About James Word

James Word is a natural instructor, with a deep respect for the human spirit. His classes are an interplayof knowledge and experience, classroom-laboratories where students are invited to discover for themselves the profoundly healing nature of rhythm meditation.

A Zen Buddhist, James resided at Kanzeon Zen Center and trained with Zen Master Genpo Roshi, founder of the Big Mind process. He obtained his degree in Psychology from the University of California Berkeley, where he focused on Buddhist psychology, dreamwork, and musical perception.

He is a regular guest lecturer for the UC Berkeley course, "Perspectives on Internal Happiness," and developed the "Rhythm and Sound" course at The Sound and Consciousness Institute in San Francisco, California. 

His deep understanding of rhythm is a direct result of his many years of intensive training with S. Kwaku Daddy, a 28th generation master drummer, and with Reinhard and Cornelia Flatischler, co-founders of The TaKeTiNa Rhythm Process -- a participatory musical process that facilitates the evolution of individual and collective consciousness.

After becoming a certified TaKeTiNa teacher, James founded Rhythm in Action, an organization that provides rhythm meditation classes, workshops, and retreats designed to facilitate the development of individuals and their communities.

James resides in Berkeley, California.