Sukhema was born in Illinois and has been living in Glasgow since 1981.  He has been leading retreats at Dhanakosa since the early nineties when it first opened. His day job is teaching tai-chi in healthcare settings including the Maggie Cancer Care Centre  where he also facilitates a therapeutic writing group.

His passions are poetry,dance, drama, gardening and wild swimming. He's the editor for Playspace Publications , a published poet and researcher for Art in Health.

Jayaraja has been a practicing Buddhist and meditation teacher for over 25 years and he has been part of the team on several four month ordination retreats. He has a diploma in Gestalt psychotherapy and has studied interpersonal neurobiology, attending workshops and conferences with Dan Siegel amongst others. He trained over a number of years with Marshall Rosenberg in Non-violent Communication. He is also a co-author of the Yellow book of Games and Energizers and "Live" life skills for teens. 

Open to all, these retreats are suitable for both beginners and those with more experience, but no previous experience is assumed. All these retreats include introductory meditation teaching and periods of silence.