Carla Brennan, MEd, guiding teacher for Bloom of the Present Insight Meditation (bloomofthepresent.org) in Santa Cruz, California, has trained in the Zen, Insight meditation, and Tibetan Buddhist traditions since 1975. Carla also taught Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for 18 years and is an artist, nature photographer, and former psychotherapist. Dedicated to spending as much time outdoors as possible, Carla recommends practicing in nature as a powerful way to discover one’s own true nature.
Carla’s teachings cover the three primary aspects of awakening: 1) wisdom in everyday life, 2) releasing the heart, and 3) pure presence. Each area has formal practices associated with it, as well as daily life expression. Understanding the two truths—Relative and Absolute—is included in her teachings. Learning from the more-than-human world—the vast natural universe in which we are embedded—is also an important part of Carla’s approach.