Meet Hannah (aka Amalanandi)

London based Mindfulness Teacher bringing mindfulness to both children and adults in the city.

 

I currently work part time as an Assistant Head of a central London Primary School and have been teaching in schools for 11 years. I started practicing mindfulness and meditation in 2012, the same year I started my teacher training.  

 

I noticed the significant effects that my practice brought to my life, especially with improving my relationship to difficulty and supporting stress reduction. Seeing the positive impact that my practice was having, I became inspired to bring Mindfulness into my school setting. I trained with Breathing Space in Schools in 2014 and Mindfulness in Schools Project in 2015.  Since then, I have embedded mindfulness into our school curriculum, as part of our well-being offer. I also offer taster sessions and courses to other schools.

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I wanted to be able to offer mindfulness to the whole school community - children, parents, carers and teachers, so in 2019 -2020 I trained with Breathworks and was accredited as a Breathworks teacher in 2021. 

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I now run the adult 8 week mindfulness for stress course from our designated mindfulness and meditation space. These courses can run both in person and online.

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For teachers who are interested in taking their mindfulness practice further to become the mindfulness mentor in their own school, I am also part of the Breathing Space in Schools Team who offer a 3-day teacher training course.

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I also have an art studio where I love to draw and paint in my spare time. I have a background in art, having a BA Fine Art Degree and an MA History of Art and Archaeology. I also worked in museums for many years, leading creative workshops with children. I am really interested in the relationship between art and mindfulness and offer creative workshops for children, adults and families, that draw attention to our senses and explore the world around us in a playful and creative way.

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I am a practicing Buddhist and received full ordination into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2021, when I received the name Amalanandi (which means ‘She whose joy is in purity’). I teach meditation and mindfulness in both a secular and Buddhist context and also lead retreats and Buddhist school sessions through the London Buddhist Centre.

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I have a current enhanced DBS and am on the DBS update service. I am fully insured and have had extensive safeguarding training.