Teacher

Stan Merrill Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher

Stan Merrill has been teaching meditation since 2007 in the Houston Area. The programs are designed to help students cope with stress and be more resilient to the challenges of modern life. His programs focus on using the ancient mindfulness and meditation techniques to develop the mental discipline, awareness, compassion and openness that help us alter our perspectives and be more resilient to life’s inevitable challenges.

Teacher Training

In 2019 he earned a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification through the Awareness Training Institute of the University of California at Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. The two year program was taught by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach through Sounds True
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction in Mind-Body Medicine: 7 Day Professional Training in 2007 led by Jon Kabat-Zinn Ph.D. and Saki Santorelli Ed.D.

Teaching Philosophy

Set reasonable expectations of daily practice and progress.
Motivate the students by explaining the benefits of a meditation practice.
Identify the pitfalls of meditation that lead to discouragement
Provide a simple 4 week program that can help students slowly build up meditation and mindfulness skills
Teach micro practices that can quickly and easily be done throughout the day

Teaching Experience

Luna Recovery Center – August 2019 to the present
Houston Jung Center – quarterly classes on coping with stress. 2007 – present
West University Seniors Center – 2009 – present – Twice monthly mindfulness discussion group
Houston Area Parkinson’s Society – 2009 to present
DeBakey Veteran’s Administration Hospital – Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center – 2011 – 2013
Chevron Corporation – 2013
MD Anderson Hospital – Sugarland –2015
University of Texas at Austin – Osher Lifelong Learning Institute – March 2016

Studied With

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche at Ligmincha Institute, Houston, Texas
Dawn Mountain Tibetan Temple, Community Center and Research Institute with Anne Klein, Harvey Aaronson and Khetsun Sanghpo Rinpoche.
Anam Thubten Rinpoche of the Dharmata Foundation. Mr Merrill completed the 3 year Dharma Apprenticeship program.
A 10 day silent retreat at Goenke’s Vipassana center in Kaufman Texas.
Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Cheri Huber, Micki Fine, Howie Cohn, Ginger Clarkson and Ronald D. Siegel.

Academic Background

Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1967 from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Master of Science in Solid State Physics from Cornell University in 1969 in Ithaca, New York
Master of Science in Computer Science in 1974 from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Professional Background

Served for two years in the Peace Corps teaching physics at a secondary technical school in Ghana, West Africa from 1969 – 1971.
Taught mathematics at Western High School from 1971 – 1972
Worked at Frost Bank in San Antonio as a Systems Analyst from 1976 – 1979
Retired from IBM in 2002 after 23 years where he worked as a Systems Engineer, Database Specialist, Systems Engineer Manager and Application Development Consultant.

Activities

Monthly attendance at Houston Dharmata Foundation meetings and yearly retreats.
Monthly attendance at Insight Meditation Houston. Chairman of the Board of Directors, IMH, from 2013 to 2016
Various national and local retreats.

Hobbies and interests

Tennis
Reading, films and meditation book clubs
Hiking
Traveling

Teacher

Stan Merrill Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher

Teacher Training

In 2019 he earned a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification through the Awareness Training Institute of the University of California at Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. The two year program was taught by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach through Sounds True

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction in Mind-Body Medicine: 7 Day Professional Training in 2007 led by Jon Kabat-Zinn Ph.D. and Saki Santorelli Ed.D.

Teaching Philosophy

Set reasonable expectations of daily practice and progress.

Motivate the students by explaining the benefits of a meditation practice.

Identify the pitfalls of meditation that lead to discouragement

Provide a simple 4 week program that can help students slowly build up meditation and mindfulness skills

Teach micro practices that can quickly and easily be done throughout the day

Teaching Experience

Luna Recovery Center – August 2019 to the present

Houston Jung Center – quarterly classes on coping with stress. 2007 – present

West University Seniors Center – 2009 – present – Twice monthly mindfulness discussion group

Houston Area Parkinson’s Society – 2009 to present

DeBakey Veteran’s Administration Hospital – Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center – 2011 – 2013

Chevron Corporation – 2013

MD Anderson Hospital – Sugarland –2015

University of Texas at Austin – Osher Lifelong Learning Institute – March 2016

Studied With

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche at Ligmincha Institute, Houston, Texas

Dawn Mountain Tibetan Temple, Community Center and Research Institute with Anne Klein, Harvey Aaronson and Khetsun Sanghpo Rinpoche.

Anam Thubten Rinpoche of the Dharmata Foundation. Mr Merrill completed the 3 year Dharma Apprenticeship program.

A 10 day silent retreat at Goenke’s Vipassana center in Kaufman Texas.

Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Cheri Huber, Micki Fine, Howie Cohn, Ginger Clarkson and Ronald D. Siegel.

Academic Background

Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1967 from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Master of Science in Solid State Physics from Cornell University in 1969 in Ithaca, New York

Master of Science in Computer Science in 1974 from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Professional Background

Served for two years in the Peace Corps teaching physics at a secondary technical school in Ghana, West Africa from 1969 – 1971.

Taught mathematics at Western High School from 1971 – 1972

Worked at Frost Bank in San Antonio as a Systems Analyst from 1976 – 1979

Retired from IBM in 2002 after 23 years where he worked as a Systems Engineer, Database Specialist, Systems Engineer Manager and Application Development Consultant.

Activities

Monthly attendance at Houston Dharmata Foundation meetings and yearly retreats.

Monthly attendance at Insight Meditation Houston. Chairman of the Board of Directors, IMH, from 2013 to 2016

Various national and local retreats.

Hobbies and interests

Tennis

Reading, films and meditation book clubs

Hiking

Traveling