“Whatever you frequently think about or ponder upon will become the inclination of your mind”
Buddha
ABOUT MELISSA
Melissa McKay has been practicing meditation since the mid 90’s. She has trained in vipassana (insight, mindfulness) meditation and metta meditation in Burma with the great Burmese master Sayadaw U Pandita and in the U.S. with another great master from Vietnam Sayadaw U Khippa Pano. The rigorous from of training she undertook helped her to gain insight into understanding the human mind and the cause of suffering and stress and to discover the potential to eradicate it. She has spent over 2 years cumulatively in intensive retreat practice and has over 10,000 hours of meditation training.
She began teaching in New York City in 2003 in her yoga studio in Brooklyn. She has taught with InsightLA, MNDFL, New York Insight, Bozeman Dharma Center, Big Bear Retreat Center, Won Dharma Center, Kula Yoga, Wanderlust and the Wanderlust festivals. She was featured on the podcasts of comedians Sam Tripoli and Duncan Trussell among others.
She was recently given a grant by Hemera Foundation to write a book on Buddhist practice and meditation and has started a YouTube channel to offer free teachings and guided meditations: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCswmFzxiYPUXlEkbhz5Qr3A
ENDORSEMENTS
“Melissa is a thoughtful teacher known for her deep care of students and skillfulness in making esoteric teachings accessible and relatable to modern day living.”
Lodro Rinzler (author and teacher)
“Melissa is gentle and sweet and fierce and ferocious at the same time.”
Susan Sarandon (academy award winning actress)
“Melissa McKay is one of the most experienced practitioners amongst the new generation of teachers.”
Jack Kornfield (author and teacher)
“A wonderful meditation teacher”
Duncan Trussell (comedian)
“Melissa’s calmness and clarity of speech is so soothing and inspirational to me. The teachings flow from her so naturally, it is really beautiful to witness.”
Anonymous Student
“Wonderful, kind, fun personality, deep wisdom teaching well grounded in the Dharma and her extensive intensive personal practice with revered teachers in the lineage.”
Anonymous Student
“Melissa is so obviously immersed in the teachings and shares them with such grace and eloquence. She makes herself so accessible and genuinely cares about her students. I felt so held in the light of her awareness.”
Anonymous Student
