Ronya Banks is the founder and lead teacher of the Asheville Insight Meditation community in Asheville, NC. Sitting over a year cumulatively on silent Vipassana meditation retreats, Ronya has received instruction from over 30 different Vipassana teachers, including Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Rodney Smith, Phillip Moffit, Pat Coffey, Gina Sharpe, and Sharon Salzberg. She has also been influenced by teachers such as Goenka, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Pema Chodron.
Ronya is a graduate of the joint IMS/Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader training program. She also received weekly personal dhamma instruction for five years from Burmese monk and Buddhist scholar, Bhante UJotika Bhivamsa.
Ronya is on the faculty for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program program offered by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. In this program, she trains participants in a mindfulness teaching skills and ways of being.
Ms. Banks works as a mindfulness teacher for the international Cloud Sangha organization, a practice community that supports spiritual practitioners. She has also taught mindfulness meditation in organizations such as the Red Cross, the University of North Carolina-Asheville, A-B Technical College, the City of Asheville, the Hospice Solace Center, Jubilee Community, and at yoga studios and recovery centers.
Born in Kuwait, of Palestinian descent, and raised Muslim, Ronya values diversity, inclusiveness, and equality among ALL human beings.
Ronya’s website is at RonyaBanks.com.
Individual Meditation Instruction and Guidance
Ronya offers personal meditation instruction as well as individualized dharma psychotherapy for both new and experienced meditation students. She will work with you one-on-one, tailoring sessions to your personal concerns and goals. More about personal instruction »