Sean Feit Oakes, PhD, E-RYT, SEP, OIM teaches Buddhism, Haṭha Yoga, and Organic Intelligence® with a focus on the integration of meditation, philosophy, and self-inquiry with trauma resolution and social justice. He has studied in Zen, Tibetan, and Theravāda Buddhist lineages, including training as a monk in Burma, and is authorized to teach Insight Meditation by Jack Kornfield. He completed the Dedicated Practitioner (DPP1), Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga (MYMT2), and Community Dharma Leader (CDL5) trainings at Spirit Rock.
In addition to mentor Jack Kornfield, Dr. Oakes’ primary Buddhist teachers include Eugene Cash and Sylvia Boorstein, Anam Thubten, and Sayadaw U Janaka, with whom he ordained as a bhikkhu for a Rains Retreat in 2002. He studied yoga with Alice Joanou, Rachel Shaw, Amanda Moran, and David Moreno, followed by the Spirit Rock MYMT program. He trained in Somatic Experiencing and Organic Intelligence with Steven Hoskinson, and is Associate Faculty with Organic Intelligence.
Sean teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, East Bay Meditation Center, and Namaste Yoga. Sean received his PhD in Performance Studies from UC Davis in 2016, writing on states of consciousness in Buddhist meditation and experimental dance. He lives in Oakland with his family and beloved community.