Discover Vocal Sounds as a Tool for Understanding Energetic Boundary and Spaciousness
Experience the delight of honoring your individuality and your connection with the world around you. Sounding bypasses the linear mind. By adding intention to simple sounds, remarkable things can happen. Gain insights as I demonstrate vocal and other sounds for you. No singing is required!
Explore Sounds for Self-Empowerment and Healing
Enjoy the freedom of sounding! These sounds do not need to be loud or complicated to strengthen, ground, align and alleviate tension! Learn the secret of sounding.
Using Sound to Open Your Heart
This gentle way of sounding can be so restorative and healing. If you are recovering from overwork, emotional or physical challenges or being in too much stress, learn simple vocal tools to reset, recenter and renew your heart.
Easy Sounding Tools to Reduce Stress, Fear and Anxiety
This unique way of using your voice in alignment with simple energy techniques provides an excellent way to experience freedom and possibility.
Lisa Rafel has taught about self-empowerment, self-healing and using music and sound for healing for over 25 years. An internationally recognized expert in Vocal Sound Healing™ she presents at conferences and teaches workshops all over the world. Lisa is a composer, poet, playwright, shamanic healer and spiritual teacher. Her harmonic overtone singing with crystal bowls has been called, “the sound of language before the languages divided.” Her concerts attune the listener to a deep experience of peace. Lisa has taught and sung in extraordinary sacred sites including in Chartres Cathedral in France, The Great Pyramid of Giza, The Sakya Monastery in Tibet, Shaman Conferences in Mongolia, and Sacred Music Festivals in Glastonbury, UK, San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA. Lisa co-created the award-winning book/music set, Safe in The Arms of Love with collaborators Emmy Award winning composer/producer Gary Malkin and psychologist, David Surrenda, PhD. Their Positive Intention Music™ creates a measurable energetic connection between a mother and her baby that improves the baby’s health. Lisa’s remarkably empowering program, theFive Worlds, is taught on-line once or twice a year. Her video, The Question of Our Time, is a call to action to stop pollution. Performed by Lisa, with lyrics by Lisa, the music was written and produced by Grammy Award winners Lili Haydn and Itai Disraeli. All of Lisa’s projects support greater health and well-being.
Juan Pablo Andrade, Juan Pablo Andrade is a renowned Costa Rican pianist with a dynamic stage and academic presence. He has earned top honors at international competitions and the Costa Rican National Prize of Music, and has performed widely as a soloist with various orchestras and at major festivals. A familiar ear with the Costa Rican National Symphony, he has toured the Americas and Europe, and his CD War to Peace received favorable reviews. In academia, he is a Professor of Piano at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and has taught at several prestigious universities. He also volunteers at international festivals and founded the La Frontera International Piano Conference in Brownsville, Texas, to foster musical exchange in the region.
Linda Chávez is a distinguished Mexican-American pianist with degrees from the University of Texas at Brownsville and Longy School of Music. A laureate of numerous awards and scholarships, she excels in both performance and education. She has performed at international festivals across Costa Rica, Italy, Aruba, Austria, Puerto Rico, and Lincoln Center, where she joined the Teaching Artist Program to inspire others. Currently the principal pianist of the Valley Symphony Orchestra, she founded the Brownsville Piano Studio, serving over 225 students weekly, and launched Ananda Music Experience, an online program for adult women learning music mindfully. Chávez continues to inspire and effect positive change through her music.
Kevin Mills is a cellist from Orange County, California who studied under Darrett Adkins at both The Juilliard School and Oberlin Conservatory receiving his Masters in Cello Performance and Artist Diploma respectively. Kevin received his Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from California State University of Fullerton and has toured, taught, and performed nation-wide and abroad in Denmark, Korea, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and Hungary.
Mark Wuttke is a Vistage CEO Coach and Chair, leadership advisor, and former global C-suite executive with more than 30 years of experience in wellness and beauty. Born in Australia and now based in Jupiter, Florida, he has led companies across five continents while championing sustainability and conscious leadership.
Sarah Livia Brightwood has been President of Rancho La Puerta for over 20 years, the pioneering 4,000-acre resort and spa founded in 1940 and located in Tecate, Baja California. For 30 years, Sarah designed the gardens and many buildings at the resort and created its organic farm and culinary center. She is a champion of regenerative, earth centered practices and a passionate steward of the land.
Norma Meza is from the traditional Kumeyaay lands of Ja’aa, also known as Alamo (Cottonwood) Creek in Baja California. 
Steve Sando is the founder and president of Rancho Gordo, a company that has transformed heirloom beans from a humble staple into a celebrated culinary ingredient. Since 2001, his commitment to preserving the indigenous crops of the Americas has driven the growth of a business that grows, imports, and promotes heirloom beans, corn, and chiles. Rancho Gordo works with chefs, farmers, and home cooks alike, creating a vibrant market for these once-neglected ingredients.
Lynette Toma is a Sound Healing Practitioner, Meditation and Breathwork Facilitator, Speech Therapist, and Author known for creating refined, deeply restorative wellness experiences that support nervous system regulation and whole-person well-being. She is the founder of Pure Sound Bath, a boutique sound healing practice offering elevated, immersive sessions designed to help individuals reconnect with stillness, clarity, and inner balance.
Sharon Horesh Bergquist, MD, is an award-winning physician, innovative healthcare leader, and visionary researcher renowned for spearheading a science-based approach to personalized, precision lifestyle as medicine. She has helped lead numerous clinical trials, including the Emory Healthy Aging Study and the NIH funded Emory Healthy Brain Study. Dr. Bergquist is widely published in peer-reviewed journals, has been invited to the White House to collaborate with presidential advisers on healthcare reform, and has contributed to over 300 news segments, including Good Morning America, CNN, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR. She hosts The Whole Health Cure podcast and her popular TED-Ed video on how stress affects the body has been viewed over eight million times. Her book, The Stress Paradox (HarperCollins, 2025) distills years of research into daily habits that help us reach our highest potential for health, happiness, and longevity, offering hope and empowerment through our innate capacity for resilience and regeneration.
Dr. Amanda Watters is a licensed naturopathic physician who enjoys lecturing nationally on topics such as nutrition and mental health. She has worked in clinical practice in pediatrics and family medicine for over a decade, and is also the CEO and Co-founder of EllyPop, which makes organic freezer pops out of herbal tea, fruit juice, and electrolytes. Dr. Watters is adjunct faculty at National University of Natural Medicine where she teaches in the Pediatrics, Psychology, and Business Classes, and finds joy in teaching the art and science of medicine to the next generation of physicians.
“The Earth is Her Employer”
Tarah “Rah” Hines (they/she) is an international facilitator and advocate for holistic wellness, eco-spirituality, food sovereignty and environmental liberation. Over the last 15 years their work has included serving as an international delegate to Miriam Miranda and Bertita Caceres in Honduras, co-founding the Black Permaculture Network, co-organizing the 2 Defend Black Women March in Washington D.C., and curating healing and rest spaces for conferences and convenings. 
Claudia Sandoval
Timothy Hinchliff is a master yarn painter whose work has been part of the artistic and spiritual landscape of Rancho La Puerta for over three decades. Inspired by traditional Huichol art, he is known for his Circle of Angels paintings in the Ranch dining hall and for founding the beloved Prayer Arrow tradition.
Erin Gafill is an award-winning painter, author, and founder of the Big Sur Arts Initiative. Known for her vibrant use of color and community-centered teaching, she inspires artists of all ages to paint boldly and joyfully.
Tom Birmingham is an artist and teacher with a vast experience leading family enrichment programs. As a founding director of the Big Sur Arts Initiative, Tom has provided instruction and enrichment in the creative arts in a variety of mediums. For ten years he led the art department in the summer children’s theater program, StageKids in Big Sur. For over fifteen years Tom has taught photography and drawing at Rancho La Puerta. Along with his wife, Erin Lee Gafill, he’s been a part of The Ranch’s Family Week since its start. Tom was the director of the Big Sur JazzFest, founding member of Big Sur’s Hidden Garden’s Tour, and currently manages Studio One – Big Sur. Tom is the founder of 26Letter Press, a small press dedicated to printed materials celebrating and inspiring creative expression.
Matt Roben spent 25 years as a professional circus artist performing around the world before serving as a Chicago police officer and bagpiper. Now known as the “Kilted Auctioneer,” he continues to entertain and inspire while raising millions for charitable causes.
Jenny McTaggart is a Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Coach, TRX & Yoga Instructor who brings serious energy and good vibes to everything she teaches. She leads Bootcamps, Yoga, and TRX at The Bay Club Marin in the San Francisco area, and she’s all about helping people make fitness feel fun.
Mitch Foster is a PPR Pro Level Pickleball Instructor with over 15 years of competitive experience. Mentored from an early age by his mother, a multi-time national champion, he went on to secure several junior national titles. He now serves as resident professional at the JW Marriott in Phoenix, coaching players of all ages and skill levels.
Nicholas McGegan, British born conductor and performer, is now in his sixth decade on the podium. For 34 years he was Music Director of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in the Bay Area, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Pasadena Symphony, Artistic Director of the Göttingen International Handel Festival (1991-2011), Music Director of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and in the 1990’s, Principal Guest conductor of Scottish Opera and the Drottningholm Court Theatre in Sweden. He has recorded over a hundred CDs specializing in music of the Baroque and Classical periods. He has directed orchestras all over the world and at such opera houses as Covent Garden. In addition to performing, he lectures regularly at the Juilliard School of Music and Yale. He has been a visiting scholar at Harvard. In 2010 he was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music abroad.
Martha Aarons’ professional career began with her appointment as principal flute of the North Carolina Symphony. Subsequently she played with the Cleveland Orchestra for 25 years. After becoming a freelancer, she performed often with the Philadelphia Orchestra. During this time, she appeared as guest principal flute with the Metropolitan Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, and Mostly Mozart Festival. Ms. Aarons served as Artist Faculty with the Aspen Music Festival for 19 years. Her teaching credits include the Cleveland Institute of Music, Duke University, University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill, Oberlin College, Skidmore College, Shanghai Conservatory and Eastman School of Music. She has been soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Ohio Chamber Orchestra, and with the Aspen Festival Chamber and Festival orchestras. Her first solo CD, The History of the Tango, is recorded on the Azica label and additionally features pianist Frances Renzi and Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux. Her newest release is the CD Last Silence with violinist Lev Polyakin and pianist Frances Renzi. Martha is also an avid runner and has qualified for her fifth consecutive Boston Marathon in April 2025.’
Lev Polyakin was appointed co-concertmaster of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra at age 21. In that position he was regularly featured as soloist. In the U.S. he served as assistant concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, as well as concertmaster of the American Academy of Conducting in Aspen Music Festival. Lev has won several prizes in international violin competitions, including the Beethoven Prize in Carl Flesch in London, and Gold Medal and Special Prize in Brescia, Italy. In addition to solo performances with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, he has appeared as soloist with the London Mozart Players, Royal Philharmonic, and Cleveland Orchestra. Recording credits include Melodia, BBC, National Public Radio, and Decca. He is prominently featured on an album entitled Cafe Music comprising chamber music by Paul Schoenfield, which was nominated for a Grammy. Lev has a special interest in jazz and has recorded three CDs, entitled Russian Blue, The Other Side of the Road, and Christmas Kaleidoscope. He is also featured in the recent release by Azica Records entitled Last Silence, with flutist Martha Aarons and pianist Frances Renzi.
Cellist Joanna Morrison completed her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Degrees at Boston University. In 2007 Ms. Morrison won a position in the Honolulu Symphony and served as principal cello of the Hawaii Symphony from 2012 to 2015. Concert tours have taken Ms. Morrison to Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea as well as much of Europe and the United States performing under conductors including Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Leonard Slatkin, David Zinman and Manfred Honeck. Joanna was an acting member of the San Diego Symphony from 2016-2020. An avid chamber player, Ms. Morrison has collaborated with various artists and has studied under members of the Guarneri and Juilliard Quartets. She has received fellowships to summer festivals around the world including Verbier Festival where she served as principal cellist for the world tour with Charles Dutoit and Martha Argerich.
Sharon Holly is a Certified Yoga Therapist, Certified TRE® (Trauma/Tension Release Exercises) and Resilience Toolkit Provider as well as a y4c Oncology Trained Yoga Teacher. She graduated from the Loyola Marymount University Yoga Therapy program after her personal experience with breast cancer and is passionate about sharing the gifts she received on her own journey. Sharon is based in Los Angeles and in addition to teaching weekly in-person plus online yoga and meditation classes, she has been teaching at psychological trauma/treatment centers, physical therapy offices, cancer centers and schools for more than a decade, specializing in nervous system regulation, oncology yoga and bone health yoga. She leads retreats for women going through cancer and has written numerous articles about yoga therapy for The American Institute for Cancer Research and is a contributing writer for the book “Yoga Therapy Across the Cancer Continuum.” Her goal is to empower individuals in their own ability to transform and heal. Her students range from ages 2-92.
Originally from the Midwest, Jaime Russell was introduced to the Pilates method at age 13 as a complement to her classical ballet training. After relocating to San Francisco to join Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet Training Program, Pilates became an essential tool for maintaining both physical resilience and mental clarity in and beyond the studio.
Jeff Lee, MD is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and the Stanford University creative writing program. He has dedicated his life to the practice of Family Medicine in diverse and underserved communities, and to teaching creative expression through writing, music and photography. He has taught at Stagebridge Institute for Performing Arts, the Cazadero and Caz Northwest Family Arts Camps and The Northwest Writers’ Weekend, and has worked extensively as a life, career and creativity coach. He is the author of Catch a Fish, Throw a Ball, Fly a Kite, a book that helps parents introduce their children to joyful skills in the natural world.