Crystal Wilkinson, author of The Birds of Opulence, Water Street, and Blackberries, Blackerries, is the winner of an Ernest J. Gaines Award. She was recently nominated for The John Dos Passos Award. Her work has appeared in numerous publications.

Cynthia Brix, PhD, is a founding director of Gender Equity and Reconciliation International, which has organized over 100 trainings for transformational healing between women and men on six continents. She is an ordained interfaith minister and coauthor of Divine Duality and Women Healing Women.

Cynthia Geyer, MD, is Medical Director at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts, and has been a thought leader in Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine and Food As Medicine core faculty member since 2001.

Drez transforms the vibe of any scene his sound is set upon. Rooted in underground L.A. hiphop, his cutting edge vision for truly universal music intelligently integrates elements of hiphop, world music, soul, funk, jazz, and reggae into his trademark sound and production.

Dabney Alix is the founder of Shades of Awakening, a speaker series and online peer support movement that provides a safe community space for discussion and story sharing on all topics related to spiritual emergency and extreme states.

Dacher Keltner is a professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center. His research focuses on the biological and evolutionary origins of compassion, awe, love, beauty, and humility, as well as power, social class, and inequality.

Dale Borglum, with Ram Dass and Stephen Levine, founded the conscious dying movement in the West. He created the Hanuman Foundation Dying Center in Santa Fe, and is the Executive Director of the Living/DyingProject. He has taught meditation since 1974.

Dan Clurman is a Feldenkrais Practitioner and personal coach who integrates somatic work with his coaching. He has led Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement classes for more than 10 years. His books include Floating Upstream and You’ve Got To Draw The Line Somewhere.

Dan Phelps has spent the past decade growing food, from organic vegetable farms to his own backyard garden. He educates and inspires others to connect to their food source and green their thumbs. Dan is the former Garden Supervisor at Esalen and currently resides in Lawrence, Kansas.

Dan Zigmond is a Zen priest, writer, and data scientist. He is a Guiding Teacher at Jikoji Zen Center, and has led teams at Apple, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Google. His most recent book is Buddha's Office: The Ancient Art of Waking Up While Working Well.

Dana Albany is an artist who has exhibited for the San Francisco Arts Commission, SOMAR Gallery, the de Young Museum of Art, San Francisco Airport, Exploratorium, and California Academy of Sciences. She has been awarded many grants and produced several large-scale sculptures for the Burning Man event.

Dana Sawyer is professor emeritus of religion and philosophy at the Maine College of Art, and author of critically acclaimed biographies of Aldous Huxley and Huston Smith. His areas of expertise are Hinduism, Buddhism, comparative mysticism, and the Perennial Philosophy.

Daniel Cordaro, PhD, directed the Universal Expression Project, the most extensive research program to date that decoded the nonverbal language of human emotion in 11 radically different cultures. Daniel now leads the Contentment Lab at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, a group dedicated to the science of sustainable wellness around the world.

Daniel Ellenberg, PhD, is founder/director of Strength with Heart men’s groups and workshops, co-founder of Relationships That Work, and a principle in the Rewire Leadership Institute. A leadership coach, organizational trainer, and psychotherapist, Daniel is co-author of Lovers for Life and is in private practice in the Bay Area.

Daniel Rechtschaffen, MFT,is a marriage and family therapist and author of The Way of Mindful Education and The Mindful Education Workbook. He is the founding director of Mindful Education, a mindfulness and social emotional learning platform for educators. He organizes the annual Mindfulness in Education Conference and Teacher Training at the Omega Institute.

Daniel Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, where he was on the faculty of the Center for Culture, Brain and Development and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center. His psychotherapy practice includes children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families.

Daniel Stewart, LMFT, ERYT 500, is an acclaimed yoga-meditation teacher, mind-body psychotherapist, kirtan leader, and co-owner of Rising Lotus Yoga in Los Angeles, California, where he leads innovative yoga and psychology trainings.

Daniela Urbassek brings her massage expertise to her global students and her acupuncture patients. “I am passionate about the powerful impact of somatic and holistic practices.” Her transformational approach balancing body, mind, and spirit is rooted in Esalen studies, Traditional Chinese medicine, Craniosacral therapy, Aromatherapy, Yoga, and Qi Gong.

Danielle Harel is the co-founder of the Somatica Institute® of Sex and Relationship Coaching and co-author of three books. Danielle offers her clients a unique, experiential and powerful process to transform their relationships, create deep and loving connections and live their lives passionately. Danielle has a PhD in Human Sexuality Studies and an MA in Clinical Social Work.

Danny Fluker is a meditation and yoga instructor, and the founder and Executive Director of Black Boys OM–an organization that provides education and support of wellness modality teachers and students within the black community. Danny teaches meditation and yoga at his nonprofit, in corporations, and at yoga studios across the United States and Caribbean.

Danusha Laméris has work published or forthcoming in The Sun, Best American Poetry, The New York Times, The American Poetry Review, and others. Her first book, The Moons of August, was the winner of the Autumn House Press poetry prize. She lives in Santa Cruz, CA.

Daphne Rose Kingma is the author of 12 best-selling books about love and relationships, including Coming Apart, The Future of Love, and The Ten Things to Do when Your Life Falls Apart. She has been a psychotherapist, six-time guest on Oprah, partner in a publishing house, studio painter, and poet.

Daphne Tse is an international recording artist and yoga teacher. She has toured globally merging her Bhakti yoga teachings with her signature SoulSongs music. She has released five albums and has been featured on music compilations in the US, Japan and China. 

Dara Marks, PhD, is the author of the best-selling book on writing, Inside Story: The Power of the Transformational Arc, and has been rated the top script analyst in Hollywood by Creative Screenwriting magazine. Her work helps writers engage more deeply in the creative writing process.

Daria Halprin, dancer, poet, teacher, and author, is among the leading pioneers in the field of movement/dance centered expressive arts education and therapy. With Anna Halprin she co-founded Tamalpa Institute and was instrumental in the development of the Life/Art Process, an innovative approach to dance as a healing approach. Her book, the Expressive Body in Life, Art & Therapy, describes the approach and practice.

Darin Mcfadyen (aka DJ "FreQ Nasty") is an internationally recognized electronic music composer and technology pioneer who has spent two decades training in yogic and Buddhist meditation, practice, and philosophy. His multi-sensory experiences harness the power of music for personal and collective transformation.

Darnell writes because writing somehow keeps the world from collapsing in on itself. As an author, poet, playwright, and screenwriter, Darnell approaches the page with an enormous amount of tenderness and audacity, teaching others to do the same.

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Darren Huckle, LAc, DAOM, has a private practice as an herbalist and acupuncturist in Santa Cruz, California. He teaches holistic health modalities including herbal medicine, nutrition, acupuncture, and qi gong at Five Branches University and UC Santa Cruz.

Dave Stringer is an innovative artist of the new kirtan movement. His sound marries the transcendent mysticism of traditional Indian instruments with the exuberant, groove-oriented sensibility of American gospel. An articulate and engaging public speaker, Stringer probes the dilemmas of science and spirit with a wry and unorthodox sense of humor.

David Allen, a graduate of UCLA School of Medicine, has 25 years of experience in anti-aging and preventative medicine, as well as in alternative treatment of acute and chronic diseases. He is board-certified in emergency medicine, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, and body-mind medicine.

David Crow, LAc, is an acupuncturist and herbalist with more than thirty years of experience. An author and lecturer in the field of natural medicine, David’s work is focused on the synthesis of botanical medicine, ecology, and spirituality.

David is the lead singer of the Ananda Rasa Kirtan band. His kirtan is rooted in traditional sanskrit chants sung to original Indian raga melodies and explores the ecstatic and mystical moods of Bhakti.

David Feinstein, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who has served on the Johns Hopkins Medical School faculty. A pioneer in developing innovative therapeutic approaches, his groundbreaking book, Personal Mythology, received the U.S.A. Book News Best Psychology/Mental Health Book Award of 2007.

David Hernandez is the author of four poetry collections and two Young Adult novels. His awards include an NEA Literature Fellowship in Poetry, the Kathryn A. Morton Prize, and two Pushcart Prizes. He teaches at CSU Long Beach.

David Kessler has spent decades as a grief expert and has received praise from Maria Shriver, Dr. Oz, and Mother Teresa. Now as a bereaved parent, he shares his journey of healing in his new book Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief.

David Lukoff, PhD,is professor of psychology at Sofia University in Palo Alto, California, licensed psychologist, author of 80 articles, and co-author of the DSM-4 and DSM-5 category Religious or Spiritual Problem. He has been actively involved with the mental health consumer movement since 1994.

David Newman is a chant artist, sacred singer-songwriter, author, and inspirational teacher. He founded the Stay Strong Project and Yoga On Main, and his work has been featured on NPR and in the Washington Post, Yoga Journal, and elsewhere.

David Presti, PhD, is a teaching professor of neurobiology and psychology at the University of California in Berkeley.

David Richo, PhD, MFT, is psychotherapist, author and workshop leader. He shares his time between Santa Barbara and San Francisco. Dave has taught at Esalen annually since 1994. He combines psychological and spiritual perspectives in his work, especially from Jung and Buddhism.

Davida Taurek, MS, LPCC has a diverse background in counseling psychology, the creative arts, and body-centered therapies. She is a psychotherapist and serves as associate faculty for the Master of Science Counseling Program at Prescott College, directing the Somatic Emphasis.

Dawson Church, PhD, is the award-winning author of The Genie in Your Genes. He founded the National Institute for Integrative Healthcare to study promising new healing techniques. He shares how to apply these new practices to health and athletic performance through EFT Universe.

Day Nguyen was a monastic disciple and attendant of Thich Nhat Hanh for 10 years. He continues his journey as a trauma integration facilitator and meditation teacher. Day is passionate about community resiliency, conscious dance, and impromptu tea circles.

Day Schildkret is an award-winning queer author, artist, ritualist, teacher and is internationally known for Morning Altars, which BuzzFeed calls, “a celebration of nature and life.” For nearly two decades, he has worked with individuals, communities, and organizations to help heal the culture through a meaningful and creative response to personal and collective change.

Dean Marson is a Senior Esalen® Massage instructor whose approach to bodywork embraces elements of movement, awareness practices and conscious connection. He is an experienced yoga teacher and meditator who inspires the rediscovery of the pleasure and potential of healing touch.

Dean Ornish is founder and president of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California. He is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and a leading expert on fighting illness with dietary and lifestyle changes.

Deb Norton is an author, story consultant and writing coach. Her book, Part Wild: A Writers Guide to Harnessing the Creative Power of Resistance, helps writers and artists overcome obstacles to finish their most important work.

Debashish Banerji is Haridas Chaudhuri Professor of Indian Philosophy and Culture at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Banerji leads workshops on the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and is the author of Seven Quartets of Becoming: A Transformational Yoga Psychology, based on the diaries of Sri Aurobindo.

Deborah Anne Medow, long-time Esalen workshop leader, yoga instructor, and bodywork practitioner, has spent more than fifty years studying, learning, practicing, and teaching various forms of massage, bodywork, yoga, meditation, movement, and awareness practices, drawing from Eastern and Western traditions.

Deborah Eden Tull, founder of Mindful Living Revolution, is a Zen meditation and mindfulness teacher, author, activist and sustainability educator. She bridges personal awakening with collective transformation. Her latest book is Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown.

Deborah Rose Longo has been an instructor of the Gurdjieff Movements for over 40 years, working with groups around the world. Her approach emphasizes the importance of balancing the Three Lines of Work (Work on oneself, Work in the group and Work for the Greater Good), not only in the movements class but also in life.

Debra Artura is a coach and mentor committed to supporting people ready to shed outdated strategies, heal trauma, befriend their feelings and free themselves from the past so they can live open and wholeheartedly in the present and have nourishing intimate relationships. 

Dee Dettmann Ahern, PT, BI-D, CST-D, received her Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy from the University of Iowa. As a manual physical therapist since 1978, she became interested in CranioSacral Therapy and has studied with Upledger Institute International since 1984. A practitioner of Visceral Manipulation since 1987, Dee became an instructor of that work in 1994, and teaches and speaks internationally for The Barral Institute.

Demetri Velisarius is the co-creator of Prana Danda Yoga and transmits an embodied ritual movement system called Meditation in FlowMotion. His teachings are heart-mind opening and drawn from a colorful life and an extraordinary lineage of Himalayan tantra and Dzogchen meditation masters.

Deva Munay, founder of Sacred Sound & Wonder, has over 25 years of experience in the field of health and wellness. Her passion for the power of sound has been inspired by pilgrimages to India, Central America, Peru, Egypt, Bali, Argentina, and love.

Devarshi Steven Hartman, ERYT, is the founder of the Pranotthan Yoga School and the former dean of the Kripalu School of Yoga. He is the author of two best-selling audio series, The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita and Satori – Simple Secrets to Inner Peace, produced by Nightingale-Conant.

Diane Domondon is a Reiki Master with a private practice in NYC, where she teaches classes and treats clients in Usui Shiki Ryoho, the Usui Method of Natural Healing.

Diane Greenberg, a senior instructor at Charles and Caroline Muir's Source School of Tantra, is a certified tantric educator with more than 15 years' experience. She leads women's empowerment groups and has been a professional bodyworker more than 20 years.