David Morris has been practising in the Shambhala tradition for 10 years. In 2018 he took temporary monastic ordination and completed the 9 month residential training program at Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia, Canada. David has worked as a Buddhist chaplain in higher education since 2016, and is a songwriter and musician.

Cailin Burney-O’Dowd has been holding spaces for young adults to meditate and share meaningful experiences together throughout her 20s. As a school teacher and community gardener, she loves helping groups find creative ways to reflect, explore and grow together, through conversation and connection.

Mathew Cunningham is ordained in the Soto Zen tradition and is part of IZAUK, an organisation that facilitates the practice of Soto Zen Buddhism in the UK. He has spent time studying and practicing in France, Japan and America. Mathew is an artist and arts educator who co-teaches the Mindfulness and Drawing course at the Royal Drawing School. He also works as a Massage Therapist.

Llew Watkins has been practising in the Kagyu and Nyingma Buddhist traditions since his late teens. In his twenties he spent two and a half years in solitary meditation retreats in Wales and India. He is an artist and writer interested in the connection between Buddhism and science fiction. He first visited the Olchon Valley at the age of 11 and has been in love with the valley ever since.

Jesse Watkins has been meditating since 2013 with the Shambhala tradition. She has a strong connection to mindfulness and wellbeing practices in daily life. Pre-pandemic, Jesse was actively involved in running Buddhist youth retreats in France and Germany. As a mother, she dreams of creating spaces for meditators with families, so as not to exclude parents.