Luminous Teachers & Team
LAI Faculty and Guest Teachers
Read about the background, experience, and perspectives of Luminous Awareness Institute faculty and teachers.
Anna-Lisa Adelberg | Lorraine DeLear
John Churchill | Kristen Greco | Ethan J. Henson | Mandalena Luz Greenlee
Mark Palmer | Ilarion Merculieff
Anna-Lisa Adelberg
Founder & Lead Facilitator of the Luminous Awareness Institute
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Anna-Lisa Adelberg is an internationally renowned teacher, and healer. She is the founder of the Luminous Awareness Institute and has supported thousands of students and clients on the path of awakening.
She is a pioneer in integrating a contemporary nondual path with a healing path. At Luminous Awareness Institute she has developed and teaches a groundbreaking system, synthesized over 25 years that supports the realization of the essential being of who we already are, with practices and inner technologies from a wide variety of sources; Tibetan Buddhism, developmental psychology, neurophysiology, Chi Gong, and subtle energy.
She is dedicated to creating a world of wakefulness, attunement, care and liberation for all beings.
Anna-Lisa Adelberg is well known for her capacity to articulate and transmit about awareness, the mechanics of subtle phenomena and her uncanny ability, to as her students say, "know what's going on inside of me." She is sought after and has guided some of the world's most renowned leaders, healers, and spiritual teachers.
She was a personal student of Chi Qong Master Yoo and studied with Dzogchen Master Lama Tharchin Rinpoche and, as well other teachers in Meditative paths, Somatics, and Subtle Energy.
For the past 30 years Lorraine has cultivated embodiment of the soft underbelly, or felt sense. Her view has been informed through a diversity of mentorships and her direct experiences of the conjoined inner and outer worlds. This way of embodiment has allowed her to explore, discover and deepen into intimate relationship within the many territories in our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. Her experiences have given her the unique understandings necessary to bridge conflicting paradigms and to synthesize new ways of identifying unique abilities and ways of perceiving.
In her explorations, Lorraine is blessed to have worked and studied both formally and informally with gifted teachers, scientists, healers and sages. Some highlights include: 10 year shaman apprenticeship with ethnobotanicals, 4 year mentorship with research scientist Dr. George T.F. Yao in Eastern and Western bodywork modalities, Doctorate in Philosophy in Healing Science through the Victoria Merkle Center of Energy Medicine, and Initiation into Yemanja in the Yoruba tradition under the tutelage of Chief Iya Nalfa Efunyale (Mother Taylor).
Lorraine carries the wisdom that we as individuals are magnificent beyond what we know and understand ourselves to be; that as we claim and stand in our majesty, and acknowledge the divine mystery that holds us all, we co-create a better world for ourselves, each other and affect all life on our planet.
Born in London, England, Dr. Churchill's interest in psychospiritual development, integral theory, contemplative studies, and Mahayana Buddhism began in his adolescence. At this time, John also received the esoteric Planetary Dharma transmissions that would in time unfold as his contribution to a planetary fourth turning teaching. For 15 years he trained to teach Great Seal meditation in an Indo-Tibetan Mahayana lineage practice with a senior Western teacher.
For the last 25 years, John has developed a somatically based contemplative practice path; Embodying the Open Ground, that integrates psychodynamic healing, adult development and meditation. John holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from William James College, and is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine. John is a adjunct faculty member for the Luminous Awareness Institute.
Kristen Greco
Adjunct Faculty, Neuro-physiology, Somatics and Trauma Specialist
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Kristen’s passion is supporting people with a history of trauma to unwind its effects and come into a present felt sense of embodiment, choice, and aliveness. She believes the more we come out of survival mode, intentionally connecting with our innate wisdom, the more we can choose to love and live with a personal and collective purpose.
Kristen’s role at LAI is integrating her innovative research in neuro-physiology, somatics, and trauma resolution into the curriculum. She is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner ® along with an Advanced Bodyworker & Advanced Luminous Practitioner. She has a background in OrthoBionomy ®, CranioSacral Therapy, and Neuromuscular Reprogramming. She is also an artist, activist, and mother.
As a bodyworker and somatic therapist for the past 17 years, Kristen has developed a unique hybrid of therapeutic work that integrates the energetic, physiological, and psycho-somatic layers of the individual. Her private practice is based in Oakland, CA. She teaches workshops nationally and internationally in somatics, trauma resolution, and contemporary dance.
Ethan J. Henson
Adjunct Faculty, Masculine/Feminine & Polarity Dynamics Coach
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At the early age of 20, Ethan J. Henson had a near death experience that shifted his consciousness and began a spiritual awakening. Along with new levels of awareness, the near death experience opened his ability to see the Human Energy Field. This capacity to both see and work with the Human Energy Field grew through intensive training and private mentorship with Reverend Lemuria Torling (a 3rd Generation Psychic Healer) for over 15 years.
For the past 18 years, Ethan has taught Advanced Psychic Development, Spiritual Healing, and the Infinite Way, a non-dual meditative and healing practice originally transmitted by Joel S. Goldsmith. Along with a 20 year meditation practice and many hours of observing the Human Energy Field between couples in Relationship, Ethan also trained in Advanced Taoist Sexual Nei Gong and Kundalini Yoga. The integration of all these approaches inspired the foundation of his work which brings the Masculine and Feminine into relational harmony. He teaches that Relationship is a path of Spiritual Awakening.
Mandalena Luz Greenlee
Adjunct Faculty, Embodiment & Subtle Self Teacher
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Awakening our felt sense of embodiment, in which we can inhabit the inner landscape of our bodies, opens our perception and allows conscious awareness to live through our bodies so that we can deepen our sense of safety, better regulate our nervous system, and experience life in a richer, fuller way.
Mandalena leads movement and somatic practices at LAI, teaches the 6-month Subtle Self program and has a private practice in Boulder, CO. Mandalena has a Masters of Fine Arts in somatics, dance, and performance from the University of Colorado. There, she specialized in Body-Mind Centering, a practice that provides fundamental re-patterning of developmental wounds through embodiment. She also has a background in contact improvisation, physical theatre, and continuum, and has been a lifelong dancer.
Mandalena has devoted her life to supporting people in their awakening and healing journeys. Part of the original Luminous cohort, she’s worked in the field of healing arts since 2007, and once she became a mother she realized how crucial it was that she was able to to apply the spiritual teachings and healing methods that she was trained in, to her own parenting. Inspired to support other new mamas, she has now specialized her practice in conscious conception, pregnancy, and new parenthood, helping parenting become an opportunity for depth of attunement, loving presence, awareness of each moment, intuition and trust, and secure attachment between parent and child.
Other trainings and certifications include holistic doula, incoming souls, feminine masculine polarity dynamics, women's sexual mysteries and tantra, Asian Bodywork, Cranial Sacral Therapy as well as her own devotion to meditation and awakening.
Ilarion (Larry) ‘Kuuyux’ Merculieff has decades of experience serving his people, the Unangan (Aleuts) of the Pribilof Islands and other indigenous peoples in a number of capacities—locally, statewide, nationally and internationally. For his entire career, Merculieff has been a passionate advocate for indigenous rights/wisdom, and harmonious relationship with the Earth Mother. His reach has been broad and varied.
Close to Merculieff’s heart are issues related to cultural and community wellness, traditional ways of living, Elder wisdom, climate change and the environment. Having had a traditional upbringing, Merculieff has been, and continues to be, a strong voice and activist calling for the meaningful application of traditional knowledge and wisdom obtained from Elders in Alaska and throughout the world in dealing with modern day challenges. He founded and currently heads the Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways, and is a chief consultant and member in several other board councils. His present work revolves much around the council of Elders he co-founded, called the Wisdom Weavers of the World, (https://www.wisdomweavers.world/) to bring the messages of Elders from throughout the world to global attention.
With a solid background as a community, business and environmental leader, Ilarion’s later years reflect both this lifelong career path as well as the fulfilment of his cultural role as Kuuyux, or traditional messenger for the Unangan people.
Mark Palmer is a thought leader, author, consultant, and entrepreneur specializing in leadership and organizational change management, strategic performance, and workforce solutions innovation. He's the co-founder of Hire Direction, a data-driven staffing solutions provider, and LaborGenome talent alignment mapping technology.
Mark is a Principal with Metcalf & Associates, Inc., focused on leadership development coaching, team building, and organizational effectiveness. He is also a founding member and facilitator for the Integral Institute, an international think-tank created to combine progressive organizational research with practical applications in both the public and private sectors.
Mark is the creator of the Position Success Indicator (PSI) and co-creator of DEV:Q applied talent performance metrics. He has over 20 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies in strategic alignment, team development, market research, and data analysis.
