About Heartwood Mountain Sanctuary

Our Story

There is no one history of Heartwood — there are many, layered like soil, each one still shaping the ground we stand on today.

Timeline

  • Founded in 1978 in Santa Cruz by Bruce Burger, Susan Matthews, Janice West, Mark Fields and Brysis Buchanan offering daily programs in massage and holistic health education.

  • 1980, earned approval by the American Massage Therapy Association and changed name to Heartwood: California College of The Natural Healing Arts

  • 1981 Bruce and Chela Burger moved Heartwood to its Island Mountain campus in the foothills of Northern California’s Yolla Bolly mountains or what is now known as The Emerald Triangle

  • In 1986 Robert Fasic and Roy Grieshaber purchased Heartwood and renamed it Heartwood Institute. The teachers and community bring the work of the Hendricks Institute into Heartwood’s culture and programs.

  •  In 2006 Bennett and Delphina Dorrance purchased Heartwood and initiated a transformation of Heartwood’s facilities. Becomes Heartwood Mountain Sanctuary.

  • In 2026 Heartwood begins a new era of service.

Virtually everyone who has been to Heartwood has their story to tell. A deep inner journey of transformation. A journey of safety, healing, and self-actualization. A story of birthing the right livelihood through a career in massage, yoga, nutrition and the natural healing arts…of self-actualization through loving service.

  • This place, in the middle of nature has so much magic and beauty. It seeps out of everything. The people, the buildings, the animals that wander it, the food... it is truly a special place to be. Thank you for sharing it with me.

    —Retreat Participant

  • "Creative, reliable, and genuinely passionate about what they do."

    —Former Customer

  • "A professional team that delivers on their promises."

    —Former Customer

  • "Every detail was thoughtfully executed. We're thrilled with the outcome."

    —Former Customer

This land carries a deep history — one of Indigenous wisdom, sacred connection, and a living heritage that continues to inform everything we do at Heartwood.

Learn the Land's Story