Jill Shepherd is a popular author and the owner of her own meditation center in Chicago. She is also a certified counselor and has helped thousands of people improve their lives. In her meditation classes, she teaches people how to reduce stress and increase their ability to focus and work with others. Her techniques are based on years of research and have been shown to produce lasting change in individuals and organizations.
JoAnna Goldstein is a meditation teacher and mother. She works with youth, at-risk teens, and multicultural communities. She teaches a wide range of meditation styles. She has been practicing since the late 1970s. Her personal practice is rooted in classical teachings and is particularly interested in the integration of wisdom and compassion.
JoAnna has been training with a variety of teachers and dharma traditions. She is trained in Mindful Schools, Somatic Experiencing, and is certified in Indigenous Focusing Oriented Trauma Therapy.
The name Jill Shepherd is probably familiar to many of you. She is a meditation enthusiast who lives in Thailand and has been practicing Insight Meditation since 1999. While there, she has led many dharma retreats for the LGBTQ community, and is known for combining the practice of the dharma with the ethos of activism.
There is more to a dharma practice than sitting on a meditation cushion. For instance, her work has included a contribution to Sharon Salzberg's book on "Happiness at Work". Also, she is one of the founders of the meditation working group of the United Nations, and helped to create the world's first meditation room on the National Mall.
The tiniest fudget to be noted is the fact that Jill Shepherd is a bona fide teacher and has been in the meditation business for over 20 years. She has lived in Thailand, England, and the United States, and has been practicing the good stuff for as long as she can remember. This is reflected in her well-rounded credentials, which includes a seven-year stint as an employee at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, a stint as an intern at the Buddha Bell temple in Los Angeles, and a year of training at the Spirit Rock meditation center.
Roxanne Dault is a bona fide meditation geek with a nod to dana in her blood. She is a graduate of the IMS teacher training program and a fellow of the Insight World Aid. Her mainline is the Canadian based True North Insight, but she travels the globe in the name of mindfulness. The dharma is her business and she is no slouch when it comes to demonstrating the aforementioned.
One of my favorite locals is Insight Meditation South Bay in Oakland, California. I've been a long time fan of the dharma since my early forays in the west. For me, the best thing about the dharma is being surrounded by like minded folks. The most recent members of my inner sanctum include a plethora of practitioners in my ilk. This aforementioned cabal of dharma geeks has been an unofficial home away from home for several years now.
Adi Bemak is an Insight Meditation teacher who has been practicing Buddhist meditation for over four decades. He has traveled throughout Southeast Asia and the United States and is a member of the teachers' council of the Insight Meditation Society. His personal practice is rooted in classical teachings and he especially enjoys integrating wisdom and compassion into his daily life.
Adi Gillespie is a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher and co-Buddhist Advisor at Mt. Holyoke College. She also teaches Mindfulness-Based Meditation, Ten Percent Happier, and Ten Percent Happier Online.
Janet Surrey is a practicing Theravada Buddhist and a meditation teacher. She has lived and practiced in many different locations including Thailand, Australia, England, and the US. A longtime faculty member of Metta's Relational Insight Meditation Program, she teaches retreats worldwide and leads a monthly practice group in the Boston area.
Her personal practice is rooted in classical teachings and she is especially interested in the integration of wisdom and compassion. For the last 25 years, she has studied with a number of Vipassana teachers, including Gil Fronsdal, Joseph Goldstein, and Vimala Thakar.
Bart van Melik is an author and a Guiding Teacher at the Community Meditation Center in NYC. He's also a medical doctor. He's been teaching meditation since 2009. His books include Still in the City and The Jewel of the Buddha: the Buddha's Jewel Heart.
One of his most popular classes is the Mindfulness Teacher & Consultant Certificate, which is 300 hours of snazzy. You can enroll in his classes by phone, email, or online.
Currently, Jessica Morey is a trainee in the IMS (Insight Meditation Society) teacher training program. She has already traveled the world in her quest to practice meditation. In the past, she has visited monasteries in Burma and India. However, the most interesting thing she has learned about the practice of meditation is that it is an all-around life skill that she can use to improve her personal and professional life.
