Dr. Vaishali Mamgain  received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her past research focused on the contributions of (im)migrants and refugees in the Maine economy.  Her current research is in contemplative pedagogy; she is passionate about deconstructing epistemology by using embodiedness and immersive practices in the natural world as ways to undo internalized oppression and the “colonization” of contemplative practices. As the Director of the Bertha Crosley Ball Center for Compassion,  Vaishali facilitates workshops to help people develop greater awareness and the tools necessary to unseat oppression in all its forms. Based on years of contemplative retreats, she encourages participants to draw on everyday experiences to have greater self-compassion, empathy, and openness to change. Such training can help people engage and overturn systemic problems such as racism with a sense of joy and purpose. A working contemplative, Vaishali has meditated, wandered and ‘retreat’ed for many years. In 2017, she completed a 3 year meditation retreat at Samten Ling Retreat Center in Crestone, Colorado and now lives in beautiful, coastal Maine where she enjoys swimming in the sea, admiring seaweed, running, hiking and cooking.