Kumanga C. Andrahennadi, Ph.D.

Kumanga C. Andrahennadi, Ph.D. is the Founder/Director of Centre for the Advanced Learning of Mindfulness (CALM) and Mindfulness for Earth (M4E) Initiative. Dr. Andrahennadi is a Mindfulness Researcher, Educator and Consultant with over 15 years of experience in developing and delivering specialized interventions: the Mindfulness for Earth (M4E) and Mindfulness for Trauma Management and Conflict Resolution (MTMCR) Programs and Mindfulness in Nature Retreats. Dr. Andrahennadi has delivered these specialist programs for the public, private and government sectors including to the Education Sector (universities and schools), police organizations, the Mental Health Sector and non-government organizations in the U.K., U.S.A., Europe, Middle East and internationally. She is a mindfulness trainer certified under the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation (OMF), a partner of the University of Oxford, U.K. Dr. Andrahennadi is currently co-leading the Mindfulness, Spirituality and Planetary Health Initiative headed by Global Affairs at University of Connecticut (UConn), U.S.A., in partnership with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Faith for Earth and CALM.

Originally from Sri Lanka, Dr. Andrahennadi has the experience of living through the Sri Lankan Civil War, which lasted for nearly 3 decades. She has a special interest in delivering mindfulness-based programs aimed at trauma-management and conflict-resolution for those in need. Recently, Dr. Andrahennadi successfully completed a 6-month MTMCR Program for EcoPeace Middle East, the only regional tri-lateral organization with offices based in Ramallah (Palestine), Amman (Jordan) and Tel Aviv (Israel).  The MTMCR Program for EcoPeace commenced with the leadership team training and expanded into national level and regional level training which concluded with a 5-day (in-person) retreat in Cyprus for EcoPeace (60) staff members from Palestine, Jordan and Israel.  Furthermore, Dr. Andrahennadi has offered the MTMCR Programs to the police organizations in the U.K., including for the Counter Terrorism (CT) Department at the London Metropolitan Police. She co-organized the first-ever dialogue between His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and a western police force (the Metropolitan Police, U.K.), which took place as a live online dialogue on the 8th of July, 2020.

Kumanga has studied directly under Internationally Acclaimed Buddhist Masters such as: H. H. the Dalai Lama, Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh and H.H. the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa. She has also completed teacher training in the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for Life Life Program at the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation, University of Oxford, U.K., Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at the University of Bangor, U.K. and Mindfulness-Based Education Programme under Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh at Plum Village in France.