Mission

OUR MISSION: To make the life-changing practice of Vedic Meditation accessible to all people, transcending borders of culture, class and circumstance, to nurture a more conscious, compassionate world.

OUR VISION: A global community grounded in self-awareness and shared humanity, where meditation serves as a bridge toward understanding, resilience, and lasting peace.

Meditation Without Borders was founded on a simple principle, that a peaceful world starts with a peaceful mind. And that peace, both within and without, is not a privilege, but the birthright of every human being.

We are experiencing a crisis of suffering in the world. Much of that suffering is due to the increasing division between different groups of humans. Whole populations are pushed aside, dehumanized, victimized and ignored: refugees, migrants, prisoners, hospice patients, trauma victims, underprivileged youth, survivors of natural disasters to name a few.

Meditation is scientifically proven to reduce suffering in a multitude of ways, but unfortunately, the people with the most need are often the people who are least likely to have access to it.

The need of the times is to heal the perception of seeing people as “other” and therefore fearing them. Meditation is the ultimate bridge builder, and we endeavor to build those bridges by raising the collective consciousness, one individual at a time.

We exist in order to:

Mothering not “Othering”

In June 2025, Meditation Without Borders traveled to Rwanda to teach the staff and students of the Berwa Kinunu School, an organization that helps single teen mothers with life and tailoring skills as well as psychosocial counseling. Over the course of several days, we taught four hour workshops on “rounding,” a technique combining yoga, breath-work and meditation.

In order to support the young women in their practice, Meditation Without Borders and Berwa Kinunu have a vision to create the first meditation/yoga center in the western region of Rwanda. 

In addition to raising funds for a return teaching trip, we are looking to create a virtual teaching space and enlist other teachers to establish a program of consistent instruction.

Help us make this vision a reality. Come to the NAMASTE AND UBUMWE FUNDRAISER on December 3rd in Sausalito, CA and enjoy an evening of sampling authentic East African food, shopping handcrafted items handmade by the girls of Berwa Kinunu and a live drum performance by the students direct from Rwanda.

Helping the helpers…

My seven year old son said to me the other day, “You know, not all heros wear capes.” He was referring to Spiderman and Aquaman, but what came to my mind was the brave men and women at Chicago CRED. This organization helps at-risk young men and women step out of the cycles of crime and the illegal economy and provides educational, mental/emotional, and vocational support. Studies show participants have a nearly 50% reduction in gun violence and a 73% reduction in violent crime arrests after completing the program. But this kind of work takes its toll, and when a community member is lost to gun violence, they don’t get to take a break, but work overtime to subdue the violence. That is why, in December 2025, we are going to Chicago to teach meditation to the staff of this fantastic organization.

Healing victims of Gender Based Violence involves healing the whole community…

This is what the Rwanda Women’s Network has been doing since 1997. By supporting survivors with psychological counseling, referral to legal or medical support, offering all gender education classes and providing 17 safe spaces across 7 districts throughout Rwanda, RWN is empowering communities to actively drive change. In March 2024, we helped them in their mission to by bringing Vedic Meditation classes to many of the safe spaces (while also teaching the staff and volunteers at the organization) in order to help release the residual trauma and stress so common after experiencing violence. We also orgainized a luxurious four-day meditation retreat on Lake Kivu at the Rushel Kivu Resort for those who work for the RWN.

“Thank you for seeing us as people”…

When we first went to visit the Service Support Area under the 101 freeway in San Rafael, this was what one of the residents said. There are so many reasons for homelessness, and once in that situation, it can be so hard to find your way out because of the stigma and other societal forces. The adaptability that comes from practicing Vedic Meditation can go a long way to easing the stress of living on the street and when it comes to transition into housing.

In 2021 and 2022 we coordinated with the San Rafael Police Department to bring 5-day meditation courses to the residents of the Service Support Area, and created a permanent meditation space to leave there once the course was complete.

A breast cancer diagnosis…

is terrifying for anyone, but to those who already have difficulty making ends meet, the stress is greatly compounded. FUCAM is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping all women who suffer from breast cancer, with emphasis on helping the most unprotected and marginalized socio-economic groups in Mexico. FUCAM also promotes education and awareness on the importance of the timely detection of breast cancer and promotes the training of specialists in treatment, research and rehabilitation.

Not only is meditation helpful to cancer patients to ease stress, pain and anxiety, studies now show that it can help alter the cellular activity of cancer patients. In February 2020, we taught approximately 25 patients of FUCAM who wished to learn.