Visiting Teachers

Skilled and Compassionate Guidance Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center guided meditation retreats are led by the most skilled and capable teachers...

Anne Cushman

As a teacher and writer, Anne Cushman explores the intersection between embodied meditation, creative expression, the natural world, and the down-to-earth details of the human journey. A practitioner of both dharma and yoga since 1982, she is a retreat teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, core faculty for Spirit Rock’s Dharma Yoga Mindfulness Training, and a guiding teacher and director of mentoring for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. She is the author of the memoir The Mama Sutra: A Story of Love, Loss, and the Path of Motherhood; the novel Enlightenment for Idiots; the spiritual India travel guide From Here to Nirvana; and Moving Into Meditation, a mindfulness course for yoga practitioners. Her essays on spiritual practice and daily life have been widely published in venues ranging from The New York Times to Lion’s Roar. She mentors writers and students of embodied mindfulness worldwide, teaches retreats in person and online, and leads courses that combine creative writing, meditation, and yoga.

Events with Anne Cushman

Elemental Pilgrimage: Awakening Through Intimacy with Trees, River, and Sky
September 3 - 8, 2026

In these times of profound uncertainty, connect with the wild land of Vallecitos—and the sensuous, elemental terrain of your own embodied life—to deepen what the Buddha referred to as “the unshakeable freedom of the heart.” Like the heartwood of an ancient tree, this inner refuge supports a grounded, embodied confidence to meet this moment with courage, creativity and care. Within the container of Noble Silence, we will explore essential dharma practices that awaken intuitive wisdom and deepen our felt relationship with the natural world. Each day we’ll make a meditative pilgrimage to a different landscape, each offering a unique balance…