Mountain Cloud

Mountain cloud zen center

Welcome to Mountain Cloud Zen Center, a lively community of lay-practitioners, deeply connected to the possibilities of peace and awakening through Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. We are a hybrid community — our Santa Fe Campus has a lovely zendo, hiking trails, and lodging in the mountains just outside the city. Meanwhile we have a robust online community of practitioners tuning in from around the country and the world to our zendo, as well as to our online sangha forum.

Wondering where to start?

  • Check out our daily meditation schedule for more information, including how to join us online. Daily zazen and weekly talks are all hybrid, free, open to the public, no membership or registration required to attend.
  • We have retreats, courses, residencies, personal retreats and more! Explore our wealth of programs on our 2026 programs page, or our monthly calendar.
  • For those new to meditation or Mountain Cloud, scroll down to our Getting Started section below for guided meditations and other resources.
Assistant Sanbo Zen Teacher Shana Smith

Learn to Meditate

Getting Started

We provide instruction and support for new meditators. Join our online Introduction to Meditation Start with some introductory videos and talks about mindfulness and zen meditation or join on of our online or on-site daily sits.

Zen Teachers at Mountain Cloud

Valerie Forstman

Valerie Forstman is an Associate Zen Master of the Sanbo Zen Lineage and is Mountain Cloud’s Guiding Teacher. She joins Mountain Cloud with a shared vision of the core Zen path, a way of coming home to who we truly are.

Study at Mountain Cloud

Residency

Mountain Cloud is now accepting applications for our Residency Program. Information about the program including lodging, meals, Zen practice and study, samu, cost, and other activities are described on our Residency Program page. The minimum stay is one month.

Rio Grande Mindfulness Institute

You’re a Teacher, Leader or Caregiver yourself?

The Rio Grande Mindfulness Institute (RGMI) works with schools, colleges, educational organizations, and businesses – providing training in secular mindfulness for personal wellbeing, stress management, and leadership development.

Deepen your knowledge and practice with our free resources

Contact

Reach out to us.

Get in touch if you have further questions.


Email: Click here to email us

Mountain Cloud Zen Center
7241 Old Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe, NM 87505

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Support Mountain Cloud

You can show your gratitude for Mountain Cloud events, retreats, podcasts and other teachings by making a one-time gift, or by becoming a supporting member.

Donate to Mountain Cloud Become a Member