John Thomsen, also known as DaddyGuru in various circles, is a spiritual teacher and kundalini lightworker whose work centers on tantra, intimacy healing, and vibration-raising practices. Out of the closet since 1984, he has long been an LGBTQ+ activist and has witnessed the social impact of homophobia, HIV and AIDS, religious and workplace discrimination, marriage equality, and addiction trends within the gay community over the past 40 years. He is also a survivor of physical abuse, sexual abuse, childhood abandonment, and is in recovery from codependency.
As a gay yogi, tantric facilitator, and intimacy-trauma healer, John blends authentic tantra, Kundalini yoga, and nervous-system-aware embodiment practices to support men in reclaiming pleasure, presence, and self-trust.
With more than four decades of lived experience in spiritual practice, queer embodiment, and relational healing, John’s teaching is shaped by direct experience and deep personal insight. His path has been informed by homophobia, HIV/AIDS, religious conditioning, addiction, and attachment trauma in the gay community, as well as his own journey through abuse, abandonment, and codependency.
His approach brings together authentic Tantra, Kundalini philosophy, breathwork, somatic inquiry, and relational awareness. Often described as Neoteric Tantra, his work moves beyond performance-driven or purely erotic frameworks, inviting men into self-responsibility, embodied truth, and emotional sovereignty. These are spaces where desire, intimacy, and presence can be explored without shame, bypassing, or performative masculinity.
John is the co-owner of Casa Kāma in Costa Rica, a retreat space dedicated to deep transformational work, where he facilitates private immersions and group retreats. He also teaches internationally and online, offering programs that explore Red and White Tantra, Sexual Shamanism, and inner child integration as pathways to healing and embodied connection.
Alongside his spiritual work, John is an award-winning screenwriter and former senior media project manager. He also served as the first president of OutCBC, where he advocated for visibility and equity for LGBTQ+ employees within Canada’s national broadcaster.
John’s work lives at the intersection of embodiment, awareness, and relational truth, designed for gay men who are ready to reclaim desire, heal core wounds, and become the love of their own life so connection becomes a choice, not a need.