The mission of the Shinzen Young Foundation is to ensure that the teachings of meditation master Shinzen Young are widely available in perpetuity. The organization will also support the advancement of research examining meditation modalities, and will incubate social entrepreneurship projects that include contemplative practice.
About Shinzen
Shinzen Young is an American mindfulness teacher and neuroscience research consultant.
His systematic approach to categorizing, adapting and teaching meditation, known as Unified Mindfulness, has resulted in collaborations with Harvard Medical School, Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Vermont in the burgeoning field of contemplative neuroscience. Currently, Shinzen serves as Co-Director of the Science Enhanced Mindful Awareness (SEMA) Lab at the University of Arizona.
His systematic approach to categorizing, adapting and teaching meditation, known as Unified Mindfulness, has resulted in collaborations with Harvard Medical School, Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Vermont in the burgeoning field of contemplative neuroscience. Currently, Shinzen serves as Co-Director of the Science Enhanced Mindful Awareness (SEMA) Lab at the University of Arizona.
Contributions to Mindfulness in the 21st Century
SEMA Lab
Applying neuromodulation modalities to test theories of mindful awareness and to augment mindfulness-based interventions.
Shinzen.org
Shinzen's website for original content and programs.
Viewed a whole, Shinzen’s endeavors represent an unwavering commitment to applying analytic rigor to the contemplative space, for the purpose of creating meditation practice systems that will foster human flourishing.
The core aim of The Shinzen Young Foundation is to preserve and promulgate Shinzen’s work, and moreover, to contextualize this work in a manner that will serve to advance human civilization.
Meet our Directors
Carol Houst
Carol is a lifelong organic gardener and real estate investor with a 40+ year career as a
commercial real estate investment broker and loan officer. She has been retreating and
practicing meditation with Shinzen Young since 2001, and considers his "industrial
strength" training and practice to be one of the most significant influences in
her entire life. Carol is a mother to 2 grown children and a lover of poetry,
Shakespeare and dogs.
Todd Mertz
Todd has filled a number of roles in working closely with Shinzen since 2011. Chief of Staff may be most accurate as a single title throughout that time. His degree in counseling psychology and work experience in various fields have contributed valuable experience to a number of projects supporting Shinzen's work and developing this community.
Rakhel Shapiro
Rakhel has been meditating regularly since 2007, and began meditating with Shinzen in
2013. Rakhel is a PhD candidate in clinical psychology, a Level 2 Internal Family
Systems Practitioner, and creates content integrating meditation and psychology for the
new meditation app Madrona Meditation. Rakhel also brings a background in nonprofit
fundraising, with a focus in grant writing. Rakhel lives in her hometown of NYC with her
sweet pup Sila.
Chris Trani
Chris has studied with Shinzen since 2008 and in 2021 began collaborating directly with him on various projects. In addition to being a dedicated practitioner & certified trainer of the Unified Mindfulness System, she brings decades of professional experience as a conversation coach & facilitator for business leaders & teams across multiple industries. She is known for her consistent commitment to design conversations focused on both results and relationships. Her degree is in counseling psychology.