Lisa Gibson

Lisa Genki Gibson Sensei is a Zen teacher, longtime yoga practitioner, and facilitator of social change whose work bridges the worlds of inner practice and outer transformation. She lives just next door to Green Room Yoga and we are deeply honored to host her teaching.

Yoga & Zen

Lisa began practicing yoga in 1997 and has been teaching since 2001. For many years she was a studio partner with Fiona Stang in Vancouver’s Ashtanga yoga community. Her movement teaching draws on Ashtanga as well as Vijnana and other traditions, weaving breath, flow, alignment, and stillness into a playful, compassionate practice.

She is also a transmitted Zen teacher in the Soto Zen lineage. Her Zen training grounds her classes in presence, simplicity, and inquiry into the heart of ordinary life.

Facilitation & Leadership

Beyond the studio, Lisa has over 25 years of experience as a coach, facilitator, and systems change consultant. She has guided nonprofits, governments, and communities across the globe, with a focus on:

  • Social justice and equity
  • Leadership development
  • Curriculum design
  • Complex multi-stakeholder facilitation
  • Sustainability and systems thinking

Her work has taken her from supporting women’s leadership in Nepal to teaching sustainability in Nigeria to building community safety initiatives in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. She was the Director of Living in Community for 14 years, leading an innovative multi-stakeholder process to reimagine safety and inclusion while centering the lived experience of sex workers.

She is also a founder and instructor of the Social Innovation Certificate at Simon Fraser University, and the Scale Your Impact Community Systems Change Certificate.

Heart of the Work

At the center of it all, Lisa’s passion is the integration of mindfulness with real-world change. She creates customized practices for individuals and teams that support well-being, resilience, and impact.

Her teaching is inspired by:

  • Diane Musho Hamilton, her Zen teacher and mentor for over 25 years
  • Integral Theory (Ken Wilber), which shaped her understanding of how we grow and integrate
  • The Ashtanga yoga tradition, which first anchored her in daily breath and movement practice

Credentials

  • Bachelor of Social Work, University of Victoria
  • Master’s in Gender and Development, University of Sussex
  • 20+ years of Zen and yoga training

In Her Own Words

Lisa is also a mama, partner, and friend. She is lit up by the feel of dew-filled grass under her bare feet, the mesmerizing power of fires, the delight of good conversation, and the practice of this ordinary life.