Our Zen Ancestors: Keeping Company with Women Who Light the Way
2026 Zazenkai (Daylong Retreat) Series

In this six-part Zazenkai/Daylong Retreat series throughout 2026, Associate Zen Master Valerie Forstman invites all of us, regardless of gender identity, into the lives and teachings of modern women ancestors who have contributed deeply to the shape of our modern Zen practice and lineage. After exploring women ancestors of the distant past in 2025, Valerie now turns to contemporary teachers such as Blanche Hartman, Katherine Thanas, Silvia Ostertag, Joan Rieck, and Elaine McInnes— whose lives and teachings illuminate new pathways into practice.
During each Zazenkai, Valerie will invite in one of these ancestors during her Dharma Talk (called a Teisho in Zen Buddhism), tying their lives and practice with the teachings of the Zen lineages of which they are a part. Within Mountain Cloud’s Sanbo Zen lineage, this typically includes explorations of a koan, a record of an exchange between Chan/Zen masters or masters and disciples that conveys the world they are sharing and carries the seeds of awakening. Teisho is not intended to engage the discursive mind. Rather, the invitation is to let the language wash over the listener and, if something strikes, to let that resound.
Valerie brings a rare combination of authentic dharma experience and scholarly depth, helping us encounter these ancestors not only as historical figures but as living presences whose clarity, courage, and compassion continue to shape our own gateless world.
Each Zazenkai offers a full day of practice, including:
- Silent sitting and walking meditation
- Breakfast, coffee, and tea (in-person)
- One or two guided movement sessions
- A Dharma talk from Valerie
- Afternoon Q&A
Whether you are new to meditation or a seasoned practitioner, this is a rich opportunity to experience extended practice while meeting the lineage of women who light our way.
This retreat is offered both online and in-person. If attending in person, please bring your own lunch; tea will be provided.
Pricing
Full 2026 Zazenkai Series (available until January 17th, 2026): $234 in-person, $117 online
One Zazenkai: $60 in-person, $30 online (members receive 15% discount)
25% and 50% scholarships available for single Zazenkai. See each event page for details.
Register Here for the full 6-part series
Register Here for January Only
Register Here for February Only
Typical Schedule (Mountain Time)
- 6:30-8:00am: Meditation
- 8:00-8:45am: Meal Break (breakfast provided for onsite participants)
- 8:45am: Guided Movement
- 9:00am: Meditation
- 10:00am: Dharma Talk
- 11:00am: Meditation (Optional Breakout Room following the talk)
- 12:00pm-1:00pm: Meal Break (On-site participants bring their own lunch. Tea service provided.)
- 1:00pm: Meditation and Q&A
- 2:00pm: Guided Movement
- 2:15pm: Q&A
- 3:00pm: Meditation
- 3:30pm: Closing
About Valerie

Valerie Forstman is an Associate Zen Master of the Sanbo Zen lineage and our Guiding Teacher here at Mountain Cloud. Her first teacher, with whom she continues to work, was Ruben Habito Roshi. Since 2003, she has also trained under the guidance of Yamada Ryoun Roshi, current abbot of Sanbo Zen.
Valerie came to Mountain Cloud with a shared vision of the core of the Zen path, a way of coming home to who we truly are. In keeping with the Sanbo Zen tradition, this path or ‘way’ may include koan training, “just sitting” practice, or simple breath awareness practice, all of which funnel into what it means to undergo the immense change of heart implied by the term “awakening.” What a joy and what a rich process it can be, not just to taste this, but to embody it and live it out in lives of compassionate service.
A first-career classical musician, Valerie holds degrees from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and Stony Brook University in NY. She has taught and performed in the U.S., Canada, and around Europe. After discovering Zen, Valerie went on to earn a Masters of Theological Studies and Ph.D. from Brite Divinity School.
As Guiding Teacher, Valerie is responsible for the quality and integrity of Zen offerings at Mountain Cloud. She offers dokusan to over 50 students a week and runs our sesshin and zazenkai. Alongside her guiding work at Mountain Cloud, Valerie leads sesshin (intensive Zen retreats) annually at two Zen centers in Germany.
Get to know Valerie by listening to one of her Dharma Talks, “How to See in the Dark”:
More talks can be found here.
Join us onsite – and stay the night!










Immerse yourself — stay onsite for a Zazenkai:
Personal retreats are one of the ways you can stay onsite at Mountain Cloud for a Zazenkai. During their stay, personal retreatants can freely enjoy the Zendo and land, 1-1 guidance with Sanbo Zen Teacher Scott Thornton, and the supportive embrace of daily community activity of residents. Choose from a range of lodging options from our dormitory style cottage, private cabins, and even camping. Members receive 50% discount for stays.
Residency is another way you can stay with us. Residents stay for 1-3 months, in an intimate cohort setting designed for lay practitioners seeking refuge in a moment of transition, depth for their practice, or community support. The residency fee includes any retreats or Zazenkai happening that month and training with Sanbo Zen Teacher Scott Thornton.
