Now and Zen

Hike and meditate at Green Gulch Zen Center in Marin County

01.12.2017

Feel like you need to enlighten up? Green Gulch Zen Center understands. For over 40 years, this Marin County staple of mindfulness has blazed a trail to ahhs (including, literally, a fabulous hiking trail!). For those curious, visit the Center on a Sunday morning, when they open their wooden temple doors to the public for meditation classes. Remove your shoes at the door and take a seat on a wooden platform cushioned by pillows. Next, assume the position: legs crossed, arms resting on knees, back straight, eyes half-open gazing ahead.

Zen priests teach zazen meditation, best summed up as “let thoughts come, let thoughts go.” Next is the Dharma talk, an hour of inspirational stories packed with plentiful wisdom. Afterward, replenish your well-spent energy with tea and muffins, and step outside for a stroll through the center’s organic farm and fresh gardens. Good zenergy.

BONUS HIKE: Green Gulch Farm Zen Center lies smack in the middle of some excellent hiking trails, including a 4-mile loop that passes through the farm and up to outstanding coastal views. Green Gulch Farm Zen Center is located on Highway 1 (Shoreline Hwy.) less than a mile from the Muir Beach access road.

Green Gulch Farm Zen Center is located on Highway 1 (Shoreline Hwy.) less than a mile from the Muir Beach access road. The Sunday program starts with meditation instruction at 8:15 a.m. If you have experience, skip the instruction and arrive for the 9:15 a.m. session. A $10 to $20 donation is appreciated to support the Center.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Napa Valley Paddle kayaker and paddle boarder on the Napa Valley river

    Napa's Wild Side

    It’s wine country’s Amazon. The gentle Napa River is an ecological—and recreational—delight. And Napa Valley Paddle sets you up for maximum enjoyment of this experience.

    View

  2. Been There, Dome That

    Surrounded by granite domes, craggy peaks, and miles of hiking trails, the High Sierra landscape of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park is famous for good reason. For a truly grand view, take a short hike to bold—and bald (except for snow at times)—Lembert Dome.

    View

  3. Wapama Wows

    Hetch Hetchy can be overlooked in Yosemite National Park because of its more remote location and limited facilities. But this is where you’ll also find one of the best day hikes in the park: Wapama Falls.

    View
  4. Hike Mount Tamalpais into Muir Woods

    Muir Woods Through the Backdoor

    A backdoor entrance into Muir Woods? Hike a tranquil trail that starts in Mount Tamalpais State Park and quietly leads into Muir Woods, letting you avoid the busyness of the main parking area.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories

  1. Inn-spiration Point!

    For more than a century, people have been hiking or mountain biking to West Point Inn for good reason. Perched at 1,785 feet on the southern slope of Mount Tamalpais, the historic inn has sweeping views from the Marin Headlands to the San Francisco skyline.

    View

  2. A Thousand Steps to Paradise

    A picture is worth a thousand words, but is a gorgeous beach in Laguna worth a thousand steps? The answer is yes, though the question is moot, because it’s only 223 steep steps down to the 400-yard stretch of sand known as 1000 Steps Beach.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    Take the Exit to the Best of the San Francisco Peninsula

    The San Francisco Peninsula is proof that some of Northern California’s greatest surprises are hiding just off Highway 101. All you have to do is take the exit.

    View
  4. Hike to the Sierra Buttes Fire Lookout in the Lakes Basin

    Lookout for This View!

    Sierra Buttes Lookout, at a lofty 8,591 feet, is a memory maker for its pucker-worthy stairway to the tower’s balcony. It's a 5-mile (round-trip) hike to reach it. And the reward? Epic!

    View