Featured Live Courses

Awakening Joy Course

James teaches his 5-month, signature course live via Zoom once per year, starting the last Tuesday in January.

It's not too late to Sign Up for the 2026 course as Independent Study. The recordings and other course materials are available through December of 2026.

2026 Course Details

Continuing Education is Still Available
 

 The 2027 course will open later this summer.



The Four Buddhist Heart Practices (Brahma Viharas)

A 4-week live online course to open the heart as a complement to Insight (mindfulness) meditation practice.

The dates and venue for the next Brahma Vihara course are yet to be determined. 


Introduction to Insight Meditation

This 6-week class series will help you establish an Insight (mindfulness) meditation practice and understand the teachings upon which mindfulness meditation is based.

The dates and venue for the next Introduction to Insight Meditation course are yet to be determined. 


Meet James

James Baraz

James Baraz has been a meditation teacher since 1978 and leads retreats, workshops and classes in the U.S and abroad. He is the creator and teacher of the online Awakening Joy course, since 2003. He's also a co-founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. In recent years, he has also focused on dharma and climate change, and serves as an advisor to One Earth Sangha, a website devoted to Buddhist responses to climate change. His books include Awakening Joy with Shoshana Alexander, and Awakening Joy for Kids with Michele Lilyanna. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, Jane, and has two sons and three grandchildren.

Featured Live Courses