About Us
Shrimala is a platform dedicated to transforming the ways we live in a more-than-human world, offering coursework, consultations, mentorship services, and an array of media and physical products
About Shrimala
Shrimala began in 2017 as a Tibetan Medicine clinic in Topanga, California. In 2019, we moved to London, and have since grown into a platform dedicated to physical, spiritual, and ecological recovery.
We offer private consultations and mentorship services for those who wish to recover health and existential perspective in their lives - to build a life worth living, and to explore the wonders and mysteries of being human in a more-than-human world.
In addition to courses and mentorship services, we also offer a range of handicrafts created by Erik Jampa Andersson, our founder, designed to inspire enchantment and connection in our day-to-day lives.
Our Namesake
The name Shrimala is a Sanskrit translation of the Tibetan name Pelden Trengwa (Wyl. dPal lDan ‘Phreng Ba), belonging to a powerful dakini (female wisdom being) who is said to abide in Maratika Cave in eastern Nepal. According to the Tibetan medical tradition, she was the dharma custodian of the Yuthok Nyingthik (Wyl. G.yu Thog sNying Thig), a tantric Buddhist spiritual corpus which she conferred upon Yuthok Yönten Gönpo (ca. 1126-1202 CE), the father of Tibetan Medicine.
Shrimala remains an important spiritual figure in Tibetan Medicine, often invoked in rejuvenation practices. We honour her as our patron, and an enduring embodiment of both the sacred feminine and the dynamic wisdom embodied in the Earth itself.
About Erik Jampa Andersson
Erik Jampa Andersson (MA), founder and director of Shrimala, is a London-based scholar, teacher, and author specialising in cultural ecology, secular spirituality, and the medical and environmental humanities. With an MA in History from Goldsmiths, University of London, Erik is also a graduate of the Shang Shung Institute School of Tibetan Medicine, and is the author of Unseen Beings: How we Forgot the World is More than Human (Hay House UK, 2023).
With 20 years of experience in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Erik has studied with an array of esteemed teachers from around the world, and is one of the few westerners to complete a classical training in Sowa Rigpa (Traditional Tibetan Medicine), receiving certification as a Menpa (Tibetan medical doctor) and authorisation to teach Tibetan Medicine and the Yuthok Nyingthig.
Known for his engaging and approachable style, Erik’s work combines academic rigour with extensive personal experience, helping students and clients recover dynamic health, spiritual fulfilment, and a deeper sense of what it means to be human in a more-than-human world.
As a mentor and coach, Erik’s work is grounded in the principles of secular spirituality - using traditional tools to create personal meaning, enchantment, moral integrity, and a life worth living beyond the trappings of faith. He is a trained specialist in ritual arts, serving as head umdze (ritual emcee) in the Tara Mandala community for many years, and is a leading expert in eco-daemonology and the Tibetan Buddhist practice of Chöd (gCod).
Erik’s academic work focuses on the intersection of ecology, health, religion, and myth, examining how our worldviews impact our engagement with the natural world, and how the recovery of natural enchantment and ecological consciousness can help us develop more effective and sustainable responses to our environmental crises.
Outside of the Tibetan tradition, Erik has trained extensively in western herbalism, classical astrology, vegetal alchemy, and an array of other traditional forms of knowledge. Erik is also well-known for his scholarship in the field of Tolkien Studies, specialising in ecocritical and philosophical approaches to myth and the literary legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien.
To book a workshop or other event with Erik, please contact us.