Catherine Anderson is the author of the book: the Creative Photographer”. She lives in Charlotte, NC, USA, where she owned a photography franchise business for ten years before starting her own studio where she teaches photography, mixed media, book-making, SoulCollage® and creativity workshops. Her website is is www.catherineandersonstudio.com.

Trish Bartley is a teacher and trainer with the Centre for Mindfulness, Research and Practice at Bangor University, UK. She has developed a Mindfulness-based program specifically for people with cancer. Trish has recently published a book Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Cancer: Gently Turning Towards.

Sally Bosch is a Reiki Master, author and poet. She conducts creative writing classes and has had many of her poems and stories published.

Enver Buckas is a horticulturist who is currently Senior Manager of the Agricultural Management Unit within the eThekwni Municipality. The AMU promotes appropriate and sustainable approaches to the way in which agriculture in eThekwini is planned and implemented by prioritising local production for local consumption, developing diverse agro-ecological farming systems and valuing traditional knowledge and culture.

Angela Buckland taught in the Fine Arts Department at Durban University of Technology, but is now a freelance photographer, artist and educator running her own private photography school, Photogarage. Her work was internationally recognised with the Prix Pictet and DaimlerChrysler Awards. Angela has held a number of solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally and has published three books: Zip Zip my Brain Harts, Light on a Hill and Quiet Place.

Tomas Campher obtained his qualification in Art Photography in 2002 after which he did art direction and photography for a variety of clients and art galleries, amongst which was a solo exhibition in Sandton in 2004 and photographic contributions to a number of publications. He taught art to juvenile prisoners which was shown at an International HIV/AIDS Day exhibition in 2005. Some of his photographs appear in The Cake the Buddha Ate.

Stephen Coan is a journalist on The Witness, Pietermaritzburg’s daily newspaper. He has been involved with the Buddhist Retreat Centre as a retreatant and teacher for over twenty years. The BRC provides the setting for his collection of poems, Chant of the Doves. He has also published two books arising from his research into the life and work of H. Rider Haggard. His haiku appear in The Cake the Buddha Ate.

Bob Commin is a poet, priest and storyteller. He has taught Religious Education and English at Bishops in Cape Town and Loretto School in Scotland. He runs workshops on story telling, poetry and creativity and has published a number of books, the most recent being Becoming Human and Meditations on the Way of the Cross.

Judy Farah has taught the Iyengar method of Yoga for 11 years. She attended a number of intensive teaching workshops at the Ramamani Institute in Puna, India, under the direct tutelage of the living exponent of this method, Guru Yogacharya BKS Iyengar and his daughter Geetaji.

Lisa Firer is an artist who considers facilitating biodanza and mindfulness amongst her most precious creative offerings. She has taught, together with Craig Henen, traditional MBSR (Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction) programs and offers mindfulness training to MBA’s and a variety of corporate businesses through the UCT Graduate School of Business.

Peter Fox has worked towards reconciliation and the restitution of the underprivileged and repressed, working with Desmond Tutu and Michael Cassidy. He was chairman of the S.A Council of Churches during the Apartheid years and is the Spiritual Counsellor at St. Luke’s Hospice where he trains volunteers in spiritual companionship tasks with the dying. Together with Sue Wood, he is the author of the book: Dying – a practical guide for the journey.

Dorian Haarhoff is a writer, story-teller and mentor. Passionate about developing innate creativity and imagination, he believes in the power of stories to spread loving-kindness, to grow the moment and bring healing. Dorian’s workshops are based on his text, The Writer’s Voice. He draws his inspiration from mythology, whole-brain theory, narrative therapy, Zen, creation spirituality, the new physics and eco - and Jungian psychology. He is a former professor of English (Namibia) and now facilitates regular workshops at the BRC and elsewhere.

Craig Henen offers mindfulness training sessions as part of his coaching practice and co-facilitates with Lisa Firer in a range of applications, including traditional MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) programs and the Executive Leadership Program at UCT Graduate School of Business.

Dai Heyne is a Clinical Psychologist with 14 years experience and a qualified Core Process Psychotherapist trained at the Karuna Institute in the U.K. He is passionate about exploring ways of living life fully from and through one’s body through awareness practices that include meditation, dance and silent movement.

Estelle Hudson is a narrative and family therapist. She conducts dream workshops for professionals, Masters Students and interested people. Her personal interests include feminist spirituality, drawing, painting and dream work.

Aryo Jacobson was a BRC staff member in the 1980’s where she conducted dance, yoga and movement retreats. She has been involved in yoga, meditation and health disciplines for more than 30 years. Aryo has danced since she could walk; her joy in movement is contagious. She holds a Nia Green Belt and assists Susan Sloan at her Nia centre in Johannesburg.. She also assists people birthing children – and themselves.

Daniel Jardim joined the BRC in April 2007 after living in the UK for 10 years, where he studied Alternative Medicine. He was the resident cook at the BRC where his inventive dishes got standing ovations. These have been written up in a best-selling recipe book, entitled The Cake the Buddha Ate (Jacana Media)

Beatrice Kidd is a writer, meditator and clinical Transactional Analyst who has been a student of Iyengar Yoga for three decades. Her passion is to inspire others (and herself!) to find optimal health and expanded, creative consciousness. She uses meditation, yoga and psychology to inhabit the neutral creative space between archaic insecurities, attachments and compulsions.

Howard Lipschitz avoided spinal surgery when he was introduced to Iyengar Yoga in Israel. He competed internationally in archery and practised karate and fencing for many years. He works as a massage therapist and teaches Yoga and Chi Kung at The Centre for Well-being in Durban. He brings aspects of all these disciplines to his yoga teaching and has developed his own unique style based on his personal experiences.

Jeremy Lister - James is a horticulturist who has been involved for many years in social, ethical and environmental standards in the agricultural sector, part of which is the provision of carbon footprint assessments. His broader philosophy includes Deep Ecology and teaching Tai Chi and Chi Kung.

Alex Lister - James initially studied the Yang Form of Tai Chi as a form of ‘moving meditation’ before incorporating Chi Kung in her practice, together with sitting and walking meditation. She has attended retreats at the Buddhist Retreat Centre for 30 years. In her professional life, Alex is a Homeopath in private practice, focusing on the health of women and children.

Tony Muirhead has been studying the art of drumming from the age of four and believes that the drum is a profound tool for relaxation, well-being and helping people cope with modern stress. He is a trained Health Rhythms™ facilitator, using drums and percussion to boost the body’s immune system.

Richard Norris is the Estate Manager at the BRC where he is able to share his love for the gentle healing art of Chi Kung with visitors to the Centre. Although he has practised and taught various full-contact Martial Art styles for more than 30 years, he now focuses on the gentle art of Chi Kung and the healing power of Chi.

Antony Osler has practised and taught Buddhism since the early 1970’s. He was the first meditation teacher at the BRC after which he spent some years as a Zen monk with Sasaki Roshi in the USA. He now lives with his family on a farm in the Karoo where he sits on the stoep, meditates in an old shearing shed and runs occasional Zen retreats. In his professional life Antony is an advocate who specialises in human rights work and labour arbitrations. He recently published a book about Zen life in South Africa, called Stoep Zen.

Adrianne Ross is a retired family physician who has been involved in meditation and healing since 1976. Her teaching is influenced by the Burmese and Thai streams of Theravada as well as Dzogchen and Mahamudra. She is a student of the Diamond Approach. She leads retreats in Canada and the US and is involved in the Dedicated Practitioner program at Spirit Rock, California. Her speciality is teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to people with chronic pain and illness.

Anthony Shapiro began making pots at the age of 13 and never stopped. In the course of a busy teaching practice between 1992 and 1997 the demand for his pots grew to such an extent that he formed a partnership with Loren Kaplan and began to supply the best stores in South Africa and internationally, including The Conran Shops in London, Paris and Tokyo as well as ABC Home and Carpet in New York. He was Artist in Residence at the BRC for two years.

Susan Sloan is a Nia Black Belt Instructor and has been involved in health and healing modalities for more than 11 years. She runs a Nia community-based centre in Johannesburg which offers classes, workshops and intensive training in Nia and Yoga for people with a variety of fitness levels.

Rene Stevenson is a clinical psychologist in private practice, a Buddhist practitioner and poet. In her healing work with individuals and groups, she draws on Western Psychology (especially Jungian) and the Wisdom Traditions. Guiding interests are creativity and compassion, relationships and ecology.

Maggie Strachan is a painter with many years of experience as a teacher of art. Her interest in Buddhism and meditation has led to a long-standing association with the Buddhist Retreat Centre, spanning almost 20 years.

Marguerite van der Merwe is a teacher of the Alexander Technique and Tai Chi, both of which are concerned with exploring the interfaces between the body and the mind, particularly the way this is expressed in conscious bodily awareness, such as in our posture. Her 20 years of experience in this have been collected in her book, The Art of Walking, which will be available for purchase at the retreat.

Louis van Loon lectured in Buddhist philosophy at the Universities of Cape Town and Durban-Westville for 22 years. He established the Buddhist Retreat Centre in 1980. His interest lies in the psychology of meditation and in the relationship between art, science, religion and philosophy. He is an architect and consulting civil & structural engineer in private practice.

Johann Verster is a long-time student of Buddhism. He recently returned from a year of intensive training at the Karmê Chöling Shambhala centre in Vermont, USA. Johann directs the practice and education activities of Shambhala South Africa. He teaches and maintains a therapy practice in Cape Town.

Max Weier has been studying and practising Chi Kung and various other Eastern mystical traditions (with an emphasis on Buddhism) with renowned teachers and masters in Asia and the West for nearly three decades. He lives in his native Switzerland and leads workshops and retreats worldwide. He is the author of articles on spiritual issues and has been a spokesperson on ancient body-mind disciplines at Unesco conferences.

Ian Weinberg is a consultant neurosurgeon by profession and a pioneer in the science of applied psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). His Triangles Model© became the cornerstone for PNI instruction and intervention. A significant proportion of these interventions reflect traditional Buddhist principles. Dr Weinberg is consulted widely both by private and corporate individuals in the implementation of wellness and performance enhancing strategies (see www.pninet.com).

Graham Williams is a thought leader for the Institute of Management Consultants, author, and founder of Centering Services, a company active around the world in leadership development, customer service delivery and steering transition successfully. He has found that story telling is a universal tradition, with the power to reach across many boundaries, and that mindfulness is key to coping with life’s challenges.

Christine Withiel travels to India regularly to further her knowledge of Hatha Yoga and the philosophy of yoga. Christine and Howard Lipschitz invite others to join them in India each December so that they can also deepen their experience. She is registered with Yoga Alliance as a yoga teacher trainer and conducts a teacher training course annually at The Centre for Well-being. She is also registered to practise Ayurvedic Primary Health Care, Massage Therapy and Reflexology.

Jennifer Woodhull is a close student of Pema Chödrön, American nun and Buddhist teacher, whose popular books include When Things Fall Apart and Start Where You Are. Jennifer has trained for 26 years in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, has taught in the USA and South Africa, and is currently the director of Shambhala South Africa. Jennifer lives in Cape Town where she works as a counsellor.