Dr. Carol Bowman

Carol Bowman

Carol Bowman, Ed. D., Associate Professor of Education at Ramapo College, is Program Coordinator for the Mindfulness at Ramapo College of New Jersey and Director of Yoga Studies Programs at Ramapo College. She grew up in a pacifist community in southern New York State and began her educational career as a teacher and then director of a Quaker Elementary School in California. A lifelong dancer and yoga practitioner, she danced with Jamie Nichol’s LA based contemporary dance company “Fast Feet” and continued to choreograph and teach dance at the Escuela Nacional De Danza in Nicaragua.

She became a Yoga Teacher in 2008 and initiated the Yoga Teacher Certification Program at Ramapo College.  During her teen years, she made the acquaintance of Thich Nhat Hanh when he came to stay in her community. Becoming more interested in mindfulness, she reconnected with his teachings in a deep way and continued her practice at Blue Cliff Monastery, eventually training at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center as a teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, which she teaches at Mindfulness at Ramapo College. Carol convenes the Contemplative Studies Minor and conducts research in yoga and mindfulness education, as well as teaching workshops for educators in mindfulness education. Her greatest motivation is the transformation of education to embrace both mind and heart.

Punita Thaker

Punita Jani-Thaker

Punita Jani-Thaker is a Mindful Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher qualified from the Center for Mindfulness program founded by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts. Punita’s approach is based on her belief in the interconnected nature of meditation practice, discovering your growth mindset and enriching our relationship to the self and the wider community. She currently teaches students within the Westchester County schools system, West Point US Army FMWR, regional medical centers, investment funds, corporations, and private clients.

Punita’s approach will help you achieve your true potential in both professional and personal lives. She focuses on techniques which will directly impact daily decision making, improved resilience to daily stressors while actively seeking to bring balance to each breath and moment.

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Tami Bulleri

Tami Bulleri

Formerly trained in the medical field, Tami became aware of the profound benefits of the MBSR program for her patients. Deciding to take the course herself in 2009, she found the investigation into her own mind’s patterns and reactions both fascinating and liberating. Finding the power of awareness to be transformative and wanting to share these skills with others, Tami trained to become an MBSR Instructor through the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School, studied Interpersonal Neurobiology with Dr. Dan Siegel, and graduated from the Mindful Schools Program in 2016.

Tami’s career as a physician assistant began in primary care and then transitioned to the Neurosciences Department at Johns Hopkins University where she spent over 10 years working as a PA for patients with brain tumors and chronic facial pain. She has been practicing and studying mindfulness for over 10 years. She is currently living in Ringwood, NJ with her husband and 3 children and she is dedicated and eager to bring mindfulness to her community and local schools.