Thursdays 10 – 11:30 PT

Next Group Dates (apologies to anyone who was working with the January start date, we’ve had to push back to February as a start date) 

Mentor group with Jill:  February 12, March 5, April 16, May 14
Peer Group with Alan: February 26, April 2, April 30, May 21

This (online) group is the foundation for all others if you haven’t worked with Jill in some capacity before. Even if you have you will experience 4 Somatic and Subtle Body practices normally not taught in public, in an intimate group with access to Jill on a one to one basis.

These 4 practices are most likely not what you’ve experienced before. Jill was empowered to teach these by Van. Tsoknyi Rinpoche and supported by Ven. Ajahn Amaro.

These practices will give you a basis for understanding the subtle system, and how each can be quite practical and very useful in daily life.

This is our 5th year offering these 4 foundational, Subtle Body and Somatic Practices. This series is the best way to start getting to know your body as home, the body as the material and subtle form of wisdom and compassion and, a wholistic balance and compliment to mind-only practices. This is an experiential program, based on practicing of each of the 4 different session offerings on your own between meetings. You’ll be fully supported by a wonderful group, Jill and some of Jill’s trained teachers.

The Buddha said Ehipassiko: come see for yourself. Please do!

After this course, you are welcome to join Tuesdays group where we explore the intersection of somatic and subtle body practices as they relate to Dharma teachings.

Or, any other mentor group Jill is teaching.

Unless Jill is familiar with you, please arrange a consultation before signing up: Jill Satterfield scheduling.

 

Monthly components and the options of the program:
1 monthly 90 minute Mentor meeting with Jill
1 monthly 60 minute Peer group meeting with Alan Vann Gardener, meditation teacher/somatic coach and long-time student of Jill’s.

With Two Options:
4 monthly 45 minute one on one meetings with Jill

or
1 45 minute one-on-one meeting with Jill

One-on-one sessions can always be added if desired, at the same reduced cost as in the package.

Please note: this is not a teacher training, you are asked not to share these practices unless you have spoken to Jill.

A training is forthcoming in early 2027

  • Learn to become embodied through a variety of guided experiential practices.
  • Being more embodied, you’ll gain choice and agency over thoughts, emotions, memories and projections.
  • Learn to direct awareness into areas of the body for different reasons. For instance literally feel (not think about it abstractly)  grounded and connected to the earth when you need to be present and rooted.
  • Cultivate the ability and agility to regulate your nervous system.
  • Know where thoughts and emotions live in the body and kindly and gently clear tissue that holds unwanted patterns.
  • Develop refined concentration in the body (mindfulness of the body) not in the usual places –  for instance the pelvic floor and skull diaphragms.
  • Understand the language of sensations —  ‘hear’ and heed the signals of distress the body sends before they turn discursive  or overwhelming.
  • Literally sense kindness and compassion in the body and spread it everywhere in your body to change your heart/mind.
  • Discover and discuss ways to make these practices practical in everyday life.
  • Be an integral part of a small group of people interested in somatics and the subtle body
  • Have access to Jill and Alan when needed

The Skills 

Embodiment practices that facilitate becoming aware and intimate with the Somatic and Subtle forms of consciousness aren’t conceptual, they’re experiential and  often delightful variations of personal expression. We can open our views, and question our perceptions spurred by hearing how others experience a practice — leading the heart to being free of concept and having to experience things a certain way. There is no one way.

Each meeting will present a different and very unique somatic and subtle body practice, most likely none that you have experienced before. Each practice is rooted physiologically as naturally occurring physical phenomena and yet are equally energetic and psychologically somatic

The Community

By being part of a dedicated group of others as curious as you are about the interplay of body/heart/mind, the unseen but felt Subtle Body, and the Somatic expressions of thoughts and emotions the conversations that ensue are rich and profound.

Many of these practices used to be passed on from the warm breath of someone into the ear of another. Hence, why some basis of meditation/mindfulness  practice and spiritual maturity is necessary.

Small group numbers (6 – 12 pp) to enhance the quality of interactions, and have direct contact with Jill and Alan.

Resources and practices culled from the Vipassana/Insight tradition (in the Thai Forest Tradition) with some from the Tibetan and Yogic traditions will be posted monthly.

A password protected page will hold all of the recordings of practices and talks as well as suggested readings, short videos, images, suggested Dharma Talks, and research.

Please note: This is not a teacher training, but for your own growth and understanding of subtle body/somatic practices. A training will be offered in 2026 to those whom have completed this first round of practices.

Please feel free to set up a meeting with Jill to see if this is a good fit for you.

Alan Vann Gardner is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher, somatic-based coach, a sixth degree black belt in Aïkido/ senior instructor at Two Rock Dojo in Petaluma, CA with over 45 years of experience in these mindfulness and embodiment fields.  He teaches and leads groups in a variety of settings (mindfulness groups and sanghas, schools, residential treatment centers, and other organizations) to help participants be resourceful, resilient, and engage with others with center, compassion, skill and grace.

Alan is a recently retired school principal/administrator. He holds a doctorate degree in education and has collaborated with other educators/ organizations to bring mindfulness, social/ emotional learning, restorative practices and equity to the groups he served.

Drew Fuerstman is a mindfulness teacher, professional musician, and committed meditator with a deep love of the dharma and a playful spirit. Over the past several years, he’s spent months in silent retreat, including periods devoted to deepening concentration, heart practices, and embodied awareness. His practice is informed by an interest in nervous system regulation and the science of well-being.

An essential thread in Drew’s path has been his work with Jill’s somatic and subtle body practices, which opened up new ways of relating to the body—approaches that became especially meaningful in working with chronic pain. These practices helped him ground his understanding in the body, sense experience without entanglement, and develop the awareness and agency to move in more skillful directions.

Drew values how exploring the dharma in community can rekindle insight, reorient the heart, and deepen our wisdom through each other’s practice. Beyond the cushion, he enjoys going to music festivals with his wife, savoring stillness, and feeding the neighborhood raccoons.

Leah Samaha is an Atlanta-based mindfulness meditation teacher and facilitator. She combines her passion for embodied awareness and inquiry to help others cultivate a kind, curious relationship with themselves and others through mindfulness meditation. She came to the practice after navigating chronic pain and illness for many years. Leah has designed and led workshop series on navigating chronic pain and illness, self-compassion, and mindful parenting. She is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher through Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s MMTCP program. She’s been mentored by  Jill Satterfield for the last five years. To learn more, check out her website here.

“With wisdom, creativity and tenderness, Jill has opened a door to practicing with imagination. Practice has become a joy. She has been masterful harmonizing experiential and conceptual embodiment, supporting and validating each member of our group is on their path while underscoring the importance of trust and faith of the path”

“Working with Jill in a group mentoring program is a rich experience. Being in sangha, practicing together, conversing deeply  on what we are exploring each month with Jill has been a buoy to my practice and personal growth. I could not have envisioned the benefits and deep support the sangha provides in my formal and informal practice”.

“Being part of Jill’s group has been a wonderful gift. I have deepened my awareness and experience of embodied mindfulness. Her teaching and support has enabled me to have more trust in my practice and to be freer with myself. She has broadened my understanding of what meditation can be . Working in a small group and having private mentoring sessions with a skilled teacher like Jill has been both a great learning opportunity and a joyful experience for me”

“I love meeting monthly with our small group of practitioners, it is a safe and intimate place for expanding and sharing our meditation practices and experiences. Our sessions with Jill’s guidance and intelligence always opens a new door into the wisdom held within my body, heart and mind. From our group, I am learning that when the teachings and the practices become embodied expressions they are always available as tools to bring stillness and spaciousness in meeting moments of uncertainty, it is a gift”

“Jill brings a rare opportunity to practice in group setting, and receive more personalized guidance and attention. She builds on foundational mindfulness practices in creative ways that help deepen understanding. And, her unique focus on subtleties and nuance of somatic awareness helps foster balanced states of body, heart and mind both my personal practice and in my role as teacher”

Joining the Friday meditation study group has been transformative, helping me unwind and mindfully transition into the weekend. Jill’s embodied practices, along with the shared experiences of other participants, have deepened my meditation practice and kept me committed during these critical times.
– Amy, administrator, UC Berkeley

Registration Instructions

  • Please register without paying through form. Register and then contact Jill.
  • Payment by Zelle or Venmo is preferred.
  • 4 monthly one-on-one sessions with Jill: $1,125
    1 one-on-one session with Jill: $625
  • There are some partial scholarships offered, please inquire.
* If you haven’t worked with Jill before, please sign up for a short conversation HERE:

“As we inhabit our body with increasing sensitivity, we learn its unspoken language and patterns, which gives us tremendous freedom to make choices. The practice of cutting thoughts and dispersing negative repetitive patterns can be simplified by attending to the patterns in the body first, before they begin to be spun around in the mind”.
~ Jill Satterfield, Tricycle Magazine