Alejandra Siroka M.A. is a transformative communication teacher and coach and host of the Language Alchemy Podcast. She is devoted to studying and teaching how language & communication shape our lives & relationships. Alejandra helps people access, express, and live their deepest truths skillfully & compassionately.
Dr. Andrea Vecchione, PhD., spent over six years living in India, Bali, and Thailand, where she studied multiple practices realted to death, mediation, yoga, and transformation. She is the founder of the North Bay Center for Compassionate Care, a death doula, and the Major Gift Officer at the San Francisco Zen Center.
Augusta Hopkins offers “Zen with an edge” - heartfully fierce, authentic, and sincere. She draws on her Quaker roots, practice and training in the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism, Insight Meditation, Theravada Buddhism, Minfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and the healing journey of the 12 Steps of Al-Anon.
Dan Zigmond is a writer, technologist, and Zen teacher. Dan was ordained as a Soto Zen Buddhist priest by Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi in 1998, & received Dharma transmission in 2020. He has led teams at several technology companies. His most recent book is Buddha's Office: The Ancient Art of Waking Up While Working Well.
Eve Ekman, MSW, PhD, is a social scientist and teacher in the field of emotional awareness and burnout prevention. She is the co-lead instructor for Cultivating Emotional Balance. At SFDC, Eve facilitates meditation, discussion, and community building through the contemporary translation of core Buddhist texts.
Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D. holds degrees in anthropology, comparative religion, and transpersonal psychology. She has studied spiritual, therapeutic, and meditative techniques from around the world, and is a pioneer in bringing shamanic and Buddhist perspectives into the clinical setting. She is the author of three books.
Mareni Orduña es maestra bilingüe y bicultural de meditación, movimiento, y atención plena (Mindfulness). Mareni practica tradiciones ancestrales de sanación de la Cosmovisión Mesoamericana. Desde 2014, ha ofrecido clases dinámicas, principalmente a jóvenes y adultos de la comunidad Latin@, en el área de la Bahia.
MC Owens is a Buddhist teacher, translator, and author who uses a sutra-based curriculum that draws from a variety of traditions to teach the history, philosophy, and practice of Buddhism, and how it relates to our everyday life. He runs Lotus Underground – a repository of his teachings, audio recordings, and writings.
Dr. Tucker Peck is a meditation teacher, clinical psychologist, and bestselling author of "Sanity and Sainthood." Tucker specializes in working with advanced meditators and using meditation to help those with psychological disorders. He hosts the podcast "Teaching Meditation" and teaches retreats around the world.
Alejandro “Ale” Chaoul is a scholar, author, and educator who has studied in the Tibetan & Bön traditions for decades with Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Ale's teaching focuses on mind-body techniques that relieve stress and support wellbeing.
Amma, a seasoned meditation teacher and life coach, draws from decades of experience within monastic communities. Her teaching is adapted to address people's developmental trauma, and is rooted in nature, self-discovery, and meaningful interactions, guiding her students to navigate their paths with clarity & purpose.
Santacitta Bhikkhuni trained in England and Thailand as a nun in the lineage of Ajahn Chah, and received teachings in the Shechen lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. She received Bhikkhuni Ordination in 2011. Ayya Santacitta is committed to Gaia as a living being and resides as senior weaver at Aloka Earth Room in San Rafael.
Bhante Kovida, who is of Chinese descent, grew up in Jamaica. He took ordination under Venerable Balangoda Anandamaitreya, a noted Theravadan scholar and teacher, in Sri Lanka. Bhante travels and shares the Dhamma across Canada and other countries. His books can be found on Amazon, and his dharma talks on YouTube.
Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton is a teacher, author (Embodying Tara), and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts. She has taught Buddhism and Yoga since 2001. Chandra was given the title of Vajra Teacher, Dorje Lopön, in 2015. She develops programs and curricula for Tara Mandala and teaches nationally and internationally.
David Onek is a graduate of Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s two-year Dedicated Practitioners Program, and a graduate of Phillip Moffitt’s two-year Life Balance Institute training. He is currently a participant in Spirit Rock’s two-year Community Dharma Leaders program. David is the CEO of a social impact nonprofit.
Devin Berry is a Core Guiding Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society and a retreat teacher at IMS and Spirit Rock. His practice is rooted in mettā and vipassanā teachings. A writer and storyteller, Devin teaches at sanghas nationally and internationally, drawing from lived experience and deep love of the Dharma.
Fresh “Lev” White is a love and compassion activist. He offers mindfulness, mediation, and diversity training as tools for shifting to more authentic, conscious, & passionate living. Lev is mindfully grounded at the East Bay Meditation Center, and a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leadership & DPP programs.
Geshe Pema Dorjee escaped Tibet at the age of five. In 2001, HH the Dalai Lama asked Geshe to revive the Bodong tradition, and he became the founding Director of the Bodong Research & Publication Center. Geshe la is a tireless humanitarian who teaches and lectures around the world to raise funds for his many projects.
Greg Morris (they/them) is a student and practitioner of bhakti yoga and Advaita Vedanta, as well as a student and devotee of the Tao Te Ching and the four gospels of the New Testament. A lifelong peace advocate and bridge-builder with grounding in Unitarianism, Greg is a trainer with Compassion Cultivation Training.
Howie Cohn has led the Mission Dharma group in San Francisco for over 35 years. He has practiced meditation since 1972, has led retreats in the US and internationally since 1985, and is a senior teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Howie is known by his students for his kindheartedness and warm sense of humor.
Jason Bartlett emphasizes a practical approach to Buddha Dharma, drawing practice instructions from a wide variety of traditions. He teaches an understanding of Buddhism which can be applied in the tumult of daily life, with the aspiration to support practitioners at all stages on the path to complete liberation.
Jenny Terbell is a mother, writer, and teacher. She has studied and practiced Tibetan Buddhism for 15 years under the guidance of Lama Tsultrim Allione. She is a teacher and lineage holder at Tara Mandala, and a certified Feeding Your Demons® facilitator, breathwork teacher, and trauma-informed somatic practitioner.
Kevin Griffin, best known as the author of "One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps," is a longtime Buddhist practitioner, a leader in the mindful recovery movement, and a founder of the Buddhist Recovery Network. Kevin helps people connect with meditation and a progressive understanding of the 12 Steps.
Kitty Costello is a writer, publisher, poet, and retiring psychotherapist. She has taught meditative & movement practices for more than forty years. Kitty found her Dharma home in Insight Meditation practice in 2000. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders Program & teaches at various local sanghas.
Mary Doane is Supervising Instructor of Education Programs at Zen Caregiving Project, where she develops courses & trains instructors. Mary has completed Buddhist Chaplaincy training, studied socially engaged Buddhist practice with the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, and trained to teach Compassionate Cultivation Training.
Nichol Joy Chase, ERYT-500, YACEP, TSM, BM, is a yoga and meditation educator and musician for whom singing, movement, and contemplation are integral to life. Nichol is a Garrison Institute Fellow alum and developed a trauma-sensitive yoga program there. She performs mantra, bhajan, kirtan, and other musical styles.
Milo North Burn (he/him) has practiced for over 20 years in the Insight & Soto Zen traditions, including several years of silent retreat. He is the founder of Boundless Refuge, where he leads an annual 3-month retreat. Milo emphasizes meeting experience with relaxation to discover the compassion which flows from this.
Scott Blossom L.Ac. integrates Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Āyurveda, Yoga somatics, and evidence-based nutrition into his clinical practice & educational offerings. Scott is a long time student of Dr. Robert Svoboda (Ayurveda) and Shandor Remete (Yoga). He teaches regularly at the Kripalu School of Āyurveda.
A lifelong meditator and Bay Area native, Syra Smith began meditating as a teen and practiced in the Theravada tradition since 2009. She is a graduate of East Bay Meditation Center’s Commit to Dharma program & Spirit Rock's Community Dharma Leader program. Syra proudly serves as Core Teacher at the SF LGBT Sangha.
Taylor Rechtschaffen, LMFT, is a psychotherapist and a graduate of CIIS & the Internal Family Systems program. Taylor is a certified Feeding Your Demons© facilitator with Lama Tsultrim Allione and a 25 year practitioner of Buddhist & Vedic paths. Her approach is based in nature, compassion, & embodied, global wisdoms.
Teague O’Malley is a contemplative artist and meditation teacher working at the intersection of modern science, ancient wisdom, and creative practice. His approach integrates Dharma with creative process and contemplative inquiry, supporting students to harness the power of attention, creativity, and inner sovereignty.
Tenzin Chogkyi (she/her/hers) teaches workshops and programs that bridge the worlds of Buddhist thought, contemplative practice, compassion training, mental & emotional cultivation, and positive psychology. Tenzin took monastic ordination in 2004 with HH the Dalai Lama and practiced as a monastic for nearly 20 years.
Founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha International, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is a respected and beloved teacher and meditation master in the Bön Buddhist tradition of Tibet. He has students in more than 25 countries, teaches around the world and reaches thousands of students through his online programs.
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Valerie (Vimalasara) Mason John was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Community and is a senior teacher in the tradition. They co-created Mindfulness Based Addiction Recovery (MBAR). Vimalasara is a certified Mindfulness Teacher, Recovery Coach, Life Coach, and a Compassionate Inquiry Facilitator and Practitioner.
Venerable Robina Courtin was ordained in the late 1960s and has worked since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s FPMT. She has served as editorial director of Wisdom Publications, editor of Mandala Magazine, executive director of Liberation Prison Project, and as an international teacher of Buddhism.
Walt Opie is a dharma teacher in the Insight Meditation tradition. Walt is a core faculty member with Sacramento Insight Meditation and co-leads the monthly Insight Recovery Sangha through IMS. He serves as Board President for the Buddhist Recovery Network and teaches workshops and retreats throughout the country.
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