Peter Doobinin is the guiding teacher of the Downtown Meditation Community.  Peter has been practicing insight meditation since 1990 and teaching it since 1998.  Peter is a co-founder of New York Insight Meditation Center.  He teaches insight meditation at New York Insight, the New York Open Center, in New York City public schools, and other venues.  As a dhamma teacher in New York City, Peter’s foremost interest is in helping people follow the Buddha’s teachings within the context of their contemporary urban lives.  In forming Downtown Meditation Community, his vision is to provide a refuge for dhamma students, a place where people can practice together and support each other in their efforts to find greater happiness in their lives.  Peter is also a writer.  His most recent book is the novel Suburban Boy.  He lives, downtown,  in New York City. 

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Paul Weinfield has been practicing Buddhist meditation since 1995.  He's been practicing insight meditation since 2004.  Paul is a musician, writer, and professor of Religion and  Philosophy.  He received his doctorate from Columbia University and has taught academic courses on mysticism and philosophy there and at Hunter College since 2002.

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Kate Solmssen Stephan teaches yoga at Downtown Meditation Community.  Ms. Stephan danced professionally as a soloist for over ten years in ballet companies including The Cincinnati Ballet, The Israel Ballet in Tel-Aviv and the Florida Ballet.
  In May, 2000, Ms. Stephan completed a Bachelor’s Degree program in Comparative Religion and Education and graduated with honors from Brown University.  She is a certified Kripalu Yoga instructor, a certified Integral Yoga pre-natal teacher and a certified OM Yoga teacher.  She is also an ACE certified personal trainer.  In 2007, Ms. Stephan earned a Masters’ Degree in Dance Education at New York University.
  Ms. Stephan was the Manager of the New York City Ballet Workout, a ballet-based fitness class, for three years. For five years, Ms. Stephan worked as an elementary school dance and yoga teacher at The Spence School, teaching kindergarten and first grade. Her most thrilling accomplishments to date are the birth of her sons, Alexander, in September, 2007 and Peter in November, 2009.

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