The Cedar Wind Center was established to be a space to explore the potential of our mind and body.
“Cedar Wind” was inspired by the nature symbolism prevalent in Buddhist and Taoist traditions. The Cedar tree stands rooted in the earth while the wind flows and shifts through its dancing branches. Stillness and movement.
Founder: Ben Booth
Ben has been on a life-long, immersive training journey in Zen meditation and mind-body arts. He resided in the Mind Light Temple with Zen Master Chang Sik Kim; travelled to China to train at the Shaolin Temple, Northern China Shaolin Martial Arts Academy, and Wudang Mountain; went to India to live with gurus of the ancient art of Kalaripayattu and traditional yoga. He continued training in Zen and the martial arts upon return to the US along with study and work with Lama Migmar Tseten of the Sakya Institute for Buddhist Studies. Loving nature, Ben has taken extended wilderness retreats and enjoys outdoor sports. As an athlete, Ben reached multiple top-ten coastal rowing World Championships finishes. Co-founding and co-coaching Next Level Rowing, applying his mind-body experience to high performance training, he has helped athletes attain US National Team positions and World Championships medals.
Ben brings together his experience from grueling ten-hour-a-day training sessions in Asia, the quiet of wilderness meditation retreats, and the process of improvement through high-performance athletics into a teaching style that is accessible to all ages and abilities who wish to embark upon a learning journey that explores the depths of traditional practice.