Derek Dodds

In my youth, I felt a strong pull to the East and traveled to Asia. I studied Buddhism, Yoga, and Vedanta in India and Nepal. I spent time as a part-time monk at the Kopan Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Kathmandu before venturing into the Himalayas.

The spirit of ayahuasca took me under her wing on a trip to Peru in 2009. I wrote a book, Ayahuasca For Beginners, to help people find their way to the magic of Ayahuasca. One year later, I published a book on Hape Sacred Tabocco and Sacred Geometry—subjects that exploded in my life as I continued to work with plant medicines.

I was fortunate enough to go to the Amazon in 2023 and deepen my connection to these medicines as part of my journey—studying and living alongside the Noke Koi in Brazil. In 2024, we created a non-profit to help protect the Amazon Rainforest and gather resources for the villages of the Noke Koi.

I live in Ojai, California, with my partner Mar and an adorable cat named Millie.

~ Derek