About Lauren

Lauren Alderfer About

Lauren Alderfer comes to the world of microdosing and the use of entheogens through the lens of her many decades of meditation. She understands the powerful lived experience of non duality to enhance one’s presence. Deepening a connection to one’s essential nature, living with ever  greater loving-kindness and wisdom, and sharing in the interconnectedness of nature and all  sentient beings can be equally powerful experiences when approaching microdosing and entheogens through the heart of mindfulness. 

She is the award-winning mindfulness author of Teaching from the Heart of Mindfulness. She also wrote the popular children’s book, Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda as well as other Buddhist  stories. Leaving the U.S. to start her career in Ecuador as a Fulbright English Language Fellow, Lauren lived in the Andean region for  over twenty years. She then lived on the Indian subcontinent for nearly two more decades. There,  Lauren was immersed in language preservation in the Tibetan refugee community. She blends a  Western perspective with the deep spirituality of the East, infusing both in her personal and  professional life. 


A long-time mindfulness practitioner, certified microdosing coach, and IAYT certified yoga therapist,  Lauren has worked in US-based overseas schools for over 30 years and been a professor in several graduate programs in the US. She is an avid tennis player, thermal spring enthusiast, Tibetan and crystal bowl practitioner, and lifelong learner. Lauren is a certified E.O.L.D (End Of Life Doula) and yoga therapist.  Lauren holds a Ph.D. in Global Educational Leadership.

Here's what clients are saying about mindful microdosing

  • Microdosing has helped empower me to be my most authentic self. I can show up with more energy, focus, and love rather than get lost in the chaos of life.

    Mother of three young children, USA 

  • Deep epiphanies have helped me align my true passions with my profession. Manifesting and trusting the process has helped forge a major shift, leading to a life in which there is more joy, connection, and space to grow and share.

    Founder, Canada

  • Mindful awareness in the microdosing process helps me notice that, indeed, there are subtle changes—making big shifts over time.

    University Professor, Holland

  • Microdosing with psilocybin has given me more grounding. I live with more hope and less fear. There is a renewed positivity that had been lost.

    Post-head trauma client, UK  

  • Even on bad pain days, I can make space and relax.

    Client with multiple health issues including MS for 40 years, USA 

  • My physical endurance, especially in the sports I love, has been a bonus. My reaction time is quicker and I am more agile.

    Avid pickle ball player, USA 

  • For the first time in 50 years, ruminating thoughts don’t grab me and take hold. They are still there but I can let them go.

    Vietnam Vet with PTSD, USA

  • I am able to live with more boundaries. I feel a new-found freedom and positivity. The mushrooms have become my ally—they are a gift to the world that keeps on giving.

    Long-time caregiver, USA

  • For the first time in years, I feel safe, that I am in control. Mindfully microdosing is a positive equalizer and helps the edges melt away.

    Sexual violence victim with PTSD, USA 

  • I feel more present during the day. I sleep soundly at night. There is enough focus and concentration to read again.

    75-year-old with early stage Alzheimer’s, USA

  • I move in the day with more ease, rooted in ever-growing kindness even though my caregiving role increases daily.

    Wife and caregiver, USA 

  • I am finally sleeping through the night. My family notices I can let things go more easily rather than get stressed.

    80+-year-old with anxiety around mortality, USA 

Testimonials as a Mindfulness Educator

  • Lauren is a divine healer, true teacher, and beautiful soul who holds a special gift of guiding one back to their essence.... their heart. Her teachings and wisdom come from a place of truth and love. Lauren has taught me to trust in the essence of life and connect to the deeper teachings always present! Working with Lauren has awakened my eyes, opened my heart, and inspired my soul to see the magic in life.

    Ellen Bradley, Yoga Icon & Entrepreneur Nosara, Costa Rica

  • I was going through a time in my life when some decisions had to be taken which I was unclear of. Her manner was gentle and kind and allowed me to feel completely safe in her hands. She gave me courage and support to follow my own heart.

    Mala Barua, Meditation Teacher and Wellness Expert, India

  • Lauren supported me to look at some areas of my life from a different viewpoint which gave me interesting insights for important life situations. Lauren is professional, kind and very experienced and I really enjoyed working with her.

    Adele Landauer, Life and Mindset Coach, Nosara, Costa Rica & Berlin

  • I highly recommend a session with Lauren if you are looking for clarity, balance and relaxation in your life.

    Hayley MacMillan-Ord, Aerial Yoga Instructor & Co-founder Del Mar Academy, Nosara, Costa Rica

  • My experience with Lauren was nothing less than deeply nourishing and liberating. I highly recommend the opportunity to access timeless, soul-supporting information through Lauren’s skillful offerings.

    Emily Wiadro, Yoga Teacher, USA & Online

  • Lauren helped shift something inside me, a striving fell away and ease entered. I feel freed from my interrogation of my past, the conflicted relationship with my mother. And as importantly, I understand that she too knows all is well between us. I’m grateful Lauren shares her amazing gifts.

    Jill Johnson, Writer & Editor, USA

  • Working with Lauren is enlightening and enriching and is a process I feel truly blessed to enjoy. Lauren has helped me to find joy where I could not before and to see much more clearly a path toward the future.

    Sophie Alweis, Philanthropist, Portland, USA

  • Lauren is in-depth, accurate, and offered me great clarity on current life challenges.

    Natasha Tome, Intuitive Medium, Canada

  • Lauren helped me to gain insight and clarity on certain patterns which allowed an effortless letting go of these patterns resulting in more ease in life.

    Tammy Bennet, Masseuse, Nosara, Costa Rica

  • I truly felt like Lauren attuned to my own body’s wisdom. Her decades’ long practices and training alongside her intuitive gift allowed me to benefit from her compassion and her incisive guidance.

    Therese Jornlin, Qi Gong Master Teacher, USA

  • Lauren helps to uncover threads from my past that will allow me to make connections to my present and even future. The process enables me to manifest my highest good by setting clear intentions and then letting go and staying open to the possibilities of what is sure to be an enlightening experience.

    Aisha Visram, Nosara, Costa Rica & Toronto

Achievements & Accomplishments 

  • Fulbright English Language Fellow, Ecuador and Venezuela

  • Winner, INDIE Award; best book in education 

  • Community Service Award, US Embassy, Ecuador

  • Presentar and featured speaker at various TESOL Conferences

  • Adjunct Faculty, SIT Graduate Institute (25 years)

  • Educator and Administrator at International Schools in Ecuador, India, and El Salvador

  • English Language Director, Andean Peace Scholarship Program, Ecuador

  • Co-Founder, La Primavera Health Food Store, Cuenca, Ecuador (1981)

  • Peace Corps Training, Honduras; Literacy Educator

  • Researcher, CREFAL, Patzcuaro, Mexico, Literacy Education

  • VISTA Volunteer (precedes Americorps), El Paso, Texas; Spanish Literacy 

  • Certified End of Life Doula (E.O.L.D)

  • PH.D Global Educational Leadership 

  • Contact Lauren Alderfer to learn more about her work

Explore Lauren’s diverse collection of books, each offering their own unique insights in the realms of mindfulness and wonder.

Mindful Microdosing

Join us in celebrating the release of the transformative The Mindful Microdosing Journal by the award-winning mindfulness author, Lauren Alderfer. 

This beautifully crafted journal invites you on a soul-nourishing journey, combining the power of microdosing with mindfulness for personal transformation. 

Discover how microdosing, combined with intention and Eastern wisdom, can lead to profound personal growth and greater well-being.

Mindfulness-Inspired Non-Fiction

Teaching From the Heart of Mindfulness, INDIE Award-Winner

Teaching from the Heart of Mindfulness approaches life as a laboratory for practicing mindfulness as a way of being—from the heart, in presence and as a teacher. When this is magnified for teachers it becomes a mindfulness-based teaching approach. This approach is exemplified in ten real-life classroom vignettes through the lens of a Mindful Teacher Lesson Design. 

Teaching as a Spiritual Practice

This book discusses the intersection of teaching practices and spirituality. Written in a straightforward style, it encourages and persuades us to look at the spiritual dimension of teaching.

Questions for the Dalai Lama, Foreword

Presented in a clear, elegant format, Questions for the Dalai Lama poses universal questions, giving answers from the Dalai Lama himself, assembled from quotes, articles, speeches, and written works directly attributed to His Holiness. Organized into several themes, Questions for the Dalai Lama touches on themes ranging from love, to tragedy, to compassion and happiness.

Popular Children's Book

Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda and translations

This wonderful picture book for children and adults alike introduces the powerful practice of mindfulness in a fun and exciting way. With the delightful Monkey and his serene friend Happy Panda guiding readers to a calmer and more attentive mind, this whimsical yet warm presentation will delight all readers.

Language Preservation Books

Tibetan Proverbs, Children’s Voices from the Homeland

A collection of Tibetan proverbs, which captures the ancient wisdom of the Tibetan people. This work also features colourful borders, which are beautifully painted by Tibetan refugee children and portray common images of the Tibetan culture.


Nine and a Half Fingers: A Tibetan Tale of Karma

Nestled high in the Himalayas a young princess asks to taste the first apples of the season. While slicing a piece of the ripe fruit her loyal maidservant accidentally chops the princess finger in two. The angry princess sends the maidservant directly to jail. Month’s later demons from the underworld capture the princess. What happens when the demons see the princess has nine and a half fingers? Find out how all the events in the story are connected and the princess learns the meaning of Karma.