Shastri Chuck Whetsell has been a student of the Shambhala lineage since 1975. He received his MA in Buddhist and Western psychology from Naropa Institute (now Naropa University) in 1979, and later obtained his PhD in psychology from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Whetsell has a private practice in Birmingham, Alabama. He also maintains a rolfing practice, having obtained his basic certification from the Rolf Institute in 1979. Shastri Whetsell completed the traditional three-year retreat at Gampo Abbey in 2010.