Justin Kelley grew up on a farm in rural Massachusetts. In 2005, after graduating from Tufts University and working a short stint in land conservation, he picked up and left for India — the fantastic land of yoga and meditation. He had high expectations before leaving, imagining levitating yogis in remote caves, but these were quickly replaced with something more profound: a way of life in which everyday activities were imbued with spirit; a world in which people embraced their religious and/or spiritual faith. This lead Justin to spend the next ten years living in India, Nepal, and southeast Asia, immersing himself in the cultures and studying Tibetan language, Buddhist philosophy, and various meditative practices. In 2015, he returned to the US and entered a doctoral program in Rice University’s Department of Religion with Dr. Anne C. Klein, professor of Religious Studies. Academia surprised him by providing applicable insights into the historical and philosophical developments within religion, which help him navigate his personal beliefs. His research interests include meditative and philosophical systems in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, phenomenology, and contemplative studies.

Throughout the years, he has taught courses on Buddhism and meditation in universities, high schools, dharma centers, and more. Since 2008, Justin and Sacred Path have designed  pilgrimages for organizations such as Tricycle Foundation, Tergar International, and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. These journeys incorporates his three loves—indigenous cultures, education, and personal transformation. Each program designed by Sacred Path is predicated on Justin’s approach to education: learning environments are most effective if they are inclusive of diverse learning styles, engaging on multiple registers, and immersive in orientation. Come find out what this means in action!

Myoshin Kelley attended her first meditation retreat in 1975 at the age of 20. Through the ensuing years she has received dharma instructions from several renowned Buddhist meditation masters in the Theravada, Zen, and Vajrayana traditions. She has practiced extensively with the Burmese meditation masters Chanmyay Sayadaw, Sayadaw U Pandita, and Sayadaw U Tejaniya. In the early 1990s Myoshin received meditation instruction from the Soto Zen master Hogen Yamahata. Her desire for long-term meditation practice has taken her to Burma on several occasions.

In 1994 she accompanied her husband, Edwin, to the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, MA, where she was trained as a meditation instructor by Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzburg. Since then she has been teaching meditation in a number of places throughout North America. In 2003, she was appointed the teacher in residence at the Forest Refuge, the long-term practice center at IMS.

Myoshin was introduced to Vajrayana teachings in 1993 and met Mingyur Rinpoche in 1998 when he first visited the US with his brother, Tsoknyi Rinpoche. Since then she has practiced with Mingyur Rinpoche in North America and Asia benefiting from his skillful, lucid instructions on the profound teachings of Mahamudra. She moved to Minneapolis in 2010 to help support Mingyur Rinpoche in his worldwide vision and leads programs internationally and locally.

Stephanie Wagner’s passion for holistic wellbeing started with an interest in meditation. This led her to study with some of the world’s most renowned teachers, including Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Sharon Salzberg, and Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche. Stephanie is inspired to bring the practice of meditation to as many people as possible, which is exemplified in her work as a facilitator within the Tergar Meditation Community and as a trainer with Healthy Minds Innovations, a non-profit started by acclaimed neuroscientist Richard Davidson. After several years of meditating, Stephanie’s interest expanded to the body. Specifically, she started to integrate awareness with the practices of mindful eating and movement, losing 80 pounds. Through this challenging exploration, she came to love physical activity! This has led her to study Himalayan yoga at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama’s Ashram and earn her certification in group fitness instruction.

Stephanie helps people engage in meaningful physical activity predicated on paying attention to the body. As an accredited health and well-being coach (NBC-HWC) and wellness educator with a master’s degree in Integrative Health and Well-Being Coaching, Stephanie helps people bring mindfulness into every aspect of their lives by cultivating awareness, resiliency and compassion for themselves and others. Stephanie’s years of practice in meditation, physical movement, mindful eating, and overall wellbeing make her the perfect person to guide you on this once-in-a-lifetime journey through Himalayan wellness.

Drawn first to the Himalayan region by an interest in Eastern mysticism, Adrian Smith has made Nepal and India his home for over 20 years. He has spent time studying as an apprentice stone carver, working as an English teacher, sitting in meditation retreats, and running transformational experiential education programs. Adrian loves to explore remote Himalayan valleys and villages, visit holy temples, and spend time in sacred places. He has spent much of his time in Asia sharing these places with students, having led numerous summer and semester programs through India, Nepal and Tibet. For all of the intrigue of the cultures and landscapes of the Himalayas, he is most grateful for having come into contact with Buddhist teachings and the universal values that emerge from finding the common ground between vastly different world views and cultures.

Mary Storm has a Ph.D. in Indian Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an M.A. in East Asian Studies, (Japanese Buddhist Art), from Stanford University, and a BA in Art History from the University of San Francisco. She also holds a law degree (J.D.).

Dr. Mary Storm has lived in France (she has a Grand Diplome from Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris), conducted research in Japan, and lived and worked in India for many years; she now lives in Sri Lanka with her husband. She has roamed the back roads of India from West Bengal to Rajasthan, and from Ladakh to Tamil Nadu, in search of archaeological adventure. When forced to explain she says that her work focuses on the archaeological side of art history or the art historical side of archaeology. She has completed a number of research projects at primary archaeological sites, mainly in South India, where she has made some modest, but significant discoveries in the field of archaeology. She has been the recipient of various grants including the Dickson Foundation Fellowship for Art History.

When not teaching, researching, or writing, she spends her time admiring her chickens and vegetable garden. Sometimes she gets the urge to paint, and is proud to report that her watercolour paintings are exhibited on refrigerator doors throughout the world. She has published numerous articles on Indian art history and is the author of Head and Heart: Valour and Self-Sacrifice in the art of India, Routledge, 2013.

Deepak Anand is native to the north-Indian state of Bihar and is a leading expert in classical Buddhist history and geography. He has coordinated numerous educational programs throughout the region, teaming up with organizations such as UNESCO, local and federal governments, and more. He also directs multiple organizations in the Rajgir/Nalanda area aimed at historic preservation of Buddhist heritage cites, as well as the betterment of living conditions for local populations.

Mingma Sherpa owns and operates Aasra Travel Company, based in Kathmandu, Nepal. With over a decade of experience interfacing with visitors to Nepal, Mingma is well versed in both native cultures of this region as well as international sensibilities. He specializes in trekking programs throughout the Himalayas, as well as cultural programs that explore the cultural and religious diversity of the Kathmandu Valley.

Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara serves as Abbot of the Village Zendo. She received priest ordination from Maezumi Roshi and Dharma Transmission and Inka from Bernie Tetsugen Glassman. Roshi Enkyo’s lineage comes through Maezumi Roshi whose teaching was uncommon, bringing together Soto priest training and study of the Rinzai koan system. Moreover, Roshi Glassman’s focus on social engagement and peacemaking underlies much of her vision of Zen practice.

Roshi is a Founding Teacher of the Zen Peacemaker Family, a spiritual and social action association. Roshi’s focus is on the expression of Zen through caring, service, and creative response. Her Five Expressions of Zen form the matrix of study at the Village Zendo: Meditation, Study, Communication, Action, and Caring.

Mingyur Rinpoche teaches throughout the world, with centers on five continents. His candid, often humorous accounts of his own personal difficulties have endeared him to thousands of students around the world. His best-selling book, The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into over twenty languages. Rinpoche’s most recent books are Turning Confusion into Clarity: A Guide to the Foundation Practices of Tibetan Buddhism, Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom, and an illustrated children’s book entitled Ziji: The Puppy that Learned to Meditate.

John Peacock is both an academic and a Buddhist practitioner of nearly forty years. Trained initially in the Tibetan Gelugpa tradition in India, he subsequently spent time in Sri Lanka studying Theravada. He lectured in Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol, is Associate Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre and teaches on the Master of Studies programme in MBCT (Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy) at Oxford University. John has been teaching meditation for more than twenty five years and is a Gaia House guiding teacher.