La Sarmiento has been practicing Vipassana meditation and has been a member of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW) since 1998. La is a graduate of the Community Dharma Leadership IV program sponsored by Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA in 2012.
Since 2006, La has been the guiding teacher/leader of the IMCW Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ) Sangha and the IMCW People of Color Sangha. They* integrate the Kalyana Mitta process and the concepts of Respectful Confrontation and Non-violent Communication into their gatherings to create a sacred space for group wisdom to arise. La is also a senior retreat/event manager committed to bringing diverse teachers and programs to IMCW and to making the Dharma accessible to all.
La has been a lead teacher of mindfulness teen retreats in Virginia through Inward Bound Mindfulness Education since 2011, has co-taught the LGBTIQ Retreat at the Garrison Institute in Garrison, NY since 2014, and has co-taught the Young Adults Retreat at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center since 2014. They are currently a mentor in the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield.
La lives with their partner Wendy and their rescue pups Annabel and Bader in Towson, MD.
*La’s 3rd-person pronouns are they/their/them.