Tag: peakperformance
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Jukai Ceremony at City Center on April 19
From L to R: Margaret Coad, Elliot Mercer, Jisan Tova Green, Shosan Victoria Austin, Anshi Zachary Smith, Benchi Tangde and Sherwin Yu. Photo by Shundo David Haye. Congratulations to the initiates who received the precepts in a Jukai Ceremony at SFZC’s City Center on April 19th. Receiving the precepts from Shosan Victoria Austin: Benchi…
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How to Inhabit a Life: An Interview with Tatsudo Nicole Baden
Photo by Jürgen Frank By Tova Green Tatsudo Nicole Baden recently spoke with me about her path to Zen, her initial meeting with Richard Baker Roshi, and what her focus is now as a Zen teacher and Abbot. She will be giving a Dharma talk at City Center on May 14 and at Green…
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Healing Through Surrender: Try This Meditation
Many qigong students experience a frustrating paradox: The more desperate you are to heal, the longer it takes. I’ve experienced this frustration myself in my own healing journey, and it breaks my heart when I see my students going through the same thing. In this article, and the accompanying meditation below, I’m hoping to shift…
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Metta Meditation: Unlocking the Power of Loving Kindness
Yes, this is AI generated, but I think it’s pretty good! For years, I’ve taught a powerful and ancient tool that sometimes gets overlooked – Metta Meditation, also known as Loving Kindness Meditation. This practice, rooted in ancient Buddhist traditions, is a game changer, especially when combined with qigong and tai chi. In this post,…
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Greens’ Chef Katie Reicher on Her New Cookbook and Her Journey to Greens
By Tova Green Katie Reicher, Executive Chef at Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, has published her first cookbook, Seasons of Greens. Katie is Greens’ fourth Executive Chef (all of them women) since it was founded in 1979. Cooking has been an important part of Katie’s life since childhood. “I grew up in a huge,…
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Celebrating Recent Shusos at SFZC
Photo by Shundo David Haye. There have been several Shusos at SFZC since early 2024, when we last ran a feature on them. Please see below to get up to date on our four newest Shusos. Warm wishes and congratulations to all! Senior Dharma Teacher Eijun Linda Ruth Cutts (l) and Shuso Nyokai Shindo Kristin…
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Old-School Horse Stance Training Almost Killed Me – A Modern Solution
Have you ever felt like you’re suffering through something, only to realize there’s a smarter, easier way to achieve the same results? That’s how I felt when I first learned the Horse Stance. I suppose all humans suffer one way or another, but traditional qigong masters had a talent for amplifying it with their training…
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The Big Universe Qigong: A Hidden Gem for Deeper Healing
In the vast repertoire of qigong techniques, the Big Universe (Da Zhou Tian, 大周天) probably doesn’t get enough attention. I myself am guilty of this. Even though I’ve practiced and taught the technique for years, I haven’t even written a single blog post on the topic. Let’s change that right now. What Is the Big…
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An Update on Zentatsu Richard Baker from Abbot David Zimmerman
Note from the editor: For the past few weeks, Zentatsu Richard Baker and his Dharma heir Tatsudo Nicole Baden have been visiting City Center where both Nicole and Richard gave a Dharma talk. They moved to Green Gulch Farm over last weekend and the plan was for Nicole to give the talk there on…
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Tassajara Summer Retreats 2025
Photo by Ty Greenstein San Francisco Zen Center is pleased to announce that Tassajara will be offering an inspiring array of retreats this summer! These Zen meditation and interdisciplinary arts retreats are geared towards guests who are interested in immersing in practice and nature under the guidance of some of our most established teachers.…