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Faculty at Esalen

Esalen faculty represent a spectrum of disciplines, experiences, and perspectives — our faculty members have included Premal Shah, founder of Kiva.org; Robert Walter, Joseph Campbell’s longtime editor; mindfulness researcher Shauna Shapiro; and Wisdom 2.0 creator Soren Gordhamer.

Browse all past and present faculty below, or use the site search to look for someone specific.

Tosha SilverA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Tosha Silver

Tosha Silver is the author of Outrageous Openness: Letting the Divine Take the Lead and Change Me Prayers: The Hidden Power of Spiritual Surrender. She founded the online school Living Outrageous Openness: Think Like a Goddess. She teaches internationally and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Tracee StanleyA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Tracee Stanley

Tracee Stanley shares a sacred alchemy of practices that include Yoga Nidra, self-inquiry, meditation, and asana that are sourced from the traditions of the Himalayan Masters. Her offerings are designed to empower, activate creativity and clarity, and connect students to their innate radiance and power.

Tracey Boldemann TatkinA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Tracey Boldemann Tatkin

Tracey Boldemann-Tatkin, PhD, has served as the director of various philanthropic family foundations over three decades. In addition to her leadership roles, she has been involved at the ground level of humanitarian efforts worldwide. Tracey is co-founder of the PACT Institute.

Tracey NoseworthyA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Tracey Noseworthy

Tracey Noseworthy is passionately dedicated to the teaching of yoga. She was named “Most Distinguished Teacher” at the 2017 Victoria Yoga Conference, and has over 25 years of experience in health and fitness. Tracey lives in Victoria, British Columbia, and inspires students around the world with workshops, retreats, and online classes.

Tracy LeaseA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Tracy Lease

Tracy Lease, yoga therapist and director of Full Life Yoga Studio in Grass Valley, California, empowers each unique student to move toward optimal health and happiness. Tracy has spent 20 years joyfully guiding students in movement and mindfulness practices.

Trina WyattA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Trina Wyatt

Trina Wyatt is the Founder/CEO of Conscious Good, a community-driven conscious media platform, Trina has long believed that visual stories have the power to transform individuals, and thereby the world. In addition to launching the Tribeca Film Festival, Trina has held senior positions with Gaia, Prana Studios, Intrepid Pictures, and Film Independent, among others.

Trudy GoodmanA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Trudy Goodman

Trudy Goodman, PhD, is one of the pioneers in Eastern and Western psychology, holding a graduate degree in developmental psychology from Harvard. Founding teacher at InsightLA and the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy in Boston, she has taught Zen and vipassana/mindfulness internationally for 40 years.

Ty PowersA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Ty Powers

Ty Powers cofounded The Insight Yoga Institute and has practiced yoga since 1987. Ty practices Buddhism under the guidance of Dzogchen teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche, as well as Ajahn Amaro. Ty has taught at Spirit Rock and the Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe.

Ulrika EngmanA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Ulrika Engman

Ulrika Engman explores the world with passion and leads transformative Barefoot Luxury Yoga Journeys worldwide. Certified in the Halprin Life/Art process and Anusara Yoga, she blends movement with yoga, breath with music, and nature's wisdom with philosophy into potent practices for a well-lived life.

Vanessa InnA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Vanessa Inn

Vanessa Inn is a highly sought-after personal and professional guide who works with a variety of clients, from entrepreneurs to award-winning artists to leaders on a world stage. Her Modern Elder Academy course "Leading from your Essence" is exceptionally popular.

Vanessa StoneA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Vanessa Stone

Vanessa Stone is a teacher, mentor, and founder of the Amala Foundation, which unites youth from all walks of life and inspires them to grow as individuals and as leaders in service to humanity. Her deepest inspiration is to cultivate visionaries and mentor heart-centered global leaders.

Vernon BushA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Vernon Bush

Vernon Bush is a singer/songwriter, recording artist, musical director, and educator who has taught the power of reclaiming your voice through singing for more than 20 years to individuals around the world. He also is a featured vocalist at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, California.

Vicki ToppA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Vicki Topp

Vicki Topp is a senior practitioner and instructor of Esalen Massage® and somatic bodywork. She teaches workshops and training groups internationally, and is a registered Movement Therapist and practitioner of Body-Mind Centering.

Victoria ChaseA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Victoria Chase

Victoria Chase, RN, has been a clinical nurse and health educator for more than 35 years. She teaches in medical and community-based settings, and she integrates alternative healing methods into traditional venues. She has practiced and taught tai chi and stress management with her husband Kenn Chase since 1981.

Vignesh SwaminathanA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Vignesh Swaminathan

Vignesh Swaminathan, LAc, is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a meditation teacher with intensive training in the Zen, vipassana, and Christian mystical traditions. He practices acupuncture in Berkeley, California, and teaches mindfulness at New York University.

Vikram ChandraA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Vikram Chandra

Vikram Chandra is the award-winning author of numerous books and short stories, including Sacred Games and most recently, Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, The Code of Beauty. He was an executive producer on the international hit Netflix adaptation of Sacred Games. He teaches creative writing at UC Berkeley.

Vince DraddyA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Vince Draddy

Vince has been teaching the Diamond Approach for the past 22 years and has been a student for 34 years. He leads ongoing Diamond Approach groups in California, The Netherlands and Ireland as well as individuals. He is married with two children.

Vincent Martinez-GriecoA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Vincent Martinez-Grieco

Vincent Martinez Grieco (previously Vinn Arjuna Martí) melds philosophy, deep body awareness and unique dance to create a conscious awareness of body and soul. A master of movement ritual, he supports his students in listening to their bodies as a pathway to understanding their inner critics and inhibitions. Arjuna created Soul Motion Conscious Dance Practice.

Vinny FerraroA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Vinny Ferraro

Vinny Ferraro is a leader in the field of mindfulness specifically working with educators and incarcerated populations. He’s been empowered and teaches in the Buddhist insight tradition, leading a weekly sangha in San Francisco since 2004. His open hearted teachings have touched many. And he doesn’t like talking about himself in the third person.

Vipin ThekkA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Vipin Thekk

Vipin Thekk founded Parenting Changemakers and co-founded the Wellbeing Project, an initiative to support social entrepreneurs to create well-being in their personal and professional lives. He is also a director at Ashoka, where he leads Changemaker School Districts in working to integrate empathy and changemaking skills in the district’s mindset, curriculum, systems, and culture.

Vivien SansourA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Vivien Sansour

Vivien Sansour is an artist, storyteller, researcher, and conservationist who uses images, sketches, film, soil, seeds, and plants to enliven old cultural tales in contemporary presentations and to advocate for seed conservation and the protection of agrobiodiversity as a cultural/political act. She founded the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library and her art has been showcased internationally.

Wade DavisA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Wade Davis

Wade Davis is a Colombian-Canadian anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author and photographer whose work has focused on worldwide indigenous cultures, especially in North and South America and particularly involving the traditional uses and beliefs associated with psychoactive plants.

Wallace J. NicholsA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Wallace J. Nichols

Wallace J. Nichols, MEM, PhD, is an innovative, silo-busting, entrepreneurial scientist, movement maker, renowned marine biologist, voracious Earth and idea explorer, wild water advocate, best-selling author of Blue Mind, sought-after lecturer, and fun-loving dad. He also likes turtles (a lot).

Warren FarrellA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Warren Farrell

Dr. Warren Farrell has taught couples’ communication nationwide for the past 30 years. His “Role Mate to Soul Mate” course also appears as an online video and will be published as a book in July, 2024. 

Dr. Farrell was chosen by the Financial Times as one of the world’s top 100 thought leaders. See www.warrenfarrell.com.

Web of Change Board of DirectorsA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Web of Change Board of Directors

The Web of Change Board of Directors uses a highly participative model to produce a conference that supports participants in evolving. Board members are leaders in some of the nation’s most progressive organizations: technology and engagements experts at ACLU, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Greenpeace, and digital campaigners at organizations like Digital Democracy and 18MillionRising.org.

Wendy PalmerA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Wendy Palmer

Wendy Palmer holds a sixth-degree black belt in aikido and has practiced mindfulness for more than 40 years. She is the founder of Leadership Embodiment and works with organizations and leads groups in Africa, Europe, Canada, and the U.S.

Wes "Scoop" NiskerA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Wes "Scoop" Nisker

Wes Nisker is a Buddhist meditation teacher, radio commentator, and performer. His books include Essential Crazy Wisdom, Buddha’s Nature, and Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again! Wes teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. He founded and co-edits the journal Inquiring Mind.

Wes JacksonA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Wes Jackson

Wes Jackson is president emeritus of The Land Institute, which he co-founded in Salina, Kansas in 1976 after establishing one of the country’s first environmental studies programs in California. He is the author of New Roots for Agriculture, Consulting the Genius of the Place, and Nature as Measure.

Will Kabat-ZinnA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Will Kabat-Zinn

Will Kabat-Zinn brings mindfulness and meditation to diverse populations, from neuroscientists to incarcerated youth. He co-developed a mindfulness curriculum for parents at UCSF. He leads retreats at Spirit Rock and at meditation centers around the country. He is a member of the Spirit Rock Teacher's Council.

William DoniusA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
William Donius

William Donius was a left brainer for most of his life. Twenty-five years ago, however, he discovered how to tap into his right brain and it revolutionized his life. Bill is  New York Times best-selling author and ideation facilitator.

William KeepinA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
William Keepin

William Keepin, PhD, is a founding director of Gender Equity and Reconciliation International, which has organized over 100 trainings for transformational healing between women and men on six continents. He is a physicist and transpersonal psychologist, and author most recently of Belonging to God: Spirituality, Science, and a Universal Path of Divine Love.

William Padilla-BrownA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
William Padilla-Brown

William Padilla-Brown is a Multidisciplinary Citizen Scientist practicing social science, mycology, phycology, and molecular biology. William founded and is the current CEO of MycoSymbiotics, a permaculture research and production business based in Central Pennsylvania focused on innovative practical applied biological science.

Wilma WyssA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Wilma Wyss

Wilma Wyss is an award-winning mosaic artist whose work features unusual materials and nuanced colors and textures. Wilma designed Esalen’s mosaic mural in the Lodge’s restroom foyer, which was created in a workshop.

Wisdom WomenA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Wisdom Women

WisdomWomen is an international community that meets in person and virtually in devotion to our collective vision of a thriving world.

WisdomWomenA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
WisdomWomen

WisdomWomen is a place where we are beginning to bring a new vision – a society co-existing in harmony as people and planet – into form. In our membership community, we support one another in birthing our visions and practice embodying our wisdom through radical co-creation. Our convening team encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and expertise, but most importantly holds devotion to our collective vision of a thriving world.

Wu DeA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Wu De

Wu De is a writer and teacher of the ancient practice of serving tea. His monthly magazine, Global Tea Hut, connects thousands of tea lovers in more than 66 countries. He has authored four books, including The Way of Tea and Tea Medicine.

Xiao QiangA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Xiao Qiang

Xiao Qiang is director and research scientist of the Counter-Power Lab, a research group focusing on technology and free flow of information in cyberspace based at UC Berkeley. Xiao teaches at both the School of Information and the Graduate School of Journalism, and is the founder and editor-in-chief of China Digital Times, a bilingual China news website. Xiao received the MacArthur Fellowship in 2001.

Xochitl AsheA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Xochitl Ashe

Xochitl (So-chil) Ashe is a trained herbalist with deep indigenous roots. Initiated at the age of sixteen in her Peruvian healing traditions, she has been a conduit for sacred medicines and herbs for twenty years. She works with transformational cacao and mushroom ceremonies in Mexico, especially attending to generational trauma.

Xoli RedmondA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Xoli Redmond

Xoli Redmond, PsyD, serves as clinical faculty in Yale University’s psychiatry department. He is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in Truth-Oriented Therapy, which incorporates mindfulness-based, cognitive, existential, contemplative, and spiritual approaches. He has practiced and taught insight-based, non-dual, and contemplative practices since 2004.

Yang YangA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Yang Yang

Yang Yang, PhD, is the author of Taijiquan: The Art of Nurturing, The Science of Power. A traditionally trained taiji/qigong master, he is director of the Center for Taiji Studies in New York, and a researcher and taiji/qigong instructor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Ya’Acov Darling KhanA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Ya’Acov Darling Khan

Ya’Acov Darling Khan has been recognized by elder shamans from the Sami, Achuar, and Sappara peoples of the Amazon. He is the co-founder of Movement Medicine and has led workshops around the world since 1989. He co-wrote Movement Medicine: How to Awaken, Dance and Live Your Dreams and wrote Jaguar in the Body, Butterfly in the Heart (Hay House, 2017).

Yingzhao LiuA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Yingzhao Liu

Yingzhao Liu is a lecturer at Stanford and has recently been design director for international markets at LinkedIn. She integrates deep spiritual practice with our complex modern life, drawing from Buddhism as well as the Native American path. Ying has also led experiential education for over a decade, and loves to facilitate group processes in nature.

Yolanda RuizA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Yolanda Ruiz

Yolanda Sealey Ruiz is a poet, professor at Columbia University, and scholar-activist. She works with school districts, colleges, universities, and organizations across the country helping individuals build their racial literacy.

Ysaye BarnwellA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Ysaye Barnwell

Ysaye Barnwell, a former member of the African-American female a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in The Rock, is a composer, arranger, author, and actress. A vocalist with a range of more than three octaves, she appears on more than 30 recordings with Sweet Honey and other artists. She is the curator and composer for The Fortune's Bones Project®.

Yuval RonA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Yuval Ron

Yuval Ron is a musician, educator, and composer for film, television, dance, and theater. He worked with the Dalai Lama, Sufi leader Pir Zia Iniyat Khan, Sufi master Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Zen Buddhist priest Hirokazu Kosaka, neuroscientists Mark Waldman, Andrew Goodman, and others. In 2006, he won an Oscar® for West Bank Story.

Zak DychtwaldA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Zak Dychtwald

Zak Dychtwald is the author of Young China: How the Restless Generation Will Change Their Country and the World. He is also the founder of Young China Group, a think tank and consultancy. At 28, Zak has spoken at forums and summits across four continents. He grew up coming to Esalen with his dad.

Zaya BenazzoA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Zaya Benazzo

Zaya Benazzo co-founded Science and Nonduality, a community that honors and nurtures the exploration and experience of nonduality as a pathway to greater wisdom and well-being in the context of the unique challenges of the 21st century.

Zev FelixA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Zev Felix

Zev Felix is the co-founder and creative director of Camp Grounded. As a graphic designer and web developer he spends a lot of time behind his computer for work, so he finds balance with meditation through analog crafts like crochet, face-paint, and calligraphy.

Zhen DaoA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Zhen Dao

Zhen Dao is the founder of MogaDao and the philosophy of Post-Daoism and director of SACRA: Immanence Theater. A transgender woman, she is a playwright, poet, novelist, and master innovator in the arts of qigong, yoga, and spiritualized martial arts.

Zuza EnglerA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Zuza Engler

Zuza Engler has been on the spiral path of kinesthetic investigation into consciousness for close to three decades, through motion, stillness, and process inquiry. She is a teacher of Soul Motion® and Open Floor Movement, creatrix of Embodied Inquiry, and a long-term Buddhism and Gestalt practitioner.