Ryushin Paul Haller, former City Center Abbot, has taught Zen, mindfulness, and meditation for over 25 years throughout the U.S. and Europe. He has created programs that assist with depression and substance abuse, has taught in prisons, and has a long involvement with the Zen Hospice Project. He has been practicing yoga for over 25 years.
Eijun Linda Cutts came to San Francisco Zen Center in 1971 and was ordained as a priest in 1975. She has lived at Tassajara and City Center, and has resided at Green Gulch since 1993. She served as Abbess of SFZC from 2000 to 2007, and has served as Abiding Abbess of Green Gulch Farm Zen Center since 2010. She has been co-leading Yoga-Zen retreats for many years at both Tassajara and Green Gulch.
Leslie James is the Abiding Teacher at Tassajara and has practiced at San Francisco Zen Center since 1971. She received lay dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 2001. She has two grown children and lives at Tassajara with her husband.
Myogen Steve Stücky has been practicing Zen since 1971 with teachers including Richard Baker, Dainin Katagiri, Robert Aitken and Tenshin Anderson, and has trained in Internal Family System Therapy. He received Dharma Transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman in 1993. He became co-Abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center in February 2007, and in 2010 became Central Abbot as a part of restructuring the abbacy. Abbot Steve founded Dharma Eye Zen Center in Marin County, and loves listening to mountains.
Zoketsu Norman Fischer is a poet, author, Zen priest, and former Abbot of Zen Center. He is founder and teacher of the Everyday Zen Foundation, dedicated to sharing Zen teaching and practice widely in the world. He is the guiding teacher to several Zen groups, including in the Bay Area, Washington state, Vancouver, B.C., New York City, and Mexico. He co-founded Makor Or, a Jewish Meditation Center in San Francisco, with the late Rabbi Alan Lew. His most recent books are The Strugglers, a collection of long poems(Singing Horse Press, 2012), and Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong(Shambhala, 2013).
Kiku Christina Lehnherr, City Center Abiding Abbess, has a degree in Clinical Psychology and worked as a psychotherapist in Switzerland before becoming a resident at San Francisco Zen Center in 1988. Ordained as a priest in 1993, she received Dharma Transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 2005. She leads the Mountain Source Sangha in San Rafael and the Tiburon Sitting Group and is available for Practice Counseling and Buddhist Ceremonies.
Sojun Mel Weitsman is Abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center, and a former Abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center. He began practice with Suzuki Roshi in 1964, and was ordained as a priest in 1969. He received dharma transmission from Suzuki’s son Gyugaku Hoitsu Roshi in 1984. He has led many practice periods, ordained many students, given dharma transmission to a number of priests, and enjoys spreading Suzuki Roshi’s teaching. He especially welcomes beginners.
Shosan Victoria Austin came to Zen practice in 1971. She was ordained by Zentatsu Richard Baker in 1982 and received dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman in 1999. Since her first Iyengar Yoga practice in 1978 and her first “Yoga for Sitters” class offering in 1984, she has explored how these two disciplines of mindful action support and sustain each other. She currently teaches at San Francisco Zen Center, the Iyengar Yoga Institute, Abode of Iyengar Yoga, and other venues around the country.
Leo Babauta Leo Babauta is a simplicity blogger & author. He created Zen Habits, a Top 25 blog (according to TIME magazine) with 200,000 subscribers, mnmlist.com, and the best-selling books The Effortless Life, Focus, and The Power of Less.
Letitia Bartlett has been teaching yoga for 20 years. She is a graduate of the San Francisco Iyengar Institute and studied in Pune, India with the Iyengar family. In addition to teaching yoga, Letitia works as a clown, mime and acting teacher in San Francisco. She has taught at American Conservatory Theater, The Academy of Art University, and Stanford University.
Christine Bailey is an artist, educator and zen practitioner who has lived at Tassajara and Green Gulch Farm. She believes that everyone can learn to draw and has taught all ages and levels of art students.
Christy Brown has studied with Pattabhi Jois, S.N. Goenka, Sarah Powers, Paul Grilley, John Friend, Desikachar, and the Dalai Lama. Emphasizing mindfulness, breath and alignment, cultivating one's highest wellbeing for the benefit of all beings, and drawing on various yoga traditions and Buddhist philosophy, Christy weaves a creatively flowing, invigorating yet calming, centering yet expanding exploration of Self through Asana. ChristyBrownYoga.com
Connie Cummings Connie Cummings, a resident priest of Zen Center, began practice with Misha Merrill while working as a software developer and engineer in Silicon Valley in the 1990’s. She is a student of Tenshin Reb Anderson and served as Shuso (Head Student) in 2011. She is currently Corporate Secretary and lives at Green Gulch Farm.
Shokuchi Deirdre Carrigan has been teaching Yoga in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1988 and was a professional dancer for 27 years. Shokuchi received priest ordination from Tenshin Reb Anderson in March 2010 and currently serves as the Conference Coordinator at Green Gulch Farm.
Diego del Sol transfers yogic wisdom to students with a natural and inspiring ease. He has received "Best of the Bay" honors as a yoga teacher in San Francisco, and leads workshops, retreats, and teacher trainings around the world. Diego has been practicing and studying yoga, meditation and healing arts for 20 years.
Zenshin Greg Fain received dharma transmission in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi from Sojun Mel Weitsman Roshi. Greg is married and currently serves as Tanto (Head of Practice) at Tassajara. His intention is to encourage you in your practice.
Britt Fohrman has taught yoga since 1997, with a foundation in Iyengar yoga and specialties in Restorative, Therapeutic and Prenatal Yoga. Her teaching emphasizes individualized alignment, meditative focus and breath guided movement, and is infused with levity, compassion and honesty.
Albert Flynn DeSilver is an internationally published poet, author, teacher, speaker, and writing coach. He served as Marin County California’s very first Poet Laureate from 2008-2010. His latest book is Beamish Boy (I Am Not My Story): A Memoir of Recovery & Awakening. He presents at conferences and workshops nationally, has taught in the Teen and Family Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center since 2005, and has practiced Vipassana and other forms of meditation for more than eighteen years.
Shinchi Linda Galijan, Ph.D., was ordained by Sojun Mel Weitsman in 2004 and received Dharma Transmission from him in 2012. She has been a professional musician, a massage therapist, and a licensed clinical psychologist, and has practiced yoga for over 20 years. She currently serves as Director of Tassajara.
Rosemary Garrison brings seven years of teaching experience and over 13 years of practice to her students. She offers a gentle, yet strong touch and consistently beckons her students into the deeper layers of the practice, encouraging a pathway to greater awareness, transformation and peace.
Steven Harper is a wilderness guide, author, and consultant. He has taught at Esalen Institute for 30 years and is a resident of Big Sur. A student of Buddhism since 1972, he also has an M.A. in Psychology.
Shundo David Haye began his practice in 2000, and has lived at City Center and Tassajara since then. He was ordained as a priest in 2009, served as head monk at Tassajara last fall, and is currently serving as the director at City Center.
Kokyo (Luminous Owl) Henkel is currently Head Teacher at Santa Cruz Zen Center. He was ordained a priest in 1994 by Tenshin Anderson Roshi and received Dharma Transmission from him in 2010. Kokyo lived and practiced for many years at Tassajara.
James Higgins composes mindful yoga practices with his vipassana meditation
experience. Offering a unique, appealing class focused on the integration of
physical, mental and emotional wellness, each class holds the intention for
peaceful healing, personal evolution, and a deeper understanding of the heart.
Jane Hirshfield has been a student of Soto Zen for over thirty years and was lay-ordained in 1979. She is the author of six prize-winning books of poetry, a book of essays, and three now-classic anthologies gathering the work of historical women poets.
Lisa Jansen Lisa Marie Jansen, CYT, has 30 years experience as a yogi, with 14 years experience as a teacher and energy facilitator. She includes Hatha, Yin, & Therapeutic Yoga in her classes. Her style is warm and supportive, offering a practice for everyone. Find out more by visiting lisayoga.com.
Wendy Johnson has practiced Zen and organic horticulture for more than 35 years. She received lay dharma entrustment from Eijun Linda Cutts in 2006 and is also a lay-ordained dharma teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Wendy is author of the recent San Francisco Zen Center book Gardening at the Dragon’s Gate.
Cynthia Kear has been practicing Soto Zen Buddhism for twenty-five years. As a full-time employee with an active family, she appreciates how demanding life can be. “Everywhere practice,” infusing the everyday “marketplace” of our lives with space, awareness, stability and ease, is her primary interest.
Dale Kent, author of Tassajara: Dinners & Desserts, lived and practiced at Tassajara for many years where he spent much of his time in the kitchen cooking and serving as Tenzo (head cook.) He currently splits his time between the Houston Zen Center and Tassajara.
Jeremy Levie has lived and practiced at San Francisco Zen Center since 1995. He was ordained by Eijun Linda Cutts in 2005 and trained as shuso with her in 2009. He currently serves as tanto at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, where he lives with his wife and daughter.
Sessei Meg Levie, MA has been practicing Zen for over 20 years and received ordination as a Zen priest in 2003. She also is a certified executive and life coach and has taught programs in mindfulness in the workplace, with clients from Genentech, Twitter, Zynga, and Google. She currently lives with her family at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center in Marin County.
Lee Klinger Lesser has been leading workshops in Sensory Awareness for over 30 years. She led workshops together with Charlotte Selver, founder of Sensory Awareness in the United States. Lee began studying Zen in 1978 and appreciates the deep interconnectedness of these practices. She co-founded Honoring the Path of the Warrior, offering mindfulness retreats for returning veterans.
Marc Lesser Marc Lesser is CEO of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI) an organization committed to effective leadership and happiness, using the tools of mindfulness and emotional intelligence.He was a part of the team that developed and taught Search Inside Yourself within Google. Marc was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center for ten years and former director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center.
Darcy Lyon is a certified Anusara Yoga instructor and a Marriage and Family Therapist intern. Reflecting an exuberant playfulness, her classes are based in Anusara's Principles of Alignment which support body, mind and heart to live with deep strength, wisdom and ease.
Jackie McGrath is an executive coach committed to supporting leaders toward greater authenticity, presence, and power. She has lectured extensively on the topic of personal creativity and innovative leadership, and has been a guest lecturer at Chicago’s Graduate School of Business and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and Engineering. Jackie holds a BS in Engineering and a Master’s in Organizational Psychology, and is a Certified Professional Coach.
Andrew J. Mellen is an author, speaker, and professional organizer. He can be found on the web. He’s been called “The Most Organized Man in America,” for good reason—as an organizer and workshop leader, he has helped thousands of people across the U.S. to unclutter their lives and gain time for the things that are really important … which often aren’t even things at all.
Mary Mocine is a Zen priest who trained at San Francisco Zen Center and was ordained in 1994. She received dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman in 2005. Mary practiced law for 18 years and now leads a dharma group for lawyers.
Djuna Mascall illuminates yoga through her extensive knowledge of anatomy, alignment, and
the wisdom of yoga and Buddhist dharma. She is a Prajna Yoga Senior teacher (Tias Little) with 10 years’ experience and offers Prajna workshops nationally.
Donald Moyer is the founder of The Yoga Room in Berkeley, California, has been practicing Iyengar Yoga since 1971, and teaching since 1974. He is the author of Yoga: Awakening the Inner Body.
Naomi Shihab Nye's poetry reflects a world vision, and attests to our shared humanity. Author or editor of over 30 books, her new books include Transfer and There is No Long Distance Now.
Lirio Ohlson M.A., E-RYT 500 has taught meditation, pranayama and yoga asana postures for the last 20 years. Her goal is to make yoga available and accessible to people regardless of physical ability or aptitude. She enjoys bringing humor, warmth and creativity to her classes.
Samantha Ostergaard’s yoga teaching is deeply influenced by the transformational three years she spent living and practicing at Tassajara. She has been practicing Iyengar yoga for 20 years and teaching it for nine years, and specializes in therapeutic yoga for back and neck pain.
Korin Charlie Pokorny was ordained as a priest by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999. He practiced as a resident at Tassajara and Green Gulch Farm for 12 years, including serving as head cook and director at Tassajara. He currently resides in Sebastopol.
Ana Poirier is the founder of Yoga Body Nutrition. As a yogini, author, holistic health & nutrition coach, and spiritual business mentor, she supports clients all over the world in healing and loving their bodies, owning their power, and aligning with their purpose so they can live energized and fulfilling lives.
Daiyu Judith Randall was ordained as a priest by Ryushin Paul Haller in 2004 and has been living and practicing at Tassajara for 9 years. Judith’s practices have also included Quakerism, hospice social work, and birding. She is the mother of one daughter.
Diane Renshaw began Zen practice at Tassajara in 1978, received lay ordination in 1993, and is working with Tassajara on a native plant project. Diane lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a professional consulting ecologist.
Unzan Graham Ross has been practicing residentially at Tassajara since 2004. He was ordained by Ryushin Paul Haller in 2007 and was Shuso (Head Monk) in 2010. Graham currently serves as the Ino (Head of the Meditation Hall) at Tassajara and was one of the five people who met the fires at Tassajara in 2008. Graham received a 1st degree black belt in 2002 in the Saito Sensei lineage of Aikido.
Jiryu Mark Rutschman-Byler is a Soto Zen priest in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. He has trained full time at Zen temples in the U.S. and Japan since the age of 20, in 1996.
Furyu Nancy Schroeder
Furyu Nancy Schroeder, a resident of Zen Center for over 30 years, is currently the Director of Children and Family programs at Green Gulch Farm where she lives with her partner Dr. Grace Dammann and their 18 year old daughter Sabrina. Fu has held most of the monastic positions at the Zen Center and has been an active supporter of programs for children, people of color, the gay and lesbian community, and the interfaith community. In 2008 she was elected to the Marin Women's Hall of Fame and in 2010 she was appointed to the Board of the Marin Community Foundation. She received Dharma Transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999.
Hozan Alan Senauke is vice-abbot of Berkeley Zen Center, where he has been living for 25 years. He is founder of Clear View Project, engaged Buddhist action for social change and relief. Alan is a writer, a well-known performer of American traditional music, and is often seen behind a camera. His latest book is The Bodhisattva’s Embrace: Dispatches from Engaged Buddhism’s Front Lines.
Annie Somerville, a former resident of Tassajara, is currently the Executive Chef of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, and has earned a national reputation for her imaginative approach to vegetarian cooking. Somerville is a popular teacher of cooking classes throughout the Bay Area, and is the author of Fields of Greens: New Vegetarian Recipes from the Celebrated Greens Restaurant and Everyday Greens. Her works have also been featured in many publications, including Gourmet, Food and Wine, Ladies Home Journal, and Vegetarian Times.
Brother David Steindl-Rast (Christian) is a life-long
Benedictine monk. His Zen teachers include HakuunYasutani
Roshi, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, and Eido Shimano Roshi.
Brother David serves a worldwide Network for Grateful
Living.
Janet Stone traveled to India in 1996 where she met a powerful yogi and became dedicated to a conscious evolution through yoga. As one of San Francisco's premiere yoga instructors, Janet blends a wealth of knowledge and yoga experience to create a unique, vigorous-yet-sumptuous approach to Vinyasa yoga that effortlessly melds awareness with movement and breath. She also teaches workshops, teacher trainings, and retreats all over the world.
Rex Stromness had the good fortune to be introduced to both yoga and Zen meditation while studying at Sonoma State College in the mid-70s. After graduating he spent 10 years in Boulder, Colorado where he was introduced to Ashtanga Yoga and the teachings of Trungpa Rinpoche. He and his wife Michele lead International yoga, meditation, and culture retreats in Bali, Guatemala and Costa Rica.
Sarita Tamayo-Moraga, Ph.D. is a Zen priest and Dharma heir in the Suzuki-roshi lineage. She began practicing meditation and studying with Darlene Cohen in 1999. Sarita was debilitated by a chronic repetitive strain injury soon after she began sitting. This life-changing injury led her to connect with Darlene’s emphasis on chronic illness as a way to penetrate suffering. She continued to work with Darlene until her death around the transformation of suffering in the body and through the body with zazen as the primary focal point.
Ango Sara Tashker has been an organic farmer and residential practitioner at San Francisco Zen Center since 2002. In 2011 she served as Head Student (shuso) at Tassajara with Abbot Myogen Steve Stücky and Sojun Mel Weitsman. She currently serves as Director of Green Gulch Farm, where she lives and practices with her husband and their son Frank.
Patricia Sullivan has been teaching yoga for over 30 years, and her knowledge of alignment, anatomy, and kinesiology promotes healing and aesthetic awareness in every student. Foundational study of Iyengar Yoga, with years of personal exploration and exposure to many traditions, including Buddhist meditation, has created a continuing evolution in Patricia’s teaching. In addition, her work as a sculptor adds a creative, improvisational element to the class.
Kazuaki Tanahashi Kazuaki Tanahashi is a calligrapher, painter, Zen scholar, and writer. Originally from Japan, he has had solo exhibitions worldwide. As a peace worker, Kaz is founding director of A World Without Armies. Kaz is the editor of a two volume translation of Dogen’s Shobogenzo, Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo, published in July 2011. His book Sky Above, Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan was published in October 9, 2012.
For more information on Kaz and his other publications, visit his web site: www.brushmind.net
Steven Tierney, Ed.D. CAS is Professor of Counseling Psychology and Chair of the Community Mental Health Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. A certified addiction specialist, he is the Co- Founder of the San Francisco Mindfulness Foundation. Steven has been studying and practicing Buddhism for more than 20 years and was ordained by Michael Wenger on January 6, 2013.
Do-On Robert Thomas was ordained by Zoketsu Norman Fischer in 2000, and received Dharma Transmission from him in 2009. Robert’steachings focus on the practical benefits of Zen meditation for people from all walks of life. In 2012, Robert became a visiting dharma teacher at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Jisan Anna Thorn has been practicing at all three temples of San Francisco Zen Center since 1995. She received priest ordination in 2003 from Tenshin Reb Anderson and was shuso (head monk) in 2007 under Abbot Ryushin Paul Haller. She was an assistant teacher for the Program Establishing the Path of Practice at City Center and has been a practice leader at City Center. Anna currently lives at Green Gulch Farm, where she is a practice leader and serves as Guest Program Manager.
Pamela Weiss is an executive coach and the Founder and Chief Wisdom Officer of Appropriate Response, a company dedicated to bringing the power of mindful awareness into the workplace. She is trained as a teacher through Spirit Rock, lived at Zen Center from 1987-1991, and was Head Student in 1996. She leads a weekly sitting group in San Francisco, and offers meditation retreats internationally.
Nina Wise is an artist who has invented a compelling form of physical autobiographical theater. She is a teacher of improvisation and also teaches contemplative practice at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Her performance works have garnered seven Bay Area Critics’ Circle Awards, and she has received, among other prestigious honors, three National Endowment for the Arts fellowships. She wrote the book, A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life.
Liping Zhu L.Ac. is a certified Qigong and Taichi instructor from China and a disciple of Taoist Master Yu Anren. She is the Qigong instructor at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a former resident of SF Zen Center and currently has an acupuncture practice in San Francisco.
Kanzan David Zimmerman has been practicing Zen for over 20 years, was ordained by Rev. Teah Strozer in 2006, and spent 8 years at Tassajara. He currently lives at City Center where he serves as SFZC Program Director, is a co-facilitator of Queer Dharma, and co-leads workshops on "Transforming Depression and Anxiety" with Dr. Lee Lipp.