Our Instructors
Vajra Matusow
MA, CMT
Vajra holds a Master’s Degree in Somatic Counseling Psychology and is a Licensed Minister, certified hypnotherapist, and retreat guide. She has 49 years of experience practicing and teaching bodywork and healing. She founded Diamond Light and served as an instructor from 1987 to 2022. She has deep experience and a rich, varied background in the healing arts. Her work with the body is enriched by a lifelong passion for spiritual awakening that has led her to study, practice, and teach massage, meditation, and healing throughout the world. Vajra’s teaching style blends technical excellence, spiritual depth, responsive exploration & nurturing gentleness.
Dana Rose Arevalo MBW, CMP
Dana is a third-generation healer, deeply influenced by her grandmother’s massage practice. She began her bodywork career in 1987 and started teaching in 1995. Dana has trained in a wide variety of techniques, including advanced massage, body mechanics, reflexology, myofascial release, advanced neck work, and Neuromuscular Reprogramming. She is known for her warm and trustworthy approach and has guided hundreds of students in developing their bodywork practice. Her teaching style emphasizes practical skills grounded in anatomical awareness and client rapport.
Tim Holt
CMT
Tim became certified in massage in 1987. Tim teaches Deep Tissue Massage and runs a private bodywork practice focused on injury rehabilitation, using Deep Tissue techniques from orthopedic, sports, and restorative massage modalities, and specializing in Shiatsu and Thai Massage. He has lived, studied, and practiced bodywork in Thailand and Japan. Tim is among the most experienced and highly respected massage instructors in the Bay Area.
Ruben Rocha
BA
Ruben holds a BA in History from the University of Dallas and studied Theology at the Braniff Graduate School. He was a graduate and instructor at Diamond Light School of Massage and Healing Arts, where he taught for 16 years, from 2006 until 2022. He has been an associate of Corsano Family and Kwait Chiropractic in San Anselmo and Adams Family Acupuncture in San Rafael. He also managed the massage clinic at BodyWise Massage, served as coordinator for chair massage at Elephant Pharmacy, and provides on-site massage for corporate clients. In 2016, he co-founded the Selfcare Studio in downtown San Anselmo. Ruben is certified in Table Yomassage® and certified to offer Trauma-Informed Bodywork.
Alco Chan
MA Physical Therapy
Ruben holds a BA in History from the University of Dallas and studied Theology at the Braniff Graduate School. He was a graduate and instructor at Diamond Light School of Massage and Healing Arts, where he taught for 16 years, from 2006 until 2022. He has been an associate of Corsano Family and Kwait Chiropractic in San Anselmo and Adams Family Acupuncture in San Rafael. He also managed the massage clinic at BodyWise Massage, served as coordinator for chair massage at Elephant Pharmacy, and provides on-site massage for corporate clients. In 2016, he co-founded the Selfcare Studio in downtown San Anselmo. Ruben is certified in Table Yomassage® and certified to offer Trauma-Informed Bodywork.
Rachael Angelese
CMT
Racheal is an Advanced Lomilomi Practitioner with 25 years of experience as a full-time bodyworker in both Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay Area. After a profound personal healing experience during a life-threatening battle with Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, she developed “The Golden Path” bodywork method, which integrates energetic and structural approaches. Rachael’s healing work draws on deep intuition, compassion, and spiritual insight. She blends traditional Hawaiian healing principles with a unique, transformational massage style, helping clients access self-initiated healing. Her teaching reflects a dedication to inner alignment and empowerment.
Devon Carter
BA, CMT, PCC
Devon has over 40 years of professional bodywork experience, beginning with a BA in Dance and Kinesiology from Columbia College, Chicago. Her extensive training includes Swedish-Esalen Massage at the Esalen Institute, Jin Shin Acupressure, Hendrickson Method Massage, and Craniosacral Therapy through the Upledger and Milne Institutes. Devon is also a Certified Somatic Coach with the Strozzi Institute and a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation. Her work draws on her interest in somatic presence and self-expression, blending coaching, healing arts, and emotional integration.
Kathrin Graller
CMT
Avidan is a seasoned bodyworker with over 27 years of experience and more than 1,000 hours of training. A graduate of the New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts, her work incorporates modalities including Swedish, Deep Tissue, Medical Massage, CranioSacral, Lomi Lomi, Shiatsu, Structural Integration, Reflexology, and Matrix Energetics. Katrin excels in addressing both acute and chronic conditions, blending anatomical skill with intuitive energy healing. Her background includes work in spas, chiropractic settings, and integrative health clinics. She specializes in conditions like carpal tunnel, migraines, and chronic back pain. She is also a certified LaStone Therapist and has taught Hot Stone Massage workshops for over 10 years. Her practice and teaching are rooted in compassion and holistic care.
Tobi Lessem
CMT
Tobi lived in the desert in an intentional community where she met a healer and realized she was being called to bodywork. She began formal training at the National Holistic Institute and has practiced since 2010. She is trained in Lomi Lomi, Myofascial Release, and Polarity work, with a specialty in Trigger Point therapy, which she uses as a “map” for exploring the body. She also teaches Trigger Point therapy through a map framework that guides practitioners while allowing room to grow and adapt their practice. Tobi is trained in the Functional Movement System, is a NASM-certified personal trainer, and has a background in psychology and kinesiology. She runs BodyWise Massage in San Rafael with a team of bodyworkers and maintains a strong community-focused practice.
Graham Quigley
MS, L.AC, Dipl. O.M.
Graham has studied Chinese Medicine and Asian Bodywork since 2000. He received his Masters in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Academy of Chinese Culture & Health Sciences. He taught at the Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley from 2012 until 2020, at ACCHS in Oakland, at the Oakland Acupuncture School, at the Acupressure Institute, at Five Branches University in San Jose, and at Diamond Light School of Massage in San Anselmo. He maintains a private practice in Oakland where he offers Tui Na, Acupuncture, and Herbology.
Trish Crawley
BA, CMT
Trish is a Certified Massage Therapist and experienced educator focused on trauma recovery through bodywork. She is trained in a wide range of modalities, including Somatic Experiencing, Craniosacral Therapy, and energy medicine. Trish has taught the “Working with Trauma” course at Diamond Light School of Massage and continues to lead classes on trauma and hospice massage around the Bay Area. Her practice integrates intuitive presence and deep anatomical understanding to help clients release long-held patterns and emotional pain. Trish is widely recognized for her compassionate, skillful work with trauma-affected individuals.
Kevin Bashir Cates, LAc, CMT
Kevin is a Reiki teacher, licensed Acupuncturist, body worker and Sound Healer who blends 35 years of musical experience with ongoing exploration into the transformational potential of vocal and instrumental sound. He has been a Reiki Master and teacher for over 20 years and a sound healer all his life. His specialty is in using sound healing, Reiki, and subtle energy awareness to catalyze physical, emotional, and spiritual expansion and healing.
Sara Sunstein
MA
Sara is an Advanced Practitioner and Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy® with over 40 years of experience in bodywork, trauma resolution, and somatic education. With a background in body-based psychology and mindfulness. Her approach blends gentle physical techniques with emotional healing. Her own experiences with asthma and injury led her to a lifelong pursuit of somatic healing. Sara has trained with pioneers like Arthur Pauls (Ortho-Bionomy founder), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing), and Kathy L. Kain. She teaches nationally and maintains a private practice in the Bay Area, helping clients and students access deeper ease, embodiment, and inner trust.
Binh Q An
CMT
Binh is a CAMTC-certified massage therapist with more than 20 years of professional experience in holistic bodywork. He trained at the Diamond Light School of Massage and the prestigious Wat Po Thai Traditional Massage School in Thailand. Binh specializes in Deep Tissue, Thai Massage, Structural Integration, and Neuromuscular Reprogramming, often integrating breathwork and intuitive touch. In addition to maintaining a clinical practice, Binh is active in wellness education and community outreach. He is a passionate teacher whose goal is to inspire future massage therapists with a balanced approach of technical skill and holistic philosophy.
Kate Edmiston, CMT
Kate studied massage at the World School of Massage and Holistic Healing Arts (2012–2014) and has since built over a decade of experience as a Certified Massage Therapist. Her background includes three years at Bodywise Massage and more than eight years running a successful private practice. She has completed 265 hours of continuing education and also served as a substitute teacher, teaching assistant, and student coordinator during her training, helping coach students in massage techniques. Kate’s approach blends multiple modalities, and she is known for her deep, personalized work and for empowering clients with self-care techniques to relieve tension, pain, and stress.
BinBin Beecher
BA, CMT
Binbin has a bachelor’s degree from Jinzhou Normal University, Liaoning Province, China. She studied at Diamond Light School of Massage and the Healing Arts and graduated in 2019. She is a Certified Massage Therapist with CAMTC and has been practicing massage full-time since 2019. BinBin is the owner and massage therapist at Essential Massage Therapy Inc., two Spas operating in Petaluma and Santa Rosa.
Lowell Noble
BA, CMT
Lowell has a BA in Justice, Morality, and Constitutional Law from James Madison College, Michigan State University. He began his studies at Diamond Light School of Massage and Healing Arts in 2005, graduated from the Massage Therapist Program, the Advanced Massage Therapist Program, and finally the Professional Massage Therapist Program in 2022. He has been CAMTC certified since 2010 and has practiced massage since 2006.