Stephanie Nash

Stephanie Nash teaches meditation classes, retreats, and coaches privately (in person, over the phone, and via skype) integrating the teachings of Shinzen Young.  

Stephanie has represented Shinzen's teachings at conferences, health groups, and meditation organizations, and has several meditations (including some of Shinzen’s) on the Insight Timer app.  Steph was interviewed twice by the Buddhist Geek podcast - including a segment on how training actors helps her train meditators, and Steph has also been interviewed several times over the past years on KPFK.FM in Los Angeles - twice regarding her "Mindful Eating" workshops - and otherwise about applying mindfulness to our stressful lives.  Stephanie is also a public speaker and presenter on the topic of managing stress and creating more ease & well-being in our daily lives.

In 2012, Stephanie was honored to participate in the Harvard Medical School brain study (conducted by David Vago, PhD) which used Shinzen's meditation techniques and examined the brains of experienced meditators, and in 2015 she organized and conducted the mindfulness training for the participants (new to meditation) in the second part of the study.  

Stephanie was recently a guest expert on a Deepak Chopra show, "30 Days of Intent", where she taught participants her laughing meditation techniques (assisted by her funny-and-adorable dog, Chester), and Steph's "Getting More Satisfaction from Pleasant Experience" workshops are always quite popular.

Stephanie has worked with Shinzen since 1998 (doing at least 3-4 longer residential retreats a year.) Steph wrote the study guide that accompanies Shinzen’s “Talks on Teaching” CD series (which she also edited) that trains meditation teachers, and she also wrote the article “Posture-pedia”  about the physicality of meditating (which is being used to help beginning meditators at several meditation centers around the country. See website below.)  At UCLArts & Healing, Stephanie teaches how body language can affect one’s thoughts & feelings.

Stephanie has two Youtube channels with videos of Stephanie interviewing Shinzen and other teachers, along with videos of her own teachings & guided meditations. She began Mindfulness Arts (non-profit) in 2010.

Stephanie has also done retreats with Leigh Brasington (jhana teacher), Ruth Denison, and other wonderful teachers -  and she does at least 1-2 self-retreats a year in solitude in nature. Steph has also actively participated in Native American ceremonies such as weekly sweatlodge ceremonies & the Hanblechia (Vision Quest ceremony.)

Stephanie has a psychology degree from Duke University and a Masters from the Yale School of Drama – and has worked as a professional actress for over 3 decades.  Steph has coached actors for 25 years, and for 15 years was an Associate Professor Adjunct at the Art Center School of Design in Pasadena, CA, where she taught graduate film directors how to work with actors.

Steph is presently working on a few projects that will hopefully bring a mainstream audience to the mindfulness practice, and she is quite grateful for the clarity Shinzen provides – and for his tireless devotion to helping us all evolve with less suffering, more satisfaction, and lotsa "Source."  

For more about Stephanie and her work, please visit Strategic Mindfulness and Mindfulness Arts .