Dr. Christopher Willard received his Bachelor's degree in English from Wesleyan University, where he first became interested in meditation. After graduating, he spent time traveling and working a variety of jobs including as a teacher in a psychiatric hospital and as an artist's assistant. In graduate school he did his doctoral work on the psychological applications of meditation and mindfulness practice. Over the past ten years, he has attended retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh, Jack Kornfield, Pema Chodron, Noah Levine, and other Buddhist teachers in both the U.S. and Asia. Although he considers the Engaged Buddhism of Thich Nhat Hanh his spiritual home, he has studied and practiced extensively in the Theravada tradition, with some dabbling in Tibetan Buddhism .In the past few years, he has taught meditation to a wide range of people, from young children to recently paroled murderers to psychotherapists and schoolteachers. Dr. Willard has taught with the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy and volunteered at the Insight Meditation Society's Teen Retreat. He currently works as a psychotherapist at Tufts University, and consults and does private work in the Boston area. When not working or practicing he enjoys cooking, hiking, reading, writing, international travel, and any combination of these he can manage.