Stef Lauwers (b. 1964) studied religious studies and cultural anthropology and practiced aikido for many years. Both paths brought him into contact with Zen. After some poking around, he became a student of Ama Samy in 1999. In 2011 he came to Noorderpoort on the recommendation of partner Ciska Matthes, and in 2013 he did Jukai with Jiun Hogen Roshi.

In his professional life, he alternated jobs in higher education with spiritual care. For example, he was a PD teacher of philosophy of life/spiritual streams for many years and taught at the Buddhist ministerial school at the Free University in Amsterdam. As a spiritual caregiver he worked for many years with (young) people with dementia and as a Buddhist spiritual caregiver in prisons. After training as a mindfulness trainer, he wanted to know more about yoga and in 2020 he did the hatha/vinyasa teacher training in Rishikesh, India. He currently works as a spiritual caregiver in a number of nursing homes in Amstelveen.

In “Het oog van de orkaan,” their meditation center in Amsterdam, he teaches meditation and yoga together with Ciska. More info (in Dutch) on Stef at hetoogvandeorkaan.nl/stef-lauwers/.