Oren Jay Sofer

I teach meditation and communication retreats and workshops nationally. I became interested in the relationship between contemplative practice and communication in the early 2000s. A CNVC Certified Trainer and a graduate of the BayNVC North American Leadership Training, I've taught NVC since 2006.

My work is also informed by my long-standing Buddhist meditation practice as well as professional training in Somatic Experiencing (SE) for healing of trauma. I have a personal practice of Qi Gong and Hanna Somatics.

I have practiced meditation in the Theravada Buddhist tradition since 1997, having first become interested in contemplative practice in high school, when I picked up a little book called The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. I went on to complete a degree in Comparative Religion from Columbia University, and later spent two and a half years of living as an Anagarika (renunciate) at branch monasteries in the Ajahn Chah Thai Forest lineage. My teaching today combines classical Buddhist training with the accessible language of secular mindfulness.

I currently serve as a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and a Course Trainer at Mindful Schools. My first book, Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication, was published in 2018 by Shambhala Publications.