⯈ Practice
- Daily Sitting Meditation Practice Group (2023 - Present)
- Daily online group meditations with the Clear Mountain Monastery community and monks.
- Ānāpānasati Meditation Method (2020 - Present)
- The sixteen-step meditation instructions of the Buddha - an interpretation of the description in Majjhima Nikaya Sutta 118.
- Ajahn Brahm's Meditation Method (2019 - 2020)
- Followed the description in Ajahn Brahm's book "Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond".
- Walking Meditation (2019 - Present)
- Began with Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu's Theravada walking meditation instructions (one note per step), added Bhikkhu Bodhi's three-point technique (picking, placing, shifting) and a six-point method. The approach varies depending on mental state at the start of each session.
- Metta Practice (2015 - Present)
- Practiced Metta at Tibet House in New York City under the guidance of Rachel Hammerman. Regularly attending Bhikkhu Bodhi's weekly Metta sessions since 2019.
- Yoga Practice (2010 - Present)
- Regular pracctice of a Hatha yoga set similar to the one taught in the MBSR curriculum (see the guided yoga videos by Dr. Lynn Rossi in the Resources section of this website).
- Qigong (Chi Kung) (1989 - Present)
- Studied and practiced a 15-posture subset of the Shibashi Qigong (Set-1) 18-postures form with Robert Tangora.
- Tai Chi (Taiji) (1988 - Present)
- Studied and practiced the Yang style 37-movement form of Chen Man-ch'ing with several teachers: Katherine Hannah, Maggie Newman, Sifu William Dere. Since 1991, studied with Grandmaster William C. C. Chen, practicing his Yang style 60-movement form twice daily, as a moving meditation.
- Breathwork & Body Scans (Mid 1980's - Present)
- Yoga breathing exercises to calm the body via abdominal breathing, counting, and visualization. Also started practicing the body scan.
⯈ Teaching
- Philadelphia Prisons - Detention Center (Feb. - Apr., 2025)
- Facilitating a mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) curriculum to incarcerated people at this jail - one hour a week for ten weeks.
- Kennedy House, Philadelphia Mindfulness class (Jan. - Mar., 2025)
- Introductory Mindfulness class - one hour a week for ten weeks.
- Philadelphia Prisons - Industrial Correctional Center (Nov., 2024 - Feb., 2025)
- Facilitating the Path of Freedom curriculum of the Prison Mindfulness Institute to incarcerated people at this prison - one hour a week for eleven weeks.
- Kennedy House, Philadelphia Mindfulness class (Oct., 2024 - Jan., 2025)
- Introductory Mindfulness class - one hour a week for ten weeks.
- Qigong class, NASA Ames Research Center (Spring, 2005)
- Taught a 15-posture subset of the Shibashi Qigong (Set-1) 18-posture form - fourty minutes a week for ten weeks.
⯈ Training
- Engaged Mindfulness Institute - Mindfulness Teacher Training (May 2024 - Apr. 2025)
- The Engaged Mindfulness Institute trains its students to facilitate mindfulness instruction in a trauma-informed manner. The EMI mindfulness teacher training certifies its graduates to teach mindfulness to the general population. It is also one of the teacher training institutions whose certification can be accepted by the International Mindfulness Teachers Association for their Certified Mindfulness Teaching Professional (CMT-P) certification. EMI graduation date: Apr. 7, 2025.
- Prison Mindfulness Institute's Path of Freedom - Prison mindfulness teacher/facilitator Training (Jul. - Aug., 2024)
- The Path of Freedom curriculum of the Prison Mindfulness Institute is a mindfulness-based emotional intelligence (MBEI) program developed for incarcerated individuals. It integrates mindfulness practices, emotional intelligence topics and exercises, and cognitive behavioral methods.
- MBSR 10-Week Teacher Training Foundations Class (2024)
- Attended the 10-week MBSR Teacher Training class offered by University of California, San Diego (UCSD)'s Centers for Integrative Health, taught by Noriko Morita Harth and Korantema Pierce Wiliams.
- Santikaro's Class: Monday Morning Guided Ānāpānasati Meditations (2024)
- A year long class where Santikaro guides Ānāpānasati meditations, offered online via Kevala Retreat.
- Santikaro's Class: Ānāpānasati Conversations (2023-2024)
- A year long class centered around the Buddha's 16 step meditation method, offered online via Kevala Retreat.
- MBSR Class (Sep. 2023)
- Attended an MBSR class, in exploration of teaching MBSR later. This was a University of California, San Diego (UCSD)'s Centers for Integrative Health class taugt by Megan Prager and Jennifer A. Miller.
- Neuroscience Ph. D. (1997)
- With advisor Eric L. Schwartz at Boston University.
- A Talk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (1991)
- Attended a talk by his Holiness the Dalai Lama, titled "Overcoming Differences". This catalyzed further study of his work, mostly in the area of loving-kindness.
- Qigong (Chi Kung) (1989 - Present)
- Studied and practiced a 15-posture subset of the Shibashi Qigong (Set-1) 18-postures form with Robert Tangora.
- Tai Chi (Taiji) (1988 - Present)
- Studied and practiced the Yang style 37-movement form of Chen Man-ch'ing with several teachers: Katherine Hannah, Maggie Newman, Sifu William Dere. Since 1991, studied with Grandmaster William C. C. Chen, practicing his Yang style 60-movement form twice daily, as a moving meditation.
⯈ Certifications and Professional Organizations
- Certified Mindfulness Teacher
- Certification awarded by the Engaged Mindfulness Institute on Apr. 7, 2025.
- Certified Mindfulness Teacher - Professional Level (CMT-P)
- Certification awarded by the International Mindfulness Teachers Association on Apr. 8, 2025. (Details....)
- Member, International Mindfulness Teachers Association
- Member since May, 2024. Active member Apr. 2025 - Present.
⯈ Retreats
- Self Retreat as an 8-Precept Guest at Wat Marp Jan (May 8 - 22, 2025)
- A 15-day self-retreat and immersion in monastic life as an eight-precept guest, at Wat Marp Jan - an Ajahn Chah branch monastery in a Thai rainforest in the Rayong region of Thailand. The retreat involved simple living alongside the monks, joining in daily meditation, chanting, rituals, and communal work while deepening mindfulness in a serene forest monastery.
- Winter Online Retreat With Clear Mountain Monastery (Feb. - Apr., 2025)
- Online retreat, offered by Clear Mountain Monastery. Minimum 3-hours of daily meditation (up to the 10-hours per day that were offered in part of this retreat).
- Jhanas, Insight, and Dependent Origination (Nov. 22 - Dec. 2, 2024)
- Online silent retreat, with Leigh Brasington and Matt Harvey, offered by Gaia House.
- Engaged Mindfulness Institute Retreat (Oct. 11-13, 2024)
- Online retreat, part of Engaged Mindfulness Institute's CMT-P certification.
- Engaged Mindfulness Institute Retreat (Sep. 13-15, 2024)
- Online retreat, part of Engaged Mindfulness Institute's CMT-P certification.
- Engaged Mindfulness Institute Retreat (Jun. 14-16, 2024)
- Online retreat, part of Engaged Mindfulness Institute's CMT-P certification.
- Engaged Mindfulness Institute Retreat (May 3-5, 2024)
- Online retreat, part of Engaged Mindfulness Institute's CMT-P certification.
- Summer Online Retreat With Clear Mountain Monastery (Aug. 12 - Sep. 13, 2024)
- Online retreat, offered by Clear Mountain Monastery (only participated in the 3-hour morning sittings).
- Retreat with Santikaro (Jan. 21-27, 2024)
- Online silent retreat titled Mindfulness with Breathing: Contemplating Citta (mind, heart, psyche), with Santikaro.
- Retreat with Bhikkhu Bodhi (Mar. 17-20, 2023)
- Participated and volunteered in this online silent retreat, titled From Contemplation of the Body to Contemplation of the Mind.
- Retreat with Tobi Warzinek (Mar. 5-9, 2019)
- Five day retreat at Phuket Meditation Center. Tobi taught a meditation method based on Ajahn Brahm’s. After the retreat, I picked up "Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond" by Ajahn Brahm and continued daily practice with that method for a few years.