About
Michael Karakashian is a clinical psychologist and meditation teacher affiliated with InsightLA. He has practiced insight meditation since 1998, initially studying with a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. His teaching draws from Theravadan and Tibetan Buddhist traditions as well as contemplative Christianity and psychological science. He works as a mental health program leader for the Department of Veterans Affairs' Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and serves as faculty for the VA's national CALM mindfulness facilitation training program. His stated focus includes integrating meditation practice into daily life and addressing systemic racism through contemplative work.
Teaching focus
Michael Karakashian, PhD's teaching focus, drawn from the source profile, sits in the Insight and Theravada traditions. Several threads come up: steady attention to body and breath; the relationship between ethics and meditation; and short, direct teachings rather than long talks. On talks, the style is closer to thinking-along than presenting. Michael Karakashian, PhD works with whatever shows up in the room rather than reading from notes, which is part of why these talks land as conversational instead of scripted. Short pauses, longer sits, and questions that come back to direct experience are usual. Listed specialties on the source profile include trauma. The bigger move Michael Karakashian, PhD keeps making is back toward attention itself: what's happening, how it's being held, and what gets in the way. That keeps the teaching close to practice rather than drifting into commentary about practice. For talks, schedules, and longer essays, the affiliated organization's page is where the live material lives. Michael Karakashian, PhD's sessions tend to keep returning to the body, to breath, and to the felt quality of attention as the steady ground that the rest rests on. Michael Karakashian, PhD's sessions tend to keep returning to the body, to breath, and to the felt quality of attention as the steady ground that the rest rests on.
Background
Michael Karakashian, PhD teaches in the Insight and Theravada traditions. The teaching home is InsightLA. From the teacher's own profile: Michael joined the InsightLA community in 2014 and has been practicing insight meditation and a commitment to inner self-development since 1998. His initial/primary teacher at that time was a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, among others. He has a deep commitment to inner self-development and to bringing practice from the cushion into daily life. Michael’s core influences along these lines come from Theravadan and Tibetan Buddhism, as well as contemplative/meditative Christianity, and contemporary psychological science. Michael serves as a clinical psychologist and mental health program leader for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Greater L.A. Healthcare System, and as faculty for the national VA CALM mindfulness facilitation training program. Michael is highly committed to practing DEI principles and to continuing to do the inner work necessary for supporting the dismantling of systemic racism and white supremacy. He feels deeply grateful to the many teachers and other students who continue to inspire practice in the service of inner liberation and the liberation of all beings everywhere without exception. Thank you all for your practice and guidance. In the Insight stream Michael Karakashian, PhD works inside, the emphasis is on direct attention to body, feeling tone, and mind, alongside the brahmaviharas and an ongoing investigation of how clinging and aversion arise. Talks tend to be conversational rather than scripted, and there's room for sila and ethics to be talked about as part of practice rather than as a separate topic. Michael Karakashian, PhD's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. Michael Karakashian, PhD's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. Michael Karakashian, PhD's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. Michael Karakashian, PhD's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. Michael Karakashian, PhD's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography.
Lineage
Michael Karakashian, PhD teaches as a lay teacher in the Insight and Theravada traditions. The institutional home, per the source listing, is InsightLA, and that's where most of the public teaching schedule and any retreat offerings will be posted. The Insight lineage in the West runs through teachers like Mahasi Sayadaw, U Ba Khin, Anagarika Munindra, and Dipa Ma into the founders of IMS, Spirit Rock, and the regional centers, and most contemporary Insight teachers position themselves somewhere in that broad family.
What to expect
On a class or retreat with Michael Karakashian, PhD, the basic shape is short instruction, longer sittings, and some Q&A. The container is shaped by InsightLA, so format details, fees, and access policies follow that organization's norms. Expect plenty of silence, less talking-at-you than you might think, and an emphasis on letting the practice do its work rather than chasing experiences. For exact dates, registration, and any sliding-scale or scholarship information, There's usually a short Q&A window and, on retreats, optional teacher interviews where students can bring specific questions about their practice. There's usually a short Q&A window and, on retreats, optional teacher interviews where students can bring specific questions about their practice.
