This event is for you if...
You are in the midst of something challenging
Whether it’s stress, conflict, or uncertainty — this is an opportunity to explore how Zen practice can support you when you need it the most.
You appreciate a few practical ideas for your daily practice
Simple, usable suggestions that you can bring directly into your everyday routines.
You’d like to learn something about how ‘Transformation’ works
We’ll look at what actually makes change possible, and how it translates into daily life, rather than in theory.
You’d like to get a feeling for the program Awake in Action
Learn more about the idea behind the 4‒week journey and 4‒day intensive at Crestone Mountain Zen Center, and see if it resonates with you.
More than 22 years ago, nico and Nicole started practicing together at Crestone Mountain Zen Center. This is the first time they’ll be teaching together! There are lot’s of wonderful stories and memories between the two of them - we’d love for you to join an unfolding of relationships:
Between nico and Nicole, between the Dharma Sangha and the Refuge of Belonging Sangha - and of course the relationships with those of you participating.
Here’s what you’ll receive when you sign up:
Two live lectures
• September 6: Nicole Baden Roshi
• September 15: nico hase, PhD
Live Q&A after each lecture
Bring your questions, share your experiences, and connect directly with the teachers.
Recordings for you
Can’t make it live? No problem — you’ll receive the recordings by email.
What participants from other Dharma Academy courses say
“nico’s teaching strikes the perfect balance between profound Buddhist wisdom and practical, applicable guidance.”
— Jamie S.
“nico’s classes have a sense of community, a warmth and humanity that make me feel very much at home. I feel that I am growing and I am not alone in the process of growing.”
— Carolina Casteñeda del Río, MS, MFT
“Working with him can help you make real changes, right now, in the midst of your busy life.”
— Judson A. Brewer, MD PhD (Director of Research and Innovation, Brown University Mindfulness Center)
"The talks were a gift—offering vivid images and examples to deepen what was already familiar. Through them, I rediscovered the silence within me.
Following the clear, methodical path over the course of a year, I was able to observe everyday mind and original mind more finely and to ‘re-adjust’ them.
Thank you for the motivation and the invitation to keep showing up—again attentive, and again anew."
— Astrid
"I joined this program to stay connected.
The input from Nicole Baden Roshi was always rich and inspiring.
Beyond that, I built fulfilling connections with people I had also met in person.
In the exchange meetings, I could speak from silence and practice attentive listening, and in the morning online meditation, I experienced a quiet sense of community."
— Rolf
"Nicole’s blend of psychology and Zen is profoundly helpful and immediately practical. Her teachings clarified my path through life's challenges."
— Hans-Werner
"This program opened up a new, deeper quality of practice for me.
Only now am I beginning to taste what ‘embodied practice’ truly means—and how it feels.
Through the valuable talks, practice impulses, and exchange meetings, my life is becoming more and more permeated with being fully alive and intimately connected with the world."
— Beate
"What I love most about nico is that while honoring the sacred Buddhist tradition, his teaching is refreshing, playful, practical and so applicable to our crazy hectic everyday lives."
— Jade
“nico’s teaching strikes the perfect balance between profound Buddhist wisdom and practical, applicable guidance.”
— Jamie S.
“nico’s classes have a sense of community, a warmth and humanity that make me feel very much at home. I feel that I am growing and I am not alone in the process of growing.”
— Carolina Casteñeda del Río, MS, MFT
“Working with him can help you make real changes, right now, in the midst of your busy life.”
— Judson A. Brewer, MD PhD (Director of Research and Innovation, Brown University Mindfulness Center)
"The talks were a gift—offering vivid images and examples to deepen what was already familiar. Through them, I rediscovered the silence within me.
Following the clear, methodical path over the course of a year, I was able to observe everyday mind and original mind more finely and to ‘re-adjust’ them.
Thank you for the motivation and the invitation to keep showing up—again attentive, and again anew."
— Astrid
"I joined this program to stay connected.
The input from Nicole Baden Roshi was always rich and inspiring.
Beyond that, I built fulfilling connections with people I had also met in person.
In the exchange meetings, I could speak from silence and practice attentive listening, and in the morning online meditation, I experienced a quiet sense of community."
— Rolf
"Nicole’s blend of psychology and Zen is profoundly helpful and immediately practical. Her teachings clarified my path through life's challenges."
— Hans-Werner
"This program opened up a new, deeper quality of practice for me.
Only now am I beginning to taste what ‘embodied practice’ truly means—and how it feels.
Through the valuable talks, practice impulses, and exchange meetings, my life is becoming more and more permeated with being fully alive and intimately connected with the world."
— Beate
"What I love most about nico is that while honoring the sacred Buddhist tradition, his teaching is refreshing, playful, practical and so applicable to our crazy hectic everyday lives."
— Jade
Your Teachers
Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi recently became Abbot of Dharma Sangha after receiving transmission from Zentatsu Baker Roshi in Suzuki Roshi's lineage.
With a background in psychology and body‒centered therapy, she brings a uniquely embodied approach to contemplative teaching, emphasizing "contextual presence" and practical transformation.
In 2024, Nicole founded the Dharma Academy as an online platform to support transformative Zen practice in the midst of daily life.
nico hase lived for six years at Crestone Mountain Zen Center before earning a PhD in counseling psychology and becoming an Insight meditation teacher full‒time.
He studies closely with Joseph Goldstein and has trained extensively in Zen and Vajrayana practices. He is co‒guiding teacher of Refuge of Belonging, an online Dharma community, teaches retreats, and offers one‒on‒one dharma mentoring. Along with his life partner devon, he co‒authored How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Buddhist Survival Guide for Modern Life.
