As a student of Shambhala Buddhism, Mary has studied and practiced meditation extensively for over 35 years. Since 2010, she has served as a shastri (senior teacher) for the Halifax Shambhala Centre. Mary teaches widely, leading public and advanced programs. Professionally, Mary is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Psychiatry and Mental Health and for many years has taught meditation within health care settings. She has written on mindfulness for nursing publications and been a co-investigator in mindfulness research. Mary lives in Halifax with her husband.