About Mind Roads
Mind Roads Meditation Center is a hub for a variety of classes and workshops featuring ancient spiritual practices, and modern scientific principles of how the mind functions. Opened on September 11, 2004 in St. Paul, it provides space for a community of teachers practicing different disciplines.
The Center was founded by Thérèse Jacobs-Stewart, who has been a practicing psychologist, workshop developer, and international consultant for more than 20 years. She's the author of Paths are Made by Walking: Practical Steps for Attaining Serenity — a unique synthesis of science and spirit which offers 20 basic practices designed to establish more healthy emotional responses to the stresses of everyday life.
Our Teachers
Thérèse Jacobs-Stewart
Thérèse Jacobs-Stewart has been a practicing psychotherapist, meditation teacher, and international consultant for more than twenty-five years. In 2004, she founded MindRoads Meditation Center, a neighborhood practice center integrating contemplative practices from both East and West and home of the Saint Paul, Minnesota chapter of Twelve Steps and Mindfulness meetings.
Thérèse has studied with Tibetan monks in Nepal and India, Carmelite contemplatives in a monastery in Arizona, and the Soto Zen community at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center in San Francisco, California.
Thérèse is a recognized subject matter expert in emotional intelligence, and the author of Paths are Made for Walking: Practical Steps to Attaining Serenity. Her newest book, released in June 2010, Mindfulness and the 12 Steps, Living Recovery in the Present Moment, offers recovering people a new resource and fresh perspective for developing their own spiritual path. Included are lessons from ancient and modern Buddhist teachers, and a guided approach to putting mindfulness practices into action.
Jim Jacobs
Jim Jacobs, LICSW, has been a marriage and family therapist for over 40 years. An ardent meditation practitioner and wonderful teacher, Jim has been a student to the Zen Buddhist tradition for the past fifteen years. He did his Jukai ceremony at Clouds in Water Zen Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota and currently studies with Tenshin Reb Anderson, senior dharma teacher at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center in San Francisco, California.
Marc Anderson
Marc Anderson is the executive director of M2, The Mindfulness Movement, which he founded in 2011. Marc has a long and distinguished career as an artist, educator, and spiritual leader. After 30 years of meditation practice and training, Marc was ordained as a priest in the Soto Zen tradition by Reverend Togen Moss in 2007.
As an artist, Marc has earned an international reputation as a world-class percussionist, stalwart sideman, composer, and record producer. His innovative classes weave meditation, music, games, movement, storytelling and discussion into engaging sessions that are informative and accessible.
Introducing Kate McGown
Kate McGown, Ed.D.,E-RYT, is the founder of one of the first Yoga Teacher Training Programs to be offered in the Health Departmetn at the community college level. Her teaching skills include developing an ethic of self-care and meeting the physical abilites of each student.
Kate is known for her clear teaching style and deep understanding of yogic principles. Her classes focus on the guiding philosophy from Patanjali's Sutras, stira sukham asanam, "asana is a steady, comfortable posture," keeping in mind that gentleness leads to openness and force creates resistance.
Kate's yoga practice is based on continued studies at yoga centers including: Sivananda Ashram, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Healing Arts, Institute of the Himalyan Tradition, and YogaMotion Center for Wholistic Education.
