An ordained nun of 15 years in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing, she is now a lay Dharma teacher based in Washington, D.C., leading retreats in the U.S. and internationally, and offering mindfulness programs for educators and youth in schools. She edited Thich Nhat Hanh’s, Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children and helped to start and develop Wake Up Schools, cultivating mindfulness in education. She explores the interweaving of art, play, ecology and spiritual practice and is a certified yoga teacher and InterPlay leader.

In spring 2015 and 2016, she was spiritual practitioner in residence at Schumacher College in the United Kingdom. In addition to her roots in the Zen tradition, she also practices and teaches in the Vipassana tradition, and is an affiliate teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC. She contributed a chapter to the forthcoming book, Real World Mindfulness, from Callisto Press. Visit kairajewel.com to learn more.