As we start to tell our stories, there’s an emotional content that starts to move. There’s an aliveness. There can be a myth about meditation that the goal is to make these things go away. But it’s really about coming into a relationship with our emotional life that’s wise and skillful, where we can allow what’s there to move through and know it for what it is. Then, as artists, we can allow it to infuse our story.
Anne Cushman
Residential Retreat Teacher
As a teacher and writer, Anne Cushman explores the intersection between meditative practice, creative expression, and the down-to-earth details of embodied human life. A practitioner of both dharma and yoga since 1982, she is a Spirit Rock residential retreat teacher; core faculty for Spirit Rock’s Dharma Yoga Mindfulness Training; director of mentoring for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program; and a founding teacher of Cloud Sangha, an online mindfulness community. 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 India pilgrimage guide From Here to Nirvana; and Moving Into Meditation, a mindfulness manifesto for yoga practitioners. Her essays on spiritual practice in daily life have been widely published in venues that include the New York Times; Yoga Journal; O, The Oprah Magazine; Tricycle: The Buddhist Review; Lion’s Roar; and many other publications. She mentors writers and practitioners of embodied mindfulness worldwide, teaches retreats in person and online, and leads courses that combine creative writing, meditation, and yoga.
Anne Cushman's Upcoming Programs
Class Series | Online | Dharma Institute
September 18 - October 9, 2026 | 4 Fridays | 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Mindful Yoga and Embodied Dharma: Living at the Pace of Presence
Amidst busy lives, slowing down to the rhythm of the body offers a profound refuge. This four-week online series illuminates the Dharma as a fully embodied experience, weaving together Buddhist teachings, meditation, yoga, pranayama, and somatic movement as one integrated path to awakening. Led by Spirit Rock's Dharma, Yoga, and Mindfulness Training teachers, sessions are accessible and trauma-informed. You'll gain practical tools for nervous system regulation and grounded presence — whether you're new to these teachings or deepening existing practice.
Retreat | On-Land
November 21 - November 25, 2026 | Saturday - Wednesday | 4 nights
Centering in the Storm: Qigong, Meditation, and Sacred Sound
Spaces Still Available! Join us as we blend time-tested modalities of embodied Dharma practice to replenish the deep wells of resource and resilience within the human spirit. Our days will weave qigong, meditation, somatic restoration, and Dharma reflections—along with sound, voice, and ancient rhythms—into one living tapestry. These practices will nourish the qualities of warmth, vitality, equanimity, and joy that can help us meet the challenges of the world while connecting us to the web of interbeing that supports us all.
Retreat | On-Land
June 23 - June 29, 2027 | Wednesday - Tuesday | 6 nights
Moving Into Meditation: Mindful Yoga and Embodied Dharma
Registration Open. We’ll offer teachings and practices from the Dharma and Yoga traditions for settling your nervous system, grounding your energy, and cultivating a felt sense of both stability and fluidity. Meditation in movement and stillness unfolds with ample time to rest, be in nature, and honor the rhythms of your own practice. A full week of retreat offers time and space for gripping and bracing to release at their own pace, while nourishing the capacity to meet personal and collective challenges with wisdom and compassion.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Anne Cushman through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.