Teachers

 
Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx and Against The Stream, is a Buddhist teacher, author and counselor. He was trained to teach by Jack Kornfield of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA. He is the founding teacher of Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society, with a center in Los Angeles and over 20 affiliated groups around North America. He teaches meditation classes, workshops and retreats internationally. Noah holds a Masters degree in counseling psychology. He is also on the board of directors of the Buddhist Recovery Network. Levine lives in Los Angeles.

Ron Ames is a meditation practitioner who has studied with both Noah Levine and Trudy Goodman. He is currently a member of Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioner’s Program. He was trained as a teacher by Noah Levine in Against the Stream's first teacher training cohort. Ron has a deep interest in the Twelve Steps particularly as they relate to meditation practice. He works in the film industry as a Producer and 1st Assistant Director on feature films.

Matthew Brensilver began practice at Shambhala Meditation Center and with a Thich Nhat Hanh sitting group. Since 2003, he has studied vipassana with Shinzen Young, who trained him to teach meditation. He holds a master’s degree in clinical social work and has done psychotherapy with adolescents, adults and families. Matthew earned a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, studying childhood trauma and depression. He is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar at UCLA’s School of Medicine, where he works with a group doing addiction research.  In USC's Office of Religious Life, he serves as a Religious Director, responsible for guiding the Buddhist Meditation Organization. Matthew completed “A Year to Live” practice – based on the book by Stephen Levine – and spent years sitting with hospice patients and their families. He was trained to teach by Noah Levine, with whom he co-leads the Monday night class in Santa Monica.

Pablo Das is a mindfulness based nutrition, wellness and recovery counselor. He is the founder of the American Food Rebel Network which offers a comprehensive series of workshops, weekly groups, one on one counseling and community based wellness events. He centralizes mindfulness practice and Buddhist principles in his work. He is empowered to teach Vipassana meditation and Buddha Dharma by Noah Levine at the Against The Stream Buddhist Meditation Society (L.A.) where he also teaches. He is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (NYC) and was trained in food therapy at the Natural Gourmet Institute (NYC) by Annemarie Colbin. He is a strong advocate for empowering and non dogmatic approaches to nutrition, wellness and recovery. Pablo is a nationally distributed indie-folk punk musician. He volunteers at a suicide helpline for Gay Youth. He lives in Los Angeles.

JoAnna Harper has been exploring and practicing multiple traditions since 1999.  In 2005 her focus landed on Buddhism and Vipassana meditation, which is the premise for most of her current teaching. Although her main focus is on working with youth through her bi weekly children’s and teen sanghas, teen day long retreats, residential retreats and work in the juvenile justice system, she is also co -teaching adult residential retreats as well as leading a Year to Live practice and teaching one on one sessions.  Her favorite teaching tools are working in Council and relational mindfulness.  She is a recent  graduate of Noah Levine’s teacher training program and is trained through the Ojai Foundation as a Council facilitator.  She is the grateful mother of CJ and Harris her main inspirations.

Mary Stancavage has practiced meditation, yoga, and cultivated a spiritual practice for over 20 years. She began studying with Noah Levine in 2005, and in 2009 completed his first teacher training program. She currently serves as Director of Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. She teaches meditation at recovery centers in Los Angeles, has co-facilitated Year-to-Live groups since 2008, and has a weekly class at ATS.  In addition, Mary has a Masters from UCLA, and has worked as an archaeologist in the Middle East.

George Haas began his path with a period of light-weight spiritual seeking (and heavy-duty drug and alcohol use).  In 1978, he began a serious exploration of the 11th step of the 12-Step tradition, working primarily with concentration to reduce the anxiety of living sober.  In an effort to make sense out of, and live with, the mounting AIDS deaths of the 1980s, Mr. Haas began walking the Red Road and reading Buddhist texts.  The idea of finding a good teacher began to make sense but initial forays proved fruitless, and Mr. Haas preferred the identity of a Dharma orphan.  Moving to Los Angeles from Manhattan in 1992, Mr. Haas began sitting vipassana at Ordinary Dharma, and reading extensively.  In 1998, he began study with his current teacher, Shinzen Young, and Vipassana Support International, where he was able to (slowly) let go of his identity of a Dharma orphan.  Mr. Haas has been teaching meditation in Los Angeles since 2000.

Dan Nussbaum leads meditation groups in L.A. where he is a longtime Silverlake resident. He began his sitting practice with Shinzen Young and since  2003 he has been studying with Jason Siff, who trained him to teach Recollective Awareness. As a member of the Skillful Meditation Project Teaching Sangha he also leads one-day workshops, retreats and works with students privately. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .