Monday, May 14, 11:11am PST
Live on Instagram @moca from Crenshaw Dairy Mart's abolitionist pod (prototype)
Statement by John San Juan:
The third of the mental health sessions will focus on mindfulness. The guest for the day will be Elizabeth Grullon, actress and mindfulness meditation teacher based in Los Angeles.
Mindfulness is simply the practice of being aware of the mind. The way we act, think, and operate can sometimes be unconscious habits and patterning. When we practice mindfulness, we are actively choosing to watch our experience instead of being wrapped up in it. We take ourselves out of auto-pilot and consciously mind the way we think, act, and operate. By practicing mindfulness, we are able to catch the habits that no longer serve us, and activate in-the-moment change.
In addition to teaching mindfulness and leading us through a mindfulness meditation, Elizabeth and John will have a dharma talk on the intersection of art and creativity as vehicles for healing and health, especially within BIPOC communities.
Artist Bio:
John San Juan teaches Vinyasa, Power, Bikram, and Iyengar yoga. He is also Reiki II activated and is a chakra energy instructor. John sees yoga as an ancient toolbox, and pulls from this toolbox modalities to help us find spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. His joyful and expressive way of teaching guides students to self-awakening. His dharma talks rooted in yogic philosophy hope to teach a literacy in self-realization.
After getting his Masters of Business from Cornell University, John did a life pivot from corporate America toward entrepreneurial wellness. Everyone who comes to the yoga mat is seeking. Whether better physical health, a mental health regimen, or want to deepen meditation practice, John guides with insight and heart.
John’s ultimate goal is to normalize mental health and bring yoga and meditation to communities of color. He teaches at Artha, a wellness sanctuary in West Hollywood, and leads a cannabis yoga tribe at Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles. He also teaches to Amigays, a growing global Latin LGBTQ wellness community. He has a growing celebrity clientele.
“May joy be your guide. Well-being is the order the day.”
—John San Juan
Art Rise is a series of over fifteen outdoor art installations in and around Downtown Los Angeles, commissioned especially for WE RISE, that encourages wellbeing and healing through art, connection, community engagement, and creative expression. For more information and to see a complete Art Rise map, please visit werise.la.
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Virtual MOCA is presented by the MOCA Thrive Fund courtesy of Chara Schreyer.
Education at MOCA courtesy of Terri and Michael Smooke. Additional support provided by The Hearst Foundations, Blum & Poe, and Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation.
