Jill Satterfield - Mind.Body Counselor, teacher, mentor, speaker

Jill Satterfield is the founder of Vajra Yoga & Meditation, a synthesis of yoga and Buddhism that combines meditation, yoga asanas, visualization and contemplation practices. She is also the Founder and Director of the School for Compassionate Action: Meditation, Yoga and Education for Communities in Need and Those Who Serve Them-  a not for profit that trains teachers and works directly with specific populations -  providing yoga, yoga therapy, meditation and emotional support to at-risk youth, people suffering with chronic pain and illnesses, PTSD, and addictions.

Jill turned to yoga 30 years ago in an effort to heal from a debilitating physical condition coupled with acute chronic pain. In 1992, she extended her exploration of the integral relationship of the mind and body through the study of Buddhism. Through combining the two disciplines - yoga and Buddhism - she healed beyond all medical prognoses. 

Jill is on the faculty of Spirit Rock Meditation Centers Mindfulness for Yoga Training and the Kripalu Institute’s Integral Leadership Program for young adults. She was the scholar and teacher in residence at the Kripalu Center in 2004. She has been teaching for the past 20 + years.

For the past 20 years, Jill has been traveling and teaching Vajra Yoga with some of the most respected Buddhist teachers of our time. Vajra Yoga has been a pioneer in bringing yoga and Buddhism together in a seamless blend. Vajra Yoga has been taught at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock Center, the Garrison Institute and many Shambhala Centers around the country. Jill and her primary teacher Venerable Ajahn Amaro collaborated to bring yoga into silent Buddhist retreats over 18 years ago - being of the first to offer body oriented support to what was traditionally a mind only practice.Since then , Jill has also taught on retreat with Venerable Mingyur Rinpoche and many teachers in the Shambhala tradition.

Vajra has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Tricycle, Shambhala Sun, Yoga Journal, Fit Yoga, Self, and Marie Claire. Jill was hailed as one of the four leading yoga and Buddhist teachers in the country by the Shambhala Sun.

The School for Compassionate Action: Meditation, Yoga + Education for Communities in Need and Those who Serve Them is a non profit group of highly skilled yoga and meditation teachers, clinical psychologists, social workers and contemplative Buddhist psychotherapists. SCA provides trainings to those interested in teaching and classes for those who might directly benefit from the awareness practices of yoga and mindfulness meditation.

Now Available from Shambhala Publications

"Is Yoga only for the body and Buddhism only for the mind? The contributors to this anthology respond with a chorus of “no!” The sixteen essays contained in Freeing the Body, Freeing the Mind explore in-depth the connection between Yoga and Buddhism to show how they share origins, methods, goals, and values.

Each of the two traditions can offer valuable insight into the other, and they can be combined into a unified practice that leads to insight and compassion. Contributors include some of the most prominent contemporary teachers of both Buddhism and Yoga, among them Ajahn Amaro Bhikkhu, Chip Hartranft, Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, Mu Soeng, Eido Tai Shimano Roshi, Jill Satterfield, and Sarah Powers.

See Jill's article " Meditation in Motion" in the current Tricycle Magazine ( Winter 2011)