Julia Ramanoelina (Soeur Hài Nghiêm)

Former Buddhist nun Julia, is a Plum Village Dharma teacher Julia lived at Plum Village in France for over 13 years with Dharma name Hai Nghiem, and has led mindfulness activities in five languages, including teaching for groups of up to 600 people in Spanish or German, and conducting a sharing circle for Vietnamese youth. Julia has started learning a sixth language, Madagascan, the language of her paternal grandfather.

Julia has a bachelor’s degree in translation, and has translated some of Thich Nhat Hanh’s writings from Vietnamese to French, and interpreted many of his and other teachers’ lectures usually from English to French.

Julia is also classically trained flautist, and has been a Qigong practitioner since 2007.

Julia has experienced supporting two family members through their journeys with mental illness, and is passionate about improving approaches so that more people have the opportunity to recover after crisis. She has also grown through her own challenges and says: “I am convinced that meditation is essential for my own peace and happiness, and that it is the foundation of my balance. The state of mindful presence IS my natural state of wellness – and I believe it is so for everyone. And that is what I wish to share with all the people I work with.”