I qualified as a primary school teacher in 1994, have taught in primary, secondary and post 16 education in the UK, Hong Kong and Europe. I continue to teach part-time in post 16 education as I love it.
My journey
In between teaching I have spent time travelling and tended to find myself temples. In 1999 I applied for a job in Hong Kong and successfully secured a teaching position in an International English School, Kowloon. Living and teaching in Hong Kong, was exciting, hectic and at times overwhelming. I gravitated towards finding some peace and I would regularly find myself heading off to chill at the world’s largest sitting Buddha which prompted me to attend regular meditation every Sunday – an hour just sitting – and I loved it.
I really missed family and friends and so after a couple of years returned to the UK via a stint in Europe. I then met my husband, to be honest it was a whirlwind, I struggled to settle, my life wasn’t quite as exciting as it had been travelling and generally having a ball. I felt a little lost in terms of direction and spent time browsing the internet for potential courses (am the eternal student!), and I came across a Mindfulness Course at Mind in Salford. I completed a self-referral, was accepted and this was the start of my mindful journey.
The eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course was a real eye opener, I discovered so much more about myself and recognised how caught up I had been… always eager to get to the next …whatever! Missing precious moments, caught up in automatic pilot! I was so grateful that I had the opportunity to participate. As the course approached it’s final week, little did I know what would happen next… around 3 weeks later. out of the blue I received an email from CEO from Mind in Salford enquiring if I’d be interested in funded training to deliver Mindfulness sessions at Mind? I felt like I had won the lottery.
I have not looked back. I have delivered Mindfulness in schools, and colleges to both staff and students, and as well in the community. Pre lockdown I had started to offer sessions in house for corporate organisations and since March 2020 I have delivered sessions via Zoom.
Mindfulness continues supports me on a personal level but also as a teacher. Mindfulness is a real gift and it is something that I am passionate about sharing with others, I suppose that’s the teacher in me. I love to support, guide, encourage and help individuals and to believe in themselves.
We are all unique and I believe that Mindfulness can help you tap into what is great about YOU!