Emotional Surfing: Using the Emotions of Daily Life as Fuel for Liberation with Brian Basham

Sat Jan 17 2026 at 10:00 am to 05:00 pm UTC-08:00

The Alembic | Berkeley

The Alembic
Publisher/HostThe Alembic
Emotional Surfing: Using the Emotions of Daily Life as Fuel for Liberation with Brian Basham
Advertisement
A strong meditation practice helps us become intimate with awareness itself and its natural qualities—fundamental okayness, compassion, clarity, and nonseparateness. As we learn to recognize these qualities in practice, we begin to recognize them in daily life. Our experience shifts, our behavior shifts, and we find ourselves treating others — and ourselves — with increasing kindness.
Emotional Surfing has three pillars that support this integration. The first is a powerful micromeditation for real-time use: whether we’re avoiding, ruminating, or reacting to someone else, this tool helps us reconnect with the fundamental okayness already present and respond with greater skill. The second pillar is a seated meditation practice that deepens our familiarity with awareness. The third is a pair practice that helps us bring these transformative capacities into emotionally charged situations, supported by another person.
This daylong will explore all three pillars, with an emphasis on deepening the seated meditation practice. We’ll work directly with the challenges each person encounters on the path, so that resting in awareness becomes more accessible and reliable. All levels are welcome — no prior meditation or Emotional Surfing experience needed.
BIO
I’m Brian Basham. I enjoy improv singing, Neal Stephenson novels and a good math olympiad problem. I’m passionate about meditation, emotional wellbeing, and sharing with others the freedom that comes from a deep acceptance of our emotions and reality.
My first dedicated practice of working with my emotions in a nonconceptual meditative way came through meeting Cedric Bertelli and his practice of Emotional Resolution in 2018. Later I started studying Realization Process and Tibetan Buddhism, and I’ve been grateful to have amazing meditations teachers such as Jennifer Welwood, Dustin DiPerna and Roma Hammel. I’m also inspired by the work I’ve done with Joe Hudson and the way he uses dyadic practices for emotional healing and relational work.
Those streams started weaving together in me and became Emotional Surfing, which I started offering in early 2022 and has been evolving ever since. I know the immense positive impact that a deep meditation practice can have on wellbeing and on the ability to act compassionately and skillfully in even the most challenging life situations. Accessibility is important to me, and I aim to lower the barrier of entry (in terms of time and financial investment) to experiencing the tangible results these practices have in daily life. I also aim to create peer-based structures that make it easy and enjoyable to practice.
Advertisement

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Alembic, 2820 7th St,Berkeley, California, United States

Tickets
Icon
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

Ask AI if this event suits you:

More Events in Berkeley

Zoso - The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience
Fri, 16 Jan at 08:00 pm Zoso - The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience

2367 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA, United States, California 94704

Will Bernard \/ Scott Amendola \/ Jonathan Maron
Fri, 16 Jan at 08:00 pm Will Bernard / Scott Amendola / Jonathan Maron

1984 Bonita Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA

Welcome to Shakky's Art Show
Fri, 16 Jan at 08:00 pm Welcome to Shakky's Art Show

2221 San Pablo Ave

2026 Ebenezer Women's Workshop
Sat, 17 Jan at 09:00 am 2026 Ebenezer Women's Workshop

1839 Woolsey St

CERT Unit 2: Disaster Medical Operations I
Sat, 17 Jan at 09:00 am CERT Unit 2: Disaster Medical Operations I

Berkeley Fire Department Division of Training

All About Seamoss Gel with Symone Butler
Sat, 17 Jan at 11:00 am All About Seamoss Gel with Symone Butler

1250 Addison St suite g

House to Haas: Cal Basketball Pregame Experience
Sat, 17 Jan at 11:00 am House to Haas: Cal Basketball Pregame Experience

Alumni House - UC Berkeley Campus

Yennayer 2976
Sat, 17 Jan at 01:00 pm Yennayer 2976

Martin Luther King Middle School

Xakari Pre-Launch Experience
Sat, 17 Jan at 01:00 pm Xakari Pre-Launch Experience

Ciel Creative Space

Berkeley is Happening!

Never miss your favorite happenings again!

Explore Berkeley Events