Udaya is a proud Tamil woman from Sri Lanka. She is a storyteller and a peace activist. Udaya was raised in Canada and resides in Australia. She is a certified Yoga and meditation teacher dedicated to decolonizing and reclaiming the Indigenous practice of Yoga. Udaya is the founder and director of the Yoga for Peace Project, a social enterprise that delivers free yoga programs for families affected by conflict to end cycles of violence. In 2023, Udaya received the prestigious Rotary Peace Fellowship in recognition of her decade-long career in the international peacebuilding sector including with the United Nations. Through the fellowship, she completed a Master’s in Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland. She also holds a Master’s in Criminology and Law from the University of Toronto. Udaya has worked with human rights organizations in Kenya, Palestine, Sri Lanka and Lesvos. She is a certified mediator and negotiator. Udaya is most at home on an island surrounded by the ocean.