Earle Birney

Earle grew up an avid sports fan in Vancouver, Canada. With just 4 months left of study before obtaining a degree, he began to realize that a life of following “societal norms” — starting a career, buying a house, getting married, having kids — did not make sense or appeal to him. It felt confining rather than freeing. So instead, he took out a student loan, bought an around-the-world ticket, and went on his personal search for freedom. Fueled by liquid inspiration, Earle ironically ended up in Paremoremo, a maximum security prison in Auckland New Zealand where he remained as a guest for the next 22 months.

This is where Earle met the practices of yoga, meditation, and Buddhist philosophy. Earle began studying the Asian Classics Institute program and shortly after returning to Canada, went to help him start the Diamond Mountain University and Retreat Center in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. Earle led the yoga philosophy department and taught meditation and yoga, while also studying Tibetan, Sanskrit, business, and a 7-year advanced program in Tibetan Buddhism. This period of study concluded with a 3 year 3 month 3 day silent meditation retreat.

Taking his 27 years of experience, Earle thrives on making the often complicated teachings practical and relatable. Earle uses his expertise in retreat and his capacity to guide people along the stages of meditation, to help them in their spiritual journey.

Earle is the head of curriculum development and lead teacher at the Yoga Studies Institute (YSI). YSI reaches over 10,000 students annually, leading students in yoga programs and retreats, meditation teacher trainings, and philosophy workshops. Earle also teaches and leads meditation programs at the Three Jewels Outreach Center in NYC for many students, including beginning meditators, people training to become meditation teachers, and advanced practitioners looking to deepen their practice in retreat.