Jaya Rudgard began practising over thirty years ago and was a nun in the Thai Forest tradition in the UK from 1996-2005, with Ajahn Sumedho. A graduate of the IMS/Spirit Rock four year teacher training, she teaches retreats, courses and classes in the UK and internationally. Jaya is also an experienced teacher of the mindfulness modalities of MBSR, MBCT and Mindful Self-Compassion. Perhaps reflecting her Anglo-Chinese heritage, she loves the hands-on work of translating the dharma from one culture to another, and from one heart to another, and working with as wide a range of students as possible. She lives in Oxford England where she leads a weekly sitting group and is an associate of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Jaya is also a keen practitioner of qi gong and a qualified yoga teacher and likes to include movement practices in her retreats. She has a particular love of mountains, having done much of her growing up in the Swiss Alps, and especially enjoys opportunities to use practice to bring herself and others into a more direct and conscious connection with the natural world.