About Susan

Susan Meyer, M.A., integrates photography, writing, mindful awareness, and energy work to foster presence, awakening, and well-being. As a contemplative creative, her work is enriched by a unique blend of life experiences, formal education, and an enduring commitment to personal evolution. Her profound interest in the nature of consciousness, coupled with an appreciation for the natural world, informs both her art and teaching.

Mindfulness is a central theme woven through all of Susan’s professional undertakings. With nearly 40 years of meditation practice and guidance from esteemed spiritual mentors, she has undergone extensive training with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, successfully completing their Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification and Mindfulness Mentor Training programs. She maintains an active teaching schedule and serves as a teacher on the Insight Timer meditation app, while practicing with a sangha in the tradition of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Specializing in Hudson River photography, Susan regards the river as both her great teacher and muse. Her nature photography is exhibited regularly, earning her numerous accolades in the annual Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor photo contest. Additionally, several of her images are featured in kiosks along the Empire State Trail in Schuylerville, NY.

    • Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, trained by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach through the Greater Good Science Center (2021)

    • Completed the Mindfulness Mentor Training program with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach (2024)

    • Studied mindful non-violent communication with Oren Jay Sofer (2023-2024)

    • Two-time graduate of Eckhart Tolle's School of Awakening (2021, 2023), including the Becoming a Teacher of Presence program (2023)

    • Completed Sound Bath Training Course with Guy Douglas and Simona Asinovski (2023)

    • Completed the 3-year Hidden Treasure program (2020) with longtime spiritual guide, Alice McDowell

    • Completed Reiki Master level training in the Usui/Tibetan lineage (2018)

    • Certified clutter coach in the Linn Method of Clutter Clearing (2018)

    • Received feng shui certification in the Earth Home School of Feng Shui (2018)

    • M.A. in Education from Goddard College (2006)

    • Graduate coursework in Social Work at Syracuse University (1991-1996)

    • Graduate certificate in Spiritual Studies from Institute for Transpersonal Psychology/Sofia University (1994)

    • ·B.A. in Psychology from Ithaca College (1988) with minor in Religious Studies

    • Received transmission of the Five Mindfulness Trainings in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh (2022)

    • Initiated into the Inayati Sufi Order (1995)

    • Grew up in the United Methodist Church

  • I have three projects in the works:

    • A collection of short stories about what I've learned from the river (working title: River Stories: Mindful Reflections from the Upper Hudson)

    • A mindfulness inspirational card deck, as a follow-up to my set of Loving Wisdom Cards

    • A coffee table book about my yearlong river sunrise photography project.

Susan’s Journey

My interest in spirituality began as a teenager when I met my first spiritual mentor, and deepened after the death of my grandfather when I was 17. When I transferred to Ithaca College during my sophomore year, I was eager to take a course in comparative religion, where the professor would go on to become my lifelong spiritual guide.

When I started meditating way back then, my motivation was simple: I sought insight into what happens after we die and hoped to have extraordinary spiritual experiences. However, after nearly 40 years of practice, it’s become clear to me that the greatest benefit has been learning how to live. Meditation has given me the clarity to see what lies beneath the surface, to recognize unconscious, limiting patterns as they arise, and to create space for transformation. This, in turn, has deepened my capacity for love and connection. That is why I practice.

Throughout my life, I’ve faced various challenges, and my meditation practice has been my steady refuge. I’ve adapted my practice through chapters that included raising children, navigating divorce, building a career, grieving the loss of loved ones (including my parents), supporting others through mental health crises, and living through a time of profound uncertainty. My meditation practice has been a steady refuge through it all..

In the 1990s, as a graduate student in social work and transpersonal psychology, I found my passion in hospice work. Yet, after becoming a mother, I felt called to work at the opposite end of the life cycle. I turned to Waldorf-inspired early childhood education, with a particular focus on social-emotional learning. Drawing inspiration from the teachings of H.H. the Dalai Lama and Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh on educating the heart from a young age, I taught kindergarten for several years and later ran a preschool program. Though I was tenured in the public school system, I was always a holistic educator at heart, creating and implementing research-based emotional literacy and mindfulness curricula for children before commercial programs became available. As both a parent and teacher, I was devoted to practicing, modeling, and teaching skills that fostered inner and outer peace.

In 2020, I felt a strong pull to expand my work to include adults. After decades of preparation (and many years of thinking I wasn’t ready), I now feel this is the work I was made for.

As for my creative pursuits…

I’ve been writing and exploring nature photography throughout my life, though often in the background as other pursuits and practices took center stage. During difficult times, I turned to nature photography and writing as tools for inspiration, renewal, and gratitude. Contemplative photography started as personal medicine and gradually blossomed into a passion that now commands greater attention. I’m particularly drawn to the therapeutic applications of nature photography, sound meditation, and the blending of images with contemplative practices.

VIDEOS OF SUSAN

View Susan’s storytelling performance representing Gateway House of Peace for Caffe Lena’s True Songs: Lyrics of Life (2022)

This mini documentary film about an art exhibition celebrating the Champlain Canal’s 200th anniversary features an interview with Susan.