Happy Spring First name / friend, 

 

At this moment of spring, one may think of it as a time of renewal, rebirth and growth. It reminds us that after winter - a time of taking solitude and deepening our inward practice as the days are shorter, darker and colder - spring is here to move us forward. We're seeing the aliveness of the seeds that were planted, and we're looking at the renewal of plants coming in, and the natural cycles of the season remind us of change. 

Even during immense challenges, like the poly crisis we are facing today, we have the power, or, the medicine to adapt, to regenerate, and to grow. I think of Mother Earth, and I remember, her resiliency is beyond measure. Please click the video above to hear the remainder of this message for the Season of Spring. 

 

With gratitude, 

We hope you are staying resourced with gentle support, tools, and practices. We invite you to try out this Mindful Movement and Breathing Practice for stress and trauma resilience with Jonathan Relucio. (video length: 51:59) 

 

Jonathan Relucio (he/him/siya) is a Teaching Assistant for the Original Medicine Yearlong Program 2025. For a decade, Jonathan taught trauma healing yoga, meditation, and mindfulness in urban schools, mental health clinics, juvenile detention centers and Palestine refugee camps as Senior Trainer for Niroga Institute. He completed East Bay Meditation Center’s Spiritual Teacher and Leadership (STL) Program and Spirit Rock's Mindfulness, Yoga and Meditation Training; he is grateful to practice and teach at both centers.

 

For Kirthi Nath, filmmaking is an act of devotion—to storytelling, to healing and to the communities she serves. As a South Asian lesbian filmmaker and impact producer, Kirthi has spent over 20 years creating work that straddles cultural poetics, social justice and spirituality. Her latest film, PARAMITA, is a 24-minute documentary that explores the transformative power of mindfulness, acceptance and belonging. Blending poetry, memoir, and prayer, the film bears witness to Prajna Choudhury’s journey of coming out to her traditional Bangladeshi mother. Told with intimacy and tenderness, PARAMITA offers a meditative spiritual experience, as Prajna connects with Buddhist practices and nature as gateways for intergenerational reconciliation and healing.

 

More than a film, PARAMITA is a transmission. Crafted over four years, it emerged not from urgency but from deep listening—to story, to relationships, to the wisdom held in quiet moments and sacred spaces. During the pre-interview phase, Kirthi and Prajna often gathered over tea, sharing stories. They also exchanged favorite hikes and nature sanctuaries—places where Kirthi would later wander, listening closely for the stories the land itself wished to tell. The landscapes in the film—water, earth, sky—are not just backdrops but co-storytellers, holding the themes of transformation and reconciliation. The film's pacing invites audiences not only to witness but to breathe with it, to reflect, to soften into their own journeys of healing.

Now, with the film complete, PARAMITA is reaching audiences through film festivals and community screenings. And as the journey of the film continues, so does its impact. Alongside the film, Kirthi has developed “Opening Doorways for Healing & Belonging”, a community engagement film impact campaign that pairs film screenings with community care circles, meditation, and ritual practices, emphasizing healing as a collective act of liberation. The initial phase of the community engagement campaign focuses on bringing PARAMITA to BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and Buddhist communities, creating spaces for reflection, connection and restoration. Additionally, the film is available for individuals and communities who want to self-host their own screenings.

 

Kirthi’s time with Braided Wisdom’s Original Medicine Yearlong Program in 2021 was a pivotal part of her understanding of healing in relationship—to the elements, to ancestors, to each other. A conversation about water as a grounding force deepened her connection with the elements, later inspiring a poignant scene in PARAMITA—Prajna stepping into the ocean, seeking refuge. During pregnancy, Kirthi found herself deepening this connection further, sensing her daughter within her, held by water as her first home. For Kirthi, Braided Wisdom affirmed what dominant narratives often dismiss—intuition, ancestral knowing, and the power of relational practice. These teachings are woven into the film, into the community engagement campaign, and into the way Kirthi moves through the world as a filmmaker, mother, yogi, and practitioner on the path.

Kirthi’s intention in creating PARAMITA stems from a deep, personal commitment to healing and reclaiming space. The film emerged out of Kirthi’s desire to address the colonization and cultural appropriation of Buddhism in the U.S., where white-centered systems have marginalized South Asian, Asian American, BIPOC and LGBTQ voices. As a member of these communities, Kirthi has witnessed firsthand the grief, pain, and trauma caused by this erasure. PARAMITA is more than a film—it’s an immersive, meditative experience that challenges the silence, offering a space for reflection and healing. The film embodies Buddhist teachings through Kirthi and Prajna’s lived experiences and ancestral connections to South Asia, the birthplace of Buddhism. Kirthi hopes PARAMITA offers both a mirror and medicine for BIPOC, LGBTQ, and Buddhist communities to reclaim their voices and leadership.

 

PARAMITA is more than a project—it is a transmission, an offering. A call to step into healing together.  As PARAMITA continues its journey, Kirthi invites you to be part of this unfolding. Stay connected, host a gathering, donate to the “Opening Doorways for Healing & Belonging” community engagement campaign, or simply take a moment to breathe in the wisdom that healing—like storytelling—happens in community.

Kirthi Nath is a South Asian lesbian filmmaker whose creative practice roots from a foundation of art as activism and centering BIPOC voices. In 2010, she founded Cinemagical Media, a women of color owned production company that creates films and campaigns with bravery, courage and heart to bring messages alive and inspire social change. Her work has been featured at Mill Valley, CAAMfest, 3rdi, DisOrient, Frameline, Wicked Queer, solo shows at YBCA and ATA, and commissions for V-Day, One Billion Rising and Off the Mat. Kirthi has been awarded grants from CAAM, CCI and V-Day, and participated in RePresent Media’s Fellowship, A-Doc Allies, BGDM and Bitchitra Programs and Looky Looky’s Guided Campaign Program.

 

💫 Learn more about PARAMITA, upcoming screenings + join the mailing list: www.paramitafilm.com
🫶🏾 Donate - Support - Help PARAMITA reach more people: www.paramitafilm.com/donate
💌 Connect: paramitafilmdirector@gmail.com 

 

Sinclair Shigg (water/wind) is a Chef, Caterer, Integrative Nutritionist, & Meditation Facilitator. Sinclair is often seen as Chef Extraordinaire at our Braided Wisdom retreats and events. Please enjoy this special recipe! Be sure to check water out at https://www.goldenrootswellness.net/. 

Join renowned teachers James Baraz, Carol Cano, Bonnie Duran, Ayya Santacitta, special guest Christiana Figueres (former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change), and more, on-land at Spirit Rock Meditation Center or online, for a transformative Earth Day weekend from April 19-20th.

This weekend will feature Dharma talks, meditation, music, and community engagement, all focused on deepening our connection to the Earth, honoring indigenous wisdom, and fostering compassionate climate action.