Lani Muelrath

Lani Muelrath, MA, is a health educator, professor, author, speaker and TV host known for her work in mindful, active, plant-based living. She is recognized as a pioneer in bringing together vegan living, fitness and mindfulness. Her approach blends plant-based nutrition with compassion, mind/body awareness, movement and transformational techniques from mindfulness meditation practice. She has been teaching in health, fitness and wellness for over four decades.

Lani has been vegetarian or vegan since 1973. That was also the year she began teaching yoga and started a meditation practice, and she describes her concern for animals, the environment and health as natural outgrowths of those practices. Her early meditation studies took her to India on retreat several times. She later turned to Insight, or Mindfulness Meditation, which she has practiced for over twenty-five years, and she has studied with S.N. Goenka, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein and Diana Winston.

She holds certifications in Mindfulness Meditation Instruction and Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University, and is an authorized Mind-Body Specialist and Behavior Change Specialist. Her Master's degree in Physical Education is from California State University, Chico. She has received the California Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Instruction, has been a guest lecturer at San Francisco State University, and is associate faculty in Kinesiology at Butte College. Working as a physical educator, nutrition counselor and wellness coach, she saw that the wish to get healthier often sits on top of deeper issues. That led her to introduce mindfulness meditation to her clients, bringing together food, fitness and frame of mind.

Lani is the author of Fit Quickies, The Plant-Based Journey, which VegNews named a Top Media Pick, and The Mindful Vegan. She created and starred in the CBS television show Lani's All Heart Aerobics, and has presented and consulted for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, the Complete Health Improvement Project and Plant Pure Nation. She also taught sixth grade for twenty years, specializing in environmental education. She and her husband Greg have volunteered as field biologists with endangered animals such as sea turtles and albatross, and live in the Sierra/Cascade foothills of Northern California.