Joshua Bee Alafia

About this Teacher

Joshua Bee Alafia’s meditation practice began in 1989 when his mother gave him a mantra (an empowering statement that is recited internally) to work with. This sparked a rich journey through many different meditation styles from the Hindu, Hawaiian Shamanic, Ifa, Sufi, Dzogchen, Taoist, and finally, Vipassana traditions. After realizing the transformative power of meditation practice in his own life, Joshua determined he'd bring it to the youth. He began teaching mindfulness meditation to incarcerated, court involved and system vulnerable youth through New York’s Lineage Project in 2010. He is a graduate of the Community Dharma Leaders training through Spirit Rock Meditation Center. In New York, he has taught at New York Insight, The Brooklyn Zen Center, MNDFL and the Garrison Institute. He now teaches at South Side Insight and TaoYoga Arts in Chicago as well as offers courses online. “This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” The Dali Lama