Andrew was born in South India and educated at Oxford University in England. He has lived in London, Paris, New York, and San Francisco, and has continued to study a variety of religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity. Andrew has authored and edited over 30 books. Some of his well-known titles are: The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, co- authored with Sogyal Rinpoche; Dialogues with a Modern Mystic; The Way of Passion: A celebration of Rumi; Hidden Journey; The Essential Gay Mystic; Son of Man; and Journey to Ladakh.

Bonita is a transpersonal psychotherapist whose graduate work focused on consciousness and shamanism. She has lived and worked in Peru, studied with native healers and led tours to South America for 10 years. Most recently, Bonita spent a second year in Peru studying and working in the Lake Titicaca area. When guiding journeys to Peru, Bonita provides an comprehensive overview of the Andean Cosmic Vision and leads groups in specific rituals and ceremonies to experience and honor the energies of the sacred sites visited.

Bryan is a facilitator, writer and speaker for a leading international seminar company, and co-creator of several self-development programs focusing on awareness, spiritual practice and heart-centered psychology. Spiritual enrichment, the study of personal philosophy, understanding relationships, world travel, and personal practice of "Meditative Awareness" have been the main focus of Bryan's life, and he strives to support people with his experience. He is an outdoor enthusiast, thrives on Nature, and loves adventure. Bryan resides in Sedona, Arizona.

Ratih was born into the royal caste at Puri Agung (the High Palace), where her grandfather had been the king of a province in Bali called Peliatan. Ratih began dancing with her great uncle's dance troupe when she was seven. This famous troupe brought the first group of Balinese musicians and dancers to Paris and Amsterdam in 1931. She has toured internationally and won many awards for dancing, including being voted the best dancer in Bali in 1984. After graduating from Udayana University with a degree in management, she was inspired to become certified as a Balinese guide. She lives in Denpasar with her husband and 3 children.

Cristina Mendoza is a traditional Amazonian curandera who is well-versed in the ethnobotany of the jungle and mountain regions of  her home in Northern Peru.  In addition to being supremely knowledgeable about her place of origin and about the rich traditions of her people's curing heritage, she  studies yoga and meditation and is well-read on a diverse range of  subjects. Cristina is approachable and humble while still carrying an immense aura of radiance and healing power. This combination of qualities  endears her to all who work or play with her. She is non-hierarchical, challenging us to break away from the tired model of "guru and follower", and yet she commands authority within a soft Yin model of pure sisterly and motherly love and compassion during healing ceremonies.  Sessions with Cristina have been described as "satsang with the vine" and dubbed "yinahuasca medicina." Her singing voice is sublime, velvety, and ultimately sustaining long past when the last icaro is sung. She currently is spearheading a  reforestation campaign, teaching children and adults from nearby communities as well as from several continents about the importance of sustaining native plants, trees, and ecosystems. Her library includes teachings of the Dalai Lama and Eckhart Tolle, and numerous rigorous naturopathic texts, which she is currently absorbing as she is studying to become a natural therapies specialist.

David is the founder of Spirit Journeys. He started his first travel business in 1982 and redirected his focus towards transformation travel, retreats and personal growth workshops in 1992. This occurred through a desire to bridge his travel career and commitment to spiritual exploration. Since then, he has been organizing, facilitating and guiding journeys throughout various places in the United States, Mexico, South America, Europe, Asia. He is interested in assisting others on their spiritual path in workshops and through travel to sacred places and providing them interaction with indigenous cultures. He currently lives in Tuscany, Italy with his partner, David Stewart.

Long time Spirit Journey's facilitator, David Moreno has lead men's workshops, retreats, and travel trips internationally, and has also taught for Body Electric. He has also taught yoga at international  conferences, universities, worldwide, and is frequently a guest instructor for yoga teacher training programs. He has worked privately with clients in the fashion and entertainment industries, and has trained world-class athletes, including the coach of the 2004/2008 Olympics U.S. Mens Swim Team. He is also a certified Pilates instructor. David began practicing yoga in the late 70's studying the Iyengar, Ashtanga, Anusara, and Bihar styles of yoga. He is currently an initiated student of Ayurvedic & Tantric Teacher Dharmanidhi Sarasvati, studying the primordial tantric roots of the yogic tradition. David is known for his keen sense of humor and timing, making classes both playful and informative. When not traveling, David teaches in the Bay Area.  To learn more about David and his work, go to www.moryoga.com.
 

David has greatly contributed to the growth and direction of Spirit Journeys since its inception in 1993. He has guided and co-facilitated numerous Spirit Journeys in Mexico, Greece, Peru, Nepal, Tibet and the United States. He also enjoys a successful career as a fine artist. David has devoted much of his adult life to the shamanic path, traveling to ancient lands and studying with the indigenous cultures including the Maya in Mexico and the Quechua in Peru. The thirst for "spiritual consciousness" and "oneness" are David's commitment in life. He currently lives in Tuscany, Italia with his partner, David Frechter.

Emil was born in Luxor and graduated from the College of Antiquities at Cairo University. He is an encyclopedia of Egyptology, both archealogical and mystical. He has guided many spiritual and metaphysical groups in the past 20 years, including several Spirit Journeys pilgirmages to Egypt. Emil has had the honor of working with Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval, John West, Marian Williamson, Carolyn Myss, Greg Braden, Kevin Ryerson, Mark Lehner, Kent Weeks and Zahi Hawass.
 

Howie Holben is owner and caretaker of Spirit Journeys. Since early childhood, he has been drawn to indigenous peoples and their spiritual teachings, traditions and practices.  This attraction has taken him on many adventures, exploring the countless ways of "being in the world". His personal journey through addiction and recovery has spawned in him a genuine interest in assisting others on their own spiritual path and he takes great pleasure in introducing people to practices, sacred ways and cultures to help them "step outside their box". A Reiki/Karuna Ki Master and Quantum Touch Practioner, his desire is to help others uncover their potential and set their hearts and minds free. He currently lives in northern New Jersey with his husband, Chris Caramelli.

Hunter Flournoy is an ongoing apprentice and teacher in the Toltec Eagle Knight lineage of Dona Rita Rivera, a shamanic healer in the lineage of Rebecca Crystal, and a pastor for Amigos de Dios, a fellowship of Christian mystics. He has been leading workshops in intuitive awareness, holistic healing, and personal freedom for eleven years. His professional endeavors include psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, storytelling, and being a poet-for-hire. Currently, he works and facilitates traditional Lakota sweat lodges at a residential treatment center in the hills of Tennessee.

Jeff has been challenging the American notion of masculinity for as long as he can remember. He has both led and participated in men's groups for the past 20 years, including white-water river trips and mountaineering expeditions. He has sat in steamy sweatlodges, rolled in river mud, roared from mountain tops, and rowed a raft down the Grand Canyon. Jeff has a master's degree in counseling and considers himself a modern day shaman. He runs his own outfitting business, in which he offers growth-oriented wilderness trips as well as consulting for organizations on community building. He resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Jeffrey is a writer, psychotherapist, life coach and leadership development consultant whose work ranges from single individuals in private practice to major engagements with Fortune 500 corporations. Dr. Hull currently maintains a Jungian-oriented psychotherapy/coaching practice in New York City. Through the synthesis of his unique background in Jungian psychology, leadership, creativity and the arts, Jeff has developed a practice called Life-Shifting: an innovative, comprehensive approach to personal growth and healing that combines symbolic, somatic, and energy healing techniques with the action-orientation of coaching. To learn more about Jeff and his work, visit www.life-shifting.com.

Hosen is the beloved vice-abbess of the Bodhi Manda Zen Center in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. The Center was founded in 1973 by Kyozan Joshu Roshi, a Japanese Zen Master in the Rinzai lineage, with the fundamental purpose of providing teaching in Zen Buddhism to all who wish to learn and practice. Throughout our retreats held at the Center, Hosen provides a foundation for learning basic Zen practices including meditation and conveying Zen philosophy through profound questions and answer discussions. To learn more about the Bodhi Manda Zen Center, visit www.bmzc.org.

Kevin Kortan is a Certified Yoga Therapist and Teacher, a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, Movement Therapist and Educator, Dance Teacher, and Tantric Educator. He is the originator of Evolutionary Yoga, Evolutionary Eros, and Evolutionary Touch, an integrative approach that unites Yoga, Tantra, Somatics, and Embodied Erotic Education. He studies Tantra with Rudolph Ballentine, and has studied extensively with the Body Electric School. In the tradition of Yoga, teaching one-on-one is a particular emphasis for Kevin. He has been offering mens classes and workshops for the last several years. Kevin is also a dancer and has worked with many of the leading names in contemporary performance and dance, including six years as a member of the world-renowned Trisha Brown Dance Company. For more information, please visit his sites: www.evolutionaryeros.com & www.evolutionaryyoga.com.

Marc has always loved adventuring and exploring the natural world. He has been guiding a wide variety of wilderness trips for most of his adult life. His favorite wilderness experiences have been river trips which he has pursued throughout the world. After graduate school, he ran the Austin Nature Center outings program for eight years. Presently, Marc spends much of his time designing and building outdoor challenge courses, training people how to use then, and facilitating groups in trust and team building programs. He is a native Texan and now lives in San Francisco.

Mark Little has been leading or participating in group trips to Asia since 1984 when he spent a year traveling around the world. He has traveled extensively in Asia, including Japan, Tibet, China, Bali, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Mark is a sculptor and architectural designer. He designed the buildings/campus for the Upaya Zen Center. Part of Mark's love for Asia stems from his own spiritual explorations of indigenous peoples and shamanism. He has studied with Alicia L. Gates through the Foundation for Shamanic Studies created by Michael Harner. Currently, he is interested in understanding how animism/ shamanism has become part of the Theravada Buddhist tradition in Southeast Asian countries. Mark lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his life partner, David Gardner.

Martin is an anthropologist and founder of the awesome website "Places of Peace and Power". This web site features Martin's extensive research, photographs and writings about sacred sites. He has spent 20 years as a wandering pilgrim to study and artistically photograph 1000 sacred sites in 80 countries. This comprehensive and award winning site also features comprehensive bibliographies, a rich collection of maps showing global pilgrimage places, a stunning collection of relevant links, and details regarding Martin's slide show presentations around the world.  Martin's new book "Sacred Earth",  is the culmination of his 20 years of travel and features nearly 300 beautiful color photographs with concise descriptions. To learn more about Martin and his work, or to purchase "Sacred Earth", visit www.sacredsites.com.

Paul Tohlakai is a gifted story teller and a sensitive cultural historian, allowing the teachings of The People (Dine') to find their way into your heart and life in a "roundabout" way. The Native Way is not to preach but to guide, to provide an opportunity to open your heart in your own way, at your own time. Paul's singing, his ceremony, and his connection to nature coax those who are with him to "awaken" to their own unique Earthwalk. His vision is one of a Sacred Hoop that harmoniously includes all people, no matter their ancestry, ethnicity, or cultural heritage. His efforts to preserve the ancient ways while not eschewing modern realities and technologies are admirable, and urgently needed.  To learn more about Paul and his work, visit www.gonovajotrails.com.

Always a trail blazer, Ray Whetstone is the founder of the longest running naked yoga class in the country.  He has been featured in local, national and international press for his naked yoga class, in addition to his ordination as an openly gay Elder in the Presbyterian Church and numerous medical mission trips.  Ray brings a unique blend of all of these areas of his life to the yoga mat.  Having studied many different styles of yoga with a diverse array of teachers, Ray has a creative approach to yoga sequencing. He infuses his classes with meditation, visualization and healing, taking any yoga class beyond the simple challenge of asanas/postures.  Ray sees his role not as a yoga teacher but as yoga guide: empowering his students to find their inner voices, inner teachers, and ultimately healing.

Ruben has worked with the healing techniques of the Andes for twenty years. He has extensively studied the mystical aspects of various sites, uncovering the true usage of many temples in the empire. Ruben is an external consultant to The National Institute of Culture in Cusco, Peru. His career as an archaeologist culminated with being named head of Archaeology at Machu Picchu, discovering 44 new sites surrounding this crystal city. Ruben is the founder of Kamaquen Healing Center nestled in the Sacred Valley of Peru.

Rudy is a medical doctor and psychiatrist who studied Tantra in India, led the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy for 12 years, and wrote the best-selling book Radical Healing. An acclaimed nutritionist and holistic physician, he brings to his work a breadth of knowledge, and his deeply-rooted but very accessible Tantric teachings are a rare bridge of East and West. A longtime faculty member with the Body Electric School, Rudy has taught dozens of Tantric gatherings and workshops for men and women over the past decade.

Steve Thomson is a writer, teacher and metaphysician, who lives in the Arizona high desert. His work includes consultations and one-on-one mentoring. Steve also leads retreats and delivers workshops on spiritual practices. These include expansion of the psychic senses, spiritual magic, meditation, the Tarot, Numerology, the Kabbala, and exploration of eastern mystical traditions and practices. Thomson has been a student of The Rosicrucian Order AMORC and the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda for over 20 years.

Wolf is a two spirited, third gender, walks between worlds student of life. He has studied extensively with keepers of traditions in the Amazon, Andes, Mexico, and across North America as well as learning the Oriental medicinal practice of Shiatsu from a Japanese Master. Combining the medicine ways of the ancients, along with intuition and spirit, Wolf has developed for 10 years his practice of "Transformational Body Therapy". He has also been given the privilege to lead the Pipe Ceremony and Sweat Lodge.