arabic and Islamic Sciences, and community Imam, as well as a rites of passage leadership consultant who continues to read with scholars and students.

Teacher & Facilitator Tasnim Benhalim

Tasnim Benhalim brings over 25 years of experience in culture, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) with a focus on team-building and leadership. She is a certified facilitator (CDTLF) of Brené Brown's Dare to Lead™️ work. And, together with the team at DiversityWealth, delivers a range of programs, such as Thriving in the New Normal™️ and Allies in Community™️ that support and connect cultures and generations to build bridges of understanding and belonging.

Guest Teachers

In addition to our four lead teachers, we feature several guest teachers whose sessions offer valuable insights from their areas of specialization.

  • Arshe Ahmed (live)

  • Sohaib Sultan, rA (recording)

  • Abdal Hakim Murad (recording)

  • Abdallah Rothman (recording)

  • Ieasha Prime (recording)

  • Mirabai Starr (recording)

Course Curriculum

  1. Welcome to A Year to Live

  2. January - The Prognosis & The Practice

  3. February - Fear of Death & Dying

  4. March - Who or What Dies?

  5. April - What Comes Next?

  6. May - Grief

Program Dates & Times

We will meet twice each month — once on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. The second Saturday session is 3 hours and the fourth Saturday session is 90 minutes. 

— 2nd Saturdays (10:00 AM–1:00 PM PST)

  • Jan 10, Feb 14, Mar 14
  • Apr 11, May 9, June 13
  • Jul 11, Aug 8, Sep 12
  • Oct 10, Nov 14, Dec 12

— 4th Saturdays (10:00 AM–11:30 AM PST)

  • Jan 24, Feb 28, Mar 28
  • Apr 25, May 23, Jun 27
  • Jul 25, Aug 22, Sep 26
  • Oct 24, Nov 28, Dec 26


Time commitment varies, and like all things—you get out of it what you put into it. We meet every other week, alternating between large group and Micro-Cohort sessions, and as long as you can dedicate a few hours each week, you’ll be able to stay engaged and keep up with the course. 


Location

We will be meeting online using https://zoom.us 


Cost

Participants can choose one of two payment options:

- Monthly plan: $99/month for 12 months

- One-time payment: $900 (best value — save $288)

Payments are processed automatically and remain due whether or not you complete the program.

Registration closes on December 31st.

Pricing Options

Testimonials

Nazeema

Overall, I really enjoyed this course. A huge thank you to all those involved. There were several things that enabled this. Firstly, the facilitators were simply outstanding - Micah, Baraka, Sh Mendes, Tasnim, and others. The guest speakers were also inspirational and added much value to my learning. I absolutely loved the international flavour of the course and it being online made it very accessible. I loved the respectful way in which people of different faiths were included, with our dear Bilal giving translations in the chat box every time an Arabic word was mentioned :) I loved the focus on meditation and journalling, and allowing enough space for people to speak. There was incredible wisdom in the group and this was beautifully facilitated. The presence of our dear Imam Sohaib Sultan had such an impact on me, he is with me in my prayers so often and his words continue to ring inside of me. May he be granted the highest place in Jannah, Ameen. I loved the flexibility of the course with us being able to witness his janazah.

Neha

I had a very positive, insightful, introspective, and productive experience. This course was therapeutic and nourishing for the soul. It was like having heart surgery then having a hundred friends and family support you through the recovery. I am very grateful for this experience.

Ameera

I can honestly say it was one of the most life-changing things I have ever attended.

We look forward to embarking on this year long journey with you.

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