Doug McGill founded the Rochester Meditation Center in 2004 and is the main teacher there. He gives weekly dharma talks, teaches introductory meditation, and has practiced insight meditation since the late 1980s. He publishes a daily email practice reminder called The Daily Tejaniya, and is a student of the Non-Dual teacher, Rupert Spira. He is a former reporter for The New York Times; bureau chief for Bloomberg News in Tokyo, London and Hong Kong; and in 2006 published “Here: A Global Citizen’s Journey,” a book about immigrants living in Southeast Minnesota.
Until 2015, Emil enjoyed careers advocating for unions as a labor law attorney and counseling in the field of substance abuse, including several years for Hazelden Foundation. Emil also taught as an adjunct associate professor at the Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies. He began attending Common Ground and his meditation practice in 2004 as part of his ongoing recovery from addiction. Since then he has attended numerous residential retreats in the Midwest and a month long retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Emil regularly teaches at Common Ground’s Mindfulness, Recovery and the 12 Steps Group and is one of the facilitators of a mindfulness meditation group at Stillwater Correctional Facility. Emil has also been a guest teacher and led workshops at Common Ground.
Franz Moeckl has practiced and studied insight meditation, Tai Chi and Qigong for more than 25 years, including time as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. He now teaches in the US, Europe and Asia.
Gabe Keller Flores has been part of the Common Ground community since 2008, when he was a high schooler falling in love with the Dharma. He served as Common Ground’s Office Manager and Admin Assistant for 6 years as well as serving on the Board of Directors. He facilitates the Millenials community group and the biannual conversation for Men and Masculine-identified folks, as well as offering Dharma talks at the Weekly Practice Groups when Mark and Shelly are away. Gabe is interested in an integrated, engaged Dharma that encompasses all of our being and all of our world in an ever-deepening exploration of wisdom and compassion.
