Megan Mook holds a Master’s in Buddhist Studies and is a long-term student of both Tibetan Buddhism and yoga. Megan has lived and studied in traditional monastic environments all over the world, thoroughly immersing herself in the practice of Buddhism, yoga, and natural healing. A member of the Tibetan Translators Guild of New York, Megan has worked on Tibetan scriptural translations with Dr. Robert Thurman and Dr. Lozang Jamspal, a Tibetan Lama with whom Megan studied and traveled for several years. The heart of Megan’s teaching is tender-hearted clarity, accessed through compassion and embodied awareness. Megan regularly offers Buddhist philosophy classes and meditation retreats, and leads international Buddhist pilgrimages for Tricycle Buddhist Review. MeganMook.com

Kevin Townley is a writer, performer, and meditation instructor. His first book, Look, Look, Look, Look, Look Again: Buddhist Wisdom Reflected in 26 Artists, delves into the Five Wisdom Families of Tantric Buddhism through the lens of secular women artists. Kevin teaches regularly in Susan Piver’s Open Heart Project sangha, and has also studied at the Interdependence Project where he completed their teacher training in 2012. In 2022, Kevin guest-curated the Rubin Museum’s Brainwave Series. Kevin is passionate about exploring the interplay between meditation and art, always encouraging others to bring their own innate humor and insight to their meditation practice. KevinTownley.nyc

Lopön Karla Jackson-Brewer, M.S. is a senior teacher at Tara Mandala where she has been practicing Chöd for over 30 years. Lopön Karla has assisted Lama Tsultrim Allione on many Chöd retreats and has co-taught Chöd since 2013. She leads the Tara Mandala NYC Sangha as well as a monthly BBAIPOC ((Black, Brown, Asian and Indigenous People of Color) meditation practice. Karla is an adjunct professor in the Women’s & Gender Studies Department and the Africana Studies Department at Rutgers, as well as a founder of Sine Qua Non: Allies in Healing, an Integrative Therapy Practice in New York City.  Karla is also an initiated priest in the West African system of Ifa.

2VLA is Rob Ward and Tess Jacobson. As a viola duo, their work explores sustained tone compositions that create richly layered tapestries of sound.

Rob Ward is the songwriter and lead vocalist for Food Will Win the
War. He began his music studies as a classically trained violist and
went on to study music theory and composition under composers such as
Marc Cheban, Steve Miles, Rob Constable, James Fei, Brad Garton, Jason
Freeman, and Luke Dubois. Through these studies, he developed his
current technique to create “soundscapes” using processed field
recordings, electronically synthesized sound, and live performance on
traditional western instruments. He also performs drone-based solo
viola compositions and improvisations.

Tess Jacobson is a multi-genre violinist and violist based in New York City. Tess performs regularly with the bluegrass group The West Side Cowboys and has studied classical, bluegrass, folk, and jazz violin and viola under Toby Appel, Jessica Thompson, and Kenny Kosek.