Dawn Neal

Guiding Teacher, Insight Santa Cruz

Dawn Neal is an Insight Meditation teacher in the Theravāda tradition, trained by Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella. She is the Guiding Teacher for Insight Santa Cruz, and also teaches regularly for Insight Meditation Center of the Mid-Peninsula. She has been teaching since 2010, and now serves as a teacher on residential meditation retreats.

Dawn has devoted several years to silent retreat since starting Buddhist practice in 2005. After exploring multiple schools of Buddhism, she was ordained in Myanmar. There, she was authorized to teach Buddhist practice through the lens of Mettā (lovingkindness and goodwill).

Dawn serves as core faculty for the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies Online Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program. She holds an MA from the Institute of Buddhist Studies and Graduate Theological Union, focused on Theravāda Buddhism and Pastoral Care and Counseling. Before teaching full time, she worked as an Interfaith Spiritual Care professional (Chaplain) at Stanford Medicine.