Vidya Heisel
CEO Suryalila Retreat Centre
Vidya is the soul of Danyadara and visionary of the project. As the Director of Suryalila Retreat Centre, Vidya has always taken pride in loving the land and treating it with care and respect. She strives to create beautiful spaces for guests to enjoy and also wants to move towards more self-sufficiency.
Through her immersion in yogic philosophy, Vidya is very aware of how our actions need to contribute to the greater good – that is the main motivation behind the creation of Danyadara.
Jacob Evans
Farm Manager
Having left England to travel at quite a young age, Jacob Evans has been on a journey of cultural exploration for many years now. It was in Latin America that Jacob first encountered permaculture, and since then he has been dedicated to learning about, studying and implementing permaculture techniques.
Jacob has gained experience in many climates and contexts and continues to train both in the field and in the classroom. He is driven by a passion for regenerative agriculture, which he is now implementing at Danyadara, as the Farm Manager. Most recently Jacob took a course in syntropic agriculture, some of the principles of which he weaves into his work at Danyadara.
His wit and humour balance his serious and dedicated approach to bringing forth a new way of living in harmony with nature.
Nadia Glaesner PhD
Head Teacher
A strong interest in the environment inspired Nadia to take a MSc in environmental chemistry which continued into a PhD and a 11 year long research career in soil fertility.
She has researched nutrient availability of organic waste products as well as nutrient losses from fields to water bodies using both high and low tech approaches.
In 2014 she took a permaculture design certificate and has since applied the principles of permaculture in her everyday life. She believes that observing and mimicking nature leads to a sustainable way of taking care of ourselves and the planet.