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.
Leslie Griffiths
Programme Assistant
Leslie grew up on a tiny alpine farm where love for nature and its observation were part of her daily life. Driven by her curiosity about other cultures, languages and landscapes, she soon left her cherished mountains to study, work and travel extensively across Europe and South East Asia. Experiencing first-hand mass tourism’s ever-increasing impact brought her to explore solutions that enable us to live in harmony with nature.
Leslie has now immersed herself in permaculture practices and she attended a one-year course on sustainability, deep ecology, soil regeneration and community engagement. She volunteered in environmental education and food waste projects, as well as community farms and eco-villages.
She thrives on bringing people together and is an experienced facilitator, trainer and project manager.
At Danyadara, Leslie plays an active role in our transition towards a more resilient future by sharing her skills and passion with PDC students and helping take good care of the farm.