Faculty

Dr. Mark Abramson is the founder of Stanford University Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program. He teaches at Stanford, conducts programs in mindfulness for corporations, and has a private dental practice.

Xochitl (So-chil) Ashe is a trained herbalist with deep indigenous roots. A fifth generation medicine woman in the healing traditions of her Peruvian ancestral lineage, she has worked with sacred plant medicines since age 16.

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.

Barbara Bogatin is a cellist with the San Francisco Symphony, chamber music performer, and a mindfulness educator.

Sravana Borkataky-Varma studies Indian religions focusing on esoteric rituals and gender and lectures at Harvard Divinity School and University of North Carolina-Wilmington.

Lindsay Branham is a psychologist focused on embodied and erotic ecology. She is trained as a Buddhist eco-doula and is finishing her PhD in psychology focused on the reciprocal, embodied relationship between humans and the Earth.

Formerly an Esalen Institute Gestalt staff member, Jessica Britt has been a student of Hameed Ali since 1977 and a teacher since 1985. She directs training  in Europe, Canada and the US.

Sadia Bruce teaches and practices in the tradition of Krishnamacharya as transmitted by Desikachar. She draws on an array of movement modalities to share an understanding of yoga that is integrative and vitalizing.

Stacia Butterfield is a certified Holotropic Breathwork® practitioner with 15 years of dedicated service and close work with Stanislav Grof, the originator of Holotropic Breathwork and a pioneering psychedelic researcher.

Keith Edward Cantú is an academic, musician, and polyglot with a deep professional and personal interest in South Asian religion and spirituality, especially tantra.

Jovinna Chan, E-RYT 500, YACEP, is a trained personal transformational facilitator, yoga teacher trainer, conscious dance teacher, and performing artist.

Dorothy Charles has been a student and teacher at Esalen since 1982. A student of Esalen co-founder Richard Price, she combines Esalen body-centered Gestalt with relational Gestalt theory.

A former elite gymnast and diver, Cristi overcame a severe injury and advanced-stage cancer, inspiring her teachings on resilience and healing. She leads global programs emphasizing body-rooted practices and women's empowerment.

Mark Coleman is an author and Buddhist meditation teacher who has been teaching insight meditation for 20 years. He leads nature-based meditation retreats and mindfulness teacher trainings in the U.S. and Europe.

Raphael Cushnir is a leading voice in the world of emotional connection and present moment awareness. He lectures worldwide and has written six books, including Setting Your Heart on Fire.

Erik Davis, PhD, is an author, journalist, and teacher based in San Francisco. His wide-ranging work focuses on the intersection of alternative religion, media, and the popular imagination.

Paola di Florio is an Oscar and Emmy-nominated writer, filmmaker, and TV producer whose critically-acclaimed work features extraordinary individuals and the triumph of the human spirit.

Dustin DiPerna is a Harvard-trained scholar of world religions and adjunct professor at Stanford University. He is a senior teacher of Tibetan meditation. His books include Streams of Wisdom and Evolution's Ally, among others.