About this IMS Online Program

Saturday, December 21, 2024

3:00 - 6:00 pm ET

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The winter solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year. In traditions around the world, it is around this time when we celebrate the light and settle into a quieter, darker season for introspection and reflection.

During this special BIPOC Sangha program, we will sit together for meditation, dharma talks, music, poetry, and personal reflection on how the dharma can nourish us as we enter the winter season in the northern hemisphere.


While we understand that many non-BIPOC people may be interested in participating, we ask that they refrain from joining this program which is specifically offered to provide shelter and respite to our BIPOC community.

Meet Your Teachers

Devin Berry

Devin Berry has been meditating for over 20 years. His practice is primarily informed by the classical teachings of early Buddhism and the Insight Meditation tradition. He has undertaken many periods of silent long-term retreat practice. Devin completed the Dedicated Practitioners Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, where he is a visiting teacher and is a graduate of the 2017-2021 Insight Meditation Society Teacher Training Program. Devin served as a core leader with San Francisco POC Insight Sangha. He is a community teacher at East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, CA where he co-founded the teen sangha and the Men of Color sangha. Devin currently serves on the Board of Directors of Insight World Aid. He has recently relocated to Western Massachusetts and teaches nationally.

DaRa Williams

DaRa Williams is a trainer, meditation teacher, and psychotherapist. DaRa has been a meditator for the past 25 years and is a practitioner of both Vipassana and Ascension meditation. She is a graduate of the Spirit Rock/Insight Meditation Society Teacher Training Program and is a guiding teacher at IMS. She is the program manager and a core teacher in the IMS Teacher Training Program. DaRa has been a clinician and administrator in the field of mental health for over 25 years and currently maintains a private practice in Manhattan. She is a certified trainer and practitioner of Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy and Complex Trauma. DaRa integrates these skills, understandings, wisdom traditions and world views in her intention for contributing to the ending of suffering for all beings.

Yong Oh

Yong is a Dharma Council teacher at the Durango Dharma Center and a core teacher for Sacred Mountain Sangha, and is also a visiting teacher for other community centers across North America. He teaches retreats at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Big Bear Retreat Center, and Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center. He is a graduate of the 4-year Insight Meditation Society Retreat Teacher Training program, Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s 2-year Community Dharma Leaders program, and the Sacred Mountain Sangha 2-year Dharmapala training, taught by his primary teachers Kittisaro and Thanissara. Yong is also a retired acupuncturist, is passionate about Nature and Dharma, and has particular interests in devotional expression, supporting caregivers, and offering teachings to communities of color in the Dharma.

More Information

  • Registration Deadline

    Registration for this program closes on December 21, 2024 at 6 pm ET.

  • Program Recordings

    This program will be recorded and made available for on-demand viewing after the live sessions. On-demand videos will be available to registered participants only for 90 days. Some portions of this program may not be recorded at the teacher’s discretion for reasons of student confidentiality and to create a safe container.

  • Additional Questions

    If you have additional questions please contact us at [email protected].