OVERVIEW | Global Network | Facilitator Network | Faculty | Connect

The Institute

The People and Community Behind Feeding Your Demons®

Through education, shared practice, research, professional development, and community, the Institute supports FYD as a living method shaped by the people who practice and share it.

The Institute offers an annual rhythm for learning and practice. This progression allows participants to learn the method, deepen their experience over time, and prepare for professional facilitation with continuity and support.

Foundation & Deepening

Level I begins each March, followed by Level II in September.

Certification & Capstone

Participants who complete both levels and fulfill the practice requirements may apply to the Certification Level, which begins the following January and concludes with the four-day online Capstone Retreat.

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Global Sangha

The Global Feeding Your Demons® Network

Feeding Your Demons® extends beyond any single course or training. The global FYD Network brings together practitioners across countries, cultures, and time zones through a dedicated online community.

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The Certified Facilitator Network

Graduates of the full Certification Program join a dedicated professional network of Certified Feeding Your Demons® Facilitators.

The network supports continued learning and responsible practice through facilitator-only webcasts, updates on FYD research and best practices, opportunities to bring questions to senior teachers, and connection with colleagues across cultures and professional settings.

Certified Facilitators may also choose to be listed in Tara Mandala’s public directory, helping people around the world find qualified guidance online or in person.

The People

Meet the Faculty

The Institute’s international faculty teaches the FYD curriculum, guides live learning and practice, supports facilitator development, and contributes to the continued evolution of the method.

Lopon Charlotte, Lama Tsultrim and Lopon Pieter

Faculty members bring experience from contemplative practice, psychology, facilitation, education, health care, community work, and other professional fields.

This range of perspectives allows FYD to remain grounded in its foundations and responsive to the people and settings it serves.

The Origins of Feeding Your Demons®
Lama Tsultrim Allione developed the Feeding Your Demons® process and introduced it internationally through her bestselling book, Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict. Now published in sixteen languages, the book has made the method accessible to readers and practitioners around the world.

As an author, teacher, and founder of Tara Mandala, Lama Tsultrim draws on decades of contemplative practice and teaching to make profound wisdom accessible, experiential, and relevant to our lives.

Dorje Lopön Charlotte Rotterdam is Director of Naropa University’s Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education and a senior teacher and lead teacher of the Mother Lineage at Tara Mandala. She teaches throughout the FYD training pathway, offering live guidance, practical instruction, and support for participants developing their personal and professional practice.

Lopön Pieter Oosthuizen is a longtime FYD teacher who has taught in the United States and internationally. He brings extensive experience to FYD teachings, live webcasts, facilitator development, advanced training, and the continued development of the program.

The Institute’s international faculty supports FYD education, practice, and facilitator development across languages, cultures, and communities.

  • Lopön Barbara Staemmler
  • Lopön Chandra Easton
  • Lopön Karla Jackson-Brewer, MS
  • Lopön Polly Ryan, MA, MFT
  • Lopön Robin Gayle, PhD, LMFT
Developed Together

Lama Tsultrim Allione, Dorje Lopön Charlotte Rotterdam, and Lopön Pieter Oosthuizen developed the FYD curriculum and certification program, shaping its progressive training pathway, practice requirements, and rigorous standards for certification.

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Learn and Connect with the Institute

Meet the faculty through a free event, study the complete FYD method, pursue professional certification, or bring the practice to your organization or community.

Attend a Free FYD Event

Experience a guided practice, meet Institute faculty and facilitators, and discover more about the method.

Study the FYD Method

Learn each step of the complete five-step process through Level I and deepen your practice through Level II.

Become a Certified Facilitator

Complete the professional pathway and prepare to guide individuals and couples through FYD with care, confidence, and integrity.

Bring FYD to Your Organization or Community

Connect with an authorized Group Facilitator or Workshop Leader for a workplace, institution, professional organization, or community program.