Yossi Ghinsberg

Biography

A passionate citizen of the world and an eternal nomad Yossi continuously travels the planet for both work and personal explorations.

He was born and raised in Israel and served three years in the Israeli navy on the Red Sea where he befriended the Bedouins of the Sinai Desert who greatly influenced him with their wholesome philosophy and nomadic lifestyle. To date, no matter where he lives, Yossi always constructs a tent, be it on the top of his apartment or the backyard of his house, that becomes the center of the family life.

Yossi studied Jewish Philosophy and Business Administration in Tel Aviv University followed by a comprehensive study of the "Kabala" in authentic environments. A truth seeker by an inner calling, Yossi continuously studied religions and philosophy including the Ancients, the Classics, the Eastern, the Contemporary and the Shamanic path.

His first book Jungle based on his harrowing adventures in South America was first published in 1986 and soon became an international bestseller translated in 10 language and published in over 20 countries thus far. In 2006 Darlow-Smithson (of "Touching the Void" fame) in cooperation with The Discovery Channel has released an acclaimed docudrama titled "Escape from the Amazon" based on Yossi' story. Currently a full scale motion picture based on the book is under production.

In 1992, Yossi returned to the Amazon and made it his home. He engaged himself fully in the preservation of the Amazon Basin and the empowerment of its Indeginous Inhabitants; organizing symposiums and conducting informative workshops on their intellectual properties. Together with an interdisciplinary team of sceintists he established "Ethnobios" a biodiversity prospecting enterprise. And, together with the Takana tribe of the Tuichi Valley; he initiated The Chalalan Project;, a model eco-resort, fully owned and managed by these indegionous forest dweller. His contribution to the region was instruemntal ito the creation of The Madidi National Park; and it won him international acclaim.

In 1995 he was appointed Vice President of The Center for Investigation & Treatment of Addiction (CITA). In this capacity for the next 7 years, Yossi dedicated his life to promoting a new humanitarian approach for the treatment of opiate addiction, establishing 12 treatment and research centers around the world from Mexico to China. As part of this initiative he also launched the 'Alma Libre Foundation' to help in educating societies about the disease of opiate addiction and to promote the reintegration of rehabilitated patients back into society without prejudice.

In 2001 during the peak of the Palestinian 'intifada', Yossi was invited to return to Israel to produce a reconciliation festival. Despite the escalation of violence in the region, the festival managed to attract spiritual leaders of Judaism and Islam as well as unprecedented audiences. Yossi interest in conflict resolution is expressed firstly in his personal life and actively extended to organizational, local and global levels.

He is a sought after inspirational and motivational speaker and at times seminar-leader to the world's top corporations and organizations throughout the globe.

His new book Laws of the Jungle, is a book of insights derived from his life experience and inspired by living in the Amazon and observing Nature. The book has been recently published in the US, Israel and Korea. He now works on his third book;"Glimpses" a fictional autobiography. Yossi in cooperation with his musician friends has also published a children CD titled: "Mr. Sleep and the Flying Green Toad"and is now working on his second CD also titled "Laws of the Jungle".

Passionate about cultural immersion and driven by his deep believe in Earth as a global village home to all of us; Yossi can communicate well in seven languages and can say 'why are you laughing?' in about 50 more.

In 2008 Yossi established an innovative venture in the field of Web 3.0, developing a multidimensional semantic browser. The working title for this venture is 'a brave new web'.

Yossi is a yoga practitioner, he does not own a TV and he does not play golf.

He is happily married to Belinda Yong and is the proud father to three beautiful girls, Mia (23), Cayam (5) and Nissim (2).

Yossi shares his time between 'Quandong', his home in the heart of an Australian rainforest, Tel Aviv and the rest of the world.

Publications

Lost in the jungle!--told with a hearty emphasis on endurance and terror. In 1982, the author, an Israeli then in his 20s, was backpacking around South America. After some typically youthful escapades, Ghinsberg fell in with Karl, a self-proclaimed Austrian geologist who offered to take the author and two others- -thoughtful Marcus, a Swiss, and stalwart Kevin, an American--deep inside the Amazon rain forest. Flying out of La Paz to a remote town, the four were soon hacking their way through dense foliage, dining on smoked monkey meat, and panning for gold on an isolated riverbank. But the adventure was marred by tension between the travelers, spurred by Karl's bossiness and Marcus's whining, and eventually the foursome split up, with Karl and Marcus planning to return to La Paz while the author and Kevin were to raft down the treacherous Tuichi river. It's at this point, midway through the narrative, that Ghinsberg's tale takes flight: Almost immediately, he and Kevin lose their raft and are separated in the river's white waters. Carrying on alone, equipped only with a small bag containing matches, bug repellent, rice and beans, etc., Ghinsberg suffers through a horrific ordeal of starvation; jungle rot; attacks by hornets, leeches, and biting termites; torrential rains; slashing wounds; a jaguar stalking; and maddening loneliness. But after 20 days of being sustained primarily by his will ('I can go on'), the author, near death, spots Kevin approaching in a boat: "I was safe" --but Marcus and Karl (whose surprising real identity is later revealed) are never seen again.

Titles

The Power to Survive
After a tragic separation from his friends, one man is lost alone for weeks in the heart of the Amazon with no food or weapons in the midst of the worst rainy season in decades. Through this amazing experience Yossi Ghinsberg penetrates a new level of understanding of life and himself.

A master storyteller, Yossi takes his audiences on an emotional experience of inner strength and self-discovery.

This keynote presentation is based on Yossi's international bestseller 'Jungle', now also a documentary by the acclaimed producers of 'Touching the Void' and the Discovery Channel.

Apart from the sheer excitement and thrill of Yossi's presentation his delivery encourages audiences to review and reevaluate their own personal and professional circumstances. Audiences are empowered to adapt to circumstances with a sense of adventure. Yossi believes we are co-creators of our reality and hence fear and worry are not likely to improve any situation, however right action can always be taken. Adversity is part of life; being a victim a matter of choice.

Yossi feels there is an inherent hero in each one of us ready to emerge; there exists a well of wisdom far greater than our own knowledge ready to be made available. Never, ever give up for life is never short of a miracle. This keynote presentation sows long-lasting seeds of empowerment with its audiences.

The Laws of the Jungle: Jaguars Don't Need Self-help Books

The only specie that separates and alienates itself from nature is our own. Isolated in that seclusion we either try to dominate nature or protect ourselves from it. Yossi asks his audience to expand their horizon and see 'the big picture'. Our life has become 'life in a box' and we've forgotten that it is our birth right to be and feel part of our planet and the entire universe we live in.

A master practitioner of corporate spirituality, Yossi Ghinsberg introduces this pioneering work of incorporating principles and guidelines from nature, the natural world, the planet as a whole and the cosmos and draws their relation to the management of our personal and professional lives.

Audiences are intrigued by the unique cutting-edge human thinking that provokes and challenges the conventional, suggesting an alternative outlook on life and a new path of action toward wellbeing and success. Empowering and encouraging, Yossi's 'Laws of the Jungle' teaches that we are the co-creators of this life, assuming responsibility will yield power, what we tend to resist persists, acquiring a new perspective and casting our vision upon the future will form a new path.

Yossi's'Laws of the Jungle' are well researched and source from an array of interdisciplinary sciences and fields, such as quantum physics, Buddhism, Kabala, anthropology and environmental sciences. Nevertheless most of the insights can be discerned through simple contemplations and observations of nature. Having lived in the Amazon rainforest for three years and now living in the Australian rainforest, Yossi knows how to bring to life the natural world and relate it to an audience in a fascinating way.

The teaching of the 'Laws of the Jungle' to audiences has a tremendous and direct impact, bringing breakthroughs and transformations to both individuals and organizations.

This topic is highly entertaining due to Yossi's ability to tell stories and create mind images with his audiences, and at the same time the material can only be described as life-changing.

The Laws of the Jungle is a topic packed with content and can be delivered as a 60 to 90 minute keynote allowing time for interaction and Q and A. Alternatitvely it can be extended to a 3 hour breakout session.

Sailing the Seas of Change
'It is not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change.'
Charles Darwin

The famous adage says: 'change is the only constant'. Indeed it is impermanence that is the essence of our existence in a word that is always in flux. As inherent and inevitable as change is, it is perceived by many individuals and organizations as a problem.

Accepting change as a natural phenomenon is the basis of sanity, knowing how to flow with the change is the greatest of virtues. This is the most basic and relevant wisdom that can help us better manage our lives.

Understanding change; welcoming change; adapting to change; not clinging to passing experiences; going through changes and adversity maintaining responsibility and power - all this is possible when an understanding and acceptance of change is incorporated into one's life.

Quite paradoxically when such understanding is inherent, change ceases to seem so personal. There is no aversion to trouble and no clinging to fleeting pleasure. Instead there is acceptance of the new circumstances and an adaptation based on action.

The other and more common path of resisting change, chasing fleeting phenomena and being its victim comes from ignorance and promotes a sense of helplessness followed by involuntary reaction.

Surrendering to the power of change doesn't mean one is helpless or powerless, on the contrary change always represents opportunity for growth. A master storyteller, Yossi's keynote on change is not a lecture but rather a journey taking audiences far away from their mundane reality and far above their judgmental minds, and allows access to new perspectives and reflections.