Teachers at Shambhala Mountain
Ronald A. Alexander, PhD, is a licensed psychotherapist, leadership consultant, international trainer, and the author of the widely acclaimed book, Wise Mind, Open Mind. His unique work combines ancient wisdom teachings with positive psychology and creative thinking into
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Gary Allen is the Education Director of the Mindfulness Peace Project, which teaches meditation and Buddhism to prison inmates and military vets with PTSD. He has studied, practiced, and taught meditation for the past 38 years.
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Lama Tsultrim Allione is an author, internationally known Buddhist teacher, and the founder and resident lama of Tara Mandala, an international Vajrayana Buddhist community based in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. She is the author of Women of
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Elias Amidon is the spiritual director (Pir) of the Sufi Way and a long-time Buddhist. Author of the book The Open Path – Recognizing Nondual Awareness, and co-editor of the books Earth Prayers, Life Prayers, and
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Joan Anderson is an artist, a meditator and an educator—her triumvirate of enjoyment, inquiry, and revelation. She was an adjunct professor at Naropa University for many years and now teaches privately, mainly in Boulder, Colorado.
Judith Ansara, MSW, has been a pioneering teacher of applied human consciousness for 30 years. Synthesizing her immersion in Buddhism and other wisdom traditions with her experience as a psychotherapist and leadership trainer, she teaches internationally
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Anyen Rinpoche was born in Amdo,Tibet. His lineage can be traced back directly to the renowned Dzogchen master Patrul Rinpoche. Anyen Rinpoche is a heart son of Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche. After remaining with his Root Lama
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Susan Aposhyan, MA, LPC, maintains a private practice and trains professionals internationally in her work, Body-Mind Psychotherapy. She developed and directed one of the first graduate degree programs in Somatic Psychology at Naropa University and was
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Jane’s involvement with Shambhala began in 1997. She lived at Karmê Chöling from 1997-2000 where she held several positions including Program Sphere Manager. At the request of the Sakyong, she became the Executive Director of the
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Acharya Dale Asrael has led retreats and meditation programs internationally for the past thirty years. She studies qigong with, and has been authorized to teach by, Daoist lineage-holder Eva Wong. Dale is an Associate Professor at
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Calryn Aston has been a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche since 1997. She has been teaching at Shambhala Centers across the United States since 2003. She has been active in training Shambhala Guides since 2007 and
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In 1975, Agness Au became a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the renowned and brilliant meditation master and Tibetan Buddhist teacher. As an artist and designer, she was initially moved by his interest in the arts
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Peter Aucott has taught Shambhala Training extensively since 1987, at several Shambhala Centers in North America, and has studied and practiced since 1977. He has worked as an administrator at various Shambhala centers, universities, and an
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Zoe Avstreih, MS, LPC, BC-DMT, NCC, professor in the Graduate School of Psychology at Naropa University and founder/director of the Center for the Study of Authentic Movement, spent many years studying dreamwork with Dr. Gerald Epstein and
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Jimmy Santiago Baca is an award-winning American poet and writer of Chicano descent. While serving a five-year sentence in a maximum security prison, he learned to read and began to turn his life around, eventually emerging as
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Chasse Bailey-Dorton, MD, MSPH completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. She has also completed training at the Benson-Henry Mind-Body Institute and the Center for Mind-Body Medicine. She is currently Chief of Integrative
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Michael Baime, MD, is director of the Penn Program for Mindfulness at the University of Pennsylvania. He has taught mindfulness and meditation since 1981, and practiced meditation since age eight. Trained as a primary care physician, his
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James Baraz has been teaching since 1978 and is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. He leads retreats, workshops and classes around the U.S. and abroad. He also has led an online Awakening Joy course since 2003. He is the co-author of Awakening
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Adana Barbieri is a senior teacher and student of Shambhala, having begun her studies initially with the Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche in Boulder in 1974. She has served in various capacities at SMC, most recently as the
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Jonathan Barbieri is a senior teacher in the Shambhala Lineage who has taught Buddhist and Shambhala trainings extensively throughout North America for over 30 years. Jon has been engaged in several livelihood pursuits including consulting with
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Dr. Cedar Barstow is passionate about saying yes to power and using it wisely and well. She is the author, founder, and director of Right Use of Power Institute, a consultant and teacher in practical and
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Barbara Bash is a longtime Shambhala artist, working with the practices of calligraphy, writing, drawing and Big Brush performance painting. She studied Dharma Art with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Chinese pictograms with Ed Young. She has
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Lori Batcheller, MA, MPT, CYT-500, is a certified Kripalu Yoga teacher, author and journal-writing instructor. She began practicing yoga in 1998 and spent four years working and studying with world-renowned teachers at Kripalu Center for Yoga
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Blake D. Bauer is the author of the international bestselling book You Were Not Born To Suffer. He has helped thousands of people around the world who could not find lasting solutions from conventional medicine, psychiatry,
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Michelle Becker, M.A., LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice in San Diego, CA utilizing mindfulness and compassion based psychotherapy with individuals, couples, families and groups. She is a teacher trainer for
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Jade Begay is a multimedia artist, filmmaker, digital and communications strategist, and Indigenous rights and climate justice activist. Jade has partnered with organizations like Resource Media, 350.org, The Indigenous Environmental Network, Indigenous Climate Action, Women’s Earth
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Chad Bennett, MA, therapist, coach, teacher and facilitator, has been integrating dharma teachings with outdoor activities for over 15 years. He spent 13 years as a trainer for wilderness instructors at Outward Bound and began intensive
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Sam Bercholz is a senior teacher in the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism and has been teaching Buddhist meditation and philosophy for over forty years. He holds the lineages of both Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
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Frank Berliner is an associate professor of Contemplative Psychology at Naropa University. He became a student of the Vidyadhara in 1974 and later served as the national director of Shambhala Training, and executive director and resident
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Amanda Betzen teaches children at the Boulder Shambhala Center and the Bodhi School, and through Shambhala Rites of Passage programs. An occupational therapist working with children with special needs for the Boulder Valley School District, she
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Dr. Saffi Biasetti is a private psychotherapist in Saratoga Springs, NY, specializing in somatic psychotherapy and embodiment. She has been a practicing clinician for 27 years, holds a certificate in mindfulness, is a Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC)
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Tessa Bielecki co-founded the Spiritual Life Institute and live there as monk and Mother Abbess for almost 40 years. In 2005, she co-founded The Desert Foundation with Fr. Dave Denny, an informal circle of friends who explore the wisdom of
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Brooke Binstock believes in starting where her clients and students are by incorporating gentleness and compassion in everything she does. In 2016, Brooke started Open Circle Healing, an all encompassing wellness initiative where self-care and self-acceptance
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Walker Blaine is Master of Liturgies to Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Walker has studied and practiced the dharma in Shambhala since 1984. In addition to being a student of the Sakyong, he has studied intensively with Khenpo
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Natalie Pascale Boisseau is a writer, meditation teacher, and healer practicing acupuncture in the north of Seattle. She is currently writing a memoir on the suicide of her mother and the strangeness of healing. In addition
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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
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Jenny Bondurant leads workshops and retreats for beginning and experienced meditators. She has been teaching meditation and working with the energy of emotions for thirty years and is adjunct faculty at Naropa University where she leads
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Booker brings her heart, wisdom, and compassion to the intersection of social justice, yoga, and mindfulness. She offers lectures, workshops, and retreats across the country for front line Changemakers, and those in direct service. She has
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Joan Borysenko, PhD, is a medical scientist, psychologist, spiritual guide and one of the pioneering voices in the global mind/body/spirit movement. Author of fourteen books and numerous audio programs and guided meditation CD’s, she is also
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Shastri Pamela Bothwell first encountered the Dharma at Tail of the Tiger (Karme Chöling Buddhist Contemplative Center) in Vermont in 1973. She has served as co-director of the New York Shambhala Center, Head of Practice and
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Acharya Emily Bower began practicing with the Shambhala community 30 years ago. The Sakyong invited her to become an acharya in 2004. She leads retreats and weekend programs, with particular interests in dathun and weekthun; contemplating
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Karen Bowles, MD, is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at University of Pennsylvania and a primary care physician. She trained with Jon Kabat-Zinn and has taught in the Penn Program for Mindfulness since 2004.
Kelly Boys is a mindfulness trainer and author of The Blind Spot Effect: How to Stop Missing What’s Right in Front of You. She has created mindfulness programs for UN humanitarian and development workers, veterans with
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Ann Braden, CYT, E-RYT500, holds certifications in yoga therapy from Loyola Marymount University, Yoga of the Heart and the yoga4cancer program. Her light-hearted teaching style combines breath, movement and an invitation to root down, rise up and
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Wendy Bramlett is the founder of Studio Be Yoga in Boulder, Colorado. A yoga teacher since 1981, her style reflects a deep understanding of the body, and emphasizes the dynamic interplay of focused action and receptive
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Andra Brill, PhD, has over 20 years of experience as a professional educator in urban public schools. Inspired by many years of meditation, she brings ta passion for creating compassionate, reflective classrooms to her work.
Annie Brook, Ph.D., LPC, brings 30+ years of study, practice, and teaching of meditation, movement awareness, ritual, and group process. Annie is an author and international speaker, and was the former Director of the Body Psychotherapy
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Marlow Brooks is an established artist, meditation teacher, and healer trained in Five Element Acupuncture and Plant Spirit Healing. She teaches calligraphy, meditation and the Psychology of 5 Elements at Naropa University. Marlow has written three
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Ginger began meditation practice under the direction of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1975. She is an active meditation instructor in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, occasionally teaches Shambhala Training weekends, studies Iyengar yoga, and works full time
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Shanon Brown - As a counselor, adjunct faculty member at Naropa University, and yoga instructor Shanon Brown brings a unique blend of meditation and body-mind yogic practice as a way of enhancing overall well-being.
Sara has been a student and instructor of yoga asana for eleven years. She has taught students from the ages of three to ninety. Her inspiration is to assist in the process of helping as many
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Ty Burhoe has been a disciple of Ustad Zakir Hussain since 1990. Known for his accompaniment and uplifting presence in both classical and fusion settings, he has created collaborations that weave tabla with other world traditions. He has been featured on many soundtracks for film and DVD, including the academy
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Lloyd Burton, PhD, is a former Navy Hospital Corpsman who served in Vietnam. A co-founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, he has practiced and taught Buddhism for over 30 years.
Reed Bye is Professor Emeritus at Naropa University, where he taught writing and poetics for many years. He has been practicing the sadhana of Vajrayogini since the 1980s, and, with Lynele Jones, led a Four Karmas fire offering
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Myokei Caine-Barrett Shonin is the Bishop of the Nichiren Shu Order of North America and resident priest of Myoken-ji Temple in Houston, TX. She is engaged in racial healing and managing conflict since the early 1990s.
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Brett Campbell is the first Buddhist chaplain to serve in the United States Air Force. He is a graduate of Naropa University's Master of Divinity program and its Mindfulness Instructor Training program. He is also ordained
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Dominie Cappadonna Ph.D., CT. is a Transpersonal Psychotherapist and mentor. She is internationally certified in dying, death and bereavement, and a practicing Buddhist. Through her work, Radiant Living~Luminous Dying she offers seminars-Becoming Familiar with Dying, Aging
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Jane Carpenter began the study of Tibetan Buddhism and Maitri Space Awareness with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1975. She has taught the practice as an Associate Professor at Naropa University and internationally for over 25 years.
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Michael is the author of Awake at Work (2004) and Mindful Leadership Training (2016), has held executive positions with Simon & Schuster and The Walt Disney Company, and has taught widely on workplace mindfulness including Harvard,
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Acharya Christie Cashman first studied the dharma with Suzuki Roshi at age 18, while attending at Cal Berkeley. Then, in 1971 she entered the Shambhala Buddhist path, dedicating herself to intensive study and meditation retreats, while
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Ann Cason, author of Circles of Care: How to Create Quality Home Care for Our Elders, has spent over thirty years as a practitioner of Shambhala Buddhism. The former co-founder and director of Dana Home Care,
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Peeking through the window, Your Neighbor's Cat reminds you of what's outside, but also, what is inside. His sharp eyes pierce right through your confusions.
Acharya Susan Chapman, author of The Five Keys To Mindful Communication, is a retired family therapist, contemplative psychologist and meditation teacher. She completed Gampo Abbey’s three year retreat and served as Druppon, retreat leader, for six
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David Chernikoff began the study and practice of meditation in 1971 and started teaching insight meditation in 1988. His teaching has been influenced by senior teachers from the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock, Tibetan teachers
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Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche is a meditation master in the Nyingma lineage of the Buddhist tradition. He studied for nine years at Larung Gar in Serta, eastern Tibet, with his teacher, Jigmed Phuntsok Rinpoche, who is widely
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Pema Chödrön is a leading exponent of teachings on meditation and how they apply to everyday life. Widely known for her charming and down-to-earth interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism for Western audiences, Pema studied under the meditation master
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Bayard Cobb, MA, joined the Fearless Victory project in 2010. An adjunct faculty member of Naropa University, she has practiced and taught meditation and mindfulness for over 30 years.
Roland Cohen is a senior teacher in Shambhala. He has served as Resident Senior Teacher for the Shambhala Centers in New Zealand and as Resident Director of Shambhala Training in Boulder Colorado. Mr. Cohen has been
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Ben Cohen, PhD, has been in private practice in Boulder for over 25 years, and has led over 100 “Getting the Love You Want” Couples Workshops. Former Co-Dean of the Faculty of Imago Relationships International, and
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Cole walks side-by-side all of us on this crazy, heart-filled journey and shares the tools she has learned along the way. An E-RYT 500, Cole studies and teaches many forms of yoga including flow, yin, and slow
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Jim Colosi is a Certified Teacher in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program and has taught meditation for over 30 years in the Shambhala tradition. He was the Director of the Prison Meditation Program, North Central Correctional Institution,
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Shannon Connell is a certified Power, Hot and Jivamukti yoga and mindfulness meditation instructor who supports her students through a passion for physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.
Seane Corn is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher known for her impassioned activism and inspirational style of teaching. She trains leaders of activism through her cofounded organization, Off the Mat, Into the World®. A strong and
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Eliot Cowan, author of Plant Spirit Medicine, was initiated as a Tsaurirrikame (shaman) in the Huichol Indian tradition by Don Guadalupe Gonzalez Rios in 2000. he began the study and practice of herbalism in the 1960's
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Charley Cropley, ND, is a Naturopathic physician who after 35 years of practice, uses no medicines. He teaches his clients that they are endowed with self-healing capacities exactly equal to their condition. They learn that illness
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David Crow is an acupuncturist and herbalist with 30 years of clinical practice, and the author of numerous books including In Search of the Medicine Buddha. A student of the elder Kalu Rinpoche and the Dharma
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Jonathan M. Crowder, JD, is the founder of Peak Rhythms. A multi-instrumentalist, he facilitates programs and keynotes for spiritual growth and group development. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Toyota and Fidelity Investments,
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Carol Crutchlow has been a student and practitioner of Buddhism since 1970. She was a student of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, and now studies with Sakyong Mipham, Rinpoche. In addition to directing Shambhala Training, she teaches regularly
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Culadasa (John Yates, Ph.D.) is the director of Dharma Treasure Buddhist Sangha in Tucson, Arizona and author of The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Using Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science. A meditation master with over
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River Cummings has been a dedicated student and teacher in the yoga tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar and T. Krishnamacharya since 1990. She holds Yoga Instructor and Yoga Therapist certifications from the American Viniyoga Institute, and offers
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Janet Curry, MA, MSt, is in private practice as a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher, and Certified MBSR Teacher Trainer by the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness and the Mindfulness Center
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Tom Daly, PhD, is co-founder of Men’s Leadership Alliance and Inner King Training, founder of 4 Gateways Coaching, and creator of the Radical Self-Care for Men blog. He is a teacher, mentor, executive coach, and a
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Kara Dansky is a lawyer and meditation instructor. Before founding One Thousand Arms, she was Special Advisor at the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice in New York, Senior Counsel at the ACLU, and Executive Director of the
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Ronald Davis, DC. LAc. Dipl Acu (NCCAOM) has dedicated thirty years to helping people discover their optimal state of well being based on physical integrity, mental clarity and nutritional support. As a chiropractor, he understands the
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Kalsang Dawa grew up in Lhasa where he has painted traditional Tibetan art since the age of 14. He later moved to Dharamsala where he studied a rigorous thangka painting program under Master Artist, Venerable Sengye
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Albert Flynn DeSilver is an internationally published poet, writer, speaker, and workshop leader. His latest book is Writing as a Path to Awakening (based on his popular workshops by the same name) published by Sounds True. Albert served as
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Alisa Dennis, Ph.D., discovered meditation through her study of metaphysics and ancient Christian mystical traditions. She practiced within the S.N. Goenka tradition of Vipassana, then studied mindfulness through the Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) at UCLA.
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Tessa Bielecki and Fr. Dave Denny have worked together for over forty years, first as Carmelite monks in the Spiritual Life Institute where they co-edited Desert Call. At Colorado College, they taught Fire and Light, a
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Yogi Amrit Desai is an internationally renowned yoga master and one of the earliest pioneers of yoga int he United States. For more than 40 years, he has offered authentic teachings of yoga and Vedic culture
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Boulder Queer Dharma is a forum created to study and practice meditation and Dharma as well as to contemplate and discuss topics relating to LGBTQ interests/concerns and to socialize in a welcoming, supportive space.
Sofia Diaz offers a unique approach to Hatha Yoga, sacred movement and feminine spiritual practice, deriving her style of teaching and body philosophy from the South Indian temple arts. She lectures at Naropa University and teaches
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Joe Dispenza, DC, is a doctor of chiropractic with a background in biochemistry and postgraduate training in neuroscience, functional brain imaging and neuroplasticity. Featured in the movie What the BLEEP Do We Know!?, he is the bestselling
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Andrea Doukas has been a student of Shambhala Buddhism since 1973, and has previously served as Director of the Halifax Shambhala Centre and Director of the International Office of Practice and Education. She currently serves as
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Cynthia Drake is a meditation and dharma teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist community. She is a professor at Naropa University, where she teaches courses on the intersection of contemplative practice and social justice.
Margaret Drescher lives and works with her husband Jim, at Windhorse Farm in Nova Scotia, Canada. The Shambhala Principle is expressed there through “The Windhorse Way of caring for the land, hosting the community, and training leaders in meditative/contemplative/conversational
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His Eminence Namkha Drimed Rabjam Rinpoche is the supreme head of the Ripa lineage of Nyingma Vajrayana Buddhism and a living Tertön. The Ripa Lineage has its historical roots in the supreme head, Glorious Master Ripa
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Julie began her study of Miksang with Michael Wood in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1998. She has been traveling and teaching with Michael since 2000 and is a teacher of all Miksang levels. She founded the
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Suzann Duquette is Resident Acharya and former co-director of Karmê Chöling. She teaches Shambhala meditation retreats widely, and has been faculty or lead Acharya for Scorpion Seal Assemblies since 2009. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche appointed Acharya Duquette
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Gordon Dveirin, EdD, is an organization and human development consultant, spiritual educator and co-founder of the Claritas Institute of Interspiritual Inquiry. He is co-author of two books, Saying Yes to Change and Your Soul's Compass: What is Spiritual Guidance?
Ravi Dykema, Yogiraj, was an adjunct professor of Yoga at Naropa University for 16 years and is author of a college textbook, Yoga for Fitness and Wellness. He was given the title Yogiraj by his guru
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Sherry Ellms is Associate Professor in the Resilient Leadership and Ecopsychology Programs at Naropa University. She has trained with Joanna Macy and is the Faculty Director of the Joanna Macy Center at Naropa and a facilitator
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Viviane Ephraimson-Abt, MsEd, is an interculturalist, educator and counselor who is committed to sharing transformational and mindfulness-based practices. She is co-director of the Center for Council Training (CTCC) and has co-facilitated trainings with John McCluskey since 2002. Vivian has
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Jaimie Epstein is a certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher who infuses her love of Sanskrit and the dharma into her teaching of Jivamukti, a devotional practice designed to raise consciousness.
Maria Espinosa is a novelist, poet, translator and teacher. Her publications include four novels and two collections of poems. Her novel Longing won an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation and her novel Dying
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Michele Faris, PsyD, licensed psychologist, and Certified Daring Way Facilitator, is a senior staff member at the Colorado State University Counseling Center and has a practice in Fort Collins. Dr. Faris has been in practice for
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Kate Feldman, MSW, LCSW and Joel Feldman, CPCC, have been co-couple's therapists since 1985. Founding members of Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, they have trained in Imago Relationship, Gestalt and Internal Family Systems therapies. Kate
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Gaylon Ferguson, PhD, has led mindfulness-awareness retreats for 45 years. He was Core Faculty in Religious Studies at Naropa University. The author of Natural Wakefulness (2009) and Natural Bravery (2016), he contributed the foreword to Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism
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Camilla Figueroa, MSW, is founder of Dharma Yoga Therapy and is certified in Thai Yoga Massage, Dharma Yoga and Phoenix Rising Therapy.
Lyn Fine was born in 1944 and raised in New York City in a Jewish family of German, Russian, and Latvian roots. She received Lamp Transmission as a Dharma Teacher in Thich Nhat Hanh's Order of
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Tirzah Firestone is a rabbi, Jungian therapist, and author of The Receiving: Reclaiming Jewish Women's Wisdom, (hailed as the non-fiction companion to The Red Tent); With Roots in Heaven, and The Woman's Kabbalah: Ecstatic Practices for
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Linda Fitch is the executive director of The Four Winds Society and Dean of the Light Body School. A passionate teacher, she works at the level of the soul, looking at the larger mythic patterns that shape
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Maya Fliegel has studied Martial Arts for several years. She holds a blue belt in Jiujitsu, trains kickboxing, and teaches self-defense with 4 Rings Tactical. She has over 10 years experience working in the field of
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Sue Frederick is the author of Your Divine Lens, Bridges to Heaven: True Stories of Loved Ones on the Other Side, I See Your Soul Mate, and I See Your Dream Job (St.Martin's Press). An intuitive since childhood,
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Wendy Friedman was raised in a Shambhala family and has worked with major cultural events such as the Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo’s wedding and the Sakyong Wangmo Empowerment. She was made Director of the new Shambhala
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Marcella Friel is a mindful eating mentor who helps health-conscious women love and forgive themselves, their food, and their figure. She is the founder of the Women, Food & Forgiveness Academy, an online program to help women
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Timothy Gallati received a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School where he studied experiences of silence in nature and contemplative practice. His fieldwork includes extended backpacking trips into One Square Inch of Silence in Olympic
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Crystal Gandrud is a writer, installation artist and editor based in London. Her recent work can be found in INQD, The Encyclopedia Project, and The Brooklyn Women Anthology. She has created many installation-novels, exhibited in the
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Holly Gayley is Associate Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on Buddhist literature in contemporary Tibet with special attention to gender and ethics. She is author of Love Letters
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Dr. Michael Gayner has lived at Shambhala Mountain Center since 2010, serving as the Executive Director since 2012. In his previous incarnations, Michael owned a benefits management company, taught and studied in Japan for four years,
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Jason Geoffrion, MA, serves as Executive Director of Men's Leadership Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and supporting soulful living for men of all ages. He is a life-stage transition specialist, educator, mentor, and PhD candidate
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Sashi Gerzon-Rose is a psychotherapist and yoga teacher in Boulder, Colorado, and serves as adjunct faculty in the Graduate School of Psychology at Naropa University. For the past 8 years, she has studied closely with Diane
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Jozen Tamori Gibson began formal Zen practice in 2004 in Japan and Theravada practice in 2010. Jozen is a senior student at the Brooklyn Zen Center where he also serves as co-facilitator of the People of
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Gayle Van Gils is a senior teacher in the Shambhala lineage, an author, leadership consultant, and coach. With an MBA from UCLA, Gayle combines her extensive meditation practice with her business background serving clients through her
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Charlie Goetzl is the Director of the Office of Practice and Education for the Shambhala Mandala. He divides his time between Halifax and his home in Oakland, California, where he lives with his husband, Eric Fine. Charlie holds a
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Corissa J.S. Gold, LPC, ATR, MFA is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Art Therapist, and Artist. She specializes in work with families as well as being a member of the Ponzio Creative Arts Team at Children’s Hospital in
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Bill began studying yoga in 1981 with Richard Freeman and has been teaching since 1994. He continued to study with Richard Freeman, K. Pattabhi Jois, senior Iyengar instructor Gabriella Giubilaro, and others. His classes are a
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Julie Goldstein holds MA degrees from Naropa University and the University of Colorado, as well as a Coaching Certification from the University of Santa Monica School of Spiritual Psychology. She has worked in the roles of
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Mary Sheila Gonnella is a board-certified nutrition consultant and an Ayurveda practitioner who helps her clients balance blood sugar as the key to regulating mood swings, stabilizing body weight, healing autoimmune struggles, and preventing or reversing
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Vidan Gonthier PhD, LMFT is a Naropa University Mindfulness Instructor and teaches meditation and counseling at the Graduate School for Counseling and Psychology. From his retreat experiences over many years in a variety of traditions,he has
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OmeAkaEhekatl Erick Gonzalez is an Aj Q'ij (Mayan Spiritual Guide and Day Keeper), teacher and healer from Guatemala. He was initiated into Native sacred rites over a 35 year period with spiritual elders throughout the Americas.
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Dhi Good is a senior teacher (retired Shastri) in Shambhala, who studied Zen intensively for 10 years. She teaches mindfulness at work for non-meditators and works as a communications consultant for nonprofit organizations.
Leslie Gossett is the Chair of the Leadership Council for the Shambhala Office of Families and Children and founder of Be You Yoga and Mindfulness for Families and Children. She has worked with children for over
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Jerry Granelli, a renowned jazz percussionist and teacher of meditation, became a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1970. He has taught with the Authentic Leadership in Action Institute since 2001.
Vajra Granelli holds several black belts and a BA from the San Francisco Art Institute. He’s been a meditation instructor and has coached professional fighters for decades. Vajra currently teaches martial arts in Boulder and Longmont,
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Connie Gray has degrees in horticulture and landscape architecture and over 30 years of experience working with plants. She has specialized in managing natural areas, using native plants in built environments, and is a long-time educator
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Susan Kaiser Greenland is an internationally recognized leader in teaching mindfulness and meditation to children, teens, parents, and professionals. She played a foundational role in making mindfulness practices developmentally appropriate for young people and helped to
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Acharya Greenleaf began his dharma practice as a teenager in 1974. In 2005, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche appointed Michael as an Acharya or Senior Teacher in the Shambhala lineage. He is a CPA and holds a MBA
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Kevin Griffin is the author of the seminal recovery book, One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps, and A Burning Desire: Dharma God and the Path of Recovery. A longtime Buddhist practitioner and 12
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Peter Grossenbacher, Ph.D., teaches at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, where he serves as Professor and Department Chair of Contemplative Psychology. A Mind & Life Fellow, he offers integrative scientific perspectives on meditation and contemplative education.
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Sean Guard is a mindfulness instructor who helps teachers find their own version of balance, perspective, and resilience. He has been a meditation practitioner in the Soto Zen and Shambhala traditions since 1991, worked in urban
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Dr. Amelia Hall is an assistant professor of Buddhism and department chair in the wisdom traditions department at Naropa University. She gained her PhD. in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies from the University of Oxford in 2012.
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Diane Musho Hamilton is an author, professional mediator, and master facilitator. She has been a meditator for more than 30 years, and is a Zen priest and teacher in the White Plum Lineage. Diane lives in
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Jenny Hannah is a yoga instructor, art therapist, and artist. She was first introduced to Shambhala in 2007. Having trained formally in the mind-body modalities of art, movement, and psychology, she weaves these arenas into a
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Kim Hansen, MFA, is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, a massage therapist, and a long-time movement teacher. She was on the dance faculty at The University of Colorado, Regis College and Running River Elementary School, and
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Rick Hanson, Ph.D. is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. His books are available in 29 languages and include Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness,
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Shastri Alice Haspray began practicing meditation in 1967 with the renowned Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Following his death in 1971, she continued her path with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and now studies with his son, Sakyong
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Acharya Arawana Hayashi is a senior teacher in Shambhala. She is a dancer, choreographer and practitioner of Shambhala Art. She currently works with the Presencing Institute, bringing meditation and embodiment practice into the context of organizational
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Carrie Haynes LPC has been practicing psychotherapy for over 10 years. She specializes in creating powerful and transformative group experiences. Carrie is the Director of Group Services for the CSU Health Network where she trains students
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Acharya Jeremy Hayward, PhD, has been studying and practicing Buddhism since 1967. He became of student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1970 and helped found Naropa University, where he served as vice president and later as
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Greg Heffron has been teaching Mindful Communication since 2009, and has been a mindfulness meditation teacher since 2005. In 2005, he apprenticed with senior Mudra Space Awareness teacher Craig Smith, and became authorized to teach this
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Kathlyn Hendricks, PhD, BC-DMT, has been a pioneer in body-mind integration since 1971. She has taught in numerous university graduate programs and worked with thousands of individuals and couples. Her various books include: Conscious Loving, At the Speed
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Harville Hendrix, Ph.D. and Helen LaKelly Hunt, Ph.D. are co-creators of Imago Relationship Therapy and a social movement called Safe Conversations. Internationally-respected as couple's therapists, educators, speakers, activists and New York Times bestselling authors, their 10 books, including the
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Marcy Henry-Fink has been a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche since 1977. She served as LA Resident Director of Shambhala Training for several years and has taught in many Shambhala Centers. Trained
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Acharya Daniel Hessey has been a student of Shambhala Buddhism since 1973. He has lived at Shambhala dharma centers for over 20 years. He served as director of Shambhala Mountain Center for 6 years, and has
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Martha Hildreth has been a Shambhala and Pema Chödrön student since 1998. At Ani Pema's instruction she began work in the sangha, addressing addiction to alcohol and drugs and to encourage a hard look at the
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Shastri Ben Hines, first encountered Shambhala in 1981 in a series of four talks called “Awakened Heart.” With a lifelong interest in how society works, Ben’s life has been deeply marked by meditation and the Shambhala
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Andrew Holecek offers seminars internationally on lucid dreaming and meditation. He is the author of many books, including The Lucid Dreaming Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering Your Dream Life; Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through
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Cheri Huber is founder and resident teacher at the Zen Monastery Peace Center and the Mountain View Zen Center in California. In 1997, she founded Living Compassion, a nonprofit dedicated to peace and service. She is
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Laurie Huckaby is an ecologist at the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station in Fort Collins and has done considerable research on SMC’s land. She specializes in using dendrochronology (the science of tree rings) to
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Rhythm ambassador Arthur Hull’s work has touched the lives of thousands world-wide, instigating the growing profession of the Community Drum Circle Facilitator. Bringing Village Music Circles experiences to communities and organizations worldwide, Arthur has inspired a grass-roots movement
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Dr. Mark Hyman is editor-in-chief of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, the most prestigious journal in the field of integrative medicine, and the medical editor of Alternative Medicine, the Art and Science of Healthy Living. His
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Rick Jarow, PhD, professor of Religious Studies at Vassar College, is a pioneer of the contemporary consciousness movement and founder of the “Anti-Career” process. He is the author of many books, including Creating the Work You
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Jasmine Syedullah is a black feminist political theorist of abolition, and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation. Dr. Syedullah holds a PhD in Politics with a designated emphasis in Feminist Studies and History of Consciousness from University of
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Terry Jaworski, MA, LMHC, graduated from Naropa University in 1983 with a degree in Contemplative Psychology. She worked in Community Mental Health for 25 years as a clinician and supervisor. Terry is now in private practice
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Venerable Khenpo Jigme was born in Bhutan and joined the Monastery at age twelve. Having completed three-year retreat, Thrangu Rinpoche appointed him to teach in Nepal and India, instilled him the title of “Khenpo” (PhD mastery
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Giovannina Jobson is a senior student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and experienced maitri instructor. She is a Buddhist minister (upadhyaya) and teaches Buddhism, contemplative arts and spirituality at Naropa University.
A longtime student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Acharya John has for many years taught Shambhala Buddhist programs throughout North America. He completed the first three-year group retreat at Gampo Abbey--where he first
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Kathy Johnson is the executive director of the Medicine Horse Program, a Boulder-based non-profit that specializes in equine-assisted psychotherapy and serves over 500 clients a year. A Fearless Victory Project collaborator, Medicine Horse employs mindfulness practices
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Will Johnson, an early student of Ida Rolf, has written extensively about the role of the body in spiritual practices. He is the author of The Posture of Meditation, The Spiritual Practices of Rumi, and, most
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Lara Johnson is an accomplished runner who competed for Hastings College before going on to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy and Masters in Health & Exercise Science from MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston
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Sonya Jones, PhD, dubbed a "female Huston Smith" for her work in comparative world religions, teaches comparative religions in the Honors Program at the University of Kentucky. She serves as Retreat Master at Slate Branch Ashram,
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Kate Josephson is currently a psychotherapist at Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN). She is a graduate of Naropa University's Masters of Contemplative Counseling Psychotherapy program, has completed three years of somatic trauma training and mentoring,
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Jacqueline Kabat is a Manhattan-based comedian who performs stand-up at popular comedy clubs, including Gotham and Caroline’s on Broadway. She has studied with Amy Poehler, warmed up audiences at ABC Studios with Mario Cantone, and is
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Keith Kachtick, founder of Dharma Yoga, has taught meditation and yoga worldwide since 1999. Keith writes for Yoga Journal and is author of You Are Not Here & Other Works of Buddhist Fiction and Hungry Ghost.
Nataraja Kallio is a professor of Yoga Studies at Naropa University and has been a student of Yoga since 1989. Seven years of study in India provided the initial foundation for his learning. There, he immersed
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Bhanu Kapil is the author of 5 full-length books: The Vertical Interrogation of Strangers, Incubation: a space for monsters, humanimal [a project for future children], Schizophrene and Ban, forthcoming. She has performed her work and given workshops all over
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Luke has been studying and practicing yoga for over 15 years and teaches Tibetan Yantra Yoga and Hatha yoga. He was authorized to teach in the Thrul khor system of Yantra Yoga by his teacher Chögyal
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Katharine Kaufman teaches Yoga, meditation, writing workshops, and contemplative dance in Boulder County, at Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado and online. She studied Yoga in Mysore, South India, and taught for many years at The Yoga
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Yogacharya Erica Kaufman is the founder of Lila Yoga® and the owner of Lila Yoga Studios. She began daily devoted yoga practices at age 9 with her mother in Jerusalem, Israel. Today she still recognizes her
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Marybeth Keigher, a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche since 1970, received Vajrayogini abhisheka in 1979. She is currently a student of Sakyong Mipham. Marybeth has led numerous Vajrayogini Amending the Mantra and Four Karmas Fire Pujas
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Patricia began practicing meditation in 1986. She was introduced to zazen by an Episcopal priest, who was also a zen practitioner. This, along with reading Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, set her on a path that brought
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Sally Durgananda Kempton was a monk and teacher in the Vedic tradition for nearly 30 years. In 2002, with her teacher's blessing, she put aside her monastic robes to begin teaching independently. Sally now travels extensively
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Paul M. Kendel (SSG Ret), MA, is the author of Walking the Tiger’s Path: A Soldier’s Spiritual Journey in Iraq, which chronicles his military deployment in Iraq, experiences of doubt and disillusionment, and eventual introduction to
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Venerable Khandro Rinpoche is the daughter of His Holiness Mindrolling Trichen, who is head of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism and one of the most renowned Tibetan Lamas currently living. Born into the Mindrolling lineage,
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Hala Khouri, MA, E-RYT, co-founder of Off The Mat, Into The World®, is a yoga teacher and somatic counselor specializing in trauma. Her roots are in Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga, dance, Somatic Psychology, and the juicy
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Marty Kibiloski is a successful business leader, Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon World Championships veteran and accomplished runner, finishing 56th in the Boston Marathon. It was not through his personal accomplishments, but through meditation, non-competitive running attitude and
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Tama Kieves is the bestselling author of This Time I Dance! Creating the Work You Love and Inspired and Unstoppable: Wildly Succeeding in Your Life’s Work. A sought-after speaker, career and success coach, she has helped thousands world-wide
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Hannah has been a student of Shambhala Buddhism for over a decade and committed to social and political activism for 20 years. She holds degrees and certifications from Naropa University, the Peacemaker Institute, and the Hakomi
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Lindy King has been a student of Trungpa Rinpoche since 1970. She has lead fire pujas, study abroad programs, and workshops on death and dying. She helped manage the building of The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya
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Bob King became a student of Trungpa Rinpoche in 1970 and at that same time began a successful career as a building contractor. As a volunteer, he served as project manager for the construction of The
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Melanie Klein, currently the Executive Director of the Boulder Shambhala Center, was awarded Naropa University’s divinity degree last year and then ordained a Shambhala chaplain. Prior to these more recent roles, Melanie spent a quarter century
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Cynthia Kneen is a long-time practitioner of Buddhism and Shambhala under the guidance of Trungpa Rinpoche, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, and others. A meditation instructor and author of the award-winning book Awake Mind, Open Heart and best-selling CDs Shambhala
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Marissa C. Knox, PhD focuses her research and teaching on self-compassion to foster multidimensional well-being and emotional resilience. She believes social change begins with the relationship we have with ourselves. It is her passion to support
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Shastri Samten A. Kobelt is senior teacher in the Shambhala Tradition. Born in Switzerland, he first met the dharma in Switzerland in 1984, reading a book by the Druk Sakyong, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He attended Naropa University
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Kristin McKeown is a teacher advocate and personal coach who helps hard-working educators manage their stress, integrate mindfulness and meditation into their lives, and find the balance that allows them to be at their best. As the founder
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Mary Kubicki has been studying and practicing with the Shambhala Community since 1974. The teachings have guided and benefitted every aspect of her life. Now a senior teacher, but always a beginner, she has led retreats and
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Stephen LaBerge, a world-renowned authority on lucid dreaming, has a Ph.D in Psychophysiology (1980) from Stanford University where he researched dreaming and waking for 25 years. He has published several popular books on lucid dreaming which
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Sandra Ladley, MA, is a core Karuna Training faculty member. She partnered with Melissa Moore to bring Karuna Training to North America. Sandra received her MA in Contemplative Psychology from Naropa University. She is a long-time
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Melissa Lago, MA, MDiv is a mind-body educator, yoga teacher, and former professor. In addition to yoga, she has taught philosophy, religion, interdisciplinary studies, and the Mind Body Wisdom process. Her primary area of research is on
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Martin Lassoff is a certified leader for the Mankind Project and teaches Shadow Work® in different venues nationwide. His extensive knowledge of yoga and meditation facilitates a well-rounded Shadow Work® container embracing the four archetypes. His intuitive natur
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Anthony Lawlor is an architect and the author of A Home for the Soul, The Temple in the House, 24 Patterns of Wisdom, and a film, The Living Temple. He has received awards from the American
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Cyndi Lee is the first female Western yoga teacher to fully integrate yoga asana and Buddhism in her teaching. Author of the yoga classic, Yoga Body Buddha Mind and May I Be Happy, a memoir about
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Shar Lee, CYI, has been teaching yoga and Buddhist meditation internationally since 1966. After studying Zen Buddhism in the United States, she studied Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal with several esteemed lamas. In 1987, she began training
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Robert Lee, MFA, MDiv works as a personal coach and teaches martial arts, meditation, and wilderness awareness skills on Whidbey Island, WA. He holds a 9th degree black belt in Kali, a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu,
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Geo is a Mexican musician and dancer who has trained in England, India and Indonesia. She is a Shambhala practitioner, Meditation Instructor, Shambhala Arts Teacher, and has held administrative roles at the Shambhala center in Tepoztlan.
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Clare Walker Leslie is an internationally known naturalist, artist, educator and author of twelve books on observing nature, including The Nature Connection, Keeping a Nature Journal, and Drawn to Nature. Clare lives in Cambridge, MA and
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Acharya Charlene Leung, leads meditation and social justice programs & retreats and serves as Chairperson of the Shambhala Diversity Working Group. She is a teacher for the UNtraining, an organization devoted to healing personal and social
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Noah Levine is a Buddhist teacher, counselor and author of Dharma Punx: A Memoir and Against the Stream: A Buddhist Manual for Spiritual Revolutionaries. Trained to teach by Jack Kornfield of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in
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Jules Levinson, PhD, earned a doctoral degree in Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia, where he studied under the guidance of Jeffrey Hopkins. He has served as an oral translator for Khenchen Trangu Rinpoché, Khen
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Dr. Mitchell Levy has been a student of the Vidyadhara, the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche since 1971 and is a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. In 1978 he was appointed personal physician, Lamen, to Trungpa Rinpoche
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Sara Lewis has served on the Trident Core Group as the Executive Officer since 2016. She has served previously within all three arms of the Dorje Kasung as a Shabchi-in-training, and as the center Desung of
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Judy Lief is a senior teacher and board member for the Courageous Women retreat. She has supported and helped to develop the retreat since its founding. Judy is the author of Making Friends with Death: A
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A student, teacher and seeker of yoga for almost two decades, Heather Lindemann, 500 E-RYT, is a skilled yoga teacher specifically in the modalities of restorative yoga, gentle yoga, vinyasa flow (all levels) and Yoga Nidra.
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Kelly Lindsey is a meditation teacher, BodyMind therapist, and mother of three children. She has been serving children and families in the Shambhala Community for over 20 years.
Kaira Jewel Lingo began practicing mindfulness in 1997 and teaches Buddhist meditation, secular mindfulness, and compassion internationally. Ordained as a nun for 15 years in Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastic community, she is now a lay Dharma
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Tom Linsley is a long time student of Buddhism who has studied in Japan, Thailand, India, Europe, and North America. He has been a Shambhala Buddhist since the early 1980's and has lived at 3 of
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Alison Litchfield, RYT 500 instructor and Certified Rolfer, and has been a devoted Yogini of 23 years. Alison teaches classes and workshops, leads retreats and works one-on-one with people to help awaken the radiance, power and
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Acharya Adam Lobel was drawn to the path of meditation when he was 16 years old, in response to the social and ecological injustices he saw. He soon encountered the writings and vision of Tibetan meditation master,
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Valerie Lorig, M.Ed, LPC, has practiced and taught Buddhism for over 30 years. A faculty member at Naropa University in the Contemplative Psychology Department, she integrates meditative disciplines with contemplative psychology. Naropa’s founder, Trungpa Rinpoche, empowered
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David Loy is a professor, write and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is the author of Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution.
Lynele Jones received Vajrayogini abhisheka from the Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1983. After his death, she studied with Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and other teachers. Since completion of three-year retreat at Gampo Abbey in 2010, she has coordinated and mentored several Vajrayana practices for the Boulder
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Acharya Allyn Lyon is a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition. She has served as director of Shambhala Mountain Center and has taught at Vajradhatu Seminary. Allyn has traveled and taught extensively in Europe, the
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Bruno Límenes was born in Mexico City, and grew up in the city of Cuernavaca where he first encountered the Shambhala Teachings at the age of 16. In 2008, he returned to Mexico City to study
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Dawn MacDonald, instructor for the Institute for Mindful Leadership, is the Educational Lead for The Compassion Project, an organizational change and development initiative of the Catholic Health Corporation of Manitoba designed to nurture and strengthen cultures of Compassion within
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Cynthia MacKay has been a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche for over 25 years. She is the Deputy Minister of the Pillar of Government of Shambhala, guiding and supporting Shambhala Leaders in the Americas. Cynthia has traveled
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Kerry Lee MacLean has directed the Shambhala Children's Rites of Passage for over 20 years internationally. Her greatest joy in life is inspiring children along their own paths to becoming full human beings, and empowering them
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Clara Macy is a mother of four, an Ayurvedic wellness counselor and yoga therapist. She owns an Ayurvedic wellness Center in Fort Collins, Colorado. She leads corporate wellness retreats all over the world, helping people learn
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Rhonda Magee, JD, MA (Sociology), is Professor of Law and former Co-Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of San Francisco. She is also a member of the advisory board of the Center for
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Victoria Maizes, MD, is executive director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, founded by Dr. Andrew Weil and Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona. She is an
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Karen Malik holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and is licensed in the state of California as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She is a Senior Fellow with the Biofeedback Certification Institute of America (BCIA)
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Jeanie Manchester, an avid student and teacher of yoga since 1990, has studied closely with Richard Freeman and John Friend. She is a certified Anusara teacher as well as a devoted student of The Rajanaka Tantra
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Susan Manchester is a clairsentient healer who spent 25 years as a wilderness guide, working and living around the world. She has an established practice in Qigong healing, Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy and advanced forms of structural
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Jeanie Manchester, ERYT 500, Director of Anjaneya Yoga Shala in Boulder, has been studying modern dance and yoga for the past 30 years, and offers yoga immersions, tranings and retreats. Jeanie has extensively studied Ashtanga Vinyasa,
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Graciela Marin first encountered the teachings of the Venerable Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche in the 1980s, and joined the Shambhala community in 1992. A student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, she directs Shambhala Training levels and has served
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Hope Martin has taught the Alexander Technique for 33 years, trained Alexander teachers for two decades at the American Center for the Alexander Technique, and operates Hope Martin Studio in New York City. She is a
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Janice L. Marturano is the Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Mindful Leadership, a non-profit organization dedicated to training and supporting leaders in the exploration of mindfulness and leadership excellence. She founded the Institute
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Layth Matthews is the author of The Four Noble Truths of Wealth: a Buddhist view of economic life. He is a Shambhala Buddhist teacher, economist, and a financial professional. He lives in Victoria, British Columbia with
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Acharya Fleet Maull, PhD, is an author, meditation teacher, management consultant, end-of-life care educator and social activist working for peace, prison reform and social transformation. Founder of the Prison Dharma Network and the Colorado Peacemaker Institute,
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Mary Linda McBride is a certified mindfulness teacher through the Engaged Mindfulness Institute - a rigorous training program focused on bringing mindfulness skills to under-resourced populations. Currently, she leads a team of volunteers offering yoga and
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John McCluskey, MS, has facilitated council since 1991. He is the co-founder and co-director of the Center for Council Training (CTCC) in Colorado. John has worked as a schoolteacher and administrator since 1989.
Michaela McCormick is a Shambhala teacher, leader of Queer Dharma, and ten year member of the Diversity Working Group. She leads workshops on white awareness, anti-racism, patriarchy, and social liberation. She is a long-time activist focused
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Bernard McGrane did his undergraduate work at Fairfield University and Die Freie Universitat Berlin, and received his PhD from New York University. His principle fields of study have been sociology, philosophy, anthropology, and intellectual history. Prior
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Norbu William McKeever has been a student of Shambhala and Buddhism since 1972 when he met Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche while getting his degree in Buddhist Studies at Yale. Immediately following graduation he moved to Tail of
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Carole McKindley- Alvarez, PsyD, is an expert in mental wellness, diversity, and cultural humility, and has been a change agent in community social services, primary care clinics, criminal justice system and educational settings for the last
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Noel McLellan is a senior teacher in the Shambhala tradition. He has been practicing meditation for over 30 years and has trained in Kyudo, Zen archery, and other contemplative practices. Noel is a middle and high-school
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Duncan has been practicing and studying with the Shambhala Community since 2003, and formally became a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche in 2005. He is currently a meditation instructor and teacher within the Shambhala Community, and
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John McQuade is the founder of Nalanda Miksang Photography, and has established Nalanda Miksang teachers in North America, Europe and Australia. He is also co-author of two books in his field: Looking and Seeing, and Heart
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Margery McSweeney, RN, CPM, CCBE is a practicing nurse and midwife with 30 years experience assisting families through birth and death transitions. Margery views death as a birth into the spiritual realm and is committed to
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Zach is an author, speaker, and consultant who has helped diverse organizations and individuals around the world understand how purpose and meaning unleash human potential to create thriving organizations and lives. He is the founder and
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Beginning in 1971, Larry Mermelstein became a close student of the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Tibetan Buddhist meditation master and scholar. He has served as a senior teacher in the Vajradhatu/Shambhala community for decades, as well
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Byron Metcalf, PhD, is a transpersonal guide and educator, shamanic practitioner, researcher, and award-winning professional musician. For nearly three decades, he has been intensely involved in consciousness research and spiritual development, specializing in the transformative potential
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Tarah Michelle is a naturopath, Anasura Yoga instructor, Lomi Lomi practioner and wellness educator. She has run 13 marathons and received All-American honors in track events. Her personal practice, Island Girls Naturals, is located on Maui,
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Oscar Miro-Quesada, originator of the Pachakuti Mesa tradition of cross-cultural shamanism, is the visionary founder of The Heart of the Healer Foundation, as well as an invited United Nations Observer for the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. He
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Cynthia Moku is an accomplished artist in Japanese brushwork and Buddhist Scroll painting. A student of Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche, she continues her meditation training with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Cynthia is the founder of Naropa University’s Visual
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Dr. Peter C. van der Molen is a senior advisor on nature policies for the 12 Dutch Provincial governments and the Dutch Government, as well as a senior landscape ecologist. He is a long-term student of
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Elizabeth Monson, PhD, is the Spiritual Co-Director of Natural Dharma Fellowship and the Managing Teacher at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge. Liz was authorized as a dharma teacher and lineage holder in the Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and has
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Melissa Moore, PhD., has been a Shambhalian since 1979. She received her Master’s degree from Naropa and a PhD in Psychological Anthropology from California Institute of Integral Studies. She became an Acharya (most senior teacher in
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Melissa Moore Ph.D. Co-founder of Karuna Training and steward of the North American Karuna training. Melissa has her MA in Contemplative psychotherapy from Naropa University in Boulder Colorado and her Ph.D. in Psychological Anthropology from the California
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Robert Moss is the creator of Active Dreaming, an original synthesis of modern dreamwork and ancient shamanic techniques, which he teaches all over the world. A former ancient history professor, and bestselling novelist, his 21 books include Conscious
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Janet Mueller has been a mediator and trainer for the Dayton Mediation Center since 1997. She is a Certified Transformative Mediator and Fellow with the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation, a think tank organization.
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Lady Diana Mukpo, the wife of Vidyadhara the Venerable Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, was born Diana Judith Pybus in 1953 in England. She first saw Chogyam Trungpa at a Free Tibet rally in London. Within a year,
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Joshua Mulder has been a student of Buddhism for 43 years. In 1987 he was asked to care for the great Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche’s relics. Inspired by the teachings of Buddhism, he has spent the
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Beth Mulligan, PA-C is a certified MBSR teacher, teacher trainer, and adjunct faculty through the UMASS Center for Mindfulness. She has been teaching MBSR for over a decade to diverse populations; from the critically ill, to non-profit
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Brian Mullins has been a professional musician for over 20 years with a particular focus on the mandolin, flute and the Chinese erhu. He studied at Naropa University with Bill Douglas's Musicianship program and has contributed
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Theresa Murphy, ERYT500, Senior Prajna Yoga and Insight Yoga Instructor, is deeply influenced by classical Hatha Yoga, the ancient Yoga philosophies and the Buddha Dharma. She has been practicing for over 25 years and teaching workshops and yoga
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Jerome T. Murphy, EdD, Harold Howe ll Research Professor of Education and former Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, currently focuses on the inner lives of leaders to enhance their inner strengths, performance and
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Silvia Nakkach, MA, MMT, is a Grammy-nominated musician,a renowned vocal artist, and a leading voice in the field of music in consciousness and shamanic practices. She is the creator of the Sound, Voice, and Music in
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Naksang Rinpoche was born in the remote Himalayan borderland region of Tsari. At the age of 7 he was sent to be educated in the Tibetan Buddhist Ganden Monastery in South India. Due to his excellence
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Erin Neff has been singing at the San Francisco Opera for 22 years. She was most recently heard there as the Confidant in the 2017 Production of Elektra. She has maintained a voice studio with a
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Margot Neuman is Executive Director of Veteran’s Peace of Mind Project, providing mindfulness training for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. Together with the Medicine Horse Program, she developed ‘Fearless Victory’, a program for veterans.
David Nichtern is a senior meditation teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. This tradition combines a contemporary, secular approach to meditation with the ancient practices and philosophies of
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Shastri Ethan Nichtern is the founding director of The Interdependence Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to Buddhist-inspired meditation and philosophy, integral activism, mindful arts and meaningful media. He is the author of One City: A Declaration of
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Heidi Nordlund is an advanced Tibetan Cranial Practitioner trained by Master teacher and lineage holder Shar Lee. Heidi is also an Ayurvedic Doctor. Her spiritual practice is grounded in the science of Kriya Yoga meditation. In
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Nancy has been practicing meditation in the Shambhala tradition for 33 years. She is a student of the Druk Sakyong, Trungpa Rinpoche and his son Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, and has taught buddhist and Shambhala Programs and
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Gelong Loden Nyima is a fully ordained Buddhist monk. He lived at Gampo Abbey from 2009 - 2017 where he practiced intensively, completed Shedra studies, and served in various roles including as a Shastri. He now
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Nashalla Gwyn Nyinda, Menpa, TMD began studying Tibetan Medicine in 1999. Encouraged by her root teacher, The Very Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche, she interned at Chagpori Tibetan Medical Institute’s Clinic in Darjeeling, India for two years. Nashalla’s
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Martin Ogle holds degrees in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State and Virginia Tech. He was Chief Naturalist for the No. Virginia Regional Park Authority 1985 – 2012. He received the 2010 Krupsaw Award for Non-Traditional Teaching
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Marc Olmsted took refuge with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1978 and completed a traditional Tibetan Buddhist three-year retreat under Lama Tharchin Rinpoche in 1995. He has been anthologized internationally and is the author of four collections
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Joshua Onysko founded Pangea Organics in 2000, sparked by a personal devotion and commitment to social responsibility. He thinks outside the landfill and it shows in the company he runs, the products he makes and the
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Pieter Oosthuizen is a senior student of Lama Tsultrim Allione and has been teaching Feeding your Demons, Prajna Paramita and meditation for the last five years. He is committed to integrating the vast view offered by these teachings with practical applications to daily life. A long-time student
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Lama Rod Owens is an activist, poet, and authorized Lama in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. He is a core teacher with Natural Dharma Fellowship in Cambridge, MA and has a Master of Divinity degree
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Kate O’Donnell is an author, lecturer, and senior yoga teacher. She is the author of two Shambhala books, The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook, and Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm, Clear Mind: 100 Sattvic Recipes. An Ayurvedic
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Matt O’Grady is a coach, author, speaker and the host of “Matt O’Grady Coaching” podcast. He guides people around the world as they seek to attain new levels of connection, serenity, happiness and success through self-awareness,
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Ven. Dr. Pannavati, a former Christian pastor, is co-founder and co-Abbot of Embracing-Simplicity Hermitage in Hendersonville, NC. As a Buddhist monastic, she advocates on behalf of disempowered women and youth globally. She was a 2008 recipient
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Matthew Parkinson, MA, LPC has been practicing meditation in the Shambhala tradition since 2005 and is a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Matthew is the Center Director of the Shambhala Center in Asheville, NC, where he
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Kriste Peoples is a Denver-based writer, producer, women's trail running coach, and outdoorist. Her work in the field of equity and inclusion in nature combines speaking and facilitating transformational experiences for others. As founder of Black
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Ilia Shinko Perez, Roshi, MA received transmission in the Zen tradition from Gerry Shishin Wick, Roshi in 2000. She is the co-spiritual leader of the Great Mountain Zen Center and abbess of Maitreya Abbey in Berthoud, Colorado. Roshi Shinko is
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Greg Pergament is the author of Chi Kung in Recovery. He leads Desert Dharma, a Buddhism/12 Step group, and is President of Lotus In The Desert, a Vipassana sangha in Las Vegas, Nevada. Greg brings a
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John Perkins has been a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche since 1992. He was Co-Director of the Shambhala Archives and worked as museum conservator for the National Historic Parks Service in Canada and the Getty Conservation
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Kay Peterson, MA, LMFT, is a psychotherapist in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area who teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). She is also a seasoned wilderness guide who has been facilitating nature-inspired retreats that
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Senior teacher Shelley Pierce has led Shambhala programs internationally and in the Northwest region for the past thirty years. She also teaches Kalapa Ikebana and Shamhhala Dharma Art. Once the co-director of Shambhala Training International in
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Susan Piver is a Buddhist teacher and award-winning New York Times bestselling author of many books, including The Wisdom of a Broken Heart, Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation
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Megan Prager is Co-Founder of Mindful Labs and Compassion Programs Director at UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. Megan is a Certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Instructor (MBSR), a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Instructor (MSC), a Certified Compassion Cultivation Instructor
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Jon Pratt ran his first marathon in 1980 and continues to run with his teacher Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. He has been practicing meditation since 1992 and has led the running program at Shambhala Mountain Center since
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Catherina Pressman began studying with Chogyam Trungpa Rimpoche in 1975. She has been teaching Shambhala Training for over 25 years, in addition to teaching meditation throughout the country, working with different contemplative organizations and individuals.
Kate Raddock has been a practicing student of the Shambhala lineage since 2011 and working as a body educator since 2009. Kate is a meditation teacher, massage therapist, energy worker, yoga teacher, nature-lover, and a hoot.
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Nathan Railla was first inspired by Shambhala at a dharma talk on diversity & society in Berkeley, CA, 2008. He is an avid runner, cyclist and meditator. Nathan enjoys these pursuits with all their idiosyncrasies, as
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Shastri Ramos, a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche since 1990, has been teaching Shambhala Training since 2000 and was appointed Shastri in 2012. She is also a teacher of Ikebana. For the last 30 years, Shastri
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Tina Rasmussen, Ph.D., began meditating at age 13, and has practiced in the Theravada and Tibetan Buddhist traditions for 30+ years. In 2003, she completed a year-long solo retreat, and was later ordained as a Buddhist nun
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Rich Ray brings over 20 years of Yoga and meditation practice to his workshops assisting students in their search for the expanding experience of freedom. He is a level 2 authorized Ashtanga teacher and has 4
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Max Regan, MFA, is a teacher, an internationally published poet and writer, and the founder of Hollowdeck Press LLC. He has taught and lectured at the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, Naropa University and Rose Medical Center. Published in numerous literary journals, magazines and anthologies, his work has
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Robert Reichner has been involved with the Shambhala community since 2001. He has served as Director of Finance, Co-Director (2005-2007), and Board Chair in Seattle where he continues to live. He is currently CEO of RepairShopr
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Richard Reoch is the former media chief of Amnesty International, the human rights organization, and a lifelong campaigner for peace and the environment. His work has taken him to conflict zones around the world. As the
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Juana Rincon has a Master’s Degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy from Naropa University and has training in mindfulness meditation, yoga, and trauma therapy. Juana has over 10 years of clinical experience working with a variety of populations
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Danya River is an accomplished musician and songwriting coach with a special gift for drawing others into their own creative expression. She is also a Somatic Experiencing practitioner.
Thomas Roberts, a Zen Buddhist and psychotherapist, has led dynamic, refreshing, and practical retreats on mind-body healing and meditation practices for over 30 years. This retreat will draw from his book The Mindfulness Book: A Beginner’s
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Elizabeth Rabia Roberts is a spiritual teacher, citizen activist, and specialist in non-formal education. She began this work in 1964 in Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King, and since then has taught and served in Afghanistan,
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Melissa began practicing in New York City in the early 1970’s. She and her family moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 1978 and she has been teaching in the Buddhist and Shambhala traditions since the 1980s. She
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Ashe Acharya John Rockwell has been a student of the Shambhala and Buddhist path for over 40 years. His main inspiration is to help people open their heart and senses through meditation and bring awareness to everyday life, the
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Irini Rockwell is the Director, Founder and Principal Trainer of the Five Wisdoms Institute and Wisdoms@Work. She is a professional development trainer for organizational leaders, health caregivers, educators, artists, and individuals and author of Natural Brilliance:
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Nina Rolle is a voiceover artist, storyteller, and avid thrower of holiday dinner parties. She was first introduced to Shambhala meditation at the Naropa Institute, and her practice path has been intertwined with her artistic career
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David I. Rome is the developer of Mindful Focusing, an integration of Eugene Gendlin’s Felt-Sense Focusing and Buddhist mindfulness-awareness practices. He is the author of Your Body Knows the Answer; Using Your Felt Sense to Solve
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Yuval Ron is an Award-winning composer and has collaborated with Sufi leader Pir Zia Inayat Khan, neuroscientists Mark Robert Waldman and Robert Monroe, and led the Gala Concert for the Dalai Lama's the Seeds of Compassion
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Acharya Eve Rosenthal has been a meditator in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition since 1973. Founder of Shambhala Online, she has worked in technology on Wall Street and as a university professor. She travels widely to teach
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Charley has been an active member of the Colorado Shambhala Community for over 25 years. He is a licensed clinical social worker and currently does grief counseling for TRU Hospice. He lives in Lafayette, CO with his
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Charlotte Rotterdam teaches Buddhism and meditation in the US and abroad, and was authorized to teach by Lama Tsultrim Allione. She is an Instructor and Director of the Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education at
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Gregory Rouillard served in the U.S. Marine Corps for twenty years as an AV8B Harrier Pilot, flight instructor and Infantry Battalion Air Officer. He holds an M.Div. degree from Naropa University and is a Certified Trainer
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Richard Rudis is a pioneer and teacher in the field of sacred sound healing, an author, and a long-time student of Vajrayana Buddhism. A pilgrim of Himalayan sacred sites, he has received teachings in sacred sound
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Jercinovic Rupön is the Desung Arm Commander since April 2014 and member of the Council of the Makkyi Rabjam. She has previously held posts in both the Gesar and Desung arms in the Lion Region. Jan
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Dapön Ryken became a student of Trungpa Rinpoche in October 1972 and joined the Dorje Kasung in 1975, attending the 2nd Magyal Pomra Encampment in 1979. In 1984, along with Jim Lowery, he started the Shambhala
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Steve Sachs has been an educator for the past 30 years. He co-founded Eastern Sun Academy and most recently was a Director at Alaya Preschool. Steve is currently writing a book on Basic Goodness Parenting.
Sharon Salzberg is a central figure in the field of meditation, a world-renowned teacher and NY Times bestselling author. She has played a crucial role in bringing meditation and mindfulness practices to the West and into mainstream culture since 1974,
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Michael Sandrock is an award-winning journalist and author of Running with the Legends and Running Tough. He began running as a teenager in the forest preserves outside Chicago and went on to compete for the University
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Andrea Schweitzer, PhD, is an astronomer with the Little Thompson Observatory in Colorado and a professor of physical sciences for Western Governors University. Having collaborated with NASA on programs such as the Hubble Space Telescope and
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Jeff Scott has a Masters degree in Buddhist Studies and Tibetan Language from Naropa University (‘00). He has practiced in the Shambhala lineage since 1998 and is an authorized teacher. Jeff is particularly interested in the
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Brant Secunda is a shaman and healer in the Huichol tradition of Mexico. He completed a 12-year apprenticeship and was designation by Don José Matsuwa to help carry on ancient Huichol teachings. Since 1979, Brant has
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Steve Seely has trained under the direction of both the founder of Shambhala Training, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and his son, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, for 40 years. He served for five years as Resident Director for Shambhala
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Larry Seidl has been a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and his father Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the Shambhala teachings since 2002. He became a Shambhala Training director in 2009, and is currently involved with the
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Tamara Sell has been a meditation practitioner in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition for the last 32 years. She has held various positions in the community during that time, including co-director of Marpa House and Head of Societal
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Rabbi Rami Shapiro, PHD, is an adjunct professor of religion at Middle Tennessee State University, and the director of Wisdom House, an interfaith center in Nashville. He is the author of more than 20 books and
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Alexandra Shenpen, Sensei, has studied Ikebana/Kado through Kalapa Ikebana and the Sogetsu School for over 25 years. She teaches extensively at Naropa University, meditation centers, public venues, and privately. She is also a psychotherapist in
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Kanjuro Shibata XX is a 20th generation master of the meditative discipline of kyudo. Upon the invitation of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, he came to the West to transmit teachings on etiquette and dignity through the way
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Marcia Wang Shibata is a Master Shambhala Kado/Ikebana Instructor within the Shambhala Buddhist community and founder the Shambhala Kado Ridgen School of Ikebana. She is a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Having
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Paul Shippee, MA Psychology, studied Nonviolent Communication (NVC) intensively with founder Marshall Rosenberg and other NVC trainers. He has facilitated NVC groups continuously for the past 8 years and teaches NVC workshops around the country.
David R. Shlim, MD, is the co-author, with Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, of Medicine and Compassion: A Tibetan Lama’s Guidance for Caregivers. Dr. Shlim directed the world’s busiest destination travel medicine clinic in Kathmandu for fifteen years,
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Jason Siff was a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka in the 1980s when he started developing Recollective Awareness Meditation. In 1996, he co-founded the Skillful Meditation Project and has been a full-time meditation teacher since then.
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Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown, Ph.D., has just retired as Distinguished Professor of Contemplative and Religious Studies at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, where she has taught since 1978. As Buddhist practitioner since the early 1970’s, she became
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Mariah Simonton has spent the last several years as a traveling attaché for The Sakyong Wangmo, the wife of the lineage holder of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. She is now living in Boulder, CO, and re-establishing
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Susan Skjei, Ph.D., is an educator, coach, and organizational consultant specializing in leadership and transformative change. In 1972 Susan began her studies with the Vidyadyhara, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. She attended the 1974 seminary and early Kalapa
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Susan Skjei, PhD, PCC, has been an international educator, coach, and consultant specializing in leadership and transformative change for over 25 years. Formerly a Vice-President and Chief Learning Officer in the technology industry, she is currently
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Dr. Shanté Paradigm Smalls (they/them) is a teacher and student in Vajrayana/Tantric Buddhism. They currently study under Lama Rod Owens and Lama Justin von Bujdoss, co-founders of Bhumisparsha. Shanté began studying and practicing Buddhism at age 17
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Greg Smith, a well known sangha artist and thangka painter, has lived and painted at Shambhala Mountain Center for many years. He has been a student of meditation since 1976, first with Chögyam Trungpa and later
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Noel Smith has been involved with Shambhala for the past 17 years and currently works at the Boulder Shambhala Center as the Director of Community Programs. He is a teacher in the Shambhala community, and also
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Aaron Jay Snyder MD is the founding director of Present Moment Project, Inc and personal physician to Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. A family physician, geriatrician, medical ethicist, and long-time meditation teacher, Dr Snyder was the Medical Director
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Basia Solarz, MAdEd, CPCC brings over 25 years’ experience facilitating conversations in educational, workplace, and community settings. Currently, she serves as the Consultant, Communications and Conflict Competence, for the award-winning Workplace Conflict Resolution Program at the
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Erric Solomon is co-author, with Phakchok Rinpoche, of the book Radically Happy: A User’s Guide to the Mind. A former Silicon Valley Technologist, he has studied with some of the world’s greatest spiritual masters and, in
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Janet Solyntjes, MA, is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher and has been leading silent meditation retreats in the U.S. and internationally for over 25 years. She provides online study groups and individual mentoring to
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Shastri Janet Solyntjes joined the Shambhala community in 1986 and began teaching in 1994. She is a certified Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher and serves as a faculty member for the UMass Center for Mindfulness leading silent retreats for MBSR teachers-in-training. Janet lives in Longmont,
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Sobonfu Somé has made it her life's mission to share the ancient wisdom of her ancestors—the Dagara of Burkina Faso, West Africa—with Westerners. She is the author of several books, including The Spirit of Intimacy, Welcoming
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Linda Sparrowe is an author, mentor, and teacher with deep roots in both ancient and contemporary yoga, specializing in practices for physical, emotional, and spiritual health. She is a senior teacher, board member, and co-founder (along
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Robert Spellman is on the faculty of Naropa University’s visual arts and religious studies programs. He is an ardent proponent of artistic practice as a powerful means of awakening, an aspect of Buddha nature itself.
Acharya Eric Spiegel has been teaching the Shambhala Dharma since the mid 1970s. Beginning with the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 90s, Eric has worked extensively with illness and death, helping people realize their natural wisdom
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Brian Spielmann has been a Buddhist practitioner for 30 years and has studied with a variety of teachers including Ponlop Rinpoche, Tsokyni Rinpoche, Khandro Rinpoche, and Tulku Thondup. He previously served as Director of Marketing and
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Rose Sposito is a has been a student and practitioner of Shambhala Buddhism since 1976. In addition to teaching in the Shambhala tradition, Rose also teaches and practices 5-Element Medicine and Acupuncture, and is a trainer
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David Spound, M.Ed., is the Director of Valley Mindfulness in Northampton, MA. He is a certified teacher and teacher trainer of Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). He has trained and worked extensively with
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Lisa Stanley, MA, MFA has been studying and practicing meditation and the contemplative arts for over forty years. She was authorized as a Buddhist teacher in 1985 and has since led numerous workshops and retreats nation-wide.
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Rachel Steele holds an MA in Contemplative Education from Naropa University and taught at Alaya Preschool for over 15 years. Supporting opportunities for children and families to connect with the Shambhala teachings is a passion for
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Jemi Steele began her meditation practice as a teenager in the 70’s; spent years doing solitary retreats and living in Nepal in the 80’s; and completed a traditional 3-year Buddhist retreat in the 90’s. Her overseas experience
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Suzanne Sterling, co-founder of Off The Mat, Into The World®, is a dedicated musician, yogi, activist, and social innovator who has been performing and teaching transformational workshops for more than 20 years. An award-winning musician and
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Christine Stevens, MA, MSW, MT-BC is author of Music Medicine, The Healing Drum Kit and The Art and Heart of Drum Circles. The founder of UpBeat Drum Circles, she has appeared on NBC, PBS, KTLA, and
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Chris Stockinger encountered the Shambhala Buddhist teachings in 1983 in Vienna, Austria. He studied with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and later with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. He has taught Shambhala Buddhism since the ‘90s and now teaches at
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Shôken Michael Stone leads Centre of Gravity Sangha in Toronto. He is a psychotherapist, yoga teacher, Buddhist teacher, author and activist, committed to the integration of traditional teachings with contemporary psychological and philosophical understanding. Michael is the
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Shastri David Stone began his practice and study in Shambhala with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1974, later serving in a number of posts including Resident Director of Shambhala Training in Boulder and Co-director of the Mudra
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Sara Avant Stover is a bestselling author and teacher of feminine spirituality. After a cancer scare in her early twenties, Sara moved to Thailand, embarked on a decade-long healing and spiritual odyssey throughout Asia, and has
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Lynn Sutherland is a senior student of Dzogchen master Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, a member of the International Dzogchen Community and an authorized teacher of Yantra Yoga. She teaches Yantra Yoga in retreats and public courses throughout
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Michael W. Taft is a meditation teacher and bestselling author. As a mindfulness coach, he specializes in secular, science-based mindfulness training in groups, corporate settings, and one-on-one sessions. Michael is the author of several books, including
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Kazuaki Tanahashi is a painter, calligrapher, writer and peace worker. Born and trained in Japan, he is known for creating a genre of one-stroke paintings and multi-colored Zen circles. A fellow of the World Academy of
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Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT Clinician, author, PACT developer, and co-founder of the PACT Institute, Dr. Tatkin teaches at UCLA, maintains a private practice in Southern California, and leads PACT programs in the US and internationally.
Walter Taylor came to Boulder, Colorado in 1967 to teach mathematics at CU. In the late seventies, he met various students of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and soon after began to actively participate in the Shambhala Training
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Venerable Khenpo Lobzang Tenzin was born in Bhutan. At the age of 9, Khenpo requested his family allow him to join a monastery. Under the guidance of Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche, he was fully ordained in 1985
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Eric Thompson has been teaching Qi Gong at meditation retreats for the past 6 years. The style of Qi Gong that he teaches is based off of a form of medical Qi Gong, which he studied
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Bruce Tift, MA, LMFT, has been in private practice since 1979, taught at Naropa University for 25 years, and given presentations in the U.S., Mexico and Japan. His new CD, Already Free: Buddhism Meets Psychotherapy on
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Jim Tolstrup, a director of Shambhala Training, has been a practitioner of indigenous wisdom traditions since 1977. He is a co-founder and the past president of Cankatola Ti Ospaye, a non-profit supporting Native American elders. Jim
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Kevin Townley is a writer and performer. Since 2010 he has been studying in the Shambhala tradition as well as with the SokukoJi Zen Center. He completed the Interdependence Project’s teacher training program in 2012. He
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David Treleaven, Ph.D., is a writer, educator, trauma professional, and author of the acclaimed book Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing. David focuses on offering mindfulness providers the knowledge and tools they require to
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Meditation master, scholar, best-selling author and artist, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche founded Shambhala Mountain Center in 1971. One of the most dynamic teachers of Buddhism in the 20th century, he was a pioneer in bringing the Buddhist
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Born in 1966 in Nubri, Nepal, Tsoknyi Rinpoche is one of the most renowned teachers of Tibetan Buddhism trained outside of Tibet. Deeply versed in both the practical and philosophical disciplines of Tibetan Buddhism, he is
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Having worked closely with luminaries in the field of psychology as an editor and publisher for over 30 years, Suzi Tucker received what she dubs an accidental education under the tutelage of a series of brilliant
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Ringu Tulku Rinpoche was born in east Tibet and fled to India in 1959. He studied with many outstanding masters, including Dilgo Khyentsé Rinpoche and the Gyalwang Karmapa, and was awarded the titles of Khenpo and
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Pam Turner first visited Shambhala Mountain Center in 1991 for Shambhala Training Level I, and has been a big fan ever since. She remembers folding prayers for the walls of the Great Stupa and watching it
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Terry Vandiver has led mindful movement and gentle yoga at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California for 35 years. She studied with the Iyengars in India and has taught Iyengar style classes in the San Francisco
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Dr. Alberto Villoldo, has spent the last 30 years investigating the mythology and religious practices of the shamans of the America’s. He is the author of Courageous Dreaming, Shaman Healer Sage, The Four Insights, Journey to
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Steve Vosper is a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and his son Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. He has been practicing and studying the Shambhala and Buddhist paths for four decades, and has been teaching in those traditions
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Mark Wagner is a longtime member of Shambhala and a student and practitioner of Buddhism, which he integrates with wisdom traditions and twelve-step programs. Mark initiated and has chaired the Heart of Recovery program at the
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Linda Wallace draws upon her 35 year career as an elementary school teacher, trainer, and coach to bring mindfulness to educators and students in the United States and Canada. As a senior faculty member for SMART
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B. Alan Wallace is a prominent voice in the emerging discussion between contemporary Buddhist thinkers and scientists who question the materialist presumptions of their 20th-century paradigms. He left his college studies in 1971 and moved to
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Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is the founding director of Ligmincha International. In his more than 25 years of living and teaching in the West, Rinpoche has become renowned for his ability to convey the ancient wisdom of
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Kirsten Warner is an E-RYT 500 instructor with over 20 years of training in several styles of yoga. She is the founder of Awakening Heart Yoga and the co-creator of two Yoga Alliance certified Teacher Training
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Acharya Jenny Warwick has been a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition since 1975. She teaches Shambhala Buddhist programs throughout the North West region of the U.S. Currently her special interests include intensive Werma practice,
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Cary Weiner is a meditation instructor from Fort Collins, Colorado and has been practicing and studying in the Shambhala tradition for 15 years. Cary is constantly exploring the application of Shambhala principles in his daily life,
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Larry Welsh, MAc, MA, has trained in the Yang-style short form, listening hands and sword form of Tai Chi Ch’uan since 1977. Larry is Senior Adjunct Professor and Mindfulness-Meditation teacher in the Traditional Eastern Arts program
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Wendy Black Stern C - IAYT dedicates her life’s work to supporting people to heal and transform through the process of grief. She is the Founder & Executive Director of the Grief Support Network whose mission and programs are
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Sue Hammond West is a painter and mixed media artist who explores consciousness, quantum physics and the phenomenology of being. Her exhibitions include Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art; Beacon Street Gallery, Chicago; and the University of
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An ecologist and planner, Ron West has lived on Colorado’s Front Range for 40 years, and wrote SMC’s Land Stewardship Plan. He has worked in environmental arenas from the national to local levels, from Alaska to Arizona,
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De West, Certified Yoga Therapist and a Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher, is a leader in the Boulder, Colorado, yoga community with over 29 years of teaching therapeutic yoga. She has developed a movement practice that allows people
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Margaret (Meg) Wheatley, EdD, teaches how we can accomplish our work, sustain our relationships and willingly step forward to serve in this troubled time. She is co-founder and president emerita of The Berkana Institute, an organizational
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Shastri Chuck Whetsell has been a student of the Shambhala lineage since 1975. He received his MA in Buddhist and Western psychology from Naropa Institute (now Naropa University) in 1979, and later obtained his PhD in
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Gerry Shishin Wick, Roshi, PhD received transmission in the Zen tradition from Taizan Maezumi Roshi in 1990 and is president and co-spiritual leader of Great Mountain Zen Center, based in Berthoud, Colorado. He is author of The Book of Equanimity:
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Rona Wilensky is Director of Mindfulness Programs and a senior faculty member for SMART in Education—a research-based mindfulness program for educators at PassageWorks Institute. She has served on the Leadership Council of the Initiative on Contemplative
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Kathy Williams-Tolstrup, M.Ed, LPC is a psychotherapist and Certified Daring Way Facilitator who has a private practice in Fort Collins. Kathy's style can best be described as nonjudgmental, compassionate, and collaborative. She offers a blend of
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Elysabeth Williamson, ERYT-500, is the foremost authority on Principle-Based Partner Yoga, a style she founded and has developed since 1991. She is known for articulating and transmitting esoteric teachings in ways that are accessible and practical
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Bob Wing, MA, is director of WiseActionsTM, an organization dedicated to cultivating compassionate and transformative arts in the world. He is also the founder of The Mountain Warrior InstituteTM and Warrior of the Heart® seminars. A
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Heidi Wirtz is both yogin and adventurer at heart. One of the country’s most influential female climbers, she is a The North Face athlete and co-founder of Earth Play Retreats and Girls Education International. She teaches
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Nicole Pressly Wolf is a freelance editor in Boulder, after selling her NY publishing company in 2014. As a practicing Buddhist since the early 90s, Nicole is a graduate of the University of Colorado, where she discovered the profound
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Qigong- Eva Wong, author and translator of 13 books on the Taoist arts of health, meditation, and qigong, is the 19th generation lineage carrier of Xiantianwujimen Taoism and 3rd generation student of Wang Xiangzhai, founder of the
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Michael Wood is the original developer and teacher of Miksang, and co-author of The Practice of Contemplative Photography: Seeing the World with Fresh Eyes. Michael resides in Canada and is currently acting as a Management Consultant
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Michael Wood is a writer, translator, and professor of World Languages and Cultures. His doctoral training is in early modern Japanese literary and visual culture and he has published poetry, interviews, and other shorter works. Living
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Denise Wuensch began practicing Buddhism in the tradition of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, in 1975. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and an adjunct faculty for Naropa University’s Contemplative Psychotherapy Master’s Degree program. Denise currently teaches
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Jim Yensan has practiced meditation for nearly 40 years. He took his Buddhist vows with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1973 and has taught Shambhala Training levels throughout North America. Jim has lived at and directed both
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Annabelle has cultivated a devoted yoga practice in the classical hatha raja style of Sri Dharma Mittra for more than 10 years ago, starting her path in NYC. She completed her yoga teacher training at OM
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Upadhyaya Elaine Yuen, ordained in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, is a Senior Teacher within the Shambhala mandala, and Associate Professor and Chair of the Wisdom Traditions Department at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She teaches courses
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Jeannie Zandi is the director of Living as Love, a nonprofit organization dedicated to seeding a culture of the Heart on the planet, inspiring, teaching and supporting people to live from their essence as Love. She
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Allison Choying Zangmo is a student of Anyen Rinpoche and his root master, Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche. She has been studying the Tibetan language and Buddhism under Anyen Rinpoche’s personal guidance for the past sixteen years, and
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Coleman Zeigen has been practicing in the Shambhala tradition since 1999. He has taught Shambhala Training and the Way of Shambhala Curriculum throughout New England and most recently at the Boulder and Denver Shambhala Centers. Coleman
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Coleman Zeigen has been practicing in the Shambhala tradition since 1999. He has taught Shambhala Training and the Way of Shambhala Curriculum throughout New England and most recently at the Boulder and Denver Shambhala Centers. Coleman
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Rev. angel Kyodo williams, Sensei is a maverick dharma teacher, author, and founder of Center for Transformative Change. She applies wisdom teaching to social issues at the intersections of racial, economic and climate justice. Rev. angel
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