Meditation practice is the heart of all activity at Sky Lake Lodge. Our tradition of Shambhala Buddhism, which brings together the lineages of Kagyu, Nyingma, and Shambhala, is grounded in mindfulness-awareness meditation practice, also known as the practice of "calm abiding". Developing an ongoing relationship with meditation is the key to each individual's path, and each student at all levels of meditation is encouraged to have an instructor.

Having a meditation instructor means to have a friend who has significant experience and training in meditation. A meditation instructor can facilitate a deepening of one's understanding by giving clear communication about the meditation technique, answering questions that come up about the practice, and by giving guidance and encouragement along the way.

All sorts of questions can arise as we begin to meditate -problems with daily practice; questions of how to integrate formal practice with daily life; about the goal of meditation, the nature of lineage and teachers, retreat and intensive study, etc.-all of these can be explored with the meditation instructor.

Most importantly, the meditation instructor offers a friendly relationship regarding the path of meditation in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition. If you feel like you'd like some assistance in the exploration of this path of meditation, please take advantage of this free service.

Meditation Instructors at Sky Lake are:

• Alix Ankele
• Barbara Bash
• Daniel Berlin
• Steve Clorfeine
• Dana Fulmer
• Patrice Heber
• Arawana Hayashi

In order to arrange a meeting with a meditation instructor, please contact Darcy Smith at (845) 338-0190 or email darcysmith@hvc.rr.com

Meet our Instructors:

Barbara Bash has been a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism and student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche since the mid-70's. She is a calligrapher and book artist. She was on the faculty at Naropa University and recently has led a series of Big Brush workshops exploring the relationship between Buddhist principles and the artistic process. Barbara is a founding member of Sky Lake who lives in Accord NY with her husband and 14 year old son.

Daniel Berlin is a long time student of Tibetan Buddhism, having connected with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1976. He is a visual artist and was part of the original art group started by Trungpa Rinpoche. Daniel teaches dharma and is the head of Meditation and Study at Sky Lake and a founding member of the center. Daniel lives with his wife and twin three year olds in Accord, NY.

Steve Clorfeine is a co-founder of Sky Lake Lodge and is a senior teacher of Shambhala Contemplative Arts, Buddhism and Shambhala Training. A published author, performer and director, he has been on the adjunct faculty of Naropa University since its inception. Steve teaches contemplative arts workshops as well as theater, poetry and storytelling residencies in public schools in Europe and the U.S. Steve lives with his wife in Accord, N.Y.

Dana Fulmer has been a student of Tibetan Buddhism and of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche since the early 80's. She is a teacher and educational consultant and the mother of three year old twins. She is the former coordinator of the NYC Shambhala Center and a founding member of Sky Lake.

Patrice Heber is a long time practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism and student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche who studied and taught at Naropa Institute in its early beginnings. She teaches contemplative movement and yoga in the U.S. and in Europe. She has a private practice in movement therapy and yoga in the Hudson Valley.

Arawana Hayashi is a senior meditation teacher in the Shambhala tradition. She was recently a senior teacher in residence at Karme Choling meditation center in Vermont. Arawana is also artistic director of the Jo Ha Kyu Performance Group in Cambridge, which presents contemporary and Bugaku dance concerts nationally. As co-director of Naropa Instititue's dance program from 1975-80, she was asked by Chogyam Trungpa to study and incorporate Bugaku into the body of Shambhala Arts.

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