Marc Lesser

Half Day Retreat, In Person (Mill Valley) and Online, Sunday, October 13th
2024-10-13 09:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
In our world of busyness, of more/faster/better, this half-day retreat offers time to stop, reflect, and renew. We will explore the practices of effort and effortless as a path to well-being and “stepping into your life.”
Together we’ll follow a gentle schedule of sitting and walking meditation, a talk, and some discussion. Anyone looking to begin or deepen a meditation and mindfulness practice is invited to attend.
What is meditation? I like a definition proposed by Dogen, the 13th century founder of Zen in Japan: “The practice I speak of is not meditation. It is simply the dharma gate of repose and bliss…It is the manifestation of ultimate reality…Once its heart is grasped, you are like a dragon when he gains the water, like a tiger when she enters the mountains.”

Step Into Your Life. A Zen-Inspired Retreat. Green Gulch Farm, November 1 - 3.
2024-11-01 16:00 - 2024-11-03 16:00 | Green Gulch Farm, Muir Beach, CA, United States
In our world of busyness, of more, faster, better, this retreat offers time to stop, reflect, and renew – a time to step fully into the richness of your life. Together we’ll follow a gentle schedule of sitting and walking meditation, interspersed with talks and discussions from the wisdom of Zen teaching as we explore how these stories and dialogues may be utilized in our relationships, our work, and our lives.
We will practice with the essence of meditation, just sitting with what is. And we will experience a variety of guided meditations, exploring our inner voices, our intuition, and our emotions. Through meditations, conversations, awareness practices, and writing we’ll create a safe, vital, and meaningful time of learning together. This retreat is open to all people interested in stopping, exploring, and bringing more awareness and mindfulness to daily life.
To register.

Half Day Retreat In Mill Valley (and Online) December 8th
2024-12-08 09:00 - 12:30

Appreciating Your Life, A 3-Month Online Zen Retreat/Practice Period, January 8 - April 2, 2025
2025-01-08 18:00 - 2025-02-11 18:25
A 3-month Practice Period is a great way to begin or deepen your mindfulness and meditation practice and cultivate ways for integrating mindfulness practice with your work and all parts of your life
Online meetings are Wednesday from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. PT. We will begin each session with 30 minutes of lightly guided meditation, followed by a short talk, as well as small group and large group discussions.
The theme for the Practice Period is Appreciating Your Life. This is the underlying theme of meditation practice and Zen practice – seeing and feeling everything, the good, bad, ugly, beautiful – as gift and an opportunity to learn, grow, and engage. It’s the practice of feeling deeply, opening our hearts and minds, with a mindset of appreciation, and of being of benefit, through our ability to see more clearly, to accept what is, and work effectively with change and for change.
Our focus will be on how Zen practice can be integrated into daily life to help us:
– cultivate greater wellbeing
– navigate change and challenges
– discover more meaning and purpose in work and relationship
Our primary reading for the practice period is Branching Streams Flow In The Darkness, Zen Talks on a poem called the Sandokai, or the Harmony of Difference and Equality. This is an excellent primer on the non-dual teaching is Zen practice and how to apply them to your wellbeing, relationships, work, and social and environmental responsibility.
Being part of a community that meets weekly is a powerful way to find more clarity and connection as we begin a New Year. Each week we will meditate together for 30 minutes. Then, I’ll give a short talk, unpacking ideas and practices from Branching Stream Flow In The Darkness. We will have a variety of small group and large group discussions, to practice and deepen the tools and themes discussed. Each week you will leave with an actionable insight, or a practice, and a suggested reading.
Weekly sessions will be recorded and made available in case you miss any sessions or want to revisit them.
I hope you will join me.
Best regards,
Marc

Half Day Retreat in Mill Valley (and Online) February 2nd
2025-02-02 09:00 - 12:30

Half-day Retreat, In-person and Online, December 14th
2025-03-30 08:00 - 17:00

Half-day Retreat, In Person and Online March 30th
2025-03-30 09:00 - 12:30

Public Talk. San Francisco Zen Center, 300 Page Street, and Online. July 5, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
2025-07-05 10:00 - 11:30
Marc will give the Saturday morning public dharma talk, on July 5, 2025, 10:00 a.m. PT at the San Francisco Zen Center.
300 Page Street, San Francisco CA 94102
Everyone is welcome. No fee.
More info and livestream.

Half-day Retreat, In-person and online, July 13th
2025-07-13 09:00 - 12:30

Public Talk. Green Gulch Farm, Muir Beach, In-person and online, August 24th, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
2025-08-24 10:00 - 11:30
Marc will give the public dharma talk on Sunday, August 24th, 2025 at San Francisco Zen Center’s Green Gulch Farm.
Time: 10:00 a.m.

Step Into Your Life. A Zen Inspired Retreat. Tassajara, August 26 - 31
2025-08-26 16:00 - 2025-08-31 11:00
In our world of busyness, of more, faster, better, this retreat offers time to stop, reflect, and renew—a time to step fully into the richness of your life. Together we’ll follow a gentle schedule of sitting and walking meditation, interspersed with talks and discussions from the wisdom of Zen teaching as we explore how these stories and dialogues may be utilized in our relationships, our work, and our lives.
We will practice with the essence of meditation, just sitting with what is. And we will experience a variety of guided meditations, exploring our inner voices, our intuition, and our emotions. Through meditations, Zen teachings and stories, conversations, awareness practices, and writing we’ll create a safe, vital, and meaningful time of learning together. This retreat is open to everyone interested in stopping, exploring, and bringing more awareness and mindfulness to daily life.
For more information and to register: https://www.sfzc.org/calendar/events/tassajara/step-your-life-zen-inspired-retreat-zmc-826-831

Half-day Retreat, In-person and Online, October 12th
2025-10-12 09:00 - 12:30

Zen of Coaching: Online Training with Marc Lesser, Five Fridays - October 24 - December 5
2025-10-24 - 2025-12-05
Zen of Coaching is a transformational online program for executive coaches and leaders who want to deepen their presence, expand their impact, and build a coaching practice rooted in wisdom, not just performance. Blending Zen principles, mindfulness, and real-world leadership experience, this course—created by Marc Lesser, the Zen teacher and CEO who helped bring mindful leadership to Google—supports you in cultivating stillness, navigating complexity, and coaching with greater authenticity, clarity, and purpose.

Enroll Now

3-Month Practice Period, Becoming Yourself, January - March, Online
2026-01-07 18:00 - 2026-03-25 19:30
A 3-month Practice Period is a great way to begin or deepen your mindfulness and meditation practice and cultivate ways for integrating mindfulness practice with your work and all parts of your life.
Online meetings are Wednesday from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. PT. We will begin each session with 30 minutes of lightly guided meditation, followed by a short talk, as well as small group and large group discussions.
The theme for the Practice Period is Becoming Yourself. This is the underlying theme of meditation practice and Zen practice – studying yourself and going beyond yourself; seeing and feeling openly, the good, bad, ugly, beautiful – as gift and an opportunity to learn, grow, and engage. It’s the practice of feeling deeply, opening our hearts and minds, with a mindset of appreciation, and of being of benefit, through our ability to see more clearly, to accept what is, and work effectively with change and for change.
Our focus will be on how Zen practice can be integrated into daily life to help us:
– cultivate greater wellbeing
– navigate change and challenges
– discover more meaning and purpose in work and relationship
Our primary reading for the practice period is Becoming Yourself, Zen Talks from Shunryu Suzuki This is an excellent primer on the non-dual teaching is Zen practice and how to apply them to your wellbeing, relationships, work, and social and environmental responsibility.
Being part of a community that meets weekly is a powerful way to find more clarity and connection as we begin a New Year. Each week we will meditate together for 30 minutes. Then, I’ll give a short talk, unpacking ideas and practices from Becoming Yourself. We will have a variety of small group and large group discussions, to practice and deepen the tools and themes discussed. Each week you will leave with an actionable insight, or a practice, and a suggested reading.
Weekly sessions will be recorded and made available in case you miss any sessions or want to revisit them.

Half-day Retreat, January 11th, In-person, (Mill Valley) and Online
2026-01-11 09:00 - 12:30

Finding Your Way. A Zen Inspired Retreat. Green Gulch Farm, February 5th - 8th
2026-02-05 15:00 - 2026-02-08 12:00
Much of our lives are spent searching for more, for better—for something other than who we are and the world we find ourselves in. This retreat offers time to stop, reflect, renew, and discover the art and practice of appreciation and wonder. Drawing on the teachings and wisdom of Zen, the weekend will include periods of meditation, guided reflections, short talks, and small and large group conversations. We’ll explore themes of impermanence, effort and effortlessness, and the freedom that arises when we release judgment and embrace what is.
This retreat invites you to pause, breathe, and listen deeply, beyond the noise of striving and self-comparison. Finding Your Way is not about fixing or achieving, but about softening into clarity and trust in forging your own path. Rather than searching for answers “out there,” this retreat nurtures the capacity to meet our lives with curiosity, compassion, and fresh eyes.
Whether you’re in a moment of transition, seeking deeper clarity, or simply longing to rest and renew, this retreat offers space to explore, heal, and grow.
No prior meditation experience is needed. Come as you are. Leave with less weight, more wonder, and a renewed connection to your own way.
To Register: https://www.sfzc.org/calendar/events/green-gulch-farm/finding-your-way-zen-inspired-retreat-ggf-25-28

Half-day Retreat, In-Person (Mill Valley) and Online, March 22nd
2026-03-22 09:00 - 12:30
