The Crew
Anthony "T" Maes (he/him)
Anthony “T” Maes was born and raised in the East Bay. He has practiced Buddhist meditation since 2003, primarily as a student of the Thai Forest lineage. He is a teacher at UC Berkeley, Inward Bound Mindfulness, and EBMC where he specializes in trauma-informed relational mindfulness. “T” graduated from UC Berkeley in 2004, completed the yearlong Commit2Dharma program at EBMC in 2011, and the Facilitator-1 training with JoAnna Hardy and Vinny Ferraro in 2017. He completed the 3-year Organic Intelligence trauma resilience practitioner training. He is currently in the 4 year Teacher Training program at Spirit Rock & IMS
Day Nguyen (they/them)
Day is a queer homie born to spunky, loving Vietnamese parents fleeing civil war. Day dropped out of undergrad to become a monastic disciple and attendant of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh and the Plum Village Community. A decade later Day went forth (leaving their monastic robes behind) to pursue passions of trauma integration and Classical Chinese Medicine. Before leaving Plum Village Day received the Lamp Transmission, recognizing their abiding commitment to building beloved communities. When not studying acupuncture & herbalism, they can be found mentoring youth or facilitating one-on-one trauma work.
Devon Sangster Rath (she/her)
Devon is a queer woman who cares deeply about the power of mindfulness practice as a tool to heal and liberate. She has practiced meditation since 1997 and has been formally teaching mindfulness since 2010. Devon is committed to making mindfulness accessible to all, specifically people who have a experienced trauma, are recovering from addiction, and historically marginalized populations, including people of color, trans and queer folks, people of size and different body abilities. She offers classes with the homie T Maes on trauma informed mindfulness. Devon is also passionate about using mindfulness to support white people in waking up to whiteness, power and privilege. She offers classes as well as individual support for white people who are interested in this work. You can find out more about Devon at www.devon-sangster-rath.com
Enrique Collazo (he/him)
Enrique Collazo he/him is a Mindfulness Meditation teacher rooted in the Vipassana tradition since 2005. Enrique offers that Buddhism is inherently engaged and that the cultivation of awareness, empathy, and compassion are the necessary skills for social change. Enrique has empowered individuals of all ages nationwide and internationally through classes, day-long, and multi-day retreats since 2009.
Born and raised in Los Angeles to a Peruvian mother and a Puerto Rican father from New York, Enrique has been living and teaching in the Bay Area since 2012. He is well-loved and respected for his inspirational work at Challenge Day, where he facilitates social and emotional learning workshops for thousands of young people nationwide.
Enrique guides residential meditation retreats, live dharma classes, and online courses while offering individualized growth through dharma mentoring. His approach crafts a safe, playful space with clear boundaries, allowing for both introspective depth and interpersonal connection.
Harry Um (he/they)
Harry has practiced meditation since 2009 and trained as a facilitator at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center in 2012 and under JoAnna Hardy in 2013. He has led groups for Meditation Coalition and Dhamma Dena Meditation Center, and has taught on retreat for Inward Bound Mindfulness Education and at Big Bear Retreat Center. Harry has been a guest speaker with Insight Meditation Community of Washington, San Francisco BIPOC Insight Sangha, and University of Southern California. He has been studying Korean Zen since 2022, and some of his writing can be found at Buddhadharma, Lion’s Roar, and Bodhi Leaves magazines. Harry is an LCSW, focusing on mental health for underprivileged communities.
Jessica Escobedo (she/her)
Jessica Escobedo, first and foremost is a bad-ass. Along with teaching meditation she is also a chef and entrepreneur who highly values integrating practice with daily life. Jessica's mindfulness training consists of 3 years serving as a Resident Volunteer at Insight Retreat Center, a 2 year Dharma Mentor Training, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction training and Facilitator training with Joanna Hardy. Along with her love of the dharma she also loves, dance, yoga, non-violent communication and is all about creating radically inclusive spaces. Jessica’s teachings integrate years of deep meditation practice with working class ethics and the mouth of a sailer.
Khalila Gillett (they/she)
Khalila is a ecodharma and meditation teacher with 25+ years of personal practice. Her background includes over a decade as a wilderness educator leading multi-day expeditions for a variety of educational organizations, as well as teaching interdisciplinary curriculum in formal classroom settings and beyond. Khalila teaches meditation for all ages on retreats in both residential settings and remote wilderness environments, as well as classes, workshops and individual mentoring. Khalila’s teaching is grounded in nature awareness and connection, mindfulness meditation as a means for insight, care, and well-being, and social justice praxis that recognizes our interdependence and collective need for freedom.
Ofosu Jones - Quartey (he/him)
Ofosu Jones-Quartey (Born I), a meditation teacher, author, and musician hailing from the Washington DC area brings over 17 years of experience in sharing mindfulness, meditation and self-compassion practices with the world. Holding a bachelor’s degree from American University and certified by the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, Ofosu is a graduate of the Teleos Coaching Institute and is the male voice on the Balance meditation app, reaching over 10 million subscribers.
Ofosu leads meditation classes and retreats nationwide, having taught and led retreats at the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, The Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, Brooklyn Zen Center, Cleveland Insight, Inward Bound Mindfulness and more. Ofosu has also worked with various organizations and schools, including co-writing a mindfulness-based suicide prevention curriculum for teenagers.
Beyond music, Ofosu is an author, releasing his self-published children’s book “You Are Enough” in 2020 and “Love Your Amazing Self” via Storey Publishing in 2022. His holistic approach extends to workshops, integrating music and mindfulness for young audiences. With an upcoming double album based on “Love Your Amazing Self” and a Grammy Museum performance, Ofosu’s diverse creative outlets emphasize self-compassion and mindfulness.
Residing in Rockville, Maryland, with his wife and four children, Ofosu continues to use creativity to guide individuals towards presence, stress reduction, and cultivating love and compassion for themselves and the world.
Sara Shapouri (all pronouns)
Sara Shapouri is an Iranian-American contemplative teacher, artist, parent, and lawyer. A lover of maps and guides to help understand the wildness of human experience, their path and offerings are influenced by Buddhism, Depth Psychology, Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy, relational mindfulness, esoteric mystical traditions, and performance art.
Sarwang Parikh (he/they)
Sarwang is a decolonial psychotherapist, facilitator and meditation teacher based on unceded Ohlone land in SF Bay Area. He was born into a devotional Indian lineage with an immigrant, working-class background. They have been practicing and studying the Dharma for over 25 years, sharing ancestral wisdom of Vedic yoga, Theravada and Indian Vajrayana in culturally-relevant ways. He has completed various multi-year teaching and study programs in meditation through East Bay Meditation Center and Spirit Rock. Sarwang teaches with Dharma Homies, East Bay Meditation Center, Inward Bound Mindfulness, Spirit Rock and SFInsight. He also serves on the board of Buddhist Peace Fellowship. Sarwang loves playing his handpan, being immersed in sci-fi or getting free on a dance floor.
