Biography

Dennis Lewis

A longtime student of the Gurdjieff Work, Advaita, and Taoism, I teach the transformative power of presence through natural breathing, qigong, meditation, and self-inquiry.

In the Gurdjieff Work my primary teacher for 15 years was Lord John Pentland, who led the main line of the Work in America for many years, and who also made me a group leader in the Gurdjieff Foundation of California (San Francisco).

My Taoist and qigong teachers over a ten-year period included Mantak Chia, Dr. Wang Shan Long, and Bruce Frantzis, all of whom certified me or gave me permission during those years to teach specific qigong forms and energy practices.

I also studied for three years with Advaita Vedanta master Jean Klein.

I am co-editor with Jacob Needleman of two books: Sacred Tradition & Present Need and On the Way to Self Knowledge. I am the author of The Tao of Natural Breathing, the three-CD audio program Natural Breathing, and Free Your Breath, Free Your Life. My most recent book Breathe Into Being: Awakening to Who You Really Are was published by Quest Books in May 2009.

I teach regularly at Esalen Institute, The National Qigong Conferences, as well as at other venues throughout the United States.

You can find more biographical information, as well as essays, breathing practices, workshops, audio clips, and much more through my websites and social networks:

Dennis Lewis: Authentic Breathing and Harmonious Awakening: my professional website, which includes essays, parables, audio clips, insights, quotations, book information, class and workshop schedules, and much more.

FaceBook Public Figure Page: Get daily practices, insights, and tips from me on breathing, awareness, meditation, and self-inquiry.

Twitter: I offer breathing and awareness practices and insights.

My son, Benoit Denizet-Lewis, is the well-known writer of America Anonymous: Eight Addicts In Search of a Life, and American Voyeur: Dispatches from the Far Reaches of Modern Life, which was published in January 2010. His most recent book, Travels with Casey,  was published by Simon & Schuster in July 2014. He also writes for the New York Times Magazine and numerous other publications.