Adrianne Ross
Adrianne Ross is a retired family physician who has been involved in meditation and healing since 1976. She has been practicing Buddhist meditation since 1984 and began teaching in 1995. She is influenced by both Thai and Burmese streams of the Theravadan tradition, as well as Tibetan (Mahamudra and Dzogchen) practices. She teaches classes, weekend and residential retreats in Canada and the US. She has been involved in teaching and mentoring students in the Dedicated Practitioner and Advanced Practitioner Programs through Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. She co-founded BCIMS with the late Joanne Broatch over 20 years ago.
Ajahn Pavaro
Ajahn Pavaro is a Canadian-born bhikkhu who brings with him a wealth of experience and wisdom from both his academic and monastic journeys. Before entering monastic life, he was a university lecturer in Calgary, Alberta, teaching comparative religion—a field that deeply reflects his lifelong interest in understanding the spiritual paths of humanity. Venerable Pavaro began his monastic training in 2001 under the guidance of his teacher, Ajahn Sona, at Birken Forest Monastery in British Columbia. Over the years, his practice and training have taken him across the globe. He spent his seventh year as a bhikkhu with his preceptor, Luang…
Alfred DePew
A life-long spiritual seeker, Alfred DePew has explored a variety of wisdom traditions, including Christian mysticism, Sufism, and Jewish Renewal. He has a working knowledge of Benedictine spirituality, the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, and twelve-step recovery. The pandemic called him even more deeply into contemplative prayer as well as his ongoing writing, drawing, and painting practices. For him, spiritual accompaniment involves walking alongside fellow travellers, listening to their experience of prayer, meditation, and creative process in their ever-evolving relationship with the Divine in whatever forms it takes
Allannah Dow
Allannah has been playing the cello since she abandoned the idea of becoming a dancer at age 14. She emerged from classical training to play in the classical world and then at midlife found her voice accompanying singer song-writers, subsequently becoming a singer song-writer herself. She particularly enjoys playing chants!
Anushka Fernandopulle
Anushka Fernandopulle has trained for over 35 years in the Theravada Buddhist tradition in the U.S., India and Sri Lanka and teaches retreats and workshops around the globe. Her teaching is informed by nature, creative arts, political engagement and modern urban life. Anushka is a Core Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California and lives in San Francisco. She has also worked a leadership coach and organizational consultant influenced by a BA in anthropology/religion from Harvard and an MBA from Yale. For more info see www.anushkaf.org
Brad Shipley
Brad Shipley makes his home on Gabriola Island when he’s not rehearsing and performing with a diverse makeup of musical projects on Vancouver Island. Sometimes a sideman playing guitar, mandolin, banjo, or lap steel, and sometimes a music director. He enjoys performing jazz, bluegrass, the blues, classical, and musical theatre. Brad is currently the music director of the Gabriola Chamber Ensemble.
Brittany Murray
Brittany welcomes you warmly to Cha Dao Tea Ceremony, The Way of Tea. In this ceremony, we slow down together, settling into a quieter, more grounded place inside ourselves. This practice is held by ritual, seated on the floor in silent meditation. With the medicine of Tea as our guide, we embark on a journey as Brittany pours multiple rounds of tea. Brittany has been studying and practicing Cha Dao for the past four years, serving the community of Nanaimo for the past year. Her ceremonies are served with deep respect and reverence towards the plants that she works with.…
Carol Matthews
Carol has worked as a social worker, community worker, and Dean of Human Services and Community Education at Malaspina University-College (now Vancouver Island University). In 2008, Carol was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters Degree from Vancouver Island University (VIU). In 2012, she was awarded the Order of B.C.; in 2013, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. She is the author of four books of memoirs, including two books about the labyrinth and a collection of short stories. Carol is also the co-steward of the Godden Finger Labyrinth Museum at Bethlehem Centre
Carol Wilson
Carol first began practicing Vipassana or Insight meditation in 1971, with S.N. Goenka, in Bodh Gaya, India. Since then she has studied and practiced with a number of Theravada teachers, both Asian and Western. She has been particularly influenced by the teachings and practice styles of Sayadaw U Pandita, and in the past ten years, of Ashin U Tejaniya. In the 1980’s she spent a year in Thailand as a Buddhist nun, which she continues to appreciate as an immensely valuable and inspiring experience. Carol has been sharing vipassana and metta retreat teachings since 1986, both in the United States…
Catherine M. Kelly, M.Div.
Witnessing people fall in love with God in their own unique way energizes me. My passion is to catch people where they are most alive like a kingfisher of souls (Matthew 4:19). My ministry in Ignatian spiritual formation helps people identify that place within themselves where God has planted their deepest desires. I encourage people to invite God to animate their lives so their good and holy desires come to fruition and they flourish in fullness of life (John 10:10). – Catherine M. Kelly, M.Div., Retreat Director Catherine is the Director of Spiritual Formation, Retreats and Christian Life Community and…
Charles Kaplan
Charles has been passionate about music for 65 years! These days, he plans Jewish musical events and plays classical and flamenco guitar, solo and with two ensembles. He’s also a prayer leader, with or without an instrument in his hands, and his happiest moments are when co-leading with his beloved, Laura.
Colleen Tiltman
Colleen Tiltman is a graduate of the Pacific Jubilee Program for Spiritual Direction and has taught workshops on self-compassion and has provided spiritual accompaniment for bereavement as well as meeting people in all walks of life. She has worked with people in Victoria hospice and senses herself as a story catcher, someone who encourages listening deeply for the meaning and wisdom within their experience. She practices yoga and meditation in her own spiritual journey. Colleen is quiet, thoughtful and deeply experienced.
DaRa Williams
DaRa Williams has practiced Insight Meditation for more than 25 years. She completed the Spirit Rock/IMS/IRC Teacher Training, serves as a Spirit Rock Stewarding Teacher, and as an Associate Guiding Teacher at IMS. DaRa is a trainer and wellness coach and has been a clinician and administrator in the mental health field for over 25 years. She is a certified Focusing Oriented Therapist and a practitioner and trainer of Aboriginal Focusing Oriented Complex Trauma Therapy. “It is my belief that vipassana meditation and the dharma are ideal for transforming suffering, particularly the trauma of oppression and its many vicissitudes- where…
David Bodaly
David Bodaly is a Snuneymuxw Knowledge Keeper and Elder, photographer, harvester, tour guide, genealogist and weaver, exclusively making Coast Salish-style hats and teaching our strong spiritual connection to the cedar. He also offers programs for youth who access services through Katimavik as well as many schools and VIU.
David Hykes
David Hykes is a composer, singer, teacher of contemplative music and meditation, visual artist, and conference presenter. Born in Taos, New Mexico, in 1953, he grew up in the Pacific Northwest, then attended Antioch College and Columbia University (MFA Arts). He founded the Harmonic Presence Foundation in New York on Sept. 11, 1981, to explore resonant relationships between mind, music, and the medicine of healing harmonization, and to share the Harmonic Presence practices and teachings through retreats, seminars, and conferences. He has served as a Contemplative Faculty member of Mind and Life Europe and the Mind and Life Institute, co-founded…
Deborah van der Goes
Deborah has always known music as a way to connect with the Divine. An Anglican priest for 40+ years, Deborah has taught Taize chants in various parts of Canada. For the past thirteen years, Deborah has been one of the musical leaders for the Nanaimo Taize-style prayer services using both voice and instruments. Introduction: It will be my pleasure to invite you to experience the feel and sounds of this contemporary expression of Christian chant, which has its roots in both Eastern and Western ancient traditions.
Doug Smart
Doug’s life-long spiritual journey within the Christian tradition began as a teenager. He has engaged in a variety of spiritual and life practices since then. Significant experiences include facilitating a Centering Prayer group, supporting a Palestinian refugee family, and training in the Pacific Jubilee Soul Guiding program. His family life and career have been an important focus and now in retirement, he offers spiritual companionship. He likes the term “Holy Listening” – deeply listening to the person being accompanied and gently, sometimes deeply, probing where a person’s spiritual journey might be going.
Dr. Cheryl Fraser
Dr Cheryl Fraser has been studying Buddha-Dharma for 20 years and teaches in the Namgyal lineage tradition. Her root teachers are the Venerable Kyabje Namgyal Rinpoche and Lama Mark Webber. She also studied with Lho Ontul Rinpoche and Phillip Moffit, former Esquire magazine editor-in-chief and C.E.O., a Buddhist teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Centre. As a registered clinical psychologist in private practice who specialises in couples and a long-time practitioner in both the Vajrayana and the Theravada Vipassana traditions, Dr Cheryl draws extensively from Western science and psychology, skillfully applying even the more complex teachings of Buddha-Dharma and meditation to “real life.”…
Dr. Kristy Williams MD
Kristy is a teacher of mindful self-compassion family physician and parent who is continually humbled by the breadth of being human in these times. She is passionate about learning and sharing in community and finds MSC skills essential for her personal well being. She offers one on one care as a physician and has offered programs since 2018 to the public (specifically to those training and working in health care.) She has trained in trauma-sensitive mindfulness, embodied practice, attending to grief and socially engaged Buddhism and strives to integrate and embody these concepts into her teaching.
Dr. Mark Sherman
Dr. Mark Sherman is a parent, family physician and mindfulness meditation teacher who lives in Victoria, BC. Mark is a founder of the BC Association for Living Mindfully (BCALM) and has been instrumental in developing programs on mindfulness-based stress management, mindfulness in medicine, mindfulness in education, workplace wellness and mindful parenting. He has facilitated over 150 courses, workshops and retreats and is a popular speaker on mindfulness and wellness at conferences and workplaces. Mark is currently working on his first book on Mindfulness in Medicine.
Emily Gambling, Occupational Therapist
Emily Gambling is an Occupational Therapist, certified Forest Therapy Guide, and mindfulness facilitator. She is passionate about health promotion, quality of life, mental health and wellness, and providing holistic and evidence-based care. Emily practices mindfulness and forest bathing in her personal life and continues to experience the value of these practices on both a personal and professional level. She hopes to share these practices with the community, open the doors for others to experience the powerful effects of nature, and learn from others in the process. In her clinical practice, Emily takes a client-centred approach to care and integrates a…
Eva Grodt
Eva Grodt has been practising Tai Chi for 26 years and has been teaching Tai Chi for the past 17 years. She started her own Tai Chi group 11 years ago, Parksville Shores Tai Chi. It is now a registered non-profit organization with over 100 members. Yes, it is located in Parksville.
Gary Paterson
Gary Paterson has had a long association with Bethlehem Centre going back to 1990. He was ordained a minister in the United Church of Canada in 1977. A Progressive Christian theologically, he served his early years in a variety of congregations, including a small country church; a couple of city churches, small and big; and as a member of the BC Provincial Conference Staff, where he had a focus on Youth and Young Adult ministries; then at First United Church in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, before becoming the Lead Minister at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, the big “cathedral-esque” downtown church in Vancouver.…
Gen Kelsang Zopa
Gen Kelsang Zopa is the Resident Teacher at Kadampa Meditation Centre Victoria (Bodhichitta Buddhist Centre). He is a Canadian Buddhist monk who has been presenting the profound and practical teachings of the Buddhist path for over 25 years. He teaches introductory classes, Foundation Program, Teacher Training Program and conducts retreats on Vancouver Island. Renowned for the clarity and depth of his teachings, his warmth and practicality bring to life the ancient art of meditation.
Glenn Inglis
Glenn Inglis is an ordained clergy with the Presbyterian Church in Canada. He is officially ‘retired’ but is currently an Associate Pastor with Living Faith Lutheran Church in Sechelt. He provides spiritual direction to a number of individuals and maintains accountability through a circle with 9 other active directors in BC. who meet monthly. Glenn has served pastorates in BC and as well, with his wife, Linda, served over 16 years in Malawi as a Pastor, Human Rights Coordinator and Director of the Church’s Development Programme, focusing on AIDS Orphans, sustainable agriculture, maternal health care and ecumenical cooperation. Glenn has…
Graham Villette
Graham is an active member of the music community as both a freelance musician and bandleader and has performed with some of the best musicians around including Cory Weeds, Joe Magnarelli, Akiko Tsuruga, Tony Genge, Ryan Oliver, John Lee, Rick Kilburn, Ashley Wey, and Kinga Hemming. He has been lucky enough to work in local bands like the NMA Big Band, under the direction of Bryan Stovell, the NOLA Nighthawks, under the direction of Andrew Homzy, and prevalently the John Lee Trio.
Greg Scharf
Greg has practiced with both Asian and Western teachers in the Theravada tradition since 1992, including training as a monk in Burma at Panditarama and Chanmyay Yeiktha Meditation Centers. Greg has been teaching residential retreats in the USA and abroad since 2007, including the annual 3-month retreat at the Insight Meditation Society where he serves as a guiding teacher. His teaching emphasizes the natural unfolding of love and wisdom through the cultivation of mindful awareness.
Hans Verhoeven
Hans Verhoeven has worked with PJ Perry, Don Thompson, Phil Dwyer, Brad Turner, Brandi Disterheft, Dave Turner, Ross Taggart, Oliver Gannon, Neil Swainson, and a great many other luminaries of the Canadian and international music scene. Hans holds a BMus in jazz performance from McGill University and an MMus in classical performance from UVic. His current projects include The Deadly Nightshades, a funk/neo-soul/R’n’B/fusionesque/groove band, and Quartet! featuring Andrew Janusson, Nick Peck, and the great Mike Allen on saxophones.
Holly Carnegie Letcher
Holly Carnegie Letcher (BSc.OT), Veriditas Certified Labyrinth Facilitator. Holly is a retired Occupational Therapist with 30 years of experience in mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health and well-being. Her training in Neuroscience and trauma recovery supports safety and connection through co-regulation, alongside many tools that support nervous system health and build resilience. As the sole proprietor of Oceanside Pathways 2 Wellness, Holly offers holistic healing modalities such as Reiki, Emotional Freedom Technique © (EFT), Sound/frequency & movement, breath work, Chakra Balancing, Laughter Yoga and Labyrinth experiences to groups and individuals of all ages. The Labyrinth has been an integral part…
Jay Suttonbrown
Founder and Director Manipura Yoga College Senses of the Soul Facilitator Teacher, Trainer, Coach BA, B.Ed, ERYT-500, RPYT, YACEP Jay Suttonbrown has been a teacher of transformation for the last 25 years. Founder and Director of Manipura Yoga College, she uses her decades of Teaching, Training and Coaching to guide others to embrace contentment, connection and clarity. Her love of accessible Yoga and Meditation are evident to all who meet her. Jay’s mission is clear: offer people the tools they need for inner guidance so they step into personal empowerment and peace. Jay harnesses her decades of experience to guide others to recognize, and truly meet, their…
Jeanne Corrigal
Jeanne Corrigal is the guiding teacher for the Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community and a member of the True North Guiding Teacher Council. She is a graduate of the 2017–2021 IMS teacher training program. Her training is primarily in the Burmese lineage of Mahasi Sayadaw, with a deep appreciation for the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah and the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. She is a certified MBSR teacher and certified in Indigenous Focusing Oriented Trauma Therapy (IFOT), and has also trained with Mindful Schools and Somatic Experiencing. She teaches retreats across North America and has contributed to programs with…
Joanne Sales
Joanne Sales is a certified Dances of Universal Peace (DUP) dance leader and has been leading DUP gatherings on Vancouver Island almost every month since 2003, with her husband Richard providing live music as support. Joanne and Richard are also called upon to lead larger regional retreats in the Pacific Northwest. They are lifelong spiritual pilgrims, with in-person experience over many decades in both Western and Eastern mystical and religious traditions. Joanne is an award-winning columnist, and also the executive director of Broombusters Invasive Plant Society (www.broombusters.org), a successful non-profit environment group that she founded in 2006. Richard and Joanne…
John Capon
John Capon started his career as a Bass Trombonist in Vancouver, BC in 1960. He played many shows on CBC Radio and TV, most notably Jazz Radio Canada. He also played in the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. In 1967 Capon moved to Toronto and immediately joined the Canadian Opera and the National Ballet Orchestras. He also created the Toronto Gabrieli Brass and became a featured soloist with Phil Nimmons’ Jazz Big Band – Nimmons ‘n’ 9 + 6. (two Juno awards). In 1986, Capon moved with his wife artist Tawny Maclachlan, and their three children, Jesse, Aron, and Rachel to live…
Karen Laine
Over the course of her life, Karen Laine’s healing work and purpose-driven work have woven together into what she now thinks of as teaching deep nature connection, and healing our sense of separation from “other,” in all the ways we define it. Karen brings a rich background in healthcare, having worked as a nurse, paramedic, and a bodyworker specializing in craniosacral therapy. Her trauma-informed approach led to the development of her own modality: Nature Connected Bodywork. As a seasoned instructor, Karen teaches practical skills for cultivating personal resilience — including mindfulness, meditation, contemplative practices, and nature connection. She also teaches…
Kat Millar
Kat Millar is a singer and multi-instrumentalist, deeply inspired by the sights and sounds of nature. Her greatest desire is to create a gift of frequency that instigates connection, peace, and alignment with one’s divine path.
Ken Lister
Ken Lister is a professional jazz bassist and teacher for over 35 years, Ken Lister has played, recorded and toured with some of the top musicians in the jazz world, playing on two Juno Award-winning recordings; one with Hugh Fraser’s Quintet (Best Mainstream Jazz Album – 1997), and another with Phil Dwyer’s Orchestra (Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year – 2012). Having started his career in the Vancouver music scene in the 1980s, Ken now lives on Vancouver Island, teaching and performing with many great local musicians. He maintains a connection with the Vancouver scene, which often finds him playing…
Kosma Busheikin
Born in the Czech Republic, Kosma has performed at venues around the island such as Hermann’s jazz club, Frankie’s jazz club, the Port theatre, Tofino Jazz festival, Hornby Island festival and more. He has studied with Ken Lister, Lee Ellefson, Pat Coleman, John Lee, Hans Verhoeven, and Ben Henriques.
Kristina Baré
Kristina Baré is an insight meditation teacher, therapist, and Somatic Experiencing practitioner. She has trained primarily in the Burmese lineages of Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw and Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw. She enjoys supporting students in deepening samadhi and insight. Opening the door to an expansion of the heart and to liberating wisdom. In support of the Buddha’s teachings, Kristina also draws on knowledge from Western psychology and Somatic Experiencing. She invites a kind, patient, and embodied approach as a base for samadhi and insight meditation practices. Kristina lives in Victoria, BC where she offers mediation guidance, somatic experiencing support, and therapy…
Lama Mark Webber (Lama Yongdu Chokyi Gyaltsen)
Lama Mark Webber (Lama Yongdu Chokyi Gyaltsen) has been studying, meditating, and teaching Buddha-dharma for almost fifty years. For thirty years, his main root teacher was the great Ven. Dorje Namgyal Rinpoche who taught all three cycles of the Buddha’s teachings, including Abhidhamma, Vipassana in the lineage of Mahāsi Sayādaw, generation and completion stage practices of the Tantrayana and Mahamudra/Dzogchen of many lineages, especially of the Karma Kagyu and Sakya. Under the guidance and transmissions of the late Drikung Lho Ontul Rinpoche and requests of H.E. Lho Karma Ratna Rinpoche, Lama Webber has been teaching principally the richness of the…
Laura Shakun, PsyD
Laura Shakun, PsyD is a clinical psychologist with over 30 years of experience in clinics, hospitals, and private practice settings. She regularly incorporates Buddhist psychology, mindfulness, and compassion-based practices into her clinical work. Dr. Shakun is a trained teacher in the Mindful Self-Compassion course through the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. She is delighted to share these practices, offering their benefits to cultivate a sense of well-being, kindness, and steadiness in daily life.
Leah Hokanson
Leah is a lifelong adventurer of music, sound and listening—as a group facilitator, community choir leader, pianist, improviser, singer/songwriter and certified sound healing practitioner. She is co-founder (with Lynette Jackson) of Sound, Belonging & Wholeness, offering programs that explore vocal sounding and intentional listening as portals to Presence, healing and transformation. She also directs the Song Keepers Women’s Choir (Gabriola) and is Music Director at the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo. She’s worked with many esteemed vocal artists and sound healing pioneers, including Chloé Goodchild, Jill Purce, Rhiannon, and Karina Schelde. Leah holds a master’s degree in piano performance and…
Linda Moore
Linda experiences universal chanting and singing, mystical poetry and whirling, as a bridge to Oneness.
Lynette Jackson
Lynette has decades of experience as an adult educator, spiritual spelunker, and program “midwife”. Her facilitation of intercultural graduate-level leadership and capacity-building programs in Africa and the Middle East, as well as innovative collaborations with tribal councils, post-secondary institutions, federal and provincial governments, non-profit, personal and professional growth centres, and organizations as diverse as Apple, Unicef, and the World Bank, have afforded many opportunities to apply spiritual principles in innovative contexts. She devoted eleven years to residency in a Canadian spiritual centre, exploring both Eastern and Western maps of consciousness with leading-edge teachers. Along the way, she has earned an…
Lynn Haley
Lynn Haley brings a lifetime commitment to ministry across the country including: spiritual direction/ accompaniment, retreat work, religious education, leading worship and sharing end of life ministry. Alongside her calling as an educator and blessed by ten years as a member of an international religious community, Lynn is a Jesuit trained spiritual director and served on the Loyola house retreat staff accompanying individuals of all faiths and walks of life.Recognizing the need today to reach out to all segments of society, Lynn firmly believes that for personal and spiritual growth to occur, the body, heart and soul must be fully engaged…
Lynne Carroll
With decades of practice and study, Lynne weaves Kundalini Yoga into her healing work, spiritual path, and professional life. She has taught seasonal series and community classes across Nanaimo, offering grounded spaces where students experience deep transformation. Her teachings strengthen the nervous system, balance the emotional body, and reconnect you with your innate wisdom. As the founder of The Solace Centre and a registered massage therapist, Lynne brings a rich background in therapeutic and energetic work. Her training includes KRI Level Two Kundalini Yoga Teacher with special interest in Kundalini Yoga for women’s inner mastery. Lynne offers a steady, gentle…
Marcia Burton, RCC and Hakomi Trainer
Marcia Burton is a Senior Hakomi Trainer. She has been studying and practicing Hakomi since 1997, and is grateful to Ron Kurtz, its creator, for his support and kindness, and for believing in her. During the last several years of Ron’s life, Marcia worked closely with Ron as his student, and later as an assistant and trainer in his trainings. Marcia has a MA in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and has a private practice on Salt Spring Island. She lives and plays on the unceded lands of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Penelekut. Marcia…
Mary Ann Moore
Mary Ann Moore (she/her) is a poet, writer and writing mentor who lives on the traditional lands of the Snuneymuxw First Nation in Nanaimo. She has been leading writing circles since 1997. It has been said that circles with Mary Ann are places where unsuspecting poets are born. Her poetry, essays, and book reviews have appeared in numerous publications. Mary Ann’s full-length book of poetry is Fishing for Mermaids (Leaf Press) and her latest chapbooks of poetry are Mending (house of appleton) and Modern Words for Beauty (house of appleton). One of Mary Ann’s chapbooks, “The Risks We Take for Love,” was shortlisted in the…
Master Teresa Yeung
Master Teresa Yeung is a rare female generational Qi Gong master, as 99% are men, and has been teaching Qi Gong for 29 years. She is a three-time #1 International Bestselling Award-Winning Author, speaker, and trainer, as well as the founder of Pureland International Qi Gong, a Canadian registered private Qi Gong institution. In 2023, humbly she presented with her daughter, Jacqueline, at the Science of Tai Chi and Qi Gong as a Whole Person Health , a landmark conference organized by Osher Center for Integrative Medicine – jointly based with the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 2023. Their…
Maureen A. Wild, SC
Maureen Wild, a Sister of Charity (of Halifax), is deeply influenced by the teachings and wisdom of Thomas Berry and made her final vows (’90) in a forest setting. Her Master of Education focused on the epic story of our evolving universe and earth community and how this story informs and transforms humanity’s way of seeing and relating to the whole. Joanna Macy was another of Maureen’s formative teachers while both Hildegard and Teilhard have inspired her for a long time. Maureen’s spiritual ecology programs and retreats have developed for over 30 years and shared widely throughout Canada, the US,…
Mikeoula
As a self-taught musician, Mikeoula has been a healing sound practitioner for over thirty years. A strong believer in the healing power of sacred sound, she uses crystal singing bowls, keyboards, koshis, tongue drums, guitar, and voice in her practice. Mikeoula has shared music and sacred sound in a wide range of venues, from pre-schools to high schools, hospital rooms to conference rooms and outdoor labyrinths. She currently offers monthly Crystalline Sound Baths in Nanaimo for Hospice clients and the public. Over the years, Mikeoula has produced multiple albums of divinely inspired, channeled instrumental music and continues to offer private…
Murray Groom
The Reverend Doctor Murray Groom is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada. Retired from parish ministry, he now exercises his vocation as a spiritual director/soul guide. He regularly conducts extended retreats into Silence at Bethlehem Centre in Nanaimo and at Naramata Centre in the Okanagan Valley. Since 2025, Murray has been in service as Bethlehem Centre’s Board Chair. His prevailing interests include the role of the guide on pilgrimage, the interface of the wild with the tame, the wisdom of global mythologies and the well-being of his family. When not travelling with his wife Susan, he lives…
Nan Goodship
Nan is an artist, spiritual director, retreat leader, and thorough Vancouver Islander. She is interested in the adaptations and evolutions we make in our lives to find joy, understand suffering, and ponder our own hearts and minds. She considers herself a contemplative and finds a daily connection to the natural world both a significant source of inspiration for art-making and a spiritual home. As far as academic training goes she holds a BA in Japanese and Asian studies from UBC, Waldorf teacher training, certification from the Pacific Jubilee Program for spiritual direction, and a Masters in interdisciplinary arts from Goddard…
Nick Peck
Nick is a British/Canadian Jazz pianist, B3 organist, composer, and arranger based in Vancouver, Canada. His output has included orchestral works, music for chamber ensembles, jazz orchestras, solo piano, and electronic media. He is known for his playing that draws from across the history of jazz, colored by experiences in contemporary classical, folk, and freely improvised music.
Nico Rhodes
Nico Rhodes is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and music director. His work includes conducting over 40 professional musicals accross Canada, arranging for symphony orchestra, big band, and choral ensembles, and composing hundreds of commissioned pieces. He is a strong believer that music is a necessity for stronger community and richer lives.
Nita Ng
Others have called her: an artist, author, teacher, mystic, neshama (soulful), free and intuitive. Nita sees herself as a soul companion to others, and a matchmaker between persons and the Divine. She is blessed to have had the pleasure of walking with people from all over the world, all walks of life, all different faiths – Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Taoist, inter-spiritual and free thinkers. And in her own spiritual journey, she has spent time in ashrams in India, monasteries in Europe and Asia whirled with Sufis in Istanbul and spent years in semi-to-full hermit living. Her other work experience…
Pandit Tejomaya
Tejomaya is a Pandit, or priest, in the 5,000-year-old lineage of spiritual yogis from the cave monasteries of the Himalayas. In 2017 he took the formal vows of a forest dweller or hermit known as Vanaprastha and lives a life of full-time spiritual practice on Lasqueti Island. Under the ever-watchful guidance of his Guru, Tejomaya enjoys a diverse array of devotional practices, including music, on the path to the Divine Reality.
Pearl Gervais
Pearl Gervais is an educator, writer, and speaker, who facilitates retreats and workshops that help us embrace the potential and challenge of being fully human. In her elucidation of the Enneagram typology of spirituality and human personality, Pearl co-operated as an associate in ministry for many years with the Bishop Remi De Roo, and is co-author of Biblical Characters and the Enneagram: Images of Transformation. As a student of Scripture and of spirituality, Pearl has found lifelong inspiration in the work of the Second Vatican Council, and a call to action for lay and ordained ministry development and leadership, in helping…
Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan
Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan, spiritual director and award-winning teacher, is Director of Inter-Religious Studies at Vancouver School of Theology. Her recent books include The Infinity Inside, a guide to spiritual practice, and Mouth of the Donkey: Re-imagining Biblical Animals, an exploration of Biblical ecology. Laura lives in Vancouver on Coast Salish territory with her husband Charles, who is a musician, chant leader, and retired child psychologist.
Rachel Dunstan Muller
Rachel Dunstan Muller is a multi-genre author and oral storyteller who has performed and shared her work at events and festivals on both coasts and both sides of the border. She is the author of four children’s novels (Orca Book Publishers) and over a hundred articles and stories for adults, as well as the producer of two podcasts: Hintertales: Stories from the Margins of History, and Sticks and Stones and Stories. Her most recent project, Once Upon a Fiddle, is a collaborative live music and spoken word production that celebrates the power of art and the resilience of the human…
Rachel Lewis
Rachel Lewis began practicing insight meditation in 2003, while completing her physics PhD at Yale. Since 2011, she has taught dharma and meditation classes and retreats in British Columbia and beyond. She completed the IMS/IRC 4-year teacher training in 2021, and is a guiding teacher of the British Columbia Insight Meditation Society. Her dharma teaching interests include the power of music, humour, and creativity to increase our capacity for learning, as well as the way that practice supports and is supported by social justice work. See her other events at http://rachelmeditates.ca/
Rafi Wright
Rafi Wright is a lover of music and song, a modest performer on the oud, guitar, and other stringed instruments, in various groupings and flavors—from Turkish folk hymns to Grateful Dead covers—and a bewildered traveler on the Sufi way. He lives with his forever sweetheart in Bellingham, Washington.
Ralph Frank
Ralph is a retired psychotherapist who has been practicing Mindful Meditation since 2003. He has studied with renowned Buddhist monks and nuns at monasteries in Northern Thailand, as well as with numerous international teachers in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. He began his practice of Tai Chi with a celebrated master, Raymond Chung, in 1972. Ralph has been teaching meditation to seniors since 2018. In his classes, Ralph brings the essential teaching of the Buddha into an easy-to-understand way for the Western mind, within an atmosphere of curiosity, humor, and creativity. As part of his classes, Ralph offers practical steps…
Raqib Brian Burke
Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere, they’re in each other all along…” — Rumi Words like these of Rumi inspired a wonderful Turkish Shaykh, Süleyman Dede to visit Vancouver, of all places, in 1976, to teach a small group of naive young seekers the iconic moving meditation of the Whirling Dervishes. Nothing has been the same since. The story has now been told, decades later, in this new publication. To paraphrase another of our Whirling teachers, Oruç Baba, “This is not dancing. It is therapy and healing for the world. We all need to check ourselves into these dervish hospitals “
Reverend Patricia Lewis Matthews
The Reverend Patricia Lewis Matthews is an Episcopal Priest living and working in Arkansas. Patricia has a deep love of interfaith dialogue and has integrated it into her 26 years of ministry in the Episcopal Church. She is currently serving as the executive director of The Interfaith Center of Arkansas. She believes that the peacemaking work of The Interfaith Center is an integral part of a functioning and harmonious society. Patricia’s affinity for poetry, discovered as an English major in college and as a explorer of used book stores in Chicago, has influenced her ability to analyze and experience traditionally…
Richard Sales
Richard Sales has been a performing musician since the ’60s and a music producer since the early 80s, producing award-winning music for Universal Music (US and Canada), NPR, PBS, ESPN, Nike, The Grateful Dead, Lightning Rod Records, a multitude of holy teachers including Shree Maa, Bhagavad Das, Saadi, Shiva Rudra Bala Yogi. Richard was invited to perform at the first Woodstock. He has recorded Miles Davis and many other noted musicians at his recording studio, GlassWing Studios. Richard and Joanne are lifelong spiritual pilgrims, with in-person experience over many decades of both Western and Eastern mystical and religious traditions.
Russell McNeil
Russell McNeil, a senior fitness instructor for the City of Nanaimo’s parks, recreation, and culture department, said neglecting some muscle groups can lead to several health problems later in life that affect mobility and overall health. He designs his classes for people who experience difficulty doing floor exercises and the class will be done seated in a chair. Yoga exercises have benefits on the body’s well-being and yoga positions stretch, relax, open the joints, release tensions, energize, and revitalize.
Sayadaw U Jagara
Sayadaw U Jagara has 43 years of experience as a Buddhist monk, living in Southeast Asia, dedicated to the practice, study, and teaching of Dhamma. He has trained and taught in the U Ba Khin (S.N. Goenka) and in the Pa Auk traditions of Myanmar as well as being familiar with other Buddhist approaches. With heartfelt gratitude, BCIMS acknowledges we are based in what is now known as Vancouver, BC, the beautiful, traditional, and unceded lands of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, who live on and have stewarded this land for thousands of years.
Scott Swanson
Scott’s passion is accompanying people through the transformative process of healing, moving toward wholeness, meaning-making, and living out their deep purpose. A minister of The United Church of Canada since 1998 and in direction himself since 1999, Scott began offering spiritual accompaniment in 2007. He completed the Pacific Jubilee Program in 2015 and has an Associate Certificate in Conflict Coaching from the Justice Institute of British Columbia. Scott’s approach draws on training and experience in the fields of coaching, educational supervision, pastoral care and spiritual direction, as well as his understanding of Myers-Briggs typologies (he is a certified MBTI practitioner) and the…
Seemi Ghazi
Seemi Bushra Ghazi is a lecturer in Classical Arabic at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She has a special interest in Islamic literature, culture, and spirituality, as well as Islam and Gender. She is working on a Feminist interpretation of the Qur’anic narrative of Bilqis (The Queen of Sheba). Seemi follows the path of Rumi and the practice of Sema’ (the turning ceremony of the Dervishes). Ms. Ghazi is also a student in the Rifa`i Ma`rufi, Chishti, and Rifai Sufi spiritual lineage and a performer of traditional Islamic arts, including recitation of the Qur’an and Hamd, or…
Shelly Graf
Shelly Graf (they/them) has been practicing in the Insight Meditation tradition since 2003. They are a graduate of Insight Meditation Society’s four-year teacher and teach retreats wherever they are invited. Shelly is currently rooted in Minneapolis, MN at Common Ground Meditation Center where they serve alongside Mark Nunberg as a Guiding Teacher. Shelly has an interest in integrating the teachings of the Buddha as deeply as possible into the fabric of our lives and as such, they have a special interest in waking up to whiteness as part of a complete path of awakening. Whatever Shelly’s role may be, they…
Stephanie Curran
Stephanie Curran is an acupuncturist, clinic owner, parent, and a long-time dedicated practitioner of meditation. She is a certified instructor of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, has completed a variety of training in trauma-informed facilitation, and has a special interest in working with people who have been touched by grief and loss. Stephanie has been leading mindfulness programming since 2000 and loves the intimacy and depth of connection that comes from cultivating awareness, kindness, and compassion in community together. Click here to read more about Stephanie
Tanya Loretto
Tanya is a trustworthy companion of mature faith and though Tanya’s own spiritual practice is within the Christian Contemplative tradition, she journeys with people of all faith traditions as well as those with no religious affiliation. Tanya has personal and professional experience in the areas of grief, aging, neurological disability, mental illness, dementia, and addiction. Married with three adult children, Tanya loves line dancing, gardening, and hiking. She is an avid contemplative photographer. Tanya’s Education includes a Post Masters Certificate in Transforming Spirituality, (Spiritual Direction), from Seattle University, in 2017, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies, from St. Mark’s…
Tempel Smith
Tempel Smith teaches Mindfulness, Insight and Metta meditation with an emphasis on Buddhist psychology and mind-body awareness. He spent a year as a monk in Burma with Sayadaw U Pandita and Pa Auk Sayadaw. Tempel serves on the Spirit Rock Governing Teachers Council, organizes the Dedicated Practitioners Program (DPP), Concentration, and Month Long retreats for Spirit Rock, and teaches classes online for experienced students.
The Awakeneers
Awakeneers’ music centres around honest vocals sweetened with multi-part harmonies and supported by rich acoustic instrumentation. The nomadic band of multi-instrumentalist songwriters — most of whom are siblings — segues seamlessly from a foot-stomping fiddle tune to a hip-hop guide to mindfulness; from hilarious satire to heart-wrenching and conscience-raising eco-ballads; to soaring inspirational harmonies of love and hope. These seasoned minstrels weave a genre-bending blend of acoustic positivity that orbits elliptically around the idea of folk music. The official mission of the band is to embody light, love, and truth — for the benefit of all beings. Their songwriting shines…
The Rev. Mary Earle
Mary Earle is an Episcopal Priest, Author, Poet, Retreat Leader and Spiritual Director. Until her retirement, she taught classes in spirituality for the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. Mary has authored ten books; the subjects include the spirituality of living with illness, rule of life, Celtic Christian spirituality, the Desert Mothers, and Julian of Norwich. Her latest is a book of her poetry. Mary has offered presentations and retreats in a variety of ecumenical settings, including conferences of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Directors International, the International Thomas Merton Society, Oblate School of Theology and hospice organizations.…
Tina Jones
Tina Jones has found her true voice! Her nearly 30 year music journey, exploring classical and jazz to disco and JUNO-nominated kids’ music, has finally resulted in an earthy and expressive dive into the world of Canadian folk music. The result is a unique blend of jazz and folk, played on the banjo in the clawhammer style with the addition of some of Western Canada’s finest jazz musicians. Whether playing solo at house concerts and small intimate venues or with a full band at Folk Festivals and Jazz Festivals, audiences are taking notice. With two releases as a singer songwriter,…
Trevor Potter
Trevor Potter has been on a lifelong journey exploring the rich interplay between science, ecology, spirituality, and the numinous, healing relationships of the natural world. This path has led him to a deep calling for the ecological and cultural healing of our planet. He finds delight in the sensuous, living world and the ways our more-than-human kin offer us relationship, reflection, and healing. Trevor is experienced in leading retreats, guiding mindfulness, meditation, and contemplative practices, and facilitating both groups and individuals in the art of deep listening. His academic and professional background includes a BSc in Botany and a Master…
Tuere Sala
Tuere Sala is a Guiding Teacher at Seattle Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Retreat Center. She is a retired prosecuting attorney who has practiced Vipassana meditation for over 30 years. Tuere is committed to lay practice and inspired by bringing the Dharma to nontraditional places. She is a strong advocate for practitioners living with high stress, past trauma and difficulties sitting still. Tuere has been teaching since 2010 and has a long history of assisting others in establishing and maintaining a daily practice. See her upcoming events at https://www.tueresala.org/.
Victoria Pawlowski M.Ed., R.C.C.
Victoria Pawlowski is a Psychotherapist and Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher who has been practicing and teaching Mindful Self-Compassion at Bethlehem Centre since 2014. She is grateful for her co-teachers, mentors and all the participants who have shared this path of learning to turn towards our difficult experiences with the balm of self-compassion. Victoria is passionate about contributing to a more compassionate world through the development of personal skills and resources that can help us our include ourselves in our big arms of compassion for others.
“Voodoo” Dave McGrath
“Voodoo” Dave McGrath is well known in the drum circles and the performance community. Dave draws from the musical traditions of Africa, Cuba, and Latin America when sharing his passion for percussion. From the laid-back rhythms of Brazilian Samba to syncopated Afro-Cuban grooves or hard-driving West African Drum and Dance, Dave always seeks to find the place where music is life and life is music.