DiabetesSangha

10/30/2026

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and we’re marking it the way we know best: by practicing together. 💙

Swipe through this month’s special events, all free and live on Zoom. It’s pinned to our profile so you can find it all month.

Link in bio to join!

Sun Nov 1 · 7 PM ET: NDAM Kickoff + Guided Yoga Nidra with Brianna & Peter. A deeply restful practice, no experience needed.

Sun Nov 1: NYC Marathon! Cheering on Brooke Cassoff as she runs toward a cure 🏃‍♀️

Sun Nov 8 · 7 PM ET: Diabetes Burnout, a Spotlight conversation with Dr. Bill Polonsky, moderated by Heather Nielsen.

Fri Nov 13 · 11 AM ET: World Diabetes Day kick-off: Friday Friendlies meditation & conversation with Heather Nielsen.

Nov 13–14: Global T1D Meditation for World Diabetes Day, live from Sydney (Fri 7 PM ET, Rachel Zinman), Nashville (Sat, Peter, [time TBC]) and Portland (Sat 7 PM ET, Heather). RSVP at diabetessangha.com/events

Sun Nov 15 · 7 PM ET: Tara: A Star to Steer By, a meditation and talk with Rachel Zinman.

Mon Nov 16 • 8 PM EST: Join us for an open house where you can learn more about all things Sangha! Followed by a meditation session.

Sun Nov 22: Full-Day Meditation Retreat with Sam Tullman, in person in Portland, OR and on Zoom. [Time TBC] · Registration link in bio.

Mon Nov 23 · 8 PM ET: Full Moon Meditation with Sam.

10/30/2026

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and we’re marking it the way we know best: by practicing together. 💙

Swipe through this month’s special events, all free and live on Zoom. It’s pinned to our profile so you can find it all month.

Link in bio to join!

Sun Nov 1 · 7 PM ET: NDAM Kickoff + Guided Yoga Nidra with Brianna & Peter. A deeply restful practice, no experience needed.

Sun Nov 1: NYC Marathon! Cheering on Brooke Cassoff as she runs toward a cure!

Sun Nov 8 · 7 PM ET: Diabetes Burnout, a Spotlight conversation with Dr. Bill Polonsky, moderated by Heather Nielsen.

Fri Nov 13 · 11 AM ET: World Diabetes Day kick-off: Friday Friendlies meditation & conversation with Heather Nielsen.

Nov 13–14: Global T1D Meditation for World Diabetes Day, live from Sydney (Fri 7 PM ET, Rachel Zinman), Nashville (Sat, Peter, [time TBC]) and Portland (Sat 7 PM ET, Heather). RSVP at diabetessangha.com/events

Sun Nov 15 · 7 PM ET: Tara: A Star to Steer By, a meditation and talk with Rachel Zinman

Monday Nov 16 8 PM EST: Join us for a brief open house, come with questions you may have about DiabetesSangha! This will be followed by a meditation session.

Sun Nov 22: Full-Day Meditation Retreat with Sam Tullman, in person in Portland, OR and on Zoom.

Mon Nov 23 · 8 PM ET: Full Moon Meditation with Sam.

10/28/2026

Begin Diabetes Awareness Month with Deep and Restorative Rest!

We’re kicking off National Diabetes Awareness Month with an evening of rest, mindfulness, and connection!

Join us on November 1 at 7 PM EST as Peter shares the many events, meditation practices, and opportunities for connection planned at Diabetes Sangha throughout November, followed by our spotlight event ,Yoga Nidra practice guided by Brianna Schiavoni. 

Yoga Nidra, often referred to as yogic sleep, is a guided meditation practice that invites deep relaxation while cultivating awareness and presence. It’s an opportunity to slow down, release tension, and reconnect with ourselves in a supportive community.

As we begin a month dedicated to diabetes awareness, we’re creating space to honor not only the challenges of living with diabetes, but also the importance of rest, compassion, and caring for our emotional well-being.

Whether you’re new to meditation or have been practicing with us for years, all are welcome.

Mark your calendar for November 1 | 7 PM EST

Join us in the Meditation Zoom Room. Link in bio!

10/27/2026

✨ DiabetesSangha Spotlight: A Conversation About Diabetes Burnout with Dr. Bill Polonsky

📅 Sunday, November 8, 2026

Living with Type 1 diabetes is about so much more than managing blood sugar. The constant decisions, responsibilities, and emotional weight of diabetes can be exhausting — and sometimes, it can all feel like too much.

Join us for a special DiabetesSangha Spotlight conversation with Dr. Bill Polonsky, PhD, CDCES, co-founder and president of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute and author of Diabetes Burnout: What to Do When You Can’t Take It Anymore.

Hosted by DiabetesSangha facilitator Heather Nielsen, this live conversation will explore why diabetes burnout happens, the emotional challenges of living with diabetes, and ways we can cultivate greater ease, self-compassion, and resilience.

Together, we’ll discuss how mindfulness, connection, and a more compassionate relationship with ourselves can help us navigate the ongoing demands of Type 1 diabetes.

The conversation will include a live Q&A.

We hope you’ll join us for this meaningful conversation! Register now through the link in our bio ➡️

10/19/2026

09/29/2026

Introducing our next Community Spotlight, Giann! ✨

If you have not yet had the pleasure of sitting with Giann during an online meditation or meeting her at one of our in person retreats, we are excited to introduce her.

Giann hails from the Deep South, having lived in Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee, and now calls Birmingham, Alabama home. She joined Diabetes Sangha in 2021 with no prior meditation experience and has since found the practice to be an important part of both her spiritual life and her experience living with diabetes.

As a Protestant Christian, Giann shares that meditation has deepened her relationship with God in ways she never anticipated. Beyond the physiological and mental benefits of meditation, the practice has helped her quiet her mind, listen more deeply, and feel a greater sense of spiritual connection.

Giann also recently celebrated an exciting milestone, earning her Master’s in Social Work in May 2025 and passing her licensure exam. Looking ahead, she hopes to become a certified diabetes educator and pursue her clinical social work licensure, with the goal of bringing diabetes education and therapeutic support together in her career.

Outside of her professional goals and meditation practice, Giann enjoys reading, baking, spending time with friends, and, of course, a little reality TV.

Giann is looking forward to connecting with more of the Sangha at our in person meditation retreat this October. You can also find her on Instagram at Giann | T1D 8 years | AL.

We are so grateful to have Giann as part of the Diabetes Sangha community and to share a little more of her story with you.

09/28/2026

Up next in our Community Spotlight series, meet Deniz Verburg! Deniz Verburg

Deniz found DiabetesSangha after an unexpected experience at a meditation retreat this summer. When their insulin pump and sensor caused concern among some participants, a nurse stepped in to reassure everyone. Although the retreat was still a positive experience, it left Deniz wondering how to better bring together two important parts of life: diabetes and meditation.

While searching online afterward, an AI assistant suggested DiabetesSangha. Deniz remembers thinking, “Really? Does that exist?” Two months later, Deniz has become a regular presence at our Zoom gatherings and describes bringing the worlds of diabetes and Sangha together as feeling “almost like a magic spell.”

Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1993 while living in Cyprus, Deniz co-founded a diabetes association there at a time when support was limited. Later, while living in Amsterdam, Deniz worked in diabetes education before joining the government child protection office.

Meditation has also been part of Deniz’s life since around 2008, including retreats in India where managing T1D was often done quietly and independently. While grateful for today’s diabetes technology, Deniz has found that its increased visibility can sometimes make group spaces more complicated. Finding DiabetesSangha has offered a new way to bring these experiences together.

This year, Deniz also began creating diabetes comics, finding both joy and a lesson in letting go of perfection through the process. You can find the comics at t1dcomics.com and on Instagram at Deniz Verburg.

Deniz lives in the Netherlands and is looking forward to joining the fall retreat and visiting New York City for the first time, hopefully making it safely from the airport to the retreat and, most importantly, the snack table!

We’re so grateful Deniz found this community and excited to introduce you to another member of our Sangha. 💜

09/24/2026

Community Member Spotlight: Robert Ferguson! ✨

Robert Ferguson is an artist based in Accord, New York, whose work is rooted in an ongoing response to the natural world around him.

Trained in art history, Ferguson began his career as a curator and museum administrator before moving into nonprofit management and fundraising. Throughout those years, he maintained an art practice as a way to sustain a creative life. Over time, that practice became his primary focus, and he now works from his studio in the Hudson Valley.

The rural landscape surrounding his studio has become both a principal source of inspiration and, at times, a source of material itself. His work reflects an aesthetic and emotional response to his immediate environment, exploring the textures, rhythms, and impressions of the natural world.

Ferguson’s work has been exhibited throughout New York and beyond, including recent solo and group exhibitions at Elting Memorial Library in New Paltz, D.R.A.W. Gallery in Kingston, Artifact Projects in New York City, and Envision Art Gallery in Houston. His work has also been shown at the Art Students League of New York, Atlantic Gallery, Catalyst Gallery, and other venues.

09/23/2026

Our Community Member Spotlight is Bob Parant from New York! ✨

Bob Parant recently received his 50-Year Joslin Medal for living with Type 1 Diabetes — a milestone that has given him space to reflect on everything his body and mind have carried over the years.

After decades of navigating T1D, serious complications, and the stigma that can come with diabetes, Bob realized he had spent years pushing difficult emotions aside. That began to shift when Peter Friedfeld introduced him to Diabetes Sangha.

Bob came to meditation with no expectations, but quickly found that the practice created space for both calm and long-buried feelings. One of the most meaningful experiences was being able to speak openly about losing his leg and the hurt caused by comments suggesting he “didn’t take care of himself.”
Being met with understanding instead of judgment brought an unexpected sense of relief.

Today, Bob is a dedicated member of the Sangha and has found breathing and mindfulness to be powerful tools in his daily life.

“My advice to anyone new: just try a few sessions and see how it feels. The Sangha is one of the most wonderful T1D communities I have engaged with.”

Bob is also a longtime T1D advocate who has traveled to Washington, D.C. numerous times on behalf of the diabetes community and continues to support diabetes research through fundraising.

🚴 Riding for a Cure
Over the past four years, Team DiabetesSangha has raised more than $70,000 for the Diabetes Research Institute.

This year’s DRI Walk, Run, Ride takes place September 27 at Cedar Creek Park in Seaford, NY. Bob will be participating with Team Parant in support of diabetes research.

Support Bob and Team Parant through the link in our bio!