Ratna Ling Guest Faculty
Alyssa Lauren Stone
Alyssa Lauren Stone (E-RYT® 200) draws from her decades-long journey utilizing integrative medicine and natural healing to manage stress-related health issues from her experience as a former Silicon Valley / NYC tech sales executive. As an advocate for integrative medicine and holistic healing, Alyssa brings significant expertise in Yoga (17 years as a student and now as a teacher), Transcendental + Mindfulness + Vipassana Meditation, Reiki Energy + Sound Healing, and Pranayama (Breathwork) to help…
Amy Wolff
Amy is licensed acupuncturist, yoga teacher & educator, and lifelong student of movement and healing who believes the body has an extraordinary capacity to restore itself when given the right conditions. She is the co-owner of The Yoga Post in Petaluma, California, where she has spent more than two decades cultivating a welcoming community grounded in connection, curiosity, and compassionate care. With over 30 years of experience teaching yoga, Amy blends the wisdom of yoga…
Arwyn Wilkinson
Arwyn Wilkinson supports operations at the Ratna Ling Retreat Center and contributes to the Yeshe De Bindery and book distribution project. Concurrently, she has pursued her studies at Dharma College, where she deeply values and recommends the profound insights offered by its classes, enriching both her spiritual practice and understanding of the human experience. Prior to her involvement with Ratna Ling, Arwyn pursued studies in psychology and engaged in work with homeless and vulnerable communities.…
Barry Schieber
Barry graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. He began his professional life working in investment banking before becoming a student of Tarthang Tulku in the early 1970’s. From 1988-1993 he was Dean of the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley, California. In 2002 he founded Silent Moon Books a publishing company to relate stories for children and adults about Moritz, his therapy dog. He has taught Kum Nye (Tibetan relaxation yoga) throughout the world for over…
Baxter Bell
Baxter Bell, MD, has been actively deepening his understanding of the power of yoga since making the stress-reducing move from a career as a busy family doctor to that of a yoga teacher and medical acupuncturist. Baxter is a graduate of the Piedmont Yoga Studio’s 18-month Advanced Studies Program, and served as Director of PYS’s Deep Yoga Program for many years, teaching the Experiential Anatomy, Yoga Technique, and Yoga Methodology portions of that training. Baxter…
Ben Page
Ben Page is the founder of Integral Forest Bathing and has been guiding Forest Therapy walks since 2015 in collaboration with world renowned arboreta and botanical gardens, universities, cancer rehabilitation clinics, corporate wellness programs and cultural interest groups. Since 2016, Ben has trained hundreds of guides around the world and from 2017-2020, was the Director of Training for the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, and was one of the main designers and authors of…
Bex Urban
Bex leads classes with enthusiasm, warmth, and a gentle sense of humor. Her students attest to her authentic ability to bring them into the moment, and guide them to a place of focus and greater self-acceptance. She weaves sequences that are safe, creative, challenging and filled with reverence. Bex invites students to set their own intentions, making the practice uniquely their own. She brings spirit, love, and openness to her teaching with the ultimate goal…
Calista Ocean
Calista is a writer, yoga teacher, and adventure-seeker. She’s passionate about inviting others to journey through the beauty of their inner landscape by practicing yoga and self-reflection. Her classes and workshops combine postures, breathwork, dynamic movement, and visualization to support students who long to reconnect with their body and remember their own wisdom. Calista started teaching yoga in 2002 after receiving her first 200-hour teaching certification from Integrative Yoga Therapy. She continued to study with…
Charlotte Keane
Charlotte proudly carries her Grandmother Canela’s ancestral tradition of healing and medicine directly from her lineage in Mexico, Central and South America. Guided by the beauty and grace of the Divine Mother and the Oracle of Grandmothers, she blends these indigenous practices with deep tenderness and love of The Holy Rose. Her calling brings the missing component of ceremony back into our culture and consciousness. It is an important part of community. And community is…
Chris Fernie
Who is Chris? I’m very fortunate to have learned from exceptional teachers that I’ve met along life’s way. I’ve enjoyed decades of study with them as a student, family student and friend. I love teaching. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do. I’ve taught for thirty years, and care deeply about my students. This system is dynamic and ever-evolving, and it is an honor to follow and facilitate the unfolding of this practice.…
Clare Buckley
Clare Buckley is a yoga, meditation and wellbeing teacher with over 25 years of experience. Her intuitive and unique offerings hold at their core a deep respect for our essential nature and healing capacities. A retreat with Clare is full of warmth and clarity offering a joyful and contemplative breathing space to slow down and cultivate fresh insights. She believes that in meeting ourselves with the reverence of pause and retreat, we can awaken to…
Cynthia Cummins
Cynthia Cummins has led Wild Heart Writing workshops for 15 years in an array of settings, including SF Zen Center, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Green Gulch Farm, SF YMCA and Shasta Yoga. Visit https://www.wildheartwriting.org/ to learn more.
Dana Hancock
Dana Hancock is known for her soulful and creative vinyasa classes. Each class with Dana features fun, sweaty sequences, great hands on assists, spiritual teachings, music, and meditation. After many years of studying as a classically trained opera singer, musician, and composer, Dana sees yoga practice and teaching as an art form. Dana has been studying yoga since 2003. She trained with master teachers Lesley Desaulniers from the Jivamukti Yoga tradition, and Nubia Teixeira from the…
Daniela Cubelic
Daniela Cubelic is a tea master and teacher of qigong. Her grandmother initiated her into a rich ancestral lineage of tea and plant medicine, and an understanding of tea as ritual and remedy. This calling to explore tea led to deep studies in tea ceremony and culture, and the opening of Silk Road Tea, an award-winning tea company in Victoria, British Columbia in 1992. A desire for improved well-being and serenity led her to qigong.…
Dariece Warren
Dariece took her first yoga class over 30 years ago. She was looking for something to help her manage stress and relieve back pain, and she secretly wanted to touch her toes again. By the end of class she was completely relaxed mentally and physically. Touching her toes came later, but she was hooked! Teaching since 2004, Dariece has completed teacher trainings in Svastha Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Restorative and Yin. She has studied with teachers…
David Cho
From an early age, David had a fascination in the human body. After a successful dance career in Broadway shows and the Metropolitan Opera, he now shares his passion of movement and mindfulness with others through yoga & meditation. David is passionate about guiding his students to uncover their own potentials – physical and otherwise. With over 15 years of teaching dance, yoga and mat Pilates, he creatively combines his knowledge of all 3 disciplines…
DeAnn Barry
DeAnn offers an eclectic and balanced yoga practice, infusing her classes with mindfulness, connection, and Spirit. She brings a sense of calm and a sense of empowerment to her thoughtfully sequenced classes. Guiding students on their yogic journey one breath at a time. In the fall of 1998, DeAnn began practicing hatha yoga and tai chi and in 2004 she completed her first 200 hour teacher training in the Viniyoga tradition. Over the course of…
Denelle Numis
With over two decades of study, Denelle offers an authentic and intentional perspective to the yoga community, on and off the mat. As an avid practitioner of yoga and meditation, Denelle enjoys sharing the gift of the practice through teaching, writing and content creation. Movement is her biggest passion, and she loves to guide students through an intelligent and exploratory yoga asana sequence while incorporating mindfulness and real-life lessons into the practice. Denelle teaches regularly…
Dharma College Faculty
This program is offered by the faculty of Dharma College, our sister organization in Berkeley, Ca. A little about Dharma College: Living Well with Wisdom ◆ Thriving in Community At Dharma College, we are devoted to the nurturing and caring for the spiritual development of each individual. Our daily classes and workshops, coupled with professional co-share workspaces in a historic Berkeley building, foster a community of like-minded individuals. Our learning environment supports those in pursuit…
Donna Morton
Donna Morton, PT, NC, a physical therapist, holistic nutrition consultant and health educator, first encountered Nyingma teachings in 1997. In 2001 she completed a 6-month Human Development Training Program at the Nyingma Institute. Since that time she has taught primarily in the field of Kum Nye, a gentle form of Tibetan Yoga developed for Westerners by Head Lama Tarthang Tulku. Her whole-person therapeutic approach draws from and integrates a variety of healing modalities including whole-foods…
Dr. Bob Dozor
Bob Dozor is a Dharma College Faculty Member. Formerly the Medical Director of the Integrative Medical Clinic of Santa Rosa, he currently serves as the Medical Director for the Nyingma Senior Retreat Center at Ratna Ling. He holds a BA from the University of Chicago in the history and philosophy of science and an MD from the University of California, San Francisco. He has been a student of Buddhism since the 1960’s and a student…
Dr. Cynthia Li
Cynthia Li is a doctor of integrative medicine in the San Francisco Bay Area and a certified qigong teacher. She encountered qigong during her personal health journey with a debilitating autoimmune condition, featured in the acclaimed documentary series by Dr. Kelly Turner, Radical Remission. Cynthia also served on the faculty of Rachel Naomi Remen’s Healer’s Art program at UCSF Medical School. She is the editor of Mingjue Awakening, a book on contemplative qigong, and the…
Elizabeth Stark
Elizabeth Stark, a novelist (Shy Girl: FSG, Seal Press, finalist for the Ferro-Grumely and Lambda Literary Awards) and award-winning filmmaker (producer of Lost in the Middle: Best Feature at Broad Humor 2019 and a Festival Favorite at Cinema Diverse; co-director and co-writer of FtF: Female to Femme and Little Mutinies, distributed by Frameline), co-hosts the podcast Story Makers Show, and co-directs and teaches at Sonoma County Writers Camp and Book Writing World. She earned her…
Ellen Barnett, MD. PhD
Dr. Ellen Barnett is a family doctor who has been practicing in Santa Rosa, CA for over thirty years. A major emphasis of her practice is working with individuals to clarify and support their health goals. She is on the clinical faculty at the Sutter Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency and developed the Imagine YOU program of the Integrative Medical Clinic Foundation.
Ellen Sussman
Ellen Sussman is the New York Times bestselling author of four novels, A Wedding in Provence, The Paradise Guest House, French Lessons, and On a Night Like This. She is the editor of two critically acclaimed anthologies, Bad Girls: 26 Writers Misbehave and Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex. She teaches through Stanford Continuing Studies and in private classes and she is the co-founder and co-director of Sonoma County Writers Camp. www.ellensussman.com
Emily Provosty
Emily has been a full-time volunteer at the Nyingma Institute since 2020. She has had the opportunity to engage with the transformative teachings taught at the institute since then, and has developed a deep respect and reverence for the dharma. She has completed the Kum Nye Teacher Training, the Knowledge of Freedom teacher training, and has taken the Path of Liberation, Knowledge of Freedom, and Dimensions of Mind programs. She completed a Master of Social Work…
Erica Martzen
Erica Martzen was a former volunteer at Ratna Ling. She is a Yoga Teacher, Health & Wellness Coach, and founder of Bija Wellness currently residing in Phoenix, Arizona. An advocate for authenticity, Erica partners with others to uncover their truest self and how to live in alignment with that core being through weekly yoga classes, private coaching, group programs, and wellness retreats. Erica has experienced Yoga to be a place that resides within each of…
George Wiegand
George Wiegand is our well-known and loved meditation teacher and volunteer at Ratna Ling. He has been a student of our Founder Tarthang Tulku and a full-time volunteer in Nyingma organizations for 40 years, as a chef, baker, kitchen manager, temple builder, book binder, and pressman. He earned his Masters of Education in Counseling in 1974. After teaching high school while in the Peace Corps, he served as a Counselor at a Catholic high school…
Gloria Baraquio
Born and raised in Hawaii, Gloria has been teaching vinyasa since 2006, studying Tibetan Buddhism since 2004, and singing devotional music since she was a child. She earned her 200-hour certificate from Yoga Hawaii and her 300-hour training with Raghunath Cappo and Radhanath Swami in India. Gloria has practiced with spiritual, indigenous, and ancient traditions of Hawaii, Catholicism, Christianity, Baha’i, Agape, Vaishnavism, Hinduism, Zen, and Tibetan Buddhism. Her aim is to help each individual cultivate…
Gretchen Donovan
Gretchen has been teaching yoga for 20 years. After extensive experimentation and study in the traditions of Ashtanga Yoga, Iyengar Yoga and Prajna Yoga, her teaching cultivates a broad range of techniques. She carefully weaves the subtle energies and precision of these disciplines into her teaching, creating a unique style. Her enthusiasm and commitment to helping others access growth and self awareness (beyond asana) is both accessible and infectious. She is a Certified Feeding Your Demons…
Harvey Deutch
Acclaimed physical therapist, yogi, and beloved teacher, Harvey Deutch, P.T. has been merging the art and science of yoga and physical therapy for over 42 years, exploring and perfecting the the nuances of each. His laser-sharp precision and keen eye for working with the physical form join his innate ability to understand and finesse the energetic body. Along with his signature humor, Harvey is well-known for taking two-dimensional anatomy off the page and making it…
Heidi Bourne
Heidi Bourne is a meditation teacher in the Insight Meditation tradition and is the founder and guiding teacher of Pacific Mindfulness. She has been teaching since 2005 offering classes, series courses, nature retreats, trauma-informed/sensitive and resiliency-focused professional programs, and teaches regularly for Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Heidi is especially interested in the integration of the common sense, accessible and timeless teachings of awareness, ethics, and compassion into the complexity of our everyday lives. She is…
Helena Gold
Helena Gold has worked for the Nyingma organization in Brazil since 1986. She moved to California in 2008 to work for Dharma Publishing at the Center for Skillful Means Programs. Helena is the former Director of Nyingma Centers International. As an Odiyan long-term resident, Helena is currently an Instructor and the Programs Coordinator under the direct guidance of Tarthang Tulku.
Hugh Joswick, Ph.D.
Hugh Joswick, Ph.D., has been studying and practicing at Nyingma Institute under Tarthang Tulku’s senior students since the mid-1990’s. He has also co-edited several books under the close direction of Tarthang Tulku, including Caring and the Lotus Trilogy books. He holds a Ph.D. from Yale University, and a B.A. and M.A. from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He has taught philosophy at the university level and is currently the Managing Editor of Mangalam Press, the publishing…
Ignacio Ercole
Ignacio Ercole (they/them) is a latinx psychologist, artist and mindfulness trainer. They have been trained as a psychodrama group coordinator and as a contextual and mindfulness based therapist. They completed the Full Presence Mindfulness teacher training and are currently the Art Director of the Center for Creative Inquiry.
Jack Petranker
Jack Petranker has been a student of Tarthang Tulku for more than 40 years, and has worked for the Nyingma organizations as an editor, writer, and teacher. A past Dean of the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley, he is now the Director of the Mangalam Buddhist Research Center and senior teacher at the Center for Creative Inquiry,
Jacqui Rowley
Jacqui teaches an alignment-focused class, exploring the actions of each pose and building toward a theme for her classes. Born and raised in South Africa, her background is in ballet and modern dance. Her teaching is informed by the knowledge acquired through a lifetime of playing with the physical form. Jacqui’s first yoga class was in 1996, when she joined her mom for a community class near her home in Johannesburg. It was not love…
Jeffrey Peck
Jeffrey Peck is an evidential psychic medium, spiritual teacher, Reiki Master-Teacher, and speaker who has spent more than two decades helping people discover that love, healing, and human connection extend far beyond what we can see. Through private readings, workshops, retreats, and public demonstrations, he has guided thousands of individuals in exploring grief, spiritual awakening, intuition, and the enduring bond between ourselves and those we love. His teaching style is known for blending warmth, authenticity,…
Jenn Russo
Jennifer Russo, M. S., E-RYT 500, Massage Therapist and Health Coordinator, began her yoga studies in San Francisco in 1997. Having a background in Kinesiology, Anatomy and Massage therapy, teaching yoga came very natural to her. She immediately fell in love with the flow of the practice and the strong connection to her ‘center’. Jenn has studied with many teachers and in many traditions of yoga. She finds a strong connection to Vinyasa Yoga, linking…
Jennifer Lane
Dr Jennifer Marie Lane helps people reconnect with their innate intelligence to access deeper healing, alignment and transformation. Jennifer has been teaching yoga and practicing the healing arts for over two decades. Her practice is a blend of Network Spinal chiropractic, Earth Wisdom, dreamwork and yoga. She has been featured in Yoga Journal and has published numerous articles on dreams, earth wisdom and healing. She has a BA in Medical Anthropology and Anthropological Genetics from…
Jill Lindsay
Jill Lindsay, M.A., E-RYT 500, YACEP, C-IAYT Originally starting her career as a high school biology teacher, Jill shifted her presence from the classroom to the yoga studio. After a bout with cancer, Jill realized the yoga she’d been practicing could help with pain management, mood regulation, and overall strength and wellbeing. Yoga became an anchor in her life, and her passion for yoga blossomed as her drive to teach persisted. Jill’s focus in her classes…
Jolene Beilstein
Jolene facilitates the practices of forest bathing (Shinrin Yoku), therapeutic massage, and somatic education for individuals and groups. Through touch, breath, movement, and deep listening, she invites participants to explore the embodied language of connection and to navigate their lived experiences with greater ease and discernment. Her approach weaves together immersive experiences in nature, therapeutic touch, and somatic inquiry as gentle, first-person pathways toward integration. Working in partnership with the more-than-human world, she helps others…
Karmyn Ojeda
Karmyn Ojeda Egle is a devoted practitioner and teacher whose journey bridges the realms of physical awareness, meditative practice, and Tibetan Buddhist wisdom. Karmyn has dedicated herself to exploring the intricate connection between body and mind through the transformative practice of Kum Nye, a Tibetan healing system. Karmyn’s practice resonates with those seeking a meaningful integration of body, mind, and spirit. Through her guidance in Kum Nye, Yoga, and meditation, she creates spaces where practitioners can…
Kathleen Barnette
Kathleen is a yoga teacher specializing in restorative yoga, with a deep love for studying and singing Sanskrit mantras. She co-owns The Yoga Post in Petaluma, California, where she has spent years building a community rooted in stillness, breath, and healing. With nearly 30 years of experience as a paramedical aesthetician, Kathleen brings a rare depth of understanding to the body and how it holds tension, how it heals, and how it asks to be…
Khenpo Kunga Dakpa
Khenpo Kunga Dakpa began his Buddhist monastic academic journey at the Nyingma Mindrolling College in northern India. A dedicated teacher of the Dharma, he bridges traditional Buddhist texts with an often light-hearted approach to the so-called problems of the world! Khenpo Kunga also enjoys translating Tibetan-to-English Buddhist texts and seeks to bring the timeless wisdom of Dharma to the world.
Klara Crean
With a warm and authentic presence, Klara Crean empowers others to live with greater presence, compassion, and fulfillment. As a meditation teacher and mindfulness coach, she brings a uniquely integrative approach to her classes. Klara’s classes cultivate an atmosphere of gentleness and acceptance, nurturing resilience and an open-hearted connection to oneself and others. Her coaching practice seamlessly blends deep personal insights with tailored mindfulness practices, helping clients reduce stress, navigate challenges with grace, and cultivate…
Lama Palzang
Lama Palzang is a Nyingma lama who was born in the Gearing region of Tibet, where from a very young age, he was trained in the dharma under Jigme Tenpa Dargye Rinpoche. He was formally educated at Minyak Lhagang Monastery in Kham and trained in the Longchen Nyingtik tradition under his root teachers, Khenchen Chodrak Rinpoche and Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche. He completed a traditional three rear retreat under Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche in Buyul Yolmo, Nepal.…
Laura Moir
Laura Moir (E-RYT 200 | YACEP) is a full-time yoga teacher based in Oakland, CA, offering accessible, heart-centered classes rooted in trauma-informed care. Specializing in Vinyasa, Yin, and Restorative practices, Laura brings over five years of teaching experience and advanced trainings with renowned teachers including Judith Lasater and Jason Crandell. Her teaching seamlessly integrates alignment, somatics, and nervous system regulation, creating practices that are both grounding and transformative. Laura’s classes are known for their unique…
Lauren Cohen
Lauren Cohen teaches yoga classes, workshops and trainings throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and leads retreats all over the world. Lauren was a dancer and competitive figure skater for nearly 15 years and first started practicing yoga in college to help manage anxiety. To this day, she credits yoga as the practice that saved her life and is infinitely grateful to have the opportunity to share the practice with others. She completed her first…
Leila Swenson
Leila Swenson, E-500 RYT, is a joyful, kind, and inspiring Vinyasa teacher, whose classes flow naturally from the heart. Her yoga studies began in 2000 at the Himalayan Institute, and she has been teaching full-time in the SF/Bay Area since 2010. An experienced teacher guiding public classes, workshops, retreats, and more, Leila is deeply grateful to her teachers and devoted to the students she serves. For more about Leila, visit leilaswenson.com
Leslie Tippell
Leslie Tippell is a passionate yoga instructor whose innovative and soulful classes inspire transformation. With 15+ years of experience, including training under renowned teacher Sianna Sherman, Leslie believes deeply in yoga’s power to heal the whole being – mind, body and spirit. Her creative sequences masterfully unite breath with movement, guiding students on a journey towards strength, flexibility and profound self-awareness. Each class offers new opportunities for self-discovery through the lens of mindfulness. Leslie encourages…
Linda Copenhagen
Linda Copenhagen began her Buddhist studies at the Nyingma Institute in 1996, while she was a mother of 3, a wife, CPA, and the finance director for various startups in the Bay Area. For the past several years, she has been a CFO and financial consultant in the non-profit sector. She currently serves as the Director of Ratna Ling, and she supports in the Accounting for many of the TNMC organizations (Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center). Linda…
Lydia Hwang
Lydia Hwang is a Sound and Color vibrational healer using different sacred instruments, color essences, silks and her voice. She channels divine energies in her private sessions and has a dedicated practice in Woodside, CA at the Spirit House. Her journey began when she was searching for her own healing, and this led to intensive training with Sound master Fabien Maman, color teacher Patricia Janusz and ordained Druid priestess Nicole Bertolucci in South of France and…
Magda Costa
There are times when a path reveals itself quietly—one small step, one gentle opening, and then another. For Magda Costa, her journey into the Dharma began in Brazil in 1990, when she encountered Buddhist teachings woven into Catholic instruction by an American priest. Something resonated immediately, leading her into daily study and practice. A simple newspaper ad for a meditation class drew her to one of Nyingma Institute centers in South America, where the teachings…
Maria Helena Kubrusly
Maria Helena Kubrusly brings more than three decades of dedicated practice, study, and teaching within the Nyingma tradition to her work as a retreat leader. Born and raised in Brazil, Maria Helena was a founding member of the Nyingma Center in Rio de Janeiro, where she taught classes and guided retreats. She came to the United States in 1997 as a staff member and instructor at the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley, and has lived at…
Mark Henderson
Mark Henderson is a student of Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche. Since 1975, Mark has assisted Tarthang Rinpoche in the original construction of the Odiyan Retreat Center, as well as the construction of the Odiyan Vajra Temple. In addition, Mark has participated in the Nyingma Monlam Chenmo in Bodh Gaya, India, seven times. For twenty years Mark played an instrumental role in Rinpoche’s creation of over 100,000 handheld prayer wheels for distribution to the Nyingma Sangha at…
Martin Scott
Martin Scott is a San Francisco-based vinyasa yoga teacher. He began his practice in 1999 and has been teaching since 2008, bringing over 25 years of yoga experience to share with his students. Martin teaches every class based on love, compassion, joy & equanimity, as per verse 1.33 of the Yoga Sutra. His classes are focused, fun and creative. He believes that no matter how challenging the practice may be, it only makes us better.…
Mary Beth Ray
Mary Beth Ray, C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is a Viniyoga therapist and certified Functional Medicine health coach specializing in bone health and healthy aging. She began studying yoga in the early 1990s and has been teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2009. Her approach is deeply informed by her practice in the moving meditation and self-discovery of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Mysore system and the subtle, breath-centered inquiry of Viniyoga, both rooted in the teachings of…
Meg McDonald
Meg has held a myriad of careers throughout her life. The common thread has always been her intense desire to facilitate connections, helping us all understand that we are not alone. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, but having lived all over the country, Meg relocated to Bend, OR in 2024 where she currently works as an End of Life Doula. Through this role, she gently guides those she serves to understand they have choices and can take…
Melina Meza
Melina Meza is a pioneer in the field of yoga, nutrition, and Ayurvedic Health, sharing her knowledge with yogis around the world for more than 25 years. She is the creator of Seasonal Vinyasa Yoga, a holistic practice that features lifestyle, diet, and yoga practices tailored to the rhythms of the four seasons to help people stay healthy as they age. Her passion for Nature, the five elements, beauty, and humor forge the foundation of…
Melody Hopkins
Melody had the desire to ease suffering in others at a young age. After working in the medical field as a nurse’s aid and as an in-home caregiver for disabled persons, she decided to find a path that would better enable her to reach her personal and humanitarian goals. This led her to the healing arts. After attending massage therapy school in 2002 she studied alternative medicine to have a deeper knowledge of herbs, ayurvedic…
Merrill Peterson
After encountering Tibetan Buddhism in college, Merrill Peterson has been studying Buddhist teachings and his own mind for now over 50 years. He became a student of Tarthang Tulku in 1970 and has plunged into reading the texts and making the work of preserving Tibetan traditions his main focus in life. He was the Production Manager at Dharma Press from 1974-1978, and the Project Manager for the Derge Kangyur & Tangyur reprint from 1978-1981. He…
Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson is an ICF-certified Energy & Mindset Coach, a connector and a joy finder on a mission to help others rediscover their joy so that they can human better, at work and in life. After a 20-year career in tech sales leadership and many years living with high-functioning substance use disorder, Michael chose sobriety in 2021, leaving his career in tech behind in early 2023, then launching joyful GRAVITY, a personal growth & wellness…
Monica Bravo
Monica Bravo is a yoga teacher, breathwork facilitator and board certified hypnotherapist. With over two decades of dedicated experience, Monica Bravo, blends the ancient art of yoga with the profound healing of breathwork. As a 500 hour Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher she integrates a diverse range of healing modalities into a cohesive and powerful approach to self healing. Monica received her training and certifications under Shiva Rea and Clare Venet. She is the founder of…
Morgan Wells
Morgan Wells (she/her) is the director of CCI. She is a practitioner of TSK and Buddhism who has studied with Jack Petranker and other senior students of Tarthang Tulku since 2007. She completed the Nyingma Institute’s Path & Practices of Liberation program (1,200 hours) in 2010 and Four-Month Human Development Training Retreat (638 hours) in 2014. Her teaching focuses on Skillful Means, which emphasizes work as a path to liberation. Morgan is also an attorney…
Nat Kendall
San Francisco-based yoga teacher, world music recording artist and devoted student of yoga, Nat Kendall shares his wisdom of the teachings in a heartfelt and grounded way that will easily awaken beginners and re-inspire long time practitioners. Instantly accessible and relevant to our modern times, the grace of Nat’s teachings pour through in tangible practices, tools, techniques and insights that are sure to enlighten your spiritual path and yogic journey.
Natalie Colvin
Natalie has been teaching yoga and sharing the dharma for almost 15 years. She is a certified Shivakali yoga teacher and spiritual counselor, as well a meditation guide and energy worker. Her background in environmental management has deeply shaped her teachings as she considers Mother Earth her first spiritual teacher. Natalie relies on her Buddhist teachings to support individuals in connecting with their best selves. She deeply believes in the power of play and joy as a means…
Nica Celly
Nica guides breath, movement, and creative inquiry as pathways to strengthen self-trust and community connection. Her teaching creates spaces for embodied exploration through classes, interdisciplinary workshops, and collaborative art happenings that bridge contemplative practice with creative process. She holds an MFA from California College of the Arts and a BA from NYU’s Gallatin School, where she focused on visual language and the intersections of art, craft, and consciousness. Practicing and studying since 1998, Nica began…
Nicole Griffin
Nicole Griffin is a nervous system coach, educator, and retreat leader who guides people to slow down, regulate their nervous systems, and cultivate resilience in a world that constantly disrupts our sense of safety and emotional well-being. Blending cultural analysis, embodied mindfulness, and restorative practices, Nicole offers a grounded, practical approach to healing that helps people reconnect with their bodies, clarify what matters, and move through life with more ease. She’s known for creating safe,…
Nikki Estrada
Nikki has more than 20 years teaching experience and has been leading 200 and 300-hour teaching trainings for more than 17 years. She is YA500hr E-RYT and was Director of Trainer Development for YogaWorks for more than 7 years where she supported and mentored teacher trainers. She leads intensives, immersions and workshop series in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. She contributes to Yoga International where you can find her articles and videos. She also…
Olivia Barry
Olivia is delighted to be practicing physical therapy and sharing the transformative practice of yoga in Sebastopol, CA, while also offering online yoga classes and patient care. With over two decades of experience, she played a pivotal role in YogaWorks teacher training programs for 15 years—training trainers, shaping curriculum, and authoring the YogaWorks Teacher Training Anatomy Manual. She has also created video content with YogaAnytime, sharing her approach to movement, anatomy, and yoga with a…
Patricia Becker
Patricia Becker is a certified yoga teacher and nutrition expert with decades of experience in yoga, breathwork, and holistic wellness. Patricia specializes in teaching live online yoga classes for adults 50+, including both chair yoga and mat-based practices. She also works one-on-one with clients to support strength, flexibility, balance, and overall well-being. Patricia is passionate about helping others feel their best—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Show me more https://yourhealthandjoy.com/
Pauline Yu
Pauline Yu has been studying and practicing under Tarthang Tulku’s senior students since 2007 and completed Nyingma Institutes’s 1, 200 hour Path an Practices of Liberation program in 2010. After encountering meditation in 2006 during her final year at UC Berkeley, where she studied Art History and Philosophy, she entered the Nyingma Mandala community in 2007 as a full-time work-study volunteer.
Pavi Mehta
Pavi Mehta is a storyteller whose award-winning documentary, and book, Infinite Vision, reveals how the Aravind Eye Care System in India became the world’s largest provider of sight-restoring surgery with a self-sustaining business model that serves millions of patients, the majority for free, with outcomes that rival the best in the world. She co-founded Karma Kitchen, a pay-it-forward pop-up restaurant, and has long anchored several other volunteer platforms including DailyGood and Awakin Calls, both projects…
Pema Gellek
Pema Gellek, M.A., is a disciple of her father, Tarthang Tulku, and Chadral Rinpoche, and studied Tibetan Buddhism at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Nepal. Working within her father’s mandala of organizations, she serves as a bridge between dharma in the East and West and has helped carry out Tarthang Tulku’s dharma activities in Asia for the past 20 years. Pema is also a filmmaker and director of Guna Foundation and has been a faculty member of Dharma College. She is…
Rachel Lipton
With over 10 years of experience as a professional organizational consultant and leadership coach, Rachel partners with leaders and organizations to lead effectively from the inside out. She works with clients who want to increase their impact, summon their courage to make big changes, and move to the beat of their collective wisdom. Rachel is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and a certified yoga teacher. Her…
Ralph McFall
Ralph McFall has worked for the Nyingma organizations for 40 years. A past Dean of Nyingma Institute, he is currently Director of Dharma Publishing, in addition to printing books for Yeshe De projects. As an Odiyan long term resident, Ralph is one of the Instructors of the Classes & Books team.
Ratna Ling Faculty
As resident volunteers who regularly study, practice, and teach the dharma, we are here to serve you!
Renate Marx
Renate Marx, originally from Germany, has long moved between countries and traditions, dedicating her life to both education and the Dharma, rooted in experiential and interdisciplinary learning. For over twenty years, Renate worked in Germany as a manager and program developer at the intersection of education, intercultural dialogue, and the arts. In 2010, her path turned more deeply toward the Dharma when she began her studies within the Nyingma tradition. After completing the Four-Month Human…
Richard Addison
Ritch Addison, PhD, is a Licensed Psychologist and an Emeritus Professor of the Sutter Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency. He leads both Personal and Professional Development groups and Balint groups for physicians and other health care professionals and has done so for over 40 years. He is a Past President of the American Balint Society, and organization that focuses on improving the patient-clinician relationship. He co-edited Entering the circle: Hermeneutic Investigation in Psychology, an anthology…
Richard Dixey
Richard Dixey holds a Ph.D in Biophysics from London University, an M.A. with distinction in the history and philosophy of science from London University, and a B.A in Cell Biology from Oxford. In 1979, he was appointed the Director of the Bioelectronic Research Unit at St Bartholomew’s hospital in London, a position he held for fourteen years before founding and becoming the Chief Executive of Phytopharm PLC, a biotechnology company that listed on the London…
Rosalyn White
Rosalyn White was the Director of Ratna Ling for 7 years. She has studied meditation and Tibetan art under the guidance of the Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Tarthang Tulku, for over forty years. She holds a BFA in Fine Arts from the California College of Art and a teaching credential from UC Berkeley. She has been teaching classes in meditation and sacred art for over 25 years. The depth and breadth of the Tibetan teachings have…
Salma Syed
Salma (she/her) is a queer, Indian, Los Angeles-based facilitator devoted to curating inclusive spaces for personal growth and self-care. Drawing from the timeless wisdom of yoga, she guides individuals to cultivate presence, authenticity, and self-acceptance by focusing on mindfulness and compassion. Beyond her work as a facilitator, Salma is a structural engineer, a cat mom, and an avid traveler who finds solace in the beauty of nature and exploring unique artistic and cultural landscapes. A…
Samantha Garrison
Samantha Garrison is a yoga and meditation teacher and reiki master. She co-founded and is the director of Light and Space Yoga, Ojai California. She also founded Yogala Studios in Los Angeles. Samantha’s yoga practice emerged in 1999 from her early life studying ballet. For the past 25 years, she’s studied yoga and meditation of many styles believing deeply in the power of yoga as a holistic path to wellbeing. While she appreciates myriad styles,…
Sarah Koh
Sarah Koh has been teaching for over 25 years, drawing from a multifaceted background shaped by extensive studies in New York, Rishikesh, Northern Thailand, and France. Her work, alongside collaborations with a diverse network of teachers across disciplines, informs an approach that integrates lived experience, traditional wisdom, and grounded, real-world understanding. Her background in community leadership, program development, curation, and facilitation informs both her teaching and the way she holds space. Sarah meets people where…
Sarah Michelson
Sarah has loved all forms of movement from a young age and was a competitive athlete for many years. After college rugby took a physical toll on her body, Sarah found a balance of strength and ease through her yoga asana practice. During her years living in West Sonoma, Sarah’s teachers Jenn Russo & Ann Austin helped her deeper her physical & spiritual practice, and showed her the power of a moving meditation to calm…
Shehnaz Khan
Shehnaz Khan is a Bay Area kundalini yoga teacher and empowerment facilitator. She incorporates movement, breath, and sound to encourage experiences of self-care, self-connection and expansion. Shehnaz invites students to rediscover their inner wisdom, joy, and expansive possibilities in the moment. Devoted to accessibility, she is passionate about sharing these healing practices with underserved communities, where empowerment can create lasting change. Outside of her teaching, she enjoys swimming, music, spending time in nature, and uplifting…
Shoshana Hebshi
Shoshana Hebshi, owner of Revolution Yoga in Santa Rosa has been teaching and practicing yoga for 25 years. The practice has changed her worldview, her mission in life and her driving purpose. Through the creation of Revolution Yoga, she aims to manifest her desires for Healing the World one breath at a time. revolutionyoga.net
Simon Cook
Simon Cook has a Geography Degree from Southampton University, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Oxford University. He taught English Language to adults for many years, in the UK and Europe, and has taught Tibetan refugees in India. Simon did the Nine-month Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga Programme at the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley in 1986/87. He works for the charity Age UK, helping older people. He teaches Kum Nye at a local therapy centre.
Stacie Overby
Stacie is known for her deeply inspiring classes and heart-centered wisdom. With almost 2 decades of teaching experience in San Francisco as well as a Masters in Integral Psychology from CIIS, she seamlessly weaves together Eastern Yogic Philosophy with Western Psychology to curate an embodied experience on the mat through the physical, psychological, and spiritual to awaken the intuitive wisdom within our hearts. Stacie leads immersions, residential retreats and offers an ongoing mentorship program for…
Stacy McGinty
Stacy McGinty has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 20 years. Practicing life on and off the mat is all about embodying the principles and mindfulness cultivated during yoga practice into everyday experiences. On the mat, Stacy encourages her students to listen to their inner voice, connecting with the breath, and moving in a way that feels good to the body. This practice of tuning into oneself, honoring one’s body, and finding balance can…
Suzanne Zuber
Suzanne Zuber, E-RYT 500, certified Anusara® Yoga Instructor and teacher trainer, has been teaching Yoga for 15 years in the Bay Area, Berlin and Stockholm. She studied classical asana and philosophy as well as cutting-edge anatomy and therapeutics with some of the world’s most skilled teachers, including Noah Mazé, Sianna Sherman and Douglas Brooks, as well as meditation masters Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. From a young age, Suzanne understood the world around her through…
Taylor Rechtschaffen
Taylor Rechtschaffen is a Marriage and Family Therapist and a practitioner of Buddhist, Yogic, and indigenous spiritual wisdom traditions of over 25 years. She specializes in Internal Family Systems and is a certified Feeding Your Demons® facilitator. She is dedicated to tending Life in the outer forms and inner realms, and her teaching and therapy is infused with a reverence for each person, community, and ecosystem. She is passionate about facilitating groups to connect people…
Teresa Van Eyk
Teresa Van Eyk is a yoga teacher, healing sound artist, and the owner of Satya Yoga and in Saugatuck, Michigan. She is an experienced and registered yoga teacher at the 500 hour level. Teresa received her training and certifications under Karina Mirsky at the Sangha Yoga Institute. Teresa is also the founder and lead trainer of Satya Yoga’s 200 hour teacher training program. Her classes are inclusive and adaptive, intelligently and safely sequenced, and infused…
Teri Beckman
Teri Beckman leads HIGOL, a boutique coaching and consulting company that works with mission-driven leaders to help them increase their community impact and revenue within their organizations by aligning their human, technical, financial resources with their vision. She has studied and practiced Skillful Means and Buddhist psychology as presented by Tarthang Tulku for thirty years. She has a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Chapel Hill and is a graduate…
Tsering Gellek
Tsering Gellek is the Director of the Sarnath International Nyingma Institute. Her primary work is to strengthen the roots of the Institute, develop programs with universities and other centers of learning around the world, and harness the power of deep engagement between the East and the West. She is the daughter of Tarthang Rinpoche and has helped carry out Dharma and cultural preservation projects in Asia for over twenty years.
Vinita Laroia
Vinita’s yoga and meditation practice began in 1998 while she was a student and ski bum in Colorado. Since then, she has made long term homes in Wyoming, Japan, and California. Influenced by the natural world and the many places she has traveled, her personal practice is based on a sense of deep ecology and global philosophy. Vinita practices and teaches various movement modalities, including vinyasa, yin, and barre sculpt, as well as Buddhist and…
Wangmo Dixey
Wangmo Dixey serves as Executive Director of Dharma College and Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International, and as President of the International Buddhist Association of America. She brings a lifetime of deep dedication to the Dharma, expressed through tireless work and meaningful accomplishment in preserving and sharing Buddhist teachings. Drawing on this breadth of experience, Wangmo offers programs at Dharma College that are both insightful and accessible. Studying with her is not only informative, but genuinely…
Yvonne Kingsley
Yvonne Kingsley, E-RYT500, is deeply committed to living wholeheartedly and sharing the timeless teachings of yoga. She approaches the practice from a holistic perspective – weaving together mindful movement, breathwork, meditation and philosophy – and encourages each person to discover their own path to clarity, steadiness and ease. Based in San Francisco, Yvonne offers public and private classes, meditation courses, teacher trainings and retreats. www.yvonnekingsley.com