Hello there,
My name is Karla, I am currently living in The Netherlands. I first came to Europe in 2012 to study in a research master program in education that allowed me to research mindfulness and its effects in educaiton. In 2015 I moved to Leiden and worked for several years at Leiden University first as researcher and later as Lecturer. My latest research there focused on indigenous contemplative and spiritual traditions, particularly those that include the natural environment, and how they affect global policy (like in the case of Rights of Nature). In general, I look into the ways ancient wisdom can help us face modern challenges. In addition, I worked for two years as a scientific/chief editor for a social sciences and humanities open access academic journal where a large part of submissions came from psychology and the educational fields.
My relationship with meditation started at a young age thanks to my upbringing. I became more seriously interested in meditation and mindfulness during my early university years. From 2004 to 2006 I was living in Seattle and it was there that I attended several Buddhist communities and Sanghas, and learned various forms of meditation from different Buddhist traditions, including Korean, Tibetan, and Zen. Additionally, in 2005 I followed a Mindfulness-based program at the University of Washington.
After university I became a school teacher in the international American School system, and I continued to study and practice following the Mindful Schools courses, which focused on incorporating Mindfulness practices to foster social, emotional and academic learning in elementary, middle and high schools (K-12). In 2012 I decided to follow a research master program that would combine my two passions: education and mindfulness, so I enrolled in a research MSc. in Education (minor psychology) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel with a one-year internship at Leiden University. During my studies I designed mindfulness-based interventions specifically for school-teachers, and conducted qualitative and quantitative research with Belgian and Dutch student-teachers.
Throughout the years I have maintained a meditation practice, and in the last several years I have been under the guidance of Martine Batchelor on a more secular practice with greater focus on the dismantling of unnecessary habits, and the cultivation of creativity, wisdom and joy in daily life. I have also gained greater insight into my relationship with the environment and natural world.
We are social beings, going through social, technological, and environmental upheaval, and these practices have been tested throughout time, and provide us with a less self-centered and more compassionate understanding of ourselves and the world, eventually translating into more peace, and wisdom.
In addition, I have also followed Buddhist Geeks‘ social meditation program, which is a dynamic form of interpersonal practice, and I remain an active member of the Buddhist Geeks community where I lead a weekly practice. I now advise educational institutions and provide mindfulness courses in schools, to both students and teachers.
My approach is always informed by science and direct-experience. Besides the usual benefits you’ve heard mindfulness can offer, like reduced stress, rumination, reactivity, increased focus, attention, etc.; I have also discovered a loosening and even dismantling of the socially constructed “self”. This delicate but profound process tends to be liberating by providing progressive freedom and a healthy distancing from habits, (painful) memories, emotions, (self)judgements, repetitive thoughts and unhealthy behavioral patterns. This allows for:
• Access to greater peace and joy in everyday life and situations
• More clarity regarding habits and patterns, including negative mental tendencies, and ways to release them
• More skillful, fulfilling and authentic ways to relate to friends, colleagues, and family
• A deep connection to nature I can honestly say never before knew or imagined, and effectively moving away from eco-anxiety and towards action
• Creative, gentle, and even wise* parenthood practices, much needed during this challenging times
• Expanding (self)acceptance, including renewed and more gentle ways to relate to the past and re-frame (difficult) memories
• A greater sense of community and belonging, and appreciation for our life, our relationships, and all that lives
• Eventually, your sense of self becomes less rigid allowing for experiences of pure awareness (see for instance this study in which I took part)
• In general, life is experienced in a more playful, creative, progressively relaxed, and meaningful way
Over the years I have had the opportunity to work and provide my services to different educational systems, including international schools, American schools abroad, and Belgian and Dutch educational institutions. Since my post-graduate education I specifically focus on the use of meditation, mindfulness and general contemplative practices to promote pro-social behaviors, improve school climate and provide personal development and teacher support.
Bellow you can find a non-exhaustive evidence-based list of the benefits of meditation and mindfulness for teachers:
- Reduced stress and anxiety (lower cortisol levels, calmer autonomic response).
- Lower emotional exhaustion and burnout — one of the most robustly replicated findings.
- Improved emotional regulation — teachers respond less reactively to student behavior.
- Greater resilience in face of classroom or administrative challenges.
- Reduction in depressive symptoms and rumination.
- Increased self-compassion and kindness toward oneself after difficult days.
- Decreased perfectionism and self-criticism.
- More positive mood and increased joy and gratitude in daily life.
- Greater acceptance of difficult emotions and situations without avoidance.
- Improved classroom management through increased awareness and calm authority.
- Reduced absenteeism and teacher turnover.
- Higher instructional quality (teachers stay more attuned and responsive).
- Increased sense of meaning and purpose in their work.
Feel free to contact me for a meeting if you feel so inclined. También hablo español.
May you be well and happy, and free from harmful habits, negative mind-states, and oppressive thoughts.
Image by 白士 李
*Informed by research on wisdom, see for instance Center for Practical Wisdom
Self-Ethnography 