Maria Helena Kubrusly

Maria Helena Kubrusly brings more than three decades of dedicated practice, study, and teaching within the Nyingma tradition to her work as a retreat leader.
Born and raised in Brazil, Maria Helena was a founding member of the Nyingma Center in Rio de Janeiro, where she taught classes and guided retreats. She came to the United States in 1997 as a staff member and instructor at the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley, and has lived at Odiyan since 1999. There, she works closely with Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche on community, administrative, and spiritual matters, while continuing to share the practices that have shaped her own life.
Maria Helena has offered retreats and courses in the United States, Brazil, and Europe, both online and in person. Her teaching draws from meditation, Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga, contemplative movement, sensory awareness, loving-kindness practice, and the healing presence of nature. She holds a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.
What makes Maria Helena’s retreats so meaningful is not only her depth of experience, but the gentle, grounded way she helps participants turn inward. Her approach is warm, patient, and nonjudgmental, creating a space where students can slow down, listen more deeply, and reconnect with the natural clarity and beauty of their own being.
At Ratna Ling, surrounded by the stillness of the redwoods, Maria Helena guides participants into practices that awaken the senses, soften the heart, and restore a more spacious relationship with body, mind, and world. Her retreats are especially suited for those seeking a quiet, embodied, and compassionate path back to themselves.
Participants often describe Maria Helena’s retreats as gentle, healing, and deeply supportive.
“What did I like most? Maria Helena’s gentle, nonjudgmental way of leading us in toward our being.”
“Maria Helena’s retreat opened up my heart and helped me release past pain.”
Others have praised her patience, warmth, and ability to make students feel at ease, especially when introducing practices such as Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga.