Today I’m thrilled to be talking to Claire Missingham, she has a wealth of knowledge to share with us fuelled by her 17 years as a yoga teacher and teacher trainer.
I connected with Claire when I was searching for another teacher training course back in 2009. Since then Claire has continued to inspire my yoga practice with her workshops and classes in London. Her yoga DVD and now her classes on YogaGlo that guide and inform my home practice.
Claire shares with us her story of how she came to yoga as a dancer and choreographer in New York, her initial ideas about what yoga was and her exploration of different styles of yoga that eventually led her to developing training for yoga teachers. She talks how about yoga informs her life, her daily yoga practice and how it has evolved over time. We touch on motherhood and sleep, can’t talk about one without the other! She offers advice for teachers and those first starting out on their yoga journey.
Tune in and enjoy.
I have to say a huge thank you to Claire for challenging me and taking me out of my comfort zone by suggesting we record this interview. The little girl in me was terrified (as you can hear in the first couple of minutes), but I quickly relax and as with all fears, they fade with action. Thank you Claire for encouraging me to do this!
BIO
What makes Claire’s teaching special is an ability to be spiritual yet down-to-earth, teach disciplined alignment yet have a sense of humour – and a way of getting to the heart of yoga so passionately. Claire created a renowned Vinyasa Flow Yoga DVD and Music for Yoga CD and for the past 9 years has appeared as a writer and model in Yoga Journal magazine, and has taught at the Yoga Journal LIVE conferences in the USA.
Claire runs a successful yoga teacher training programme having trained over 125 teachers in the UK in the past few years, having set up the first Vinyasa Flow Yoga Teacher Training School in London. She is a Senior Teacher at triyoga, Europes leading yoga studio, and teaches worldwide on teacher training workshops.
Claire is the only non-USA based teacher on the renowned Yogaglo.com site, and teaches regularly at their studio in Santa Monica. Claire has over 16 years teaching experience and trained directly with Sri Pattabhi Jois in India, Sharon Gannon and David Life (Jivamukti YTT Training and Assistant 1998-2005) and now also trains in Advanced Iyengar Yoga with Alaric Newcombe Senior Iyengar Teacher.
Claire has taught and toured as a yoga teacher many music celebrities and is passionate about music and it’s ability emotional ability to heal and inspire. An ex-choreogapher and daughter of devout Sufi parents (her given name is Habiba, meaning ‘Beloved’) Claire created movement for over 40 music videos and movies, and danced with Prince in London. She has also studied nutrition, herbalism and aromatherapy since her teens, and is a proud vegan and cook. Claire recently now is also a triathlete, competing regularly in Sprint Distance Triathlons after learning how to swim and cycle only in the past couple of years since turning 40. She is most importantly a devout parent, considering her 23-year marriage and her lovely daughter her greatest and most wonderful achievements in life.
To connect with Claire check out her offerings on her website and her Instagram account. You can practice alongside her over on Yogaglo
