Vimalasara in dialogue with Rahul Gupta

October 2, 2024 @ 6PM

Guest appearances with singer songwriter Dee Brown and Randeesh, and African snacks by iyabo. 

The People of Colour Artist Collective co-present local award-winning author Vimalasara in conversation with local integrative medical physician, Rahul Gupta, to explore their new book A First Aid Kit For The Mind Breaking The Cycle of Habitual Behaviors.

Trauma expert Ken Hardy: “This inspiring and insightful book left me in absolute awe of Mason-John’s wisdom and guidance as one of the premier social, cultural, and psychological healers of our time.

Valerie (Vimalasara) Mason-John is an award-winning author and editor of ten books, including Eight Step Recovery: Using The Buddha’s Teachings to Overcome Addiction, and Detox Your Heart: Meditations for Emotional Trauma. This year their book I Am Still Your Negro: An Homage to James Baldwin was shortlisted for both the Dorothy Livesay and Gerald Lampert Awards. In the Fall of 2021 Afrikan Wisdom: New Voices Talk Black Liberation, Buddhism, and Beyondwas published.

Rahul Gupta lives and works on the unceded and ancestral land of the Shishalh and Squamish peoples, also known as the Sunshine Coast. He works as a physician, professional coach, and mindfulness instructor. He is a Certified MBSR Teacher through the Center for Mindfulness and facilitates mindfulness-based interventions for both providers and patients. He also is a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner and integrates trauma-sensitive approaches into all of his trainings. He has over 18 years of experience being an ICF- Certified Professional Coach, supporting individuals and healthcare teams in cultivating compassionate self & situational awareness.