Chika was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. She arrived in Los Angeles and studied critical studies of film and television at USC, followed by work with a small commercial production company. Then, she went back to school for the 2nd career. She is now a... Read more

Michael joined the InsightLA community in 2014 and has been practicing insight meditation and a commitment to inner self-development since 1998. His initial/primary teacher at that time was a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, among others. He has a d... Read more

Melissa began her path of meditation in 1998 with a small group of dedicated practitioners in Oakland, CA with her beloved, though not known, teacher named Barbara Janus who introduced her to the teachings of Sayadaw U Pandita of Burma. Her first retrea... Read more

Octavia Ghelfi is an Economist at Amazon. She obtained her PhD in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics from New York University. Read more

George T. Mumford has taught meditation since 1986 in a range of environments, from prisons to Harvard Medical School. Also known as The Mindfulness Performance Whisperer, George is a highly acclaimed and leading expert in sports psychology and performa... Read more

Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He began his training a... Read more

James has meditated for over 30 years, beginning in 1987 with James Baraz. He graduated from InsightLA’s Facilitator Training Program and  Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (Inaugural Class). James is a... Read more