Vegan Spirituality Retreat returns to Philly on July 20th by guest blogger Derek Goodwin (aka Pashupa)

This year will be my 3rd (or 4th?) year attending the Vegan Spirituality Retreat in Philadelphia. In 2011 I was the keynote speaker, fresh out of my Jivamukti Yoga teacher training, talking about veganism and yoga as conceptualized by Jivamukti Yoga co-founder Sharon Gannon in her groundbreaking book Yoga And Vegetarianism: The Diet Of Enlightenment. Last year I taught a yoga class, and this year I will do the same, along with Jivamukti Yogi Ximena Milagros Savitch.

The event takes place this year on Saturday, July 20th in Gladwyne, PA (near Philadelphia). To publicize the event I was interviewed by Prarthana Jayaram, and have included the transcript below. There was also a video made of last year’s retreat set to my song “Big Ole Vegan Mountains”, which is here for your entertainment. This year’s event will feature Will Tuttle (author of The World Peace Diet) as the keynote speaker. Hope to see you there!

PJ: How did you get involved with the Retreat and/or the Vegan Spirituality Group?

Pashupa: I first became involved with co-founder Lisa Levinson and the project “Public Eye: Artists for Animals“. I lived in Massachusetts and had founded the Vegan Bus Project. Our goals were similar, to use art as a means to spread the vegan message. We brought theVegan Bus, a full-sized school bus running on waste veggie oil, to Philadelphia to participate in some events. It turned out Lisa and I were also both interested in the connection between veganism and spirituality, and around the time she started the Vegan Spirituality Group I was becoming a Jivamukti yoga teacher. I agreed to give a talk on yoga and veganism in 2011, and last year I led a yoga class.

PJ: How do you see veganism tied to spirituality? (And does this relate, specifically, to the spiritual practice of yoga?)

Pashupa: It is my belief that a path towards higher states of consciousness, or towards god if you like, calls for us to eventually give up things that cause harm to others. This is not to say that people who eat meat can not be spiritual. We are all spiritual, and all have a yearning towards enlightenment. Often this yearning is blocked or redirected by cultural beliefs, religious beliefs, peer pressure, or any number of other factors that in yoga we call avidya. Avidya means mis-knowing. In yoga the goal is to achieve union with the divine, and to do this we must constantly question and refine our beliefs. What stands between us and enlightenment is our own ignorance – ignoring uncomfortable realities to cling to the comfortable and familiar. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, one of the most important texts of yogic philosophy, the practice of ahimsa, or non-violence, is the first recommendation towards finding peace and spiritual fulfillment. It is the foundation that all the other practices are built upon. Yoga without ahimsa is like a bicycle without wheels. Eventually one needs to examine how we see others, because that determines who we are, and how others will treat us.

Freya & Anne Dinshah

PJ:  What has been your favorite part of being at Retreats past?

Pashupa: I love seeing Freya Dinshah, whose husband Jay Dinshah founded theAmerican Vegan Society in 1960. They put out a magazine called Ahimsa back in the day. Something about her makes me feel peace in my soul – to me she embodies the divine feminine spirit of compassion. She is humble and quiet, but exudes wisdom and strength. There are lots of great things about the retreat, but when I think of it her presence comes into my mind first. I hope she will be there this year too!

4. What is valuable about having a spiritual and/or vegan community (and community events)?

Pashupa: First of all any gathering of vegans is important, as the community support is what helps people keep on this path in the midst of a culture that is deep in avidya. Many vegans I know don’t believe in god, and perhaps do not see themselves as spiritual. There is a lot of cultural baggage around god, because our western religions have instilled a vision of god as an authority figure who created animals for us to exploit, which alienates the community. But without the grounding of a spiritual view of life vegans can tend to be angry and to offend other people, creating the opposite effect of what we want, which is to end animal enslavement.

The value is to find a common ground, and to be open to others beliefs. It is dangerous to define what is spiritual and what is not, and so a diversity of beliefs is necessary. I think one thing we should all have in common is a sense of compassion towards all beings – human, animal, and plant. The other ingredient would be a feeling of reverence and awe for life and creation. Within that framework we can have an exchange of ideas and practices. If we can maintain the openness to other’s beliefs, as long as compassion and non-violence are at the core, then there is great value. If we try to become an organized religion that becomes dogmatic, then the value is lost.

Spiritual Retreat Offers Community, Opens Dialogue for Vegans by guest blogger Prarthana Jayaram

What lies at the intersection of spiritual health and ethical choices? How can diet speak to our beliefs and our holistic health? What are the connections between spirituality and a sense of community? These are questions the growing Vegan Spirituality movement seeks to answer. Since 2010, Public Eye: Artists for Animals has hosted monthly Vegan Spirituality Groups and annual Vegan Spirituality Retreats to provide a community for those interested in topics like spiritual practice and the connection between mind, body, and diet.

The Vegan Spirituality movement has since spread to the west coast, now taking up a second residence in the Los Angeles area. A national organization, Vegan Spirituality formed to give vegans a place to come together, explore, and discuss their vegan practices and beliefs with one another. As the name suggests, Vegan Spirituality focuses on the spiritual implications of a vegan lifestyle -- the connections between heart, body, and mind that manifest in vegan living and a respect and compassion for all life.

The annual Vegan Spirituality Retreat offers a place for ethical vegans to gather and enjoy a day of focused activities together, including spiritual speakers, yoga classes, guided meditations, catered vegan food, a nature hike, and an animal blessing ceremony. 2013 will be the first year that sees two separate Retreats -- one in California, June 1st, and one in Pennsylvania, July 20th. Vegan Spirituality founder Lisa Levinson is thrilled to bring the Retreat to the west coast this year, expanding the community of vegans and engaging new avenues for spiritual practice.

Activist Sandi Herman coined the term “Vegan Spirituality” in 1998 and inspired Levinson to start the first Vegan Spirituality Group in 2010, under the auspices of Public Eye: Artists for Animals, an organization which Levinson co-founded to teach compassion for animals through the arts. Vegan Spirituality Groups are regional monthly gatherings designed to build community among spiritual vegans. These member-hosted groups offer vegan potlucks, meal blessings, guided meditations, and discussions on vegan themes. Special events include visits to animal sanctuaries, nature hikes, and guest presentations. Participants celebrate vegan birthdays (when they first became vegan) and offer support upon the passing of beloved animal companions.

Herman says it has been a blessing to find so much understanding and sense of community at the monthly Vegan Spirituality Groups and annual Retreats. A longtime vegan, Herman has been a part of groups that share her compassion for animals (such as animal rescues) and groups that value spirituality (such as Reiki practitioners and yogis) as she does, but it wasn’t until she found other spiritual vegans that she felt like she truly belonged.

“Finding people who share my beliefs, I think, is really important. It’s wonderful to be able to get together with people and create rituals, in the same way that all cultures have rituals, and connect with other beings,” she says.

The annual Retreat is an opportunity to create the rituals Herman mentions. Indeed, for Will Tuttle, author of World Peace Diet and the primary speaker at both the upcoming East and West Coast Retreats, the opportunity to gather with others who share his beliefs will be a chance to grow. He hopes to explore veganism and spirituality on a metaphysical level delving both into the practicalities of diet and the philosophy.

Tuttle believes his spiritual journey has led him to a place of compassion -- a compassion he sees manifesting in veganism. Focusing on the interconnectedness of all life, Tuttle engages in many forms of community-building and outreach with his work. Along with practicing meditation and being a part of meditation retreats, he is a renowned speaker on the topic of compassion for animals, as well as an accomplished musician. Tuttle says his original piano concerts are spirituality-based and designed to help people see music as a spiritual consciousness.

“I realized, along the way, that most people did not have an understanding of the connection between veganism and spirituality,” Tuttle says of his engagement efforts.

With his work, he seeks to demonstrate that connection, helping people view their decisions more holistically. The upcoming Retreat will be a chance to do just that.

“I see it as an opportunity to inspire people. We come to this planet and we are each other’s teachers,” Tuttle says,  “For me, it will basically be an opportunity to explore together with the other participants the deeper reasons (why we practice veganism), to go as far as we can with understanding the interconnectedness of all life.”

Similarly, 2012 Retreat speaker and founder of Plant Peace Daily, Rae Sikora agrees that the event is a rare opportunity to foster community.

“Sometimes, I just want to be with a bunch of other people who are on the same page. It feeds me to get together with chosen family for the best family reunion you can imagine!” she says.

Sikora, a vegetarian since she was a teen and a vegan for nearly as long, found her compassion for animals early in life and allowed it slowly to grow and affect her. She recalls never having met another non-meat-eater when she decided to eschew meat from her diet. When she finally met others who called themselves vegans, it was the first time she had a name, a word to describe herself and her beliefs.

In this vein, Retreat-goers can expect an environment of understanding and empathy. This supportive atmosphere, surrounded by other people who share in the cause of compassion, is often what spiritual vegans crave. Herman points out the common misconception that vegans only care about animals and not other humans. In fact, she says, it’s quite the opposite. Her compassion extends to all living things, human, plant, and animal. Building a community with other humans who feel that connection, too, is just the thing that makes her feel whole.

“All of us probably like to feel part of something,” Herman sums up.

The sense of community comes from being in the presence of others who feel the spiritual connection between a vegan lifestyle and a love for animals. Many participants see veganism as their calling.

“[My veganism] just evolved over time,” explains Sikora, “If you do something in your work that is a spiritual path, it’s hard to pick one particular event that set you on it.”

“To me, spirituality is a connectedness to all things,” agrees Herman, “Veganism touches a part of me in my essence. It’s hard to explain, but it feels like it’s beyond just being ‘an ethical vegan’.”

That indescribable piece, to which both Sikora and Herman allude, is what fuels events like the Vegan Spirituality Retreat. Spirituality, after all, is rooted in the abstract. Ultimately, attendees are not discussing their dietary choices, but their core philosophies -- putting into words and actions, and (perhaps most powerfully) collective meditations, their beliefs.

As Tuttle concludes: “I see veganism not as [dietary]; to me, that is just the first tiny little baby step. Veganism is … a glorious spiritual path that takes us to the highest level of spiritual awakening.”

3rd Annual Vegan Spirituality Retreat

Today is the 3rd Annual Vegan Spirituality Retreat in Philadelphia, presented by Public Eye: Artists for Animals and VeganSpirituality.com. We welcome Rae Sikora, founding director of Plant Peace Daily, as our featured speaker and Anne Dinshah, author of “Dating Vegans,” for a book signing. Neal Sehgal introduces his new organization, “Evolve For Animals.” The Retreat includes group discussions, guided meditations, yoga classes with vegan yogis John Calabria and Derek Goodwin, a delicious catered vegan lunch prepared by The Nile Cafe, a nature walk, and an Animal Blessing with rescue donkeys from La Ronda Stables. 

Yoga class with vegan vogi Derek Goodwin

The Blessing offers opportunities to celebrate animal companions, honor those that have died, empathize with animals suffering around the world, and create a vision of harmony between humans and other animals, complete with a vegan drum circle led by Lonnie Davis and the One Nation Ensemble!

Blessing rescued donkeys from La Ronda Stables

Below are the Retreat presenters & a brief bio for each:

Rae Sikora relaxing with a good friend

Rae Sikora has been a full-time spokesperson for other species for over 30 years. She is co-founder Plant Peace Daily, Vegfund, and the Institute for Humane Education. She leads compassionate living and ethical consumerism programs for diverse audiences ranging from schools and prisons to businesses and universities in the United States and abroad. She promotes healthy, sustainable, compassionate living through everyday lifestyle choices, www.plantpeacedaily.org.

Anne Dinshah

Anne Dinshah is a rowing coach, lifelong vegan, author of Healthy Hearty Helpings and co-author The 4-Ingredient Vegan. Her latest book Dating Vegans: Recipes for Relationships is a collection of witty, suggestive stories from real people, advice, and delicious recipes endorsed by both vegans and nonvegans, www.AmericanVegan.org.

Neal Sehgal with his beloved animal companion

Neal Sehgal is an educator, animal rights activist, and founder of www.evolveforanimals.org. 

John Calabria

John Calabria weaves Ahimsa (Nonviolence) teachings with a series of accessible yoga postures while singing and playing music, www.yogawithjohn.com. "If you can breathe, you can do this Yoga." 

Derek Goodwin

Derek Goodwin is a photographer, Jiva Mukti yoga instructor, and media-savvy NYC artist who specializes in people, animals, and events. He founded Vegan Radio, The Vegan Bus, and Veganica, www.derekgoodwin.com.

Vegan Missionaries

Our second annual Vegan Spirituality Meetup was a vegan-only event and was more focused than our first meeting. We discussed the essential qualities of Vegan Spirituality, such as compassion, empathy, and respect for all life. Despite our diverse views about God, we found common ground in our connection to nature.

We discussed the concept of being Vegan Missionaries. Each person shared how they spread the message of kindness and compassion, whether by blogging, sharing vegan food with friends, or writing books about veganism. At first, I resisted the idea of being a missionary. I reconsidered after realizing that we all felt a moral obligation to raise awareness about the impact of our lifestyle choices on other living beings. Now I can embrace my calling as a Vegan Missionary!

Group photo after a very lively discussion on Vegan Missionaries!

First Vegan Spirituality Meetup in LA!

We had our first Vegan Spirituality Meetup in Los Angeles yesterday. It was fun to meet other vegans and start the conversation about Vegan Spirituality! Nonvegans attended the potluck as well, which was an interesting challenge. The discussion shifted from defining Vegan Spirituality to defining the qualities of a good person. 
 
I find it challenging to define "good" in mixed company without offending anyone or compromising my beliefs. Our discussion soon became a debate that ended with the typical "agree to disagree." Although we never returned to our original topic of conversation, we ended on a positive note with a relaxing guided meditation.

To cultivate Vegan Spirituality, we need to begin with common values. From there, we can create a safe environment to explore the deeper meaning behind our ethical choices. We can identify the subtle nuances between our individual beliefs and establish a spiritual common ground. I look forward to these conversations at future VSG's and Retreats.


Check out our new website: www.veganspirituality.com
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/VeganSpiritualityCommunity
Join the LA VSG: www.meetup.com/Vegan-Spirituality  
Follow us on Twitter: Vegan Spirituality@LisaBLevinson

Members of the LA VSG!

Our welcome committee :)

The Story of Vegan Spirituality

In this blog, I will explore veganism as a spiritual practice. My long-time vegan friend, Sandi Herman, and I first discussed the concept of Vegan Spirituality several years ago, longing for a group that united our most precious beliefs. We decided to create one and the first Vegan Spirituality Group (VSG) was born!

Under the auspices of Public Eye: Artists for Animals, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that I co-founded to teach compassion for animals through the arts, we started monthly meetings to build a vegan community. Our first mission was to define "Vegan Spirituality." Although each of us had a unique definition based on our religious and personal backgrounds, we agreed that compassion for all living beings was essential to our spirituality.

Soon other vegans joined us for discussions, events, and annual retreats. We found people who didn't know another vegan soul and were delighted to meet vegans like them! Others were familiar with the animal rights movement, but missed a spiritual connection. Some remembered feeling estranged at Temple or Church when spiritual rituals were followed by eating meat. We shared stories and received support from each other.

Over time, we became a close-knit group and began to create our own community rituals, like honoring the death of a beloved companion animal and celebrating vegan holidays together (Vegan Thanksgiving, Independence Day for Animals, Vegan Holiday Parties). Our annual Retreats drew vegans from surrounding areas for yoga classes, guided meditations, speakers, discussions, catered vegan meals, nature hikes and animal blessings.

Now we're expanding from the East to the West Coast, with the first Vegan Spirituality Meetup Group and a Los Angeles Retreat in the spring of 2013! I look forward to sharing more reflections on my vegan journey and the evolution of Vegan Spirituality.

Saying grace at our first Vegan Thanksgiving

Having fun at our monthly Vegan Spirituality Gathering (VSG)!

Dining on delicious vegan food at our 2nd annual Vegan Thanksgiving

Dancing at our Holiday Party!