Annie Sigtermans - A beloved friend introduced me to Jack Kornfield’s books many years ago. I began listening to his audio books during my work commute. I got curious about meditation and started listening to his guided meditations during my lunch breaks in my car. Read more of her story here >

Paul Renn – Thirteen years ago a friend invited my wife to go on a five-day retreat. I had no idea why anyone would want to do that. I had never done meditation. My wife came back and was describing her experience to me. I had no reference point, so I did not fully understand how sitting without talking could be profound. Read more of his story here >

Tina Cansler - in January of 2014, I began my meditation practice at East Bay Meditation Center following a life-changing experience. Once I got a grasp on the foundations of mindfulness, a few teachers began to encourage me to go deeper with my practice. This meant branching out to different sanghas...Read more of her story here >

Joe Collins - I first heard of Spirit Rock about six years ago after my long-time teacher in India passed away. To my surprise, as I started exploring other types of practice, it turned out many of the authors I was reading were teachers at Spirit Rock.
Read more his story here > 

Marlena Jan - Born and raised in the beautiful region of Bordeaux, France, I moved to the USA permanently at the end of the ‘90s for a job in IT. A few years later, I returned to school to become a veterinarian.
Read more of her story here >

Carol Copsey - Having been graced to live in San Francisco with proximity to Spirit Rock, and because my brother has long been a student of Ruth Denison, I have had some familiarity with Vipassana meditation over the years. After I was diagnosed with a serious medical condition...Read more of her story here >