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Heather Sundberg has taught insight meditation since 1999, and completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training program many years ago. Beginning her own meditation practice in her late teens, for the last 35 years Heather has studied with senior teachers in the Vipassana and Vajrayana traditions. She has completed 3+ accumulated years of retreat, and has sat 1-3 months of retreat a year for the last 25 years. In addition, she has training in both Somatic Experiencing and Hakomi Mindfulness Somatic Therapy. Between 2010- 2015 she spent a cumulative one-year in study, practice, and pilgrimage in Asia. From 2011 - 2021, she was the local Senior Teacher at Mountain Stream Meditation Center and sister communities in the Sierra Foothills, as well as teaching retreats in the US, Canada and Europe. These days, Heather mainly teaches long-term trainings for experienced students in MahaSati Empty Essence of Mind/Pure Awareness out of the Thai forest tradition. Her teaching emphasizes Embodiment, Emptiness, Pure Awareness, Energy, Heartfulness, and Concentration.

What is Insight Meditation?

Insight meditation (Vipassana) is the practice of cultivating a precise nonjudgmental attention, which can clearly experience the present moment, and by doing so creates the possibility for ever-deepening insight into the nature of things. Often associated with mindfulness meditation, insight meditation as it is practiced in the west traces its roots to the Theravadan traditions from Thailand, Burma, and Sri Lanka.