This one and a half hour session is for those that identify as Black, Indigenous or a person of color who would like to connect with other BIPOC spiritual directors and spiritual companions.

BELONGING: AN EMBODIED APPROACH

Belonging is a felt sense. As BIPOC spiritual directors, we navigate complex spaces, holding sacred space for others while seeking our own places of authentic belonging. This BIPOC Community Gathering will offer a few gentle individual and (optional) group practices designed to help us map belonging in our bodies, tracking the cues of ease, safety, and connection that guide our spiritual leadership.

Through breath, imagery, simple movement, and shared reflection, we’ll explore what belonging feels like when we bring our full selves — our cultural wisdom, our ancestral knowing, our embodied experience– into the work of spiritual direction. No somatic experience required. Come as you are.

HAILEY MITSUI
Hailey Mitsui (she/her) is a Spiritual Director and Somatic Coach working at the intersection of spirituality, identity, justice, and healing. Based on Duwamish land (Seattle, WA), Hailey works with individuals, groups, and communities, offering a space for questioning, anger, grief, joy, and exploration.

Drawing from Christian contemplative practices, somatic therapy, and ancestral healing, Hailey’s approach is rooted in inclusivity and compassion. She centers queer, trans, and BIPOC individuals, supporting personal healing as a pathway to collective liberation. With a nuanced understanding of trauma, identity, and spirituality, Hailey helps her clients reconnect with their inner wisdom and navigate the complexities of spiritual and embodied life.

You can learn more about her and her practice at haileymitsui.com or on Instagram @haileymitsui and stream her podcast Embodied Spirituality wherever you listen to your podcasts.

(Please note this meeting is intended for those who identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a Person of Color, with the intention of having broader meetings with allies eventually.)

How to Register / Instructions:

Please read through the instructions below before signing up.

• You must be logged in to our website, with a current SDI Membership, to access the registration links. Otherwise the links won’t work. Please sign in first with your SDI Account, then come back to this webpage to continue. 

(Not yet an SDI Member? Click here to join.)Once you register for a session, you will be sent a password-free invitation with the Zoom link. If you don’t see it, please check any Junk Mail or Spam folders.Please only sign up if you have checked your calendar and you know you can attend. Saving a spot immediately might seem like a good strategy. But the problem is many people then discover they have a conflict and the spot is not used. Thank you for your kindness in this.Please only sign yourself up. Your registration will be linked to your e-mail addressRemember that we will do more of these free sessions. If you miss out this time around, there will be more opportunities.

What to Expect:

Each session runs about 75 minutes. Each session will be hosted by one of the SDI Staff, and an experienced facilitator from the SDI Community. Guidance from the facilitator will include brief teachings, contemplative readings, and space for meditation/silence. Each session will include Breakout Groups of 3-4 participants, where each participant will have to opportunity to share and to hold space for one-another.

We will not record these sessions to preserve the confidentiality of all participants in the group spiritual companionship.