I have been a teacher for most of my adult life, teaching all ages. I have a Bachelor degree in Psychology and German, an Education degree in ESL, and a Master's degree in ECE and Montessori Education. I have been a Mindfulness and Meditation Practitioner for over 20 years and have studied Vipassana Meditation and Transcendental Meditation, Non-Violent Communication and MBSR. I am training to be a Creative Arts Therapist and have experience with Focusing Oriented Arts Therapy (FOAT), Nature-based Arts Therapy, Mandala work, and Symbol work. I aim to include creative practices in all the courses and retreats I teach because I believe creativity is another very important part of a well balanced life. I attend at least one 10 day silent retreat a year, to extend my own Mindfulness and Compassion practice. I believe that offering these teachings in a secular way will make them more accessible to a wider range of people. We all need Mindfulness and Compassion in our lives.