Teachers

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Sensei Sean Tetsudo Murphy, Director and Lead Teacher

Sean (Tetsudo) W. Murphy (he/him) is a fully sanctioned Zen teacher (Sensei) in the American White Plum Zen Lineage. He has had over 30 years of formal Zen training, beginning under the direction of Taizan Maezumi Roshi of the Zen Center of Los Angeles and later with John Daido Loori Roshi of Zen Mountain Monastery in upstate New York. He now studies with Gerry Shishin Wick Roshi of the Great Mountain Zen Center in Colorado, from whom he received Dharma Transmission in 2019.

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Sean teaches widely on subjects of meditation, mindfulness, Zen practice, and writing.  Sean is the author of the American Zen chronicle One Bird, One Stone: 108 Contemporary Zen Stories (excerpt here), as well as three novels, and was a 2018 National Endowment for the Arts fellow in Creative Writing.
 He is is an MFA graduate in writing from The Naropa Institute, the Buddhist inspired university founded by Poet Allen Ginsberg and Tibetan Lama Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Sean recently won the 53rd New Millennium Award for Flash Fiction his short story “Crackup,” receiving a $1,000 prize and publication both online and in print. To learn more, read Sean’s articles for Tricycle magazine, listen to some of Sean’s dharma talks on our YouTube channel, or visit www.murphyzen.com.

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  • Mirabai (she/her) writes creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog. A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. She has received critical acclaim for her revolutionary new translations of the mystics. She is author of the poetry collection, Mother of God Similar to Fire, a collaboration with iconographer, William Hart McNichols, and the award-winning book, GOD OF LOVE: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Her newest book, CARAVAN OF NO DESPAIR: A Memoir of Loss and Transformation, received the Spirituality & Practice Best Books of 2015 award. She lives with her extended family in the mountains of northern New Mexico. You can read more about her at: www.mirabaistarr.com

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  • Transpersonal psychotherapist and long-time meditation practitioner, Tania (she/her) follows a contemplative path in the Zen Buddhist and Christian mystic traditions. Award-winning writer of fiction and non-fiction for many publications, committee chair for the American Society of Journalists & Authors, and leader of online seminars and in-person writing retreats.
    www.taniacasselle.com

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  • Anahi Russo Garrido, PhD (Myozan) (she/they) began practicing meditation in 2001 in Mexico City and is now a Zen student at the Great Mountain Zen Center in CO. She graduated from the Sage Institute Meditation Leader Training Program and has developed a course directed to college students entitled “Meditation and Activism,” offered at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she is a professor in Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies. In “Meditation and Activism,” students learn basic lay meditation techniques and explore how these practices may support their involvement in activism. She is the author of Tortilleras Negotiating Intimacy: Love, Friendship and Sex in Queer Mexico City (Rutgers University Press, 2020). She teaches and writes on transnational feminist and queer theories, immigration, and is developing a new writing project on meditation and activism.

  • Deepa (she/her) is a lifelong seeker, Yoga Therapist, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Business Technology Transformation leader, and Sage graduate. Guided by her teachers and rooted in ancient wisdom, she brings modern insight to creating practical pathways for greater awareness and inner transformation through meditation, including Vishoka Meditation and Sage style offerings.

  • Stephanie (she/her) is a C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, RCYT, YACEP, and Reiki Master, as well as a graduate of Sage Institute’s Meditation Leader Training Program. Her journey in movement, dance, and fitness began in 1992, and she brings more than 25 years of teaching experience to her work. 

    For eight years, Stephanie toured nationally as a director, choreographer, and performer with her company, Atomic Lotus Entertainment. She has served as a lead instructor at Debra Miller’s World of Dance and as faculty at Heartwood Yoga Institute. She has also contributed as a choreographer and grant writer for Global Site Performances, earning recognition from the City of Minneapolis for her commitment to the arts.

    Stephanie currently serves on faculty at Embodied Health and as featured teacher and mentor with Sage Institute. She also offers accessible yoga therapy via a fully sliding scale experience. Across her work in movement, meditation, and education, Stephanie is passionate about creating learning environments rooted in curiosity, inclusivity, and practical application.

    Outside of teaching, Stephanie enjoys gaming with her partner, Niko, getting lost in a good book, and spending time with her pets. Whether she’s teaching meditation or rolling a D20, she believes there is always room to compassionately connect with her community.

  • Gio (he/him) is an Air Force Veteran, former Head Start teacher, and currently the Anti-Defamation League Ohio River Valley associate regional director. Santiago teamed up with his doctor to open the first transgender-focused clinic within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Further, he is the founder of META, Inc., an organization that creates regular programming for transgender and gender non-conforming youth ages 7-19.  In 2018, he was named one of Cleveland Magazine's most interesting people, as well as name in NBC's Out #Pride30 list.

  • Nikolai (he/him) is an ordained Zen Buddhist monk and Sage MLTP graduate with a deep commitment to supporting individuals and organizations in clarifying direction, facilitating growth, and navigating change. He began his meditation practice over 30 years ago at a zendo in Berlin and later studied Buddhist philosophy in Japan. His professional life has included work as a consultant and project manager across Asia, the United States, and Europe. Today, he lives with his family in Berlin, where he works as a psychologist, counselor, and teacher, with training in Systems Thinking and Voice Dialogue. His work is informed by a spirit of humility, collaboration, and genuine care for the shared journey of practice.

Staff

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  • Ven. Lani Banner (she/her) is an ordained Zen Buddhist priestess with an affinity for meditation, mindfulness, and dharma sharing in homeless communities. She is a former classroom teacher with a speciality in English, Transformational Leadership inspired by Malcolm X, and Gender/Queer Studies. Currently, she lives on a small farm in Ohio, along with her husband, Matt, and their two rescue dogs, Zoey and Willow. You can normally find her with a cup of coffee, a good book, and talking Pokemon with her nephews, Banner and Summit. 

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  • Erin (she/her) has been a yoga and meditation practitioner for over 20 years. She graduated from UNM after studying psychology, massage therapy, yoga therapy, and healing arts. In addition to working for Sage Institute, Erin offers integrative bodywork, yoga, and ceremonial/somatic practices, with a focus on restoring nervous system regulation. To learn more about her offerings, visit www.sacredsomatics.net

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  • Karen (she/her) has been a Buddhist meditation practitioner for approximately 23 years and a Zen student for approximately 13 years. She is a graduate of the Sage Institute’s Meditation Leader Training Program and teaches weekly to an online group of beginning meditation practitioners. Karen is semi-retired and lives in Asheville, NC where she enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, cooking, reading, and hiking. Prior to retirement, Karen was the director of a non-profit organization utilizing therapy animals in medical settings.

Board of Directors

Sean Tetsudo Murphy — Board Member (President)

Mirabai Starr — Board Member  (Vice President)

Hannah Rappaport — Board Member (Secretary) 

Tania Casselle — Board Member 

Dora McQuaid — Board Member

Advisory Board

Ram Dass, Emeritus — Spiritual Teacher, Author

Andrew Harvey — Scholar, Author

Sharon Salzberg — Meditation Teacher, Author

Natalie Goldberg — Author (Writing Down the Bones)

Gerry Shishin Wick — Abbot, Great Mountain Zen Center; Emeritus President, White Plum Asanga

Giovanni Santiago — Founder and Director of META Inc. (a nonprofit for transgender and gender non-conforming youth, Air Force Veteran

John Nichols, Emeritus — Author (Milagro Beanfield War)

Robert McDowell — Author, Spiritual Leader

Fr. William Hart McNichols — Priest/Iconographer

Tenryu Steven Allen — Abbot, Dragon Mountain Zen Temple

Jo Ann Barefoot — Harvard Fellow in Economics; Advisor, Obama Administration

Bruce McIntosh — Director Metta Theatre, Taos