About Jason Waterman

Jason first tried meditation in college as just another coping strategy for increasingly untenable stress. It worked. A few years later, he found himself living in Southeast Asia practicing meditation throughout the region. In the decade since, Jason has spent ~8 months on retreat at Buddhist monasteries, ashrams and retreat centers. About half of that time was spent in silent vipassana retreats lasting up to 42 days at a time. Jason now aims to incorporate Dharma into all aspects of his life, including his career as a social worker and psychotherapist.

He completed his two-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program led by teachers Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield in 2021, certified by University of California Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and International Mindfulness Teachers Association. He continues to regularly go on silent retreats and other teacher trainings including a nine-month Approach to Nibanna course for teachers with his teacher, Ayya Dhammadipa. Jason’s training has been predominately in the Theravada Buddhist tradition but he has also trained with teachers in the Zen, Tibetan, Non-dual, Tantric, and Yogic traditions.

Jason has served as a regular teacher/guide for the DC Department of Corrections Central Detention Facility, Montgomery County Hospice, Cavalry Women’s Shelter, Dassanaya Buddhist Community, Insight on the Inside, the Center for Mindful Living, and the Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC. He has led programs at Fortune 500 companies, activist organizations, and schools. He has facilitated a Dharma Therapists consultation group, engaged in sutta study with pre-eminent teachers, and co-led daylong meditation retreats for 35+ people.

He has promoted meditation and Buddhist teachings through his employment with A Skeptic’s Path to Enlightenment & How to Train a Happy Mind podcast, Vagabond Temple, and the Calm app. He is inspired by teachers such as Buddhadasa, Kobi Tov, SN Goenka, Joseph Goldstein, Bhante G, Bhante Rahula & Dhammadipa.

Currently Jason works as a licensed psychotherapist in North Carolina and Maryland (LCSWA/LMSW). He has trained in the following: EMDR with George Tabb (EMDRIA Approved); Integrative Sex and Couples Certification Training/Certified Sex Therapy Informed Professional (CSTIP) with Tammy Nelson; Internal Family Systems Therapy with Richard Schwartz; Integrative Polyvagal Theory with Deb Dana & Stephen Porges; Intensive Trauma Treatment with Somatic Approaches (CTP-Certified Trauma Professional) with Arielle Schwartz; Compassionate Inquiry with Gabor Mate; Foundations of Neuro-Affirming Practice with Kory Andreas; PTSD 1 & 2 with Kelli Underwood; Somatic, EMDR & Parts Work for Complex Trauma with Arielle Schwartz; Breathwork Teacher Training Certificate with Amanda Lawford. He is currently completing his RYT-200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training.

Jason enjoys spending time with his wife, baby & cat, ecstatic dance & contact improvisation, running, breath-work, juggling, estate sales, trees (dead or alive), and yoga. He is a former NCAA Division One Academic All-American athlete, behavioral scientist, and Fulbright Grant recipient.