Clare Badham

Having been introduced to yoga as a teenager by my mother in the 1970s, I left the corporate world in 2002 and became a yoga teacher in  2007, having qualified with The British Wheel of Yoga.  In 2011, due to a desire to help people suffering from serious illness, I completed The BWY Module, Yoga for People Living with Cancer, with Julie Friedeberger.  This led me to explore how yoga, as a mindful practice, could be a powerful tool for healing and acceptance.  In 2014 I attended an Introduction to Mindfulness for Yoga Teachers at CamYoga and began to discover the inner work and language required to implement mindfulness into my own practice and teaching. When the BWY announced a pilot module, Mindfulness for Yoga Teachers with Cathy-Mae Karelse, I didn’t hesitate to enrol and have subsequently completed the CMI Level 1 Mindfulness Training with Cathy and Tracey Cramond.  I have taught  in a wide variety of settings, including  local village halls, residential care homes, workplaces, schools  and hospitals, as well as 1 to 1 with people with a wide range of health conditions.

The mind can be such a messy place, with fears, worries, anticipation and dread. For me Mindfulness has allowed me space to recognise what is truthfully happening in the moment. Thoughts and feelings are all fine, whether negative or positive, they just are. Feelings are not just in the mind, they are in the body too, and recognising that, I can direct my awareness to my breath as one moment passes to the next. This allows me to fully experience life, awake.