Aaron

Ann Arbor, MI

Aaron’s Buddhist journey began with an intense awakening experience at eighteen that fundamentally changed the direction of his life. Searching for a way to understand and ground that experience, he turned first to Ashtanga yoga and later discovered the rigor of Zen meditation and monastic practice. Through retreats, teachers, Sangha, and years of dedicated practice, Aaron came to see monasteries not as places of escape, but as powerful training grounds for developing clarity, compassion, and freedom from suffering. His experience ultimately inspired Dharma Gates, an effort to connect young people with Buddhist practice, retreat opportunities, and contemplative communities. At the heart of Aaron’s path is a conviction that genuine transformation requires more than spiritual experiences—it requires commitment, trustworthy lineage, community, and the willingness to go deeply into practice.

Experience

0-15 Years XP

Tradition

Mahayana

Background

Aaron’s journey began at the age of 18 when he discovered a book on yoga before heading to college. Intrigued, he delved into the practices, particularly exploring breath work exercises in the Book of Pranayama. Despite warnings, he experimented with these exercises, leading to a profound awakening experience that changed the course of his life.

Identifying the energy he discovered as Kundalini, Aaron realized the need for support from Eastern traditions. Seeking guidance, he reached out to Angela, his father’s ashtanga yoga teacher in Ann Arbor. She provided breathing exercises and encouraged him to decide whether to walk the path. Aaron embraced the transformative yet challenging experiences, incorporating ashtanga yoga to ground himself.

Taking a year off from college, Aaron ventured to India, studying yoga and gradually integrating these practices into his life. Despite the difficulty of finding a supportive community in college, he persisted. In 2017, a connection led him to visit Diversity Zendo, a Zen monastery in upstate New York, marking a powerful encounter with Zen and the Dharma.

Aaron’s dedication to Zen and monastic practices intensified throughout college, with visits to various monasteries, including Great Vow Zen Monastery and the Ann Arbor Zen Buddhist temple. A pivotal moment occurred after participating in Great Vow’s summer program, inspiring him to bridge the gap between young people and Zen monasteries.

Collaborating with Miles, a fellow practitioner, Aaron founded Dharma Gates, a nonprofit aimed at connecting young people with Zen practice. After graduating, he moved to the Ann Arbor Zen Buddhist temple, later spending nine months at the monastic academy in Vermont. Aaron continues to balance his passion for Ashtanga and Buddhism, navigating his unique spiritual journey while working towards furthering Diamond Gates’ mission. The future holds possibilities of returning to monastic life or pursuing deeper retreat practices.

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Aaron’s journey raises a question that sits at the heart of Beyond the Cushion: What happens when practice becomes more than something we do—and begins to shape the direction of our life?

For Aaron, the path has meant learning how to work with the intensity of spiritual experience while finding the grounding needed to integrate it into everyday life. His exploration of Ashtanga yoga eventually brought him into Zen monasteries and extended retreats, where he discovered environments that allowed him to give himself more completely to practice.

In the full conversation, Aaron reflects on the transformative role of retreat and why monasteries can offer something increasingly rare in modern life: the time and structure to look closely at the mind. He speaks candidly about the challenges that can arise when intensive practice moves too quickly, and the importance of discernment, stability, and integration along the way.

Aaron also explores his evolving relationship with teachers and spiritual guidance—how he evaluates the authenticity of a tradition, what he looks for in a teacher, and why long-term relationships within established Buddhist lineages matter to him. Just as importantly, he reflects on the isolation he experienced as a young practitioner and his eventual discovery of the importance of practicing in community, an experience that helped inspire Dharma Gates and its mission to connect young people with contemplative communities.

Underlying it all is Aaron’s exploration of what practice can gradually change within us: learning to let go of deeply held stories, see experience more clearly, and return to the world with greater discernment and compassion.

Register to explore Aaron’s complete profile and hear, in his own words, what years of yoga, Zen practice, retreat, community, and spiritual experimentation have taught him about taking the path beyond the cushion.