Meet the people who imagined this space and keep it focused on its values and goals.
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Sravana Borkataky-Varma specializes in South Asian religions, with a particular emphasis on Hindu practices. Her scholarly work investigates Indian religions and delves into topics such as esoteric rituals, gender issues, and bodily concepts, especially in relation to Hindu Śākta Tantra traditions, often referred to as Goddess Tantra. She adopts a research methodology that blends social anthropology—examined from an outside perspective—with elements of reflexive autoethnography that reflect her personal experiences. As an educator, she holds the position of Instructional Assistant Professor at the University of Houston and serves as a Research Affiliate at Harvard University’s Center for the Study of World Religions.
Sravana is committed to building communities that bring together individuals from various religious backgrounds who aspire to lead lives marked by kindness and compassion. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Esalen Institute and contributes to the Advisory Board of Compassionate Houston.
Board of Trustees
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Michael W. Taft is a meditation teacher, author, and podcaster. Michael teaches meditation courses, retreats, and individuals worldwide, and is the author of several books, including the bestselling The Mindful Geek. He is the founder and host of the Deconstructing Yourself podcast.
From Zen temples in Japan to yogi caves in India, Michael has been meditating for over thirty five years and has extensive experience in both Buddhist and Hindu Tantric practice. Michael is a co-founder of the groundbreaking Alembic center in Berkeley. He was previously editor-in-chief of Being Human, and was the long-time editorial director of Sounds True. Michael lives with his family in the Bay Area.
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Erik Davis is an author, award-winning journalist, sometimes podcaster, and popular speaker based in San Francisco. He is the author of five books, including High Weirdness: Drugs, Esoterica, and Visionary Experience in the 70s; Nomad Codes: Adventures in Modern Esoterica; The Visionary State: A Journey through California’s Spiritual Landscape; and the 33 1/3 volume Led Zeppelin IV. His first and best-known book remains TechGnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information, a cult classic of visionary media studies that’s still in print.
Erik’s scholarly and popular essays on California, music, technoculture, drugs, and spirituality have appeared in scores of books, magazines, and journals, and his writing has been translated into over a dozen languages. Davis has spoken widely at universities, conferences, retreat centers, and festivals, and has been interviewed by CNN, the BBC, NPR, and the New York Times. He graduated from Yale University in 1988, and earned his PhD in religious studies at Rice University in 2015. He currently writes the Substack publication Burning Shore.
