MATTHIAS HEIDEL

  Frankfurt, Germany

Almost as long as I can remember, I have been interested in what is behind the obvious, on the surface of things and people. The main aspiration in my work as an artist, art therapist, and NonViolent Communication trainer and in my path as a human being is to dig into what it really means to be “authentic.” I am convinced that play and creativity are at the core of every human being to find their own unique access to this basic life energy.

The Five Wisdom Energy work is, in my experience, a most wonderful container for practicing and rediscovering our innate qualities of wisdom and compassion to enrich our own and others’ lives. I studied sculpting at the university of fine arts in Karlsruhe, Germany, client centered art therapy at Staatliche Kunst Akademie, in Wiesbaden, meditation with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and other teachers, and Non Violent Communication with several trainers, especially Robert Gonzales in his Living Compassion work. In my work as an artist and trainer I try to fuse all these influences in order to contribute to peoples’ thriving.

SYDNEY LEIJENHORST 

Wageningen, The Netherlands

For more than forty years, I have been on a journey with the martial, healing, and meditation arts. For several decades the Five Wisdom Energies have been one of my main ‘inspirational arteries’. My specialty lies in catalyzing embodied experiences of these inner qualities and integrating their energetic and creative impulses. My work with Irini Rockwell was one of the most important forces in this development. Other meaningful influences have come from Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Dagga Tulku and Diane Musho Hamilton.

 As director of KenKon Integral Life and Training center, I have incorporated the Five Wisdom Energies in various ways, embedding them in our various disciplines such as karate, qigong, and (Tibetan) meditation as well as in seminars, bringing together various teachers and systems. I have also used them to direct and balance organizational processes at KenKon and in trainings for organizations.

Twice a year we hold the ‘Five Vital Wisdoms Weeks’. These periods have become integrative journeys during which my colleagues, students, and I experience an intensified and creative digestion of these wonderful teachings. People in all disciplines, including Zen, judo, aikido and dance, get a taste of these teachings. The energies become a shared source of inspiration, a language that makes people connect at a new and meaningful depth. It enlivens the way we are present in our bodies and world. 

FRANCESCO MELITA

Wageningen, The Netherlands

I work as an independent coach, trainer and storyteller. The two-year Wisdoms@Work training has influenced all I do, personally and professionally. My strength lies in creating an open, safe atmosphere that offers space for development and freedom of expression. It is important for me to express my passion, humor, and creativity to stimulate those qualities in others. At Winnock, I assisted people suffering from chronic pain; at HAN, Arnhem and Nijmegen, I coached teachers; at Koning Willem I Marketing College, I coached marketing students in professional presentations; at Curnet, I offered creativity training for employees of the four biggest civil-engineering bureaus in the Netherlands. I led a workshop for the Dutch Association of Psychologists. At Wageningen University and Research Centre, I coached students and at the Geemente Reeuwijk en Bodegraven Conference, I presented in a collaboration between the municipalities of Reeuwijk and Bodegraven.

KELLY PETRIE

Oregon, Wisconsin USA

A yearning to come home to my authentic nature is what guided me to Naropa University’s Contemplative Education, where I was immersed in Buddhist philosophy and embodiment work, unleashing glimmers of energetic radiance that felt so freeing. This is where I was first introduced to Maitri Space Awareness and Irini Rockwell’s work. Touching the energies through sensate presence transformed the way I could more genuinely connect with the autistic students I was working with at the time. My thesis emerged as a study that unveiled a deeper understanding of autism through the Five Wisdoms lens, lending to a contemplative approach to relationship development between autistic and neurotypical people.

 My passion continues to center around the transformative power the Five Wisdoms brings to curriculum design and teacher-student relationships. I founded the Maitri Center for Mindful Living in Oregon, Wisconsin. My signature training is geared toward parents, caregivers, educators, and other professionals who wish to strengthen their relationships with the autistic people in their lives.

TESSA RACINE

Mas Marvant, France

I have worked in the film industry for twenty years. I make documentaries for French TV and lead video workshops with young people. As well, I am a client-centered therapist. For two years I was assistant to Irini Rockwell’s Paris Wisdoms@Work training. As a a long-time student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, I teach in the Shambhala Buddhist Community. I am very involved in family life, with both children and grandchildren.

CARUCHA SCHWENCKE

Den Haag, Netherlands

I work as an independent psychosocial therapist, coach, and certified mindfulness trainer. I followed trainings at the Institute for Mindfulness in the tradition of Jon Kabat-Zinn and Breathworks Mindfulness Teacher Training for supporting people dealing with chronic pain and long-term (physical) health conditions. The basis of my work is deeply rooted in the contemplative tradition: Buddhist psychology, meditation, and Western therapeutic skills. I completed the two year Five Wisdoms@Work training program with Irini Rockwell with a focus in contemplative psychotherapy. Since then the Five Wisdom Energies have become an integral part of my personal and working life. As a member of the Network Palliative Care Haaglanden (The Hague), I offer spiritual support for those from different religious and cultural backgrounds who are facing death. I am also in charge of mental welfare and safety issues in Het Koorenhuis, an educational arts institute in The Hague. Over the past two decades I have studied and practiced under the guidance of many Tibetan Buddhist teachers, doing shorter and longer study and meditation retreats in the Karma Kagyu tradition.

KLARA MOLNAR

Hungary

The Five Wisdoms gave me clarity about who I am. They helped me find my strengths and purpose in life. They also played a big part healing my relationships with myself and my family through understanding and seeing the ways I communicate with myself and with others. I met Irini and the Five Wisdoms Training in my early 30’s when my life was a big mess. I was in a big transition trying to figure out what to do with my life and how to best serve the people around me. I knew this to be my path, so I followed Irini on the Five Wisdoms path...and I never left.

The Five Wisdoms system is a way of life. If we connect deeply, with ourselves and with others, the world becomes a place where people understand and help each other. It is a natural way of life for all of us. As a Health Coach, a Nutritionist in TCM and a Trainer I use the Five Wisdoms to understand our clients more deeply. I teach the Five Wisdoms to the members of our 5 Elements Community in Hungary.

NEM BAJRA

Los Angeles, California

My passion is to bring joy to workplace, family, and the community. Being an engineer and entrepreneur has helped me appreciate the benefits of technology and financial success in improving one’s livelihood. Yet, I notice that the happiness that comes from having plenty of money and good health is rather limited and conditional.

Having practiced meditation for many years and trained in the Five Wisdom Energies, I have learned that I can lead a life of joy when I live out my true self. This is my motivation for wanting to share this wisdom with others. When we come to more fully understand our own energetic makeup of the Five Wisdom Energies, we can apply this knowledge to be our most authentic self in our everyday life and work situations.  

JEAN MARIE GUNNER

Hamburg, New York

My passion is to help manifest a society based in profound goodness and kindness. Serving as the director of a pediatric primary care medical practice since 1994, I have sought ways to help increase happiness and joy in the workplace. Engaging with my family and the natural world is how I stay authentic and centered in my everyday life. In 2021, I embarked on the yearlong Five Wisdoms Training with Irini Rockwell and became certified to teach.    

At work, the application of the Five Wisdoms helps me to mentor and coach staff, leadership, and the team in real time as we navigate intensified emotional situations. Emotions are no longer something to be feared, rather they are pure energy that can lead to greater depths of connection and human understanding. The employees and our patients and families all benefit from the Five Wisdoms work. I look forward to working in businesses and healthcare operations by applying the Five Wisdom Energies.  

SABINA STECKIEWICZ

Warsaw, Poland