The Heart of Integral Life Spiritual Center

Integral Life Spiritual Center draws on a diverse array of gifted individuals to contribute unique perspectives and energy to its mission.  Each of the Fellows is a leading spiritual teacher. The teachers who have been invited to be Fellows come from different spiritual traditions, representing much of the spectrum of authentic spiritual expression available to the leading edge of culture today.  Each teacher has made or is making a significant leading-edge contribution to the evolution of human understanding of Spirit at this moment in time.

ILSC also includes Members, who are leading scholars, teachers, creative visionaries, civic and business leaders, social entrepreneurs and activists for whom spirituality is recognized as an essential inspiration to their work.

Fellows and Members will participate in recorded dialogues and together will attempt to understand, embody and chart the unfolding of Spirit in our culture in the 21st century.  All Fellows and Members differ distinctly in their perspectives, paths, practices, and philosophies. There is no attempt at Integral Life Spiritual Center to blur the distinctions. Instead, they are honored, and held in mutual respect and reverence.  At the same time, all of the Fellows and Members share some common insights into our contemporary reality.  They are committed to engaging  in great conversations at the forefront of spirituality and religion in order to enlighten, enliven and entertain us to new possibilities for humankind.

Fellows

David Abram is a cultural ecologist, philosopher and performance artist and is the founder of the Alliance for Wild Ethics.  He is the author of the Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-than-Human World.  He is an acclaimed lecturere, storyteller and magician who has worked with many indigenous people from Indonesia, Nepal and the Americas.
 

Arjuna Ardagh is an awakening coach, founder of the Alchemy Institute and the Living Essence Foundation and author of seven books and many audio and video products, including the 2005 bestseller The Translucent Revolution.

Dr. Michael Beckwith is the Founder and Spiritual Director of Agape International Spiritual Center, a trans-denominational movement and community of 9,000 local members in California, and 1,000,000 friends worldwide. He is also a writer and the originator of the Life Visioning Process, which he teaches throughout the country along with meditation, scientific prayer, and the spiritual benefits of selfless service.  More...
 

Linda Groves-Bonder, along with husband Saniel, is a teacher of the "WholeHEART Way," as well as a core transmission-lineage holder and Senior Teacher of "Waking Down in Mutuality." She is also a professional jazz and cabaret singer and songwriter. More...

Saniel Bonder has helped people fulfill their quests for a spiritual enlightenment they can naturally integrate with everyday human activity and relationships—and with their deeper life-purposes. He is the founder of the “Waking Down in Mutuality” teachings and, with his wife Linda, is co-creator of the "WholeHEART Way." More...
 

 Dr. Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. is a pioneer in integrative medicine and a world-renowned expert in the mind/body connection. She has been a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and is a best-selling author. Her work has been foundational in an international health-care revolution that recognizes the role of meaning and spirituality as an integral part of health and healing.
 

 Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault is an Episcopal priest, author of five books, and internationally known retreat leader. She is passionately committed to the recovery of the Christian contemplative path, is the principal teacher for the Contemplative Society, and has worked closely with Father Thomas Keating as a teacher of Centering Prayer.

 Dr. Gabriel Cousens is an author and one of the world's foremost authorities on living food nutrition, holistic lifestyle and complementary medicine. He is Founder/director of the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona, and the Culture of Life online community.
 

 Lama Surya Das is one of the foremost Western Buddhist meditation teachers and scholars, one of the main interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, and a leading spokesperson for the emerging American Buddhism. He is a bestselling author, poet and chantmaster and a sought after speaker and workshop leader. More...

 Rabbi Avram Davis, Ph.D. is the founder of Chochmat HaLev, Center of Jewish Spirituality, an active congregation serving over 250 households in the San Francisco, East Bay area. He has written books on Jewish mysticism and meditation. 

Sofia Diaz is a hatha yoga master, a lineage holder in the Balasaraswati lineage of the South Indian temple arts and a recipient of numerous meditation empowerments in both Tibetan and Shakta Tantric traditions. She turns the body wisdom practices she is empowered in into accessible teachings and practices for the modern western mind. Being an inspired woman practitioner, the rigors of her practice have resulted in great clarity and expertise in the domain of Feminine Spiritual practice, which she has been generously teaching for 27 years. She is also a core founder and faculty of iEvolve: Global Practice Community. More...
 

Michael Dowd is the author of Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World, which has been endorsed by 5 Nobel laureates and other science luminaries, and by religious leaders across the spectrum. He and his wife, Connie Barlow, travel the continent as America's evolutionary evangelists, and have spoken to more than a thousand groups over the past 7 years. More...

Gordon Dveirin, Ed.D. is a consultant in organization and human development. His public and private sector clients have ranged from the Smithsonian Institution to the Women’s Vision Foundation.  In 2004, he co-founded the Claritas Institute for Interspiritual Inquiry and its Interspiritual Mentoring Program. He is coauthor (with his wife, Joan Borysenko) of Saying Yes to Change and Your Soul’s Compass.

 John Friend is one of the most charismatic and highly respected hatha yoga teachers in the world. Blending an uplifting Tantric yoga philosophy with an entertaining sense of humor and a profound knowledge of biomechanics, John's teaching style guides each student to live every moment fully from the heart. He is the founder of Anusara Yoga is one of the most popular and fastest growing schools of yoga in North America.
 

 Dr. Marc Gafni is a gentle and provocative spiritual artist and teacher, public intellectual, bestselling author, television personality, social activist and lover of people. He is a rabbi and teacher of Kabbalah and Evolutionary Spirituality and received his doctorate from Oxford University. He is also a core founder and faculty of iEvolve: Global Practice Community. More...
 

 Gangagi is an American author, speaker, and spiritual teacher in the lineage of Poonjaji and his teacher, Sri Ramana Maharshi. She shares her direct experience of the essential message she received and offers it to all who want to discover true and lasting fulfillment. She powerfully articulates how it is really possible to discover the truth of who you are and to be true to that discovery.
 

Sharon Gannon and David Life created Jivamukti Yoga, which is a highly regarded worldwide method, with a path to enlightenment emphasizing compassion for all beings. They are pioneers in teaching yoga as spiritual activism/activation. She is also a musician, producer, dancer, poet, animal rights activist and author of several books on yoga, veganism and animal rights.
 

Paul Goodberg is an evolutionary Shaman, counselor and healer. He has received the direct transmission of the Inca prophetic tradition from Don Manuel and also received transmission of the practical esoteric tradition of Kabbalah. He has, until this point, declined to be interviewed or appear in the public sphere. His willingness to emerge at this time, in this context, is directly related to the importance he attaches to the coming together of energetic forces at this time, which are committed to the healing of the planet.
 

 Diane Musho Hamilton Sensei is a gifted mediator, facilitator and teacher of Zen and Integral Spirituality. She is the dharma successor of Genpo Roshi, and is his first successor in the Big Mind lineage. She has worked with Ken Wilber and Integral Institute since 2004 and has been the lead trainer on Integral Life Practice. She is also a core founder and faculty of iEvolve: Global Practice Community. More...
 

Dr. Jean Houston is a scholar, philosopher and researcher in human capacities and one of the principal founders of the Human Potential Movement. A powerful and dynamic speaker, she holds conferences and seminars with social leaders, educational institutions and business organizations worldwide. She is a prolific writer and author of 26 books, founded the Foundation for Mind Research and the Mystery School, served as an advisor to UNICEF, and currently serves as a consultant with the UNDP.
 

Eli Jaxon-Bear is an author and spiritual teacher who has studied in many traditions, including Zen and finally in the lineage of Poonjaji. After he met his final teacher, he was sent back into the world to share his unique psychological insights into the nature of egoic suffering.  He currently teaches through the Leela Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to world peace and freedom through universal self-realization.
 

Jerry Jud is a wise spiritual elder and the founding father of Shalom Mountain Retreat Center, founded in 1969, as a process for exploring the transformative power of loving community. In 1976, Shalom Mountain Retreat and Study Center was established in the Catskill Mountains 100 miles northwest of New York City.
 

 Sally Kempton, formerly known as Swami Durgananda, is recognized as a powerful meditation guide and as a spiritual teacher who integrates yogic philosophy with daily life. She is the author of The Heart of Meditation, and writes the popular Wisdom column for Yoga Journal. A teacher in the tantric tradition of Kashmir Shaivism Sally conducts conducts workshops and retreats on applied philosophy and meditation. She is also a core founder and faculty of iEvolve: Global Practice Community. More...
 

 John Kesler is an attorney, consultant, lecturer and facilitator.  He is also a high priest of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) and has held many offices in the lay ministry of that church.  He has also been certified by Genpo Roshi as a Big Mind facilitator. More...

 Jim Marion is the founder and Director of the Institute for Spiritual Awareness in Washington, D.C. He is also the author of Putting on the Mind of Christ: The Inner Work of Christian Spirituality. He studied for the Catholic priesthood, and later undertook divinity studies at the interdenominational Hartford Seminary. More...
 

Carolyn Myss is dedicated to creating educational programs in the fields of human consciousness, spirituality, mysticism, health, energy medicine, and the science of medical intuition. In 2003, she established CMED, her own educational institute. Caroline teaches internationally and is writer and bestselling author. More...
 

Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche IX is President and Spiritual Director of Kagyu E-Vam Buddhist Institute in Melbourne, Australia and E-Vam Institute in Upstate New York. He is recognized as the ninth incarnation of the Traleg line by His Holiness the XVI Gyalwa Karmapa and was accorded the title Kyabgon, a significant distinction retained by only a few lineage holders of the Tibetan tradition. He regularly gives lectures and seminars worldwide on Buddhism and related topics. More...

Brother David Steindl-Rast is a Benedictine Monk, author and speaker who has lectured on five continents. He received Vatican approval to participate in Buddhist-Christian dialogue, and has studied with prominent Zen teachers. He is a recipient of the Martin Buber award, and presently, serves a worldwide Network for Grateful Living, through Gratefulness.org. More...
 

Patrick Sweeney is a lineage holder in the Karma Kagyü lineage, given by the Vidyadhara, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He is also the head of Satdharma—meaning "genuine dharma"—a Buddhist organization created with the purpose of propagating Chögyam Trungpa's unique transmission. More...
 

Frances Vaughan, Ph.D., is a psychologist and a trustee of the Fetzer Institute. She is the author and co-editor of books and articles on psychology and spiritual growth. A pioneer in transpersonal psychology, she has studied several spiritual traditions and has served as President of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology and the Association for Humanistic Psychology and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. More...
 

Vidyuddeva is a Zen priest in the Soto lineage who has facilitated meditation workshops in prisons and alternative learning centers for violent youth. He has offered various classes and workshops on integral transformative practice, and has been a consultant and guest speaker at various high schools, colleges, and religious organizations throughout the Midwest. More...
 

B. Alan Wallace, Ph.D. is a dynamic lecturer, progressive scholar, and one of the most prolific writers and translators of Tibetan Buddhism in the West. He was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk by H. H. the Dalai Lama.  Currently, he is the president and founder of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies, and teaches Buddhist philosophy and meditation throughout Europe and North America.
 

Neale Donald Walsch is a modern day spiritual messenger whose words continue to touch the world in profound ways. He is best known for his With God series of books which have been translated into 34 languages, and have all been listed on the New York Times Bestseller List.  Conversations with God-Book 1 occupied that list for over two and half years. He has most recently published the book When Everything Changes, Change Everything. More...

Roger Walsh, M.D., Ph.D., has spent nearly a quarter century researching and practicing in the world’s great spiritual traditions. His critically acclaimed book, Essential Spirituality, is a summary of that wisdom, outlining the seven spiritual practices common to the world's major religions. He is currently a professor of psychiatry, philosophy, and anthropology at the University of California at Irvine. More...
 

Ken Wilber is the most widely translated academic writer in America, with 25 books, translated into some 30 foreign languages, including the recent Integral Spirituality.  He is the first philosopher-psychologist to have his Collected Works published while still alive, and is an internationally acknowledged leader and the preeminent scholar of the Integral stage of human development. He is the founder of Integral Institute, Inc. and the co-founder of Integral Life, Inc. More...
 

Rabbi Gershon Winkler is a charismatic teacher who has devoted much of the past two decades to writing and teaching about the lesser-promulgated wisdoms of Judaism and to Hebraic scriptural interpretation. He is the founder of the Walking Stick Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the recovery and preservation of indigenous Hebrew spirituality. He is also an author of fourteen books on Jewish law, lore, mysticism and theology.

Members

Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson is the founder of High Road for Human Rights Advocacy Project and served as Mayor of Salt Lake City, UT from 2000-2008, hosting the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Before serving as Mayor, he was listed in Best Lawyers in America, served as Chair of the Utah State Bar Litigation Section, and was Editor-in Chief of Voir Dire legal journal.  He has received numerous awards for his human rights, government reform and environmental advocacy efforts. 
 

Deborah Boyar, Ph.D. is a senior teacher of Waking Down in Mutuality and a Somatic Experiencing practitioner. Her expertise lies in helping people transform the energy of trauma to catalyze awakened integration. She co-founded a school to train Waking Down mentors and teachers, assists at trauma healing courses, and established a trauma resolution clinic at COTS, an Integral homeless shelter in Petaluma, California. Through Trauma Vidya, Deborah volunteers in India with refugees, orphans, and tsunami survivors.

Krishna Das has brought devotional yogic chanting with a Western influence to the world for the last several decades. Sharing his heart through music and chanting is the basis of his spiritual work; his way of serving the Divine within himself and others. He has recorded 13 albums to date, and travels the globe performing kirtan, concerts, and chanting retreats. He has taught with Ram Dass and sung for many saints and yogis throughout the world.
 

Lin Dunbrack, assemblage artist and hospice advocate is the founder of The Tapestry Initiative, a teaching and learning organization working to address the issues that face us all at the end of life through trans-traditional and multi perspective lenses. Through a focused inquiry into the ways that death and the process of dying impacts the mind, body and spirit of individuals and culture, The Tapestry Initiative seeks to identify and work with the transformational opportunities inherent in this universal transition.

Sean Esbjorn-Hargens, Ph.D. is the chair of the Integral Theory Department at John F. Kennedy University, the Executive Editor of the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice and he is co-author of the newly released Integral Ecology. He is currently the most published author applying the Integral model to a variety of topics including education, sustainable development, ecology, intersubjectivity, science and religion, consciousness studies, and play. More...
 

Steve Farrell has been the Worldwide Coordinating Director for Humanity's Team since early 2004.  Dubbed “a civil rights movement for the soul,” HT is a non-profit organization and spiritual movement with over 20,000 members from more than 90 countries on six continents. Before his work in the non-profit sector, Steve was the Co-founder and Chairman of two Silicon Valley based technology companies.
 

Julie Flaherty, J.D., is a business executive and attorney who has served Fortune 50 companies, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits.  She is dedicated to bridging the worlds of business and spirituality.  Also an executive coach, her focus is on bringing an integral perspective to the workplace.
 

John Forman, OblSB, is a postulant for Holy Orders preparing for ordination to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion. He is also a Benedictine oblate of Mt. Angel Abbey and a Eucharistic minister. John has served as an advisor or consultant to numerous religious communities and organizations as well as to individual ordained, professed, and lay men and women. John is also a contributor to Integral Christian Ministry studies and the Managing Partner of Integral Development Associates. More...
 

Craig Hamilton is an author and teacher working to articulate the vital relationship between individual transformation and collective evolution. For 13 years, he lived and worked under the guidance of EnlightenNext founder and spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen, and served as the Senior Editor of What is Enlightenment? magazine. 

Gail Hochachka is the founder of Drishti–Centre for Integral Action, a non-profit organization that researches, consults, teaches, and conducts projects in community and international development in Central and South America, Africa and Asia.  She is a Journal of Integral Theory and Practice author and teaches as part of the Integral Theory faculty at JFK University. More...
 

Emine Kiray, Ph.D. is an economist, historian and independent scholar. Her work concentrates on applying Integral Theory to societal holons and social change. She is a member of Integral Institute President's Circle and an active member of Integral Without Borders.
 
Tripp Lanier is host of The New Man Podcast, a professional men’s coach, an entrepreneur and artist. As a host, he has interviewed such notable personalities as Ken Wilber, Marcus Buckingham, Bill Harris and Steve Pavlina. Tripp was also featured in EnlightenNext’s issue dedicated to “Constructing the New Man.” For twelve years, Tripp created TV shows and ads for the likes of ESPN and scores of political campaigns through his media production company.

Frederic Luskin, Ph.D. serves as the Director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects, an ongoing series of workshops and research projects that investigate the effectiveness of his forgiveness methods on a variety of populations. He currently serves as a Senior Consultant in Health Promotion at Stanford University and is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology.
 

Derik Mills is the founder of yogaglo.com, the first website to offer the experience of being in live yoga classes at home or on the go.  He created Yogaglo based on the principle that despite all of our different perspectives, the yoga process is something we all have in common. He is focused on using the internet as a vehicle to spread this message through integrative spiritual and wellness practices, academically robust lectures, community support, philanthropic service and inspiring interviews.
 

Terry Patten is a Certified Integral Coach and a co-author of the book Integral Life Practice. He has worked for many years with Ken Wilber and Integral Institute. He is committed to serving the emergence of Integral consciousness—by writing and educating, and by helping conscious individuals and organizations negotiate extraordinary transitions. More...

Robin Reinach, MFA is an Integral Community Organizer in New York City, a writer and a mom. Robin is currently enrolled in One Spirit Interfaith Seminary and halfway toward earning her ordination as an Interfaith Minister.

Tami Simon is the founder of Sounds True, a multi-media publisher dedicated to disseminating spiritual wisdom. Over their 22 year history, Sounds True has produced over 600 titles, been nominated twice for the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing companies, and is North America's leading publisher of spoken-word spiritual teachings.  More...

Robb Smith is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Integral Life, Inc. and Chief Executive Officer of Integral Institute, Inc.  More...