Tuning Your Instrument: The Buddha, the Brain, and Bach (Esalen)
Tuning Your Instrument: The Buddha, the Brain, and Bach (Esalen)
Along with master meditation teacher Sylvia Boorstein and my husband Cliff Saron, I was honored to present workshops at Esalen in Big Sur, CA from 2013-2016. Cliff and I welcomed meditation teacher Nikki Mirghafori for our workshop presentations 2017-2019.
Sylvia Boorstein
Sylvia Boorstein, PhD, is a co-founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and has also taught internationally for 25 years. She is the author of five books on Buddhism and mindfulness practice, the most recent of which is Happiness is an Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life.
Clifford Saron
Clifford Saron is associate research neuroscientist at Center for Mind and Brain and MIND Institute at UC Davis. His main research directions are investigating effects of contemplative practice from a multidisciplinary perspective, and multisensory integration in children with autistic spectrum disorder.
Barbara Bogatin
Barbara Bogatin has been a cellist with the San Francisco Symphony since 1994. She studied at the Juilliard School and has performed with the New York Philharmonic, New York Chamber Soloists, Connecticut Early Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, and Tahoe Summerfest.
Nikki Mirghafori
Nikki Mirghafori, PhD, left academia as an artificial intelligence scientist, and now regularly teaches meditation retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and other Buddhist centers. She is also a Stanford-trained Compassion Cultivation instructor and UCLA-certified mindfulness facilitator.
"Join us for an uplifting exploration of the benefits of practice, from three distinct yet intertwined perspectives.
Mornings will begin with mindfulness and loving kindness meditation led by meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and author Sylvia Boorstein. She will facilitate sitting and walking meditations, and help participants refine the practice and integrate insights.
UC Davis neuroscientist Clifford Saron will lead participants through a voyage of scientific discovery, imparting an experiential sense of brain function. He will share findings from “The Shamatha Project,” research he directs that investigates the effects of meditation on attention, emotion, and human flourishing.
San Francisco Symphony cellist Barbara Bogatin will play musical interludes and give behind-the-scenes commentary illustrating how musicians turn their daily instrument practice into contemplative practice. She will provide a rare glimpse from within the discipline of maintaining a high level of craft. She will perform music by Bach, and explore the composer’s creative process to better understand the depths of human expression in his music.
Days will consist of meditation, structured learning, informal talks, and discussions interwoven with guided listening and exulting in the joy of music. This workshop, well suited to practicing clinicians, is open to all; no previous experience in meditation, music, or brain research necessary!"