Catherine Shaddix

Catherine Shaddix is a Buddhist meditation and yoga teacher and licensed clinical psychologist in the California Bay Area. She has taught at InsightLA and Mission Dharma under the guidance of her primary mentors, Trudy Goodman and Howie Cohn, as well as at UCSF and the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, and in numerous clinical settings and contemplative practice studios. Over the past decade, she served on the contemplative faculty at the Mind and Life Summer Research Institute, and worked on the development of a contemplative somatic pedagogy for the Courage of Care Coalition, an anti-oppression non-profit organization. As a psychologist at Clearwater Clinic, she specializes in DBT therapy for high-risk children and young teens.

Over the past thirty years, Catherine has trained extensively in the Theravada, Rinzai Zen, and Dzogchen lineages. She began her training in a traditional Thai monastery in central Thailand in 1991, then continued her studies in the Rinzai Zen tradition with Joshu Sazaki Roshi at the Mt. Baldy Zen Center through the early 2000’s. Since 2003, Catherine has studied intensively with the Venerable Tsoknyi Rinpoche, training in Dzogchen meditation and completing the traditional Tibetan preliminary practices under his guidance. In addition, Catherine is a teacher of Ashtanga yoga and Indian yoga philosophy, receiving her training from Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor at the Yoga Workshop in Boulder, CO. Catherine was given meditation teacher authorization by Trudy Goodman and Jack Kornfield at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in September of 2021.

Catherine’s teaching style is infused with her deep appreciation of being grounded in the body and in ethical conduct, as well as her conviction that transformation and liberation are possible, even in the most challenging of circumstances. She integrates her knowledge of psychological processes and relational healing from her clinical work into Buddhist practices for awakening through our direct experience of life. As a teacher and mentor, Catherine shares her delight in and enduring love of intensive training and a wholehearted commitment to the path of Dharma.