Our Heart Team
We are a community of equals that believe the sharing of Divine Love in the spirit of peace, service and humility is our highest purpose. Our founders Ruth and Bruce Davis currently teach in Santa Barbara, California full time.
Each day the retreat leader provides a contemplation practice that guides the day. They are available for one on one meditation guidance or spiritual counseling as well. Sitting with teachers that have practiced for many years deepens everyone's practice. Our intention is to see everyone as an anchor of peace.
We are dedicating our time to support each person, with kindness, understanding and to receive the unique peace of Assisi.
Each day the retreat leader provides a contemplation practice that guides the day. They are available for one on one meditation guidance or spiritual counseling as well. Sitting with teachers that have practiced for many years deepens everyone's practice. Our intention is to see everyone as an anchor of peace.
We are dedicating our time to support each person, with kindness, understanding and to receive the unique peace of Assisi.
Brenda Brisch - Retreat Leader
Brenda has been lovingly guiding contemplative retreats for over 40 years and has devoted much of her life to spiritual inquiry. After practicing Transcendental Meditation in the 1970’s, she studied Vedanta philosophy and yoga with an Indian monk from Gujarat. She began teaching Hatha Yoga in his school in Chicago shortly thereafter. In 1976, she met her teacher, Swami Muktananda, with whom she traveled widely for many years. She became a monk under his auspices. He instructed her to continue teaching in Europe, India, and the United States. She was the swami in residence in the Paris ashram.
She joined the Assisi Retreat Community of retreat leaders in 2015. Brenda is our lead retreat leader with extensive background in awareness training. She helps people discover their unique pathway to inner peace, and to understand that all of life’s circumstances are a guide to finding the stillness within. She gently guides people into the sweetness & peace St Francis & St Clare inspire. She is a student of the Course in Miracles and Kashmir Shaivism. She brings great wisdom, love and joy to her retreats.
Brenda has been lovingly guiding contemplative retreats for over 40 years and has devoted much of her life to spiritual inquiry. After practicing Transcendental Meditation in the 1970’s, she studied Vedanta philosophy and yoga with an Indian monk from Gujarat. She began teaching Hatha Yoga in his school in Chicago shortly thereafter. In 1976, she met her teacher, Swami Muktananda, with whom she traveled widely for many years. She became a monk under his auspices. He instructed her to continue teaching in Europe, India, and the United States. She was the swami in residence in the Paris ashram.
She joined the Assisi Retreat Community of retreat leaders in 2015. Brenda is our lead retreat leader with extensive background in awareness training. She helps people discover their unique pathway to inner peace, and to understand that all of life’s circumstances are a guide to finding the stillness within. She gently guides people into the sweetness & peace St Francis & St Clare inspire. She is a student of the Course in Miracles and Kashmir Shaivism. She brings great wisdom, love and joy to her retreats.
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Vinod Ravindranathan - Retreat Leader
Vinod has been practicing meditation for over 30 years. In 1994 he was trained in Vipassana at the Wat Ram Poeng monastery in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Although not a buddhist monk, he accomplished the same degree of training. A few years later he earned his Mindfulness Teacher Training from Bangor University. He currently facilitates the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course in London. In the earlier part of his career, he worked in the corporate world as a lawyer before joining various non-profit organisations including; the UNHCR and Amnesty International Secretariat in London. In Amnesty International he helped people dealing with sexual & gender equality, migrant & refugee rights, compassionate care for drug addicts and animal welfare. Vinod finds joy in sharing the heart practices of St Francis as a guide to inner peace. |
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Marianne Niesen - Retreat Leader
Marianne’s interest in Francis and Clare and her love for Assisi was sparked 50 years ago with her first visit to the town. There was still much to unfold in her life but of one thing she was quite certain. She would return to Assisi! And so she did, many times, over the past years. Marianne’s interest in Franciscan spirituality led her to join a religious community and she lived as a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Rochester, Minnesota for 18 years. Later on she would become an ordained Methodist minister and married. Francis and Clare were always close to her heart. She traveled back to live for a month with her husband in Assisi simply to walk every street of this holy town, just breathing in its great spirit. Throughout these years, she shared her love for Assisi and for Francis and Clare with her husband and with her church communities. She and Lyle participated in the meditation experiences led by Bruce Davis at the meditation center Assisi 2006. That’s where she became acquainted with Assisi Retreats. For Marianne, Assisi has been a sacred and holy place that has beckoned over and over through the years. The stories of Francis and Clare invite a spirit of imagination, wonder, deep appreciation and reverence for all life. Though there is much to see and learn, Assisi is most of all a place to stop and listen to one’s own heart, one’s own deepest longings, one’s own call. It is a place to walk the streets (not necessarily all of them!) and allow them to make a path in our own hearts for the sacred. Over the years, Marianne has described Assisi as a place where she is often ‘surprised by grace.’ Her deep hope is that it can be that kind of a place for others too. |
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Liam Murphy - Retreat Leader
Liam entered Saint Charles Seminary in Philidelphia at the age of 18 and was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1990. He worked with the Latino community for 32 years as a parish priest, which led him to serve in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico for 4 years. In 2015, he opened a store-front church in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, Mother of Mercy House, to be a Presence of Peace in an area torn apart by violence, poverty and drugs. In 2022 Liam discerned a call to a more all-inclusive ministry that encourages the development of the mystic in every person. Convinced that SILENCE leads us to our true self and to an ever-increasing awareness of the interconnectedness of all Creation, he seeks ways to accompany those seeking such unity and peace: all hearts beating in unison with each other inside the One Heart. Assisi, the home of peace and inclusive to all, is why he chose to be a part of the Assisi Team bringing love to all. |
Administration
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Robin Klaassen Adinistrative Assistant
Joining her first Yoga and Meditation classes at age nine, Robin has since been interested in the practice of Conscious Being and Spirituality with child-like wonder. Still very much at the beginning of her own spiritual journey, she is devoted to living with her heart first. Robin lovingly handles your registration requests as an administrative assistant, and is there for you to answer any additional questions you might have about traveling, the retreats, or Assisi itself. |
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Founders Bruce and Ruth Davis
"As awareness rests in the heart, an indescribable joy from within unfolds." Bruce Davis
Bruce Davis PhD Co-Founder
While a graduate student, Bruce met and became an apprentice to a remarkable Shaman who had the gift of entering into and teaching people in their dreams. For four years, Bruce was introduced to many realms and worlds outside normal western thought. These years were to be the beginning of Bruce's quest to understand the potential of psychology and spirituality.
He received his doctorate from Saybrook University. As a spiritual psychologist he teaches the essence of world religions, how psychology and spirituality intertwine offering a more integrated, centered, and fulfilling life. He has taught at JFK University in Pleasant Hill, California and many spiritual centers in the United States, Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland.
Bruce has been guiding retreats worldwide since 1983. His retreats are based in his deep connection to silence, simplicity and heartfulness. He has a gift for guiding people from the busy-ness of the mind & personality to the home of the quiet heart. He supports people who have had a Near Death Experience NDE or spiritual awakening helping to integrate these experiences into daily life. His primary intention is helping others to develop a meaningful spiritual journey, built out of a life of joy.
In 1975 he wrote the book The Magical Child Within You which has been said to be the first book written on trusting and nurturing the inner child. A few years later he co-authored another best-selling book Hugs & Kisses about loving life, which has been a theme of his work ever since.
Discovering the heart of awareness including inner peace has been the focus in his retreats. Bruce has taken people to sacred places like Assisi, Italy where participants discover the sacredness within themselves. For twelve years Bruce and Ruth (his wife and partner) lived in Assisi, founding the Assisi Retreat Center where people of all backgrounds are welcome to enjoy the simple peace and spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. The Assisi Retreat Center received the official blessing of Pope John Paul II for its ecumenical work. Both CNN and Travel & Leisure Magazine named the Assisi Retreat Center as "One of The Top Ten Meditation Centers in the World." In 2012 he and his wife Ruth, opened Silent Stay Meditation Center in California. It is Bruce's wish to provide a sanctuary for everyone who yearns for inner peace towards finding their own path to a purposeful, joyful life.
Through the years, Bruce studied and lived with spiritual teachers in India, Philippines, Germany and Bali, Indonesia. He and Ruth led a program of taking teenagers from one of America's wealthiest communities into the poorest neighborhood of San Francisco to give food to people living in the streets. This program is still ongoing with the help of Branson School students in Ross, California.
In addition to his books The Magical Child Within You and Hugs and Kisses, Bruce is the author ofThe Heart of Healing, Monastery without Walls ~ Daily Life in the Silence, My Little Flowers, Simple Peace ~ The Inner Life of St Francis of Assisi and The Calling of Joy. ~ The Love Letters of St Francis & St Clare of Assisi. ~ And his latest book: Unveiling the Heart of Awareness.
While a graduate student, Bruce met and became an apprentice to a remarkable Shaman who had the gift of entering into and teaching people in their dreams. For four years, Bruce was introduced to many realms and worlds outside normal western thought. These years were to be the beginning of Bruce's quest to understand the potential of psychology and spirituality.
He received his doctorate from Saybrook University. As a spiritual psychologist he teaches the essence of world religions, how psychology and spirituality intertwine offering a more integrated, centered, and fulfilling life. He has taught at JFK University in Pleasant Hill, California and many spiritual centers in the United States, Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland.
Bruce has been guiding retreats worldwide since 1983. His retreats are based in his deep connection to silence, simplicity and heartfulness. He has a gift for guiding people from the busy-ness of the mind & personality to the home of the quiet heart. He supports people who have had a Near Death Experience NDE or spiritual awakening helping to integrate these experiences into daily life. His primary intention is helping others to develop a meaningful spiritual journey, built out of a life of joy.
In 1975 he wrote the book The Magical Child Within You which has been said to be the first book written on trusting and nurturing the inner child. A few years later he co-authored another best-selling book Hugs & Kisses about loving life, which has been a theme of his work ever since.
Discovering the heart of awareness including inner peace has been the focus in his retreats. Bruce has taken people to sacred places like Assisi, Italy where participants discover the sacredness within themselves. For twelve years Bruce and Ruth (his wife and partner) lived in Assisi, founding the Assisi Retreat Center where people of all backgrounds are welcome to enjoy the simple peace and spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. The Assisi Retreat Center received the official blessing of Pope John Paul II for its ecumenical work. Both CNN and Travel & Leisure Magazine named the Assisi Retreat Center as "One of The Top Ten Meditation Centers in the World." In 2012 he and his wife Ruth, opened Silent Stay Meditation Center in California. It is Bruce's wish to provide a sanctuary for everyone who yearns for inner peace towards finding their own path to a purposeful, joyful life.
Through the years, Bruce studied and lived with spiritual teachers in India, Philippines, Germany and Bali, Indonesia. He and Ruth led a program of taking teenagers from one of America's wealthiest communities into the poorest neighborhood of San Francisco to give food to people living in the streets. This program is still ongoing with the help of Branson School students in Ross, California.
In addition to his books The Magical Child Within You and Hugs and Kisses, Bruce is the author ofThe Heart of Healing, Monastery without Walls ~ Daily Life in the Silence, My Little Flowers, Simple Peace ~ The Inner Life of St Francis of Assisi and The Calling of Joy. ~ The Love Letters of St Francis & St Clare of Assisi. ~ And his latest book: Unveiling the Heart of Awareness.
"A retreat is a time to come home inside yourself, where the mind stops and silence of the heart begins." Ruth Davis
Ruth Davis, Co-Founder
At age six, Ruth had a spiritual awakening in her first ballet class. Her heart burst open to the divine and joy filled her body. She felt she was dancing to God, the all and everything. Her heart was no longer only hers but she felt a kindness to every human. Her dance became her devotional practice, which eventually matured into the energetic studies of Yoga, Chi Gung and the movement of consciousness through the body and beyond the body.
Ruth began meditation practice at the age of 16 in 1968 when she embraced Surat Shabd Yoga as her spiritual path. Shortly thereafter she started visiting holy sites in India including the Punjab region, Rishikesh, Hardwar, Varanasi and most recently Chennai. She is a continuing student of Vedic, Tantric wisdom & Mystic Catholicism, with particular connection to the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, the silent saint.
She raised 2 daughters and has 2 grandchildren. Business & family life alongside spiritual practice have always been her world view. She holds certifications in Ayurvedic Medicine, Clinical Hypnotherapy & NLP. In 1993 after the death of her first husband she committed to leading spiritual retreats worldwide with her current partner Bruce Davis.
In 2000 Ruth and Bruce founded the Assisi Retreat Center, a Temple to the World Religions, in the heart of the ancient city of Assisi Italy and in 2002 opened Silent Stay Assisi. In 2005 she felt compelled the an energetic study of the MahaVidyas (Wisdom Mothers of Yoga Tantra) while living and teaching in Assisi Italy.
From this yearlong contemplation sprung;
In 2012 she co-founded Silent Stay Meditation Center in Vacaville, California. Having served over 2200 guests a wildfire came through one fateful night in 2020, burned the center and 220 other homes to the ground. But one thing remained..... the peace found in the silence, which can never be taken or destroyed.
She currently lives and works in Montecito California with her husband Bruce Davis at Silent Stay Retreat Center (located in Pacifica Graduate Institute). Ruth provides private sessions outside of retreat dates for those seeking a deeper path into their heart, the energetic core of their being, where we are all one with the Absolute.
At age six, Ruth had a spiritual awakening in her first ballet class. Her heart burst open to the divine and joy filled her body. She felt she was dancing to God, the all and everything. Her heart was no longer only hers but she felt a kindness to every human. Her dance became her devotional practice, which eventually matured into the energetic studies of Yoga, Chi Gung and the movement of consciousness through the body and beyond the body.
Ruth began meditation practice at the age of 16 in 1968 when she embraced Surat Shabd Yoga as her spiritual path. Shortly thereafter she started visiting holy sites in India including the Punjab region, Rishikesh, Hardwar, Varanasi and most recently Chennai. She is a continuing student of Vedic, Tantric wisdom & Mystic Catholicism, with particular connection to the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, the silent saint.
She raised 2 daughters and has 2 grandchildren. Business & family life alongside spiritual practice have always been her world view. She holds certifications in Ayurvedic Medicine, Clinical Hypnotherapy & NLP. In 1993 after the death of her first husband she committed to leading spiritual retreats worldwide with her current partner Bruce Davis.
In 2000 Ruth and Bruce founded the Assisi Retreat Center, a Temple to the World Religions, in the heart of the ancient city of Assisi Italy and in 2002 opened Silent Stay Assisi. In 2005 she felt compelled the an energetic study of the MahaVidyas (Wisdom Mothers of Yoga Tantra) while living and teaching in Assisi Italy.
From this yearlong contemplation sprung;
- a meditative movement practice called Sacred Movement Ritual. In the style of Chi Gung it contains spiritual lessons and energetic practices.
- two books: Sacred Movement Ritual, Yoga Philosophy in Movement AND Journeying up the Mountain with the Tantric Goddesses, an initiation into the 10 Cosmic Powers.
- the ability to connect students to their spiritual heart, their essence or core of being, from where all answers are available.
In 2012 she co-founded Silent Stay Meditation Center in Vacaville, California. Having served over 2200 guests a wildfire came through one fateful night in 2020, burned the center and 220 other homes to the ground. But one thing remained..... the peace found in the silence, which can never be taken or destroyed.
She currently lives and works in Montecito California with her husband Bruce Davis at Silent Stay Retreat Center (located in Pacifica Graduate Institute). Ruth provides private sessions outside of retreat dates for those seeking a deeper path into their heart, the energetic core of their being, where we are all one with the Absolute.
In Gratitude
In gratitude, we are honored that Brenda, Vinod, Liam, Marianne and Robin are a part of the Assisi Heart Team. Their extensive commitment to spiritual practice, community life, and a heart full journey is a gift to everyone.