Cara Lai once worked as an artist, wilderness guide, social worker and psychotherapist, but traded it in for an all-out mindfulness rampage. She’s a working mom whose teaching is relatable, authentic, funny and sometimes crass, and is accessible for many people. She teaches teens and adults at Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, and UCLA; ultimately hoping to get woke enough to bend spoons with her mind in front of large audiences. And to help people be happier.

Jessica Morey is a meditation teacher and coach. She has been practicing meditation for 3 decades. She began her practice on teen retreats at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) and graduated from the IMS teacher training program in 2021. She brings a sense of playfulness and care to her teaching and is focused on how we can bring our meditation practice off the cushion into our relationships and our work. Jess studied engineering and worked in clean energy finance before founding Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, a nonprofit organization bringing in-depth mindfulness and compassion training to youth.

Zac will be teaching nature awareness and immersion practices every Friday of the Contemplative Semester! Zac has studied and practiced meditation for 20 years – primarily Vipassana (Insight) meditation and, more recently, Vajrayana practices. He is particularly interested in the role contemplative practices can play in undoing systems of oppression and creating conditions for collective liberation and sustainability. He’s a Senior Lecturer at the University of Vermont, a teacher at Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme), a teacher at The Contemplative Semester, and works with people throughout the country as a mindfulness coach and Dharma facilitator. Zac lives in Winooski, Vermont with his partner, son, and tens of thousands of honey bees.

Catherine came to the dharma midlife and is reaping its blessings in a big way (waking up anxiety-free was a possibility?). She is a mother of three adult children, aunt to seven niblings, social worker, former public interest attorney and wellness counselor at Yale Law School, trainer in interpersonal communication skills, and budding mindfulness meditation and yoga teacher. Catherine recently completed a two year teacher training with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. Her time mentoring at Inward Bound teen retreats (nine so far) count as some of the best weeks of her life.

Catherine lives in Branford, CT with her partner and mother in law and will be onsite this fall as mentor and movement teacher.

Shea Riester, LMSW, SEP, is a somatic therapist and mindfulness & communication teacher from Brooklyn, NY. Shea loves to support young people’s freedom and happiness; he’s worked with Inward Bound Mindfulness since 2017, serving as Teen Mentor, Mental Health Coordinator, and Assistant Teacher. At home, Shea builds community through co-leading the Brooklyn Insight sangha, teaching Nonviolent Communication, and facilitating conflict transformation and restorative justice circles with the NY Peace Institute, non-profits and schools in NYC. Shea fell in love with dharma when he was 19, and has practiced deeply in the Insight and Plum Village Buddhist lineages for 14 years.

Sarwang Parikh LMFT (he/they) is an psychotherapist and meditation teacher based on unceded Ohlone land in SF Bay Area. He was born into a devotional Indian lineage from an immigrant, working-class family. He discovered yoga and meditation as a young person which saved his life. They have been intentionally practicing and studying the Dharma path for over 20 years, primarily within the Theravada lineage through Spirit Rock and East Bay Meditation Center. For as nearly long he has been providing social and emotional support to young people as a therapist and mindfulness educator in community mental health and schools. He teaches meditation at East Bay Meditation Center and Inward Bound Mindfulness Education. Sarwang loves playing the handpan drum, being immersed in sci-fi/fantasy or letting loose on the dance floor.

Maya (she/her) envisions a world where unconditional love and fierce ethical accountability converge. She hails from Brooklyn, NY and is pursuing a PhD in Urban Education at the CUNY Graduate Center. After graduating from the Harvard Teacher Fellows' founding cohort, she taught 7th grade history for six years, coached humanities teachers, and continues to mentor early career teachers through the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Maya's research explores teacher mentorship, community, and trauma-informed mindfulness as tools for transforming cycles of harm. Maya aspires to participate in educational havens of belonging that allow educators and students to bring their authentic selves. She is currently training to teach mindfulness to young people through Inward Bound’s Teacher Training, and continues to train in Nonviolent Communication and Somatic Experiencing (a trauma healing therapeutic modality).

James Frank is a meditation teacher and somatic healing practitioner. He has practiced extensively in the Insight tradition and began teaching at the invitation of his teacher, Rodney Smith. He runs a private practice and also works as a resiliency trainer for Somatic Experiencing International, offering trainings in crisis stabilization and somatic first aid. He is passionate about directing practice in ways that highlight the direct and liberating power of awareness, and is humbled to serve on this program. He lives in Vermont with his fiancé.