On demand (send email if interested)

Choose from four tiers what you want to give to others in need. Westside Friends is a community network of support for West Los Angeles neighbors impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have mobilized over 800 people to support hundreds of their neighbors. Proceeds will be used to purchase PPE for local nonprofits who are on the frontlines serving our Westside community, including Safe Place for Youth, LAHSA, and Venice Family Clinic.

Tier A: $147 (suggested for $100k yearly income or above)
Tier B: $97 (suggested for $60k-$99k yearly income)
Tier C: $47 (suggested for $40k-$59k yearly income)
Tier D: Free (suggested $39k yearly income or below, including unemployed)

Sometimes I go about pitying myself, and all the time I am being carried on great winds across the sky.

- Ojibwa (Native American) phrase

What are you grateful for? How can you make it more of a practice? Dojo is the Japanese term for a hall or space for immersive learning or training, typically for martial arts or meditation. The Gratitude Dojo is an event that brings people together to practice gratitude.

For fourteen days, we’ll train ourselves to better recognize (“re-cognize,” i.e. to understand again) all the blessings in our lives and to build our ability to see the Gift. Doing so changes our inner experience of the world. We feel more connected and see a bigger story for ourselves. And as we interact differently with the world, the world changes, too.

This course is an online adaptation of The Gratitude Dojo, a live event now made virtual as we protect each other by staying home. The Gratitude Dojo consists of 12 research-based and heart-centered “stations” that you’ll do on your own time, but also post in a private online forum, so you can share your reflections with other participants and see everyone else’s reflections. Each station could take you as little as 2 minutes or the whole day, as you like:

1. Send One Your Love. Write a postcard to someone who’s made a big difference in your life.

2. The Wind Beneath Your Wings. Recognize the blessings of modern life that you take for granted.

3. Thank the Ancestors. Remember those whose choices and sacrifices brought you here today.

4. Money, Money. Be thankful for the money that comes into your life and what it brings. 

5. Yum, Thanks! Savor the food that nourishes you.

6. Who Loves Ya? Take a moment and feel the love others have for you.

7. Forgiveness. Is there a past hurt you want to let go of?

8. Happy In Spite Of. Are you “happy if only” or “happy in spite of”?

9. This Magic Moment. What’s beautiful about right here, right now?

10. Your Body Is a Wonderland. Meditate on the amazing things your body does for you. 

11. Wheel of Life. Savor everything that’s going well in 8 different facets of your life.

12. Mirror, Mirror. You may think affirmations are New Age. But they aren’t.

FAQ

How is the content delivered?

You’ll read all the gratitude exercises, as well as the cohort dialogue, in a private online discussion forum, Discourse.

 Do I complete the gratitude exercises on my own, or with the group?

You can do each gratitude exercise whenever you want during the two weeks. You post your responses to the online forum and read other participants’ responses. Of course, you don’t have to post or respond if you don’t want.

 Am I required to share all my written responses to the gratitude exercises?

Nope. You can participate with the rest of the group, or go solo, in whatever proportion you choose. But you’ll notice how much more powerful it is to write out your gratitudes, as well as share with others.

 Are there live group meetings?

We typically have two Zoom meetings, which are optional: one to meet each other at the beginning of the course and one to share reflections at the end.

Testimonials

The Gratitude Dojo is the perfect antidote to anxiety or malaise in these unprecedented times. - Suzanne

I appreciated the intentional time and thoughtful exercises.  I realized how abundant and full my life was in aspects I hadn’t even thought of. It reminded me to take time to be thankful for all the amazing things in my life. - Jack

The Gratitude Dojo was so worth the time! Certainly the time spent being intentionally grateful was lovely, but what I really got out of it was a framework for reflection and the prod to set aside time to think about my life. Another thing that I loved was the small community it fostered. During these times, it was really nice to get to know a few new people. Folks were generous and vulnerable, and it was a joy to connect with new faces. - Andy

I found the Gratitude Dojo to be an absolute delight! It unearthed opportunity for internal change and much like any of the courses Douglas designs, the echo of the assignments continues long after the course is complete. I still find myself pondering on some of the exercises. As Oliver Wendell Holmes writes, “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” Prepare yourself to look at ordinary moments with new eyes.  - L. H.

The Gratitude Dojo created a nurturing, uplifting space in which I felt welcome not only to reflect on the blessings in my life but also to multiply my gratitude by reading the reflections that others shared about the blessings in their lives. Practicing gratitude with others and thinking about the people who have been there for me throughout my life reminded me that I am never truly alone.  - Alyson

Proceeds will be used to purchase PPE for local nonprofits who are on the frontlines serving our West LA community, including Safe Place for Youth, LAHSA, and Venice Family Clinic.

When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist. —Archbishop Dom Helder Camara (1909-1991)

The April 2020 cohort of the Gratitude Dojo for the Jade District COVID Relief Fund. The cohort raised over $4000 to help people in economic distress due to COVID-19. APANO Executive Director Chi Nguyen talks about where the money will go.