Larry Yang

For 20+ years, Larry has taught meditation retreats nationally. He has a special interest in creating greater access to both Buddhist and secular mindfulness for non-dominant cultures, and in transforming the strong currents of White Supremacy in our Mindfulness communities. Larry has practiced meditation for 35+ years, with extensive time in Burma and Thailand, and a six month period of ordination as a Buddhist monastic. Larry is one of the founding teachers of both East Bay Meditation Center (Oakland) and Insight Community of the Desert (Palm Springs), and he was on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council for 10 years. He trained dharma teachers for spiritual leadership within communities of color and LGBTQI communities for 15 years. He has since stepped away from formal dharma teaching in 2020. 

Larry is currently senior advisor in the Mindfulness and Healing Justice Program for the Kataly Foundation, to provide grants for supporting community-based mindfulness and awareness practices and projects for ethnically and racially diverse multicultural communities and organizations.

Larry was honored for his work in racial justice by being selected as the community Grand Marshal in the 2016 San Francisco LGBTIQ Pride Parade, whose theme that year was “For Racial and Economic Justice.” His book, “Awakening Together: the Spiritual Practice of Inclusivity and Community,” is published by Wisdom Publications.

In previous lives, Larry has been a national park ranger, graphic designer, psychotherapist, public health social worker, and diversity consultant.