Delson Armstrong

Delson Armstrong is a meditation teacher, Kriya Yoga lineage holder and author who teaches awakening, the Buddhist jhānas, Kriya Yoga and Tantra. His work goes by the phrase "Dharma without Dogma" and the invitation to "Reboot Your Mind." His YouTube channel describes him as living at the nexus of traditional models of awakening and emerging trends toward evidence-based approaches to inner transformation. He adapts timeless teachings to changing times and focuses on practices that work rather than dogma-based, cookie-cutter solutions.

His own description of his role is plain. He calls himself a mirror and a conduit for teachings from the Great Wisdom schools, and he says he teaches from direct experience. He asks that people not look for perfection in him as a teacher. His Insight Timer teacher page says he was immersed in spiritual training from an early age, with deep study of Buddhist practice and philosophy, especially the Four Noble Truths and Dependent Origination. Before his Buddhist studies he explored other spiritual traditions under guidance from masters, reaching levels of samādhi in Yoga and jhāna in Buddhism. On the Buddhist side, his website names David Johnson and Bhante Vimalaramsi as his teachers. It credits that training, and his experience interviewing hundreds of retreat participants, with shaping his intuition for recommending supportive practices and pointing-out instructions.

His lineages are named on his About page. In Kriya Yoga he is a lineage holder of Lahiri's Kriya, initiated in all seven stages and authorized to share it. The lineage page traces this path through Lahiri Mahasaya and Panchanan Bhattacharya, among others. In Tantra, Avadhuta Sri Gita Nath initiated him into Sri Vidya and Trika and continues to guide him in the ten Mahavidyas, advanced Kaulachara practices and Samayachara inner yoga. According to the page, in January 2026 Gita Nath granted him purnābhishek, conferring full teaching authority in the Nath lineage. His Insight Timer page adds that he has taught Buddhist studies at the Pāli Department of the University of Mumbai.

Delson teaches four main offerings. Awakening uses personalized pointing-out instructions, drawn from the Great Wisdom Traditions, to help people recognize the true nature of mind and reality. Kriya Yoga is a set of practices that prepare the nervous system for deeper relaxation and awareness, clear energetic blocks and ease the fear of letting go. The jhānas are the meditative attainments taught in the Pālī Canon, which lead to tranquility, wisdom and insight. In Tantra, his experience ranges from the ten Mahavidya traditions to Trika Philosophy, and he aims to make it accessible to a contemporary mind. He also offers one-on-one consultations.

Retreats are central to his teaching. His retreats combine guided meditation, dhamma talks and a daily one-on-one interview with Delson for personalized instruction. He leads ten-day Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation (TWIM) retreats at Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center in the Ozark Mountains near Annapolis, Missouri. He has also led residential and online retreats, including a Brahmavihara retreat at the Mahabodhi Center in Sarnath, India, and a one-month immersion in the countryside of Albacete, Spain. Other retreats are listed in Austria, Poland and California. In California he teaches at San Juan Bautista, including a retreat with the meditation teacher Doug Kraft.

His teaching is for people at every level, from first-time meditators to long-term practitioners. He describes his approach as friendly guidance rather than preaching from a pedestal. He also says he guides people to build an "unshakable inner home" by sitting inside pain with clarity and compassion. Matthew Immergut, PhD, co-author of The Mind Illuminated, wrote on Delson's website that his one-on-one guidance had "a perfect mixture of precision and relaxation."

Delson is also an author. According to his Insight Timer page, he has ten books in print, including A Mind Without Craving and a series on the twelve links of Dependent Origination. His YouTube channel, "Talks by Delson Armstrong," has a weekly Sunday morning Sutta study program, and he offers meditation course material on his website.