Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society was founded by Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx and Against the Stream, to make the teachings of the Buddha available to all who are interested. We wish to create and sustain communities of healthy, accountable, wise and compassionate people from every walk of life. We welcome people from all racial, economic, sexual, social, political and religious backgrounds and preferences and believe that the path of awakening is attainable by all and should be available to all. The following members of Against the Stream will be blogging here (all are meditation group facilitators, empowered by their teacher Noah Levine):
Eileen Ybarra
Enrique Collazo
Gary Sanders
Jordan Kramer
Shannon Fowler
Valerie Cusson

I am a freelance journalist and children's book author trying to adapt to how fast my field is changing. Opportunities have diminished and skills and credentials that were once the centerpiece of my work identity have become more or less meaningless.  An amazing lesson in impermanence.  One of my goals is to stop wasting time wishing things were as before.  Another is to curb the promiscuous curiosity that leads me to spend many hours jumping from link to link browsing the wonders of the Internet.  Also, I live in New York and although I love the constant carnival, it distracts me from focusing in on what is important. I am often thinking of all the wonderful things the city offers that I am not doing, or have missed, or will miss if I'm not vigilant.  

Hi! I'm Beth. I am a freshman in college this year, attending Denison University. I started meditation last year to help me control an anxiety disorder. It has done wonders for me. I try to meditate at least 3-4 times per week. Things can be pretty hectic, and I may not be able to reflect for as long as I want to, but I always manage to put at least 10-15 minutes aside for meditation.

Christine Califra-Schiff is the author of numerous essays and short stories. She was raised in Greenwich Village and lived in Brooklyn for many years. She was a member of The Writer’s Room in New York City. She currently lives in Ohio with her husband and two sons. She is an active member of the Woman Writing For A Change community in Cincinnati and is currently finishing a novel. After practicing different styles of hatha yoga over the years she has found her true practice in Ashtanga under the instruction of her wonderful teacher, Kim Neitch.

Daphne Zuniga is an American actress who has appeared on TV and in films for 26 years including films such as Spaceballs, The Sure Thing, and Vision Quest. She starred on Melrose Place for 5 years as Jo Reynolds, and has more recently appeared in TV movies for Hallmark, Lifetime, ABC Family, and currently recurs on CW's One Tree Hill as Victoria Davis. She produced the documentary on TED, The Future We will Create, the film The Scene, and the TV movie, A Family Thanksgiving. Daphne began meditating in 2002 on a 9 day Vipassana retreat with Sharon Salzberg at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and though she considers it by far the hardest thing she's ever done, she has continued to meditate, either on retreats, in her home, or even the phone, which she did for two years with her long distance boyfriend (they now live together).

Dena Simmons, a Bronx native, is a doctoral student in the Health Education program at Columbia University, Teachers College. Prior to her doctoral studies, Dena served as a middle school teacher in the South Bronx and was profiled for her teaching in "Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists".

Dr. Jennifer Howard teaches the art of Conscious Living. She is equally at home sharing ancient spiritual wisdom, the latest scientific understanding, and proven and practical life changing techniques culled from over 20 years as an internationally acclaimed coach, licensed psychotherapist, teacher, and energy healer. As a professional speaker and author, Dr. Jennifer’s energetic style, along with her sense of humor, helps her audiences--beginner and advanced alike--assimilate what is being taught, even when the material appears to be complex. She has offices in New York, leads a variety of tele-seminars and is a leading thought leader on spirituality and psychology. Having frequently appeared as an expert on numerous national network television shows, including The Maury Povich Show, Turning Point, America's Talking, Rolanda, Charles Perez, Les Brown, News Channel 12, she is also the host of the popular award winning radio show, “A Conscious Life.” Dr. Jennifer Howard, a Huffington Post blogger, along with one of 15 experts participating in the Walk With Walgreen's national wellness campaign was named one of the TOP 25 Celebrity Doctors on Twitter, one of the Top 100 Health websites and has been dubbed “The Funniest Shrink on Twitter.”

Dr. Jennifer, as she is known in social media, is offering a free downloadable MP3 of her teleconference, "Begin Reaching Your Goals," and her free ezine. Twitter: @DrJennifer, Facebook: DrJenniferFanPage, and  website: www.DrJenniferHoward.com ,  website: www.DrJenniferHoward.tv  and website: www.DrJenniferHoward.tv/radio

Elizabeth Grove was born in NYC and raised in Brooklyn, descended from a long line of atheists. Inevitably, rebellion took the form of many years of spiritual seeking. Currently, she lives in Brooklyn and works in New Jersey in conference management and thus is in great need of a regular meditation practice.

Writer, Yoga Instructor, Tarot Reader, Reiki Healer

I received my 200-hour yoga certification from Yoga to the People in New York City.  I studied meditation, and the chakras with Rebecca Cousin.  I’m a self-taught tarot practitioner, constantly exploring new books, new techniques, new decks, and new spreads in my tarot journal.  I received my Reiki Attunement from the Sapientia Oscen Reiki College, and my BA in English with a minor in Creative Writing Magna Cum Laude from St. John’s University Honors Program. I’m a very busy lady living in Brooklyn with my husband, cat, and numerous plants.  In addition to all that stuff, I cook, can, crochet, aerial dance, eat local, laugh, love, and learn.

Gina de la Chesnaye is a mother, yoga instructor, meditator, kickboxer, writer and photographer. She partake in the 200 Hour Yoga Alliance Certification under the tutelage of Alison West and Yoga Union in 2011, had her first boxing fight in Madison Square Garden in 2000, is a competitive kickboxer and currently trains and coaches San Da Martial Arts at Elite MMA. She is also a contributing writer and photographer to YogaCityNYC (www.yogacitynyc.com) as well as Elephant Journal (www.elephantjournal.com). Her work can be seen at www.delacamera.com.

Gina and her two beautiful daughters live in Brooklyn, NY.

Aloha from New York City! Jason Poole is a Hawaiian musician and writer. As the Accidental Hawaiian Crooner, he teaches/shares Hawaiian music and culture in New York City schools and around the country. He spends most of his time on the mainland, but his heart can often be found in Hawai'i--on the island of Molokai in the beautiful Hālawa Valley.  

Last year's 28-Day Meditation Challenge brought a daily meditation practice into his life. And he's filled with Gratitude. Right on.

Katie has been meditating with glorious imperfection and inconsistently for a few years, always grateful for the infinite opportunity to begin again. Recommitting for these 28 days, she remains open to possibilties. Katie is an aspiring revolutionary disguised as a surburbanite. Or maybe vice versa.  

Kerry Docherty, founder of The Mindful Mentors, provides mindfulness techniques to children, students, parents, and professionals seeking tools to deal with everyday stresses. Besides teaching mindfulness, she is a lawyer with a background in human rights and trauma. She loves writing vignettes and poetry that explore both the silliness and seriousness of life. 

Lucinda Ziesing is a writer, actress, producer, and teacher. Her most recent Screenplay, Strike, is a true story based on the lives of her great grandparents. They went West with dreams. American Dreams. She is excited to join Sharon's February Meditation blog looking into the frontier where freedom could actually be found.

The Mindfulness and Education Working Group’s (MEWG) mission is to
explore and promote the role of mindfulness and contemplative
practices in education through innovative interdisciplinary research,
theory, and practice.

Building Personal and Community Practice
MEWG embraces multiple perspectives and approaches to provide
guidance, resources, and opportunities for the Teachers College
community to deepen self-awareness, personal growth and resilience.
Through the application of mindfulness and contemplative practices,
MEWG empowers individuals to lead more fulfilling, meaningful and
healthy lives. MEWG also strives to develop a supportive community for
practice and reflection.

Our 2012–13 academic year activities include:
    Mindfulness and Contemplative Practices Course
    Weekly group meditation sessions
    Mindfulness meditation retreats
    Exploration of research and application of mindfulness in education
    Mindfulness for Personal and Professional development

The following members of MEWG will be blogging here:
Jaleh Hamadani - Doctoral student, Graduate Center, City University of New York
Yishin Khoo - Doctoral student, Ontario Institute of Studies in Education/University of Toronto
Home Nguyen - Doctoral Student, Adjunct Faculty, Teachers College, Columbia University
Sarika Persaud - Student in the Psychology for Education M.A. program
at Teachers College
Sarah Sherman - Student, Faculty & Staff at Teachers College, Columbia University
Dr. Hua-Chu Yen - Graduate and Staff, Teachers College, Columbia University
 

Hi Im Mr. Crowley - a 40 something family man. I suffer from depression and have been in recovery for 20 years. I grew up with a good deal of verbal and emotional abuse, as well as trauma, and then became an alcoholic. I never really dealt with the childhood stuff and it's legacy skews how I react to people and situations.
I am looking for new ways to cope with things as I'm realizing how much of my life is a reaction to situations from my past. I want to start learning how to relate to things and people in a different way. I don't plan on sharing any harrowing tales of my youth, just how the challenge is effecting me and my predominantly negative thought processes.

Om Tara Yoga Studio, located in Massapequa, NY, is an intimate community of like minded beings all in search of peace and serenity. We practice Hatha Yoga in the tradition of BKS Iyengar. Reiki Healing circles, Sound Healing sessions, chanting, Ayurveda and of course mindfulness meditation are a large part of our yoga journey. Our practice of yoga is guided by the energy of Green Tara as she illuminates the compassion in our hearts and enables us to realize the power of seva. May we all extend ourselves to those in need with equal fervor to that of Green Tara. I, Jacqui Reid, the founder of Om Tara will be blogging on behalf of the students that have committed themselves to the 28 day Meditation Challenge. Visit our website at omtarayoga.com

Paula Kirk, born and raised in Boston, has been working with documentary filmmaker, Pamela Tanner Boll, for over 15 years. Working as a full time information systems operations manager with a financial services company in Boston, Paula left work to become a stay-at-home mom. After being home for a year, Paula decided to look for flexible, part time employment and found an amazing job working with Pamela and Mystic Artists Film Productions. She worked on the marketing and distribution of the film, Who Does She Think She Is? and is now currently working as a producer on Mystic Artists' new production, A Small, Good Thing.  Paula lives in Winchester, MA with her husband and two children.

Raven Pelan has been offering wellness services for over 20 years, specializing in nutritional counseling, Yoga, massage, and age-defying beauty treatments. Her training incorporates the best of Eastern and Western mind-body healing techniques.

One of America’s leading meditation teachers and authors, Sharon Salzberg is cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts. She has played a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West. The ancient Buddhist practices of vipassana (mindfulness) and metta (lovingkindness) are the foundations of her work.

Hello! My name is Summer. I am 35 years young! I am married to a man who keeps me on my toes (Charlie). We have been married for a little over two years and been together for about six years. We have two furry kids (Zachery and Tiva). 
I have been practicing Buddhism for a little over six years. 
I was diagnosed with Endometriosis about four years ago which has turned my whole world upside down. Navigating this life with meditation has given me such grace and patience. My perception changes every time I sit and gives me strength to see me and not Endometriosis. I appreciate other's wisdom and thoughts. I soak it all in!  

Suzanne Seggerman is a practiced procrastinator. Having discovered the extraordinary benefits of meditation during a period of deep personal distress, she has been an itinerant and intermittent meditator ever since. While clinging to the rim of that particular pool, she reached out and discovered the work of Sharon Salzberg and Tara Brach, who kept her from going under. And still do. She is now working on integrating a regular meditation practice into a life of relative calm. She's a fan of Vipassana but has been known to slip undercover into the Village Zendo in NYC. In another life, Suzanne was Co-founder of Games for Change, a non-profit supporting and promoting the use of video games for social impact. She was a blogger for the Huffington Post, for which she wrote the unseminal: Does Obama Play Video Games ? More information can be found at: www.suzanneseggerman.com.

The staff at Tricycle.com will be participating in the meditation challenge this month. They will be blogging at Tricycle.com as well as posting here.
Who's Who:
James Shaheen, Editor & Publisher
Rachel Hiles, Managing Editor
Emma Varvaloucas, Associate Editor
Alex Caring-Lobel, Editorial Assistant
Andrew Gladstone, Digital Media Coordinator

Established in 1990 as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization, The Tricycle Foundation is dedicated to making Buddhist views, values, and practices broadly available. In 1991 the Foundation launched Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, the first magazine intended to present Buddhist perspectives to a Western readership. Tricycle soon became the leading journal of Buddhism in the West, where it continues to be the most inclusive and widely read vehicle for the dissemination of Buddhist perspectives. Publication of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review remains the Foundation’s chief activity, and our readership includes longtime practitioners, those who are curious about Buddhism or meditation, and those who do not identify as Buddhist but value the teachings of wisdom and compassion Buddhism has to offer.