Practice as a Balm in Difficult Times
Practice as a Balm in Stressful Times Question from a student: Recently, I have begun a very emotionally stressful period in my life. I have been called to my meditation practice more often to try and quiet my mind. I have often in the past turned to my practice in times of stress for clarity, guidance and divine connection. During a couple of my sittings intense emotions have bubbled up mostly in the form of sadness and crying. I think my breathing when starting those sittings was a bit shallow and as the breathing deepened the emotion...
read moreYale Neuroscience Article on Concentration Meditation; Tina was a research subject
In this article, Dr. Judson Brewer (former director of the Yale Neuroscience Clinic, and current director of Research at the Center for Mindfulness at U-Mass) and his associates summarize the research for which Tina was one of the meditation subjects, as an advanced meditator. The study focuses on the activation and deactivation of the posterior cingulate cortex center (PCC) of the brain through concentration meditation. The PCC is thought by some to be the center of the sense of self within the brain. Especially interesting is their...
read moreKorean and Italian Versions of Practicing the Jhanas
Practicing the Jhanas is now available in Korean and Italian, as well as English. We appreciate the beauty of the Korean cover, shown here.
read moreAwakening Buddhist Women Feature Tina
Awakening Buddhist Women featured Tina in their Dec. 14 blog. The post is an overview of an article on Tina in Nonduality Magazine. To read the blog post, or view the Awakening Buddhist Women website, click here.
read moreJoin Tina on her Insight Timer Group!
Tina now has a virtual sitting group on the Insight Timer! The Insight Timer is a great app for timing your meditations. You can select the time you want, and choose from several beautiful meditation bells that will ring at the time(s) you set. Best of all, you can see who you are meditating with from around the world! The basic version of the app is free, and there is a small fee for the full app. Tina’s group is called the “Awakening Dharma Samatha Meditation” group, which you can find in the “groups” area. All...
read moreFirst Month-long Retreat Held at Cloud Mountain
We held our first month-long (27-day) retreat from Sept. 6-Oct. 3,2014, at Cloud Mountain Retreat Center in Castle Rock, Washington. We had 37 participants from 8 countries around the world. It was a deep and profound experience, for us as well as the yogis who attended. One of our criteria was that all accommodations would be singles, which worked out well for the participants. We have decided to offer another month-long retreat in 2017–look for information soon.
read moreFirst European Retreat Held in Tuscany, Italy
Our first European retreat was be held at the Lama Tsong Kapa Institute, the largest Tibetan Buddhist Center in Europe, Sept. 21-29, 2013, thanks to the sponsorship of Dr. Andrea Serafino. Yogis from 11 different countries attended the retreat. Here is a hotlink to a 2-minute video summary of the retreat. http://youtu.be/NREuDy3vT-U We are considering offering future retreats in Italy. If you are interested in our future European events, please email us via our Contacts...
read moreInternational Vipassana Teachers Conference
We were delighted to be invited to the International Vipassana Teachers Conference in June 2013, along with about 90 other Buddhist Teachers from around the world. We appreciated being with such a dedicated group of teachers and practitioners. Much of the agenda focused on issues of engaged Buddhism, such as diversity and inclusion, and climate change.
read moreTina Neuro Tested at Yale
Dr. Jusdon Brewer, head of the Yale Neuroscience Lab, invited us to teach a daylong to his sangha at Yale University Chapel in April 2014. It was a treat to teach in a space with such an esteemed history of contemplation. While we were there he invited us to participate in a study of advanced meditators. Here is a photo of Tina with her EEG “swim cap” on, during the testing. A summary of the research can be found on our Books/Articles page.
read moreTeachers Interviewed by Non-Duality Magazine
Tina and Stephen were recently interviewed by Nonduality Magazine, an online magazine featuring interviews with teachers from a wide variety of traditions. Read the interviews at the hotlinks...
read moreTina's Book
Practicing The Jhanas:
Traditional Concentration Meditation As Presented By The Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw147 page paperback book, published by Shambhala Publications - Click for more info.