Ihab and Ora Balha, a Muslim man and a Jewish woman, have been teaching the Sufi path for 20 years in the midst of the Holy Land. They are trained in the Mevlevi tradition of Jelaluddin Rumi, following the lineage of Suleyman Hayati Dede, former head Sheikh of Konya (the home of Rumi), and his son, Jelaleddin Loras, his authorized successor.

Jacob Towery, MD, serves on the Voluntary Faculty at Stanford and is an author. As an adolescent and adult therapist, he teaches skills to clients struggling with social anxiety and helps them make tremendous progress quickly while also enjoying the process.

James Baraz is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He has been teaching the popular “Awakening Joy” online course since 2003. His books include Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness and Awakening Joy for Kids.

James Fadiman is an American writer known for his research on microdosing psychedelics. He and Robert Frager co-founded the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, which later became Sofia University, where he was a lecturer in psychedelic studies.

James H. Bae, DACM, L.Ac, is a doctor of Chinese medicine, author, and independent researcher. Dr. Bae teaches Tibetan yoga in various traditional Buddhist lineages. James leads retreats in the US and internationally, with a focus on the inner yogas, such as Tummo and Tsalung Trulkhor. 

James House is a skilled farmer with a deep commitment to tending both land and people. His experience ranges from off-grid community management to production farming and education, where he has honed his ability to support the living world around him.

Jane Baraz teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction at UCSF and mentors students in mindfulness and compassion. She’s taught Mindful Self-Compassion at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center and at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where she was a founding board member.

Jane Malek met Michele Cassou in 1996 and started painting with her. She is passionate about her own painting process and her teaching. She currently assists and teaches in Point Zero painting workshops. She is on the board of the Cassou Institute for Creative Freedom.

Jane Mayer, WisdomWomen steward, is a teacher, poet, and educational visionary who believes that honoring the wisdom of our youngest citizens will transform the world. A former middle/high school English and drama teacher, she currently co-directs The Teaching Well, a nonprofit organization devoted to teacher sustainability. She believes systemic change begins with speaking our authentic voices in everyday conversation.

Janet Fitch is the author of the novels White Oleander, Paint it Black, and most recently The Revolution of Marina M., an epic novel about a young woman’s coming of age during the Russian Revolution.

Janet Stone traveled to India in 1996, where she dedicated herself to a conscious evolution through yoga. Janet blends a wealth of knowledge and yoga experience to create a unique, vigorous yet sumptuous approach to Vinyasa yoga. She teaches in San Francisco and leads retreats internationally.

Janis Cooke Newman is the author of two award-winning novels, and a memoir. She has taught writing and mindfulness workshops at Esalen and for the San Francisco Zen Center. She is a long-time practitioner of Zen.

Janis Nakano Spivack has wandered from old school advertising to becoming a catalyst for the digital advertising movement. She founded CrushYourBLOCK to counterbalance her earlier work, and to transform blocks and build bridges between Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials.

Janne Larsen is an artist and maker based in Los Angeles, specializing in creating regionally inspired inks and natural wines. Drawing from a deep connection to the land and her upbringing on a small farm, Janne crafts art materials and wines that reflect the terroir and history of her local environment. Her work is inspired by sustainable practices, storytelling through nature, and fostering relationships between people and plants. A former teacher turned full-time artist, Janne brings a strong work ethic and a passion for community into every project she undertakes.

Jasmine Horan holds a BA in English and Writing from Southern Oregon University and a MAT from Oregon State University. She is the author of The Gazebo Learning Project: A Legacy of Experimental & Experiential Early Education at Esalen.

Jason Nemer is the founder of acro yoga and has been blessed with many great teachers on his path. During his teenage years he trained with some of the top Russian and Bulgarian acrobatic masters. Currently he travels to teach, study, and bring communities together.

Jason Stern leads Gurdjieff groups and seminars on the Fourth Way method of inner work in the U.S. and Europe. He authored Learning to Be Human, maintains a corresponding website, and publishes Chronogram, a monthly magazine.

Jason Weston has been practicing the principles of the Human Awareness Institute (HAI) for nearly 40 years. As a facilitator, Jason assists individuals and couples in creating the lives they really want. Trained at the Process Therapy Institute, Jason served for many years as the executive director of HAI Global.

Jaya Lakshmi has been attending Native American tipi ceremonies since 1996. From this she developed a deep understanding of holding sacred space. Jaya Lakshmi and Ananda Yogiji are also well-known recording artists and performers in the genres of mantra and medicine songs.

Jean Couch, originally known for her classic Runner's Yoga Book, has shown thousands of people of all ages how to improve their health. She most recently taught 50 physicians and their spouses, one of whom wrote, "I now have hope for me and my patients."

Jean Houston, PhD, is a philosopher mentored by Margaret Mead. One of the principal founders of the human potential movement, she has written 26 books and is known for her worldwide human potential workshops.

Jeanine M. Canty is a professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco, telecommuting from Boulder, CO. A lover of nature, justice, and contemplative practice, her teaching intersects social and ecological justice, ecopsychology, and the process of worldview expansion and change.

Jean Kristeller, PhD, a clinical psychologist, has used mindfulness-based interventions for eating-related issues for over 25 years. She receives NIH-funding, co-founded The Center for Mindful Eating, and has held faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School, UMass Medical School, and Indiana State University.

Jean Morrison, MA, has been a certified NVC trainer since 1989. She also is an author and materials designer with a background in psychology and counseling. In all of her work, she emphasizes whole-brain learning and thinking, and holistic health.

Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD, is a psychiatrist, Jungian analyst, activist, and author of 13 books in more than 100 foreign editions. She is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, past clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco, and former board member of the Ms. Foundation for Women. The Millionth Circle Initiative was inspired by Jean’s book and led to her to advocate for a 5th World Conference on Women.

Jeena Cho is a lawyer, author, and mindfulness instructor. She is a partner at JC Law Group PC, leads workshops for lawyers, and works with lawyers and law firms on stress management, work-life balance, career transition, and overall wellness. She is the author of The Anxious Lawyer.

Jeff Foster writes and speaks about the journey of healing and spiritual awakening, and invites exhausted seekers around the world to come to rest. He was voted #59 on Watkins Review's 2014 list of the world's Most Spiritually Influential Living People. He has published four books in over six languages.

Jeff Hamaoui is a seasoned teacher and master facilitator and serves as a partner and Chief Innovation and Education Officer for Modern Elder Academy. From investing to consulting, he draws from a deep well of experience especially in the sustainability and systems worlds.

Jeffrey J. Kripal is the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University, where he hosts the Archives of the Impossible collection and conference series. He also co-directs the Center for Theory and Research at Esalen. Jeff is the author of numerous books, most recently How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else.

Jeffrey S. Reid is a martial artist, author, and teacher dedicated to preserving and transmitting the Wudang Daoist tradition. He has trained extensively in martial arts, Daoist alchemy, and contemplative practices. Jeffery runs a Kung Fu school in Santa Cruz, California, where he helps students integrate these rich practices into the erratic rhythms of modern life.

Jeffrey Williams is the founder of Lifestyles of Light and Vitalist Institute. He is a multi-disciplinary transformation artist teaching and facilitating through movement, breath and sound, and self-governance since 1999.

Jeff W. Jones co-founded Afro Flow Yoga® with his wife, Leslie. Through music, Jeff creates an intuitive flow with mastery of African-inspired rhythms, instruments, drumming, and vocals. His inspired use of an eclectic array of tonal instruments ground and center the yoga practice. Jeff is a professional engineer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, and musical director who has traveled the world.

Jen Hastings (pronouns jen) is a family practice physician who started the Transgender Health Care Program at Planned Parenthood, Mar Monte, Santa Cruz. Jennifer is an assistant clinical professor in UCSF's Department of Family and Community Medicine.

Jennie Oppenheimer is an artist, educator and leader of mixed media and SoulCollage® workshops. Founder of SOULIO, a venture that offers artful programs that help clarify personal and professional goals, Jennie uses arts-based practices with individuals and organizations to empower innovative problem solving, self-navigation, and creative expression.

Jennifer Berezan is a singer/songwriter, teacher, and activist. Her groundbreaking work as a recording artist and teacher has established her as a leading voice in the field of music, ritual, and healing. She has released eight albums and produces large-scale multicultural, ecstatic ritual events.

Jennifer Dumpert is a San Francisco-based writer and speaker. She is the author of Liminal Dreaming: Exploring Consciousness at the Edges of Sleep and the founder of the Oneironauticum, an international organization that explores the phenomenological experience of dreams as a means of experimenting with mind. She also teaches the practice of Liminal Dreaming — surfing the edges of consciousness using hypnagogic and hypnopompic dream states.

Jennifer McChristian is an award-winning artist who was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. In 1986, she moved to California, where she was an animation artist for Disney and Nickelodeon, among other studios. She has studied under Robert Blue, Karl Dempwolf, and Steve Huston, and leads painting and drawing workshops internationally.

Jennifer Ward is a certified Life Balance strategist who offers individual sessions and group programs on how to skillfully navigate life changes and cultivate well-being independent of conditions. She completed Phillip Moffitt’s Life Balance Strategist Training in 2018. 

In addition to teaching at Esalen Institute, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and 1440 Multiversity, Jennifer also leads programs and trainings offered by Life Balance Institute.

Jenn Sander is the Founder of Play Atélier, a business innovation consultancy that surveys, fosters, and designs space for creativity and ideation with brands and partners. Additionally, she has been leading Global Innovation and New Initiatives for Burning Man Project for the last 5 years, developing collaborations with their extended networks.

Jenn Sherer teaches Spinefulness in Palo Alto, New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C., and Hawaii. Recently featured for Spinefulness on NPR, Good Morning America, CNN, and Real Simple magazine, Jenn holds a BS in Product Design Engineering from Stanford University.

Jenny Pareno has been an integral part of the Esalen Institute community for over a decade, sharing her skill and heart as a massage therapist and instructor. She maintains a private practice in San Luis Obispo, California, her home.

Jerome Front, LMFT, teaches at Pepperdine University and across the U.S., and has written about mindfulness, contemplative living, and mindful approaches to relationships. He leads retreats, clinical workshops, and corporate trainings, and has a private psychotherapy practice.

Jerónimo Calderón is an explorer of how to blend wellbeing with welldoing (Wellbeing Project), how to learn from nature to redefine sustainability (Amanitas) and how to build regenerative, living laboratories (Tierra Valiente). He is an author, speaker and lecturer working with unlikely allies from the United Nations to the World Economic Forum to Burning Man.

Jerry Kermode is a woodturning artist and teacher in Sebastopol, California. He is known as much for his sense of humor and friendly manner as for his ability with the chisel. He helps people understand the subtle nuances of cutting wood without fear or trepidation.

Blending 20 years of kitchen experience, a gift for facilitating connection and a passion for transformation, Jesse Bloom creates delicious experiences though his company, Sacred Kitchen. His food celebrates global flavors highlighting plant-based and bio-diverse dishes that celebrate a sustainable future.

Jessica Britt has been a student of A.H. Almass, founder of the Diamond Approach™, since 1977. A Diamond Approach™ teacher since 1985. Presently, she is a training director and leads ongoing groups in Europe and the US. In the ’80s, she was on the Gestalt staff of Esalen Institute, creating an integration of Reichian and Gestalt work. 

Jessica Fagan, MA, AMFT is an Expressive Arts AMFT who has been practicing and teaching bodywork and movement since 1994. She joined the Esalen® massage staff in 1997 where she was deeply influenced by the innovative forms of somatic and healing arts.

Jessica Gelson, MFT, is a therapist in private practice who helps people transform by engaging body, mind, and emotions. She promotes learning and growth by creating a safe and steady space that welcomes everything that clients may want to explore.

Jessica Graham is a meditation teacher, author, sex, relationship, spirituality guide, and filmmaker. She is contributing editor for the blog Deconstructing Yourself, co-founder of The Eastside Mindfulness Collective, founder of Wild Awakening, and author of Good Sex: Getting Off without Checking Out.

Jessica Kolbe is a senior teacher trainer for The Institute of Qigong and Tai Chi. Jessica leads classes, workshops, corporate wellness programs, certification trainings, and private healing sessions. She also produces an award-winning TV show, Qigong with Jessica Kolbe, which airs on TVSB and on-demand.

Jessica Wolk Benson, MFT, is a psychotherapist with extensive training and practice in experiential, attachment-based therapy. Her investigation into the reclamation of the divine feminine has brought about her unwavering commitment to restoring balance to the minds and hearts of humanity.

Jet Eveleth is a clown teacher, a doctor of integrative medicine, and a professor of Taoist medicine. She was a clown in the cirque show Absinthe and a professor of comedy studies at Columbia College. She is the creator of Clown Church.

Jett Psaris, PhD, author of Undefended Love, Hidden Blessings: Midlife Crisis as a Spiritual Awakening, and Taking the Midlife Leap, teaches others to use intimate relationships and the midlife journey as catalysts for psycho/spiritual transformation. She has been teaching workshops about how to inhabit the full spectrum of one’s humanity since 1992.

Jiling Lin is a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac), herbalist, and yoga teacher. Her integrative medical practice in Ventura, CA and holistic workshops, retreats, and writings empower thriving health and environmental stewardship in our bodies, communities, and world.

Jillian Pransky, C-IAYT, is the author of Deep Listening and an international presenter. A student of Pema Chödrön’s since 1998, she infuses her yoga classes with mindfulness practices, compassion, and ease. Jillian's offerings harmonize the body, mind, and spirit, with nature and the environment to create deeply integrative healing. 

Jim Benson is a certified SkyDancing Tantra teacher who has supported students and teachers-in-training internationally since 2003. A sex and intimacy coach for men, his programs include the Awakened Masculine Training and MultiOrgasmic Lover.

Jim B. Tucker is the Bonner-Lowry Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia. He is a child psychiatrist who has studied children’s reports of past-life memories for 25 years at the UVA Division of Perceptual Studies.