Meena Srinivasan, MA, NBCT, is an international educator passionate about bringing mindfulness into education. Meena has developed and organized numerous mindfulness programs for children and worked with many teachers as a key member of Ahimsa Trust, the leading NGO bringing mindfulness into education in India. Teachers unequivocally cite her sessions as "inspiring, practical and heartfelt." She is a disciple of renowned Zen master, poet, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.
Meena has experience teaching grades 6-12 in humanities, health and special needs, and has taught at some of the world’s leading International and Independent Schools in Brazil, India and California. She has contributed to United Nations publications on inclusive education, is one of the youngest educators to be awarded the prestigious National Board Certification and holds a California Teaching Credential. Meena earned a Masters degree in Education from UC Berkeley’s Social, Cultural Studies Program where she also studied Sanskrit and a Bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science from the London School of Economics and Amherst College.
At the age of 25, American born, Meena Srinivasan, decided to move to her ancestral homeland of India. While in India she embarked on a spiritual and intellectual journey that connected her with well-known philosophers, activists, and spiritual teachers. During her fifth year of living in India she engaged in, A Year of Mindfulness in the Classroom, in attempt to document her personal, spiritual practice as it relates to her career as an educator committed to bringing an ethical, ecological, spiritual approach to teaching grounded in mindfulness. She has also utilized the Understanding by Design curriculum framework to create a mindfulness unit grounded in the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and tied to National Health Education Standards.
During the summer of 2008, Meena was awarded a scholarship to study at Schumacher College in England and she also taught at a Buddhist nunnery in Ladakh where she created a book about the life stories of the nuns she worked with. In November of 2008, she traveled to Bhutan where she met the King and gave a presentation on an ethical, ecological, spiritual approach to education at the 4th annual Gross National Happiness Conference. Meena is cited as being the youngest Western woman (and quite possibly non-Tibetan lay practitioner) to have
"As I contemplate the future of Mindfulness in Education, I think of Meena Srinivasan. She's a driving force in India's Mindfulness in Education movement and has inspired many educators and students through her heartfelt commitment and sincerity on the path. Her global perspective, love of learning and ability to connect across cultures makes her a potentially key player in the transformation of education worldwide."
- Dharmacharya Shantum Seth, Director of Ahimsa Trust
- Dharmacharya Shantum Seth, Director of Ahimsa Trust
"Meena Srinivasan is a rising star in mindfulness teaching. I recommend her whole heartedly."
- Satish Kumar, Editor of Resurgence Magazine and Founder of Schumacher College
- Satish Kumar, Editor of Resurgence Magazine and Founder of Schumacher College
"There is no question in my mind that Meena Srinivasan was born to make a difference in the world. In every group Meena's radiance shines through and her leadership emerges. She is blessed with an exceptional intellect, insatiable curiosity, a vibrant personality, and limitless energy. Her rapport with kids is based on a zest for life and a commitment to service. In so many ways, she is the ideal role model for young people. She is an exceptional educator and individual that makes the world a better place just by being in it."
- Robert W. Hetzel, Ph.D., Director, The American Embassy School - New Delhi, India
- Robert W. Hetzel, Ph.D., Director, The American Embassy School - New Delhi, India
traveled to Tibet’s Mount Kailash alone (without any family, friends, spiritual teacher or sangha) and successfully complete the entire parikrama (circumambulation) on foot without the aid of a porter. She has also studied with the late Professor Ramchandra Gandhi, a well-known Indian philosopher and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.
While based in Delhi, Meena worked at the American Embassy School as a classroom teacher in both the high school and middle school and organized numerous activities including: Delhi's first ever "Yogathon to Support Education for All," visits of His Holiness the Karmapa, a week long trip to work on an organic farm in Dehradun and learn about sustainability, and the visit of Dr. Jon and Mrs. Myla Kabat-Zinn. At the Embassy School she was leader in their Educator Sangha. Outside of the Embassy School she brought mindfulness practice to a group of Muslim, Christian and Hindu children in a Delhi slum and has worked with the Dalit/Ambedkar Buddhist community in Nagpur teaching mindfulness to children. After five years of living in India, Meena joins the faculty at Park Day School in Oakland, California.
Meena is an ordained member of Thich Nhat Hanh's core community, Tiep Hien (the Order of Interbeing) and was involved in the creation of his book Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness With Children (Parallax Press). Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness With Children features contributions from members of the Plum Village Global Community, was edited by Sr. Jewel (Chan Chau Nghiem) and illustrated by Wietzke Vriezen.