About Naomi Chunilal

 

Thirty years after sitting on a meditation cushion and stepping onto a yoga mat for the first time, I still love exploring the paradox of understanding a little more, yet knowing less…

My daily intention is to understand life unfolding with open mind and heart, letting go of expectations about what this should be, and what may happen next.

All life in essence is Yoga. As mind awakens, the heart opens to know love, compassion, and insight. Vipassana meditation has become a daily anchor and compass in exploring life with freedom, awareness and contentment, navigating through a changing world of impermanence. I also continue to find inspiration and guidance from a diverse range of wonderful meditation teachers at Satipanya Buddhist meditation centre.

A holistic health practitioner, I offer Aromatherapy massage, Reflexology, and Reiki energy healing as an Usui Reiki Master. I am passionate about supporting people to cultivate joy, health and wellbeing through all stages of life. I’m registered with the British Wheel of Yoga, and a Mindfulness Breathworks Facilitator, with specialist training in trauma-informed yoga. My teaching and personal practice continues to develop, inspired by nature and the seasons unfolding, and the reflection we create of this in our often messy yet sublime expression of humanity.

I’m currently working at Fern Centre cancer unit, North Devon District Hospital, North Devon Hospice, and on 60+ projects with National Lottery funding. Also along the way, I’ve practised as the Meditation teacher and reiki therapist at award-winning Yeotown wellbeing retreat, facilitating yoga and wellbeing with NHS mental health teams, NHS pilot wellbeing projects, local secondary schools, SEN specialist provision, and teaching workshops at the Green Man and Big Green Gathering festival.

Nowadays, as the years evolve, I’m more focused on developing the Wheels of Ananda CIC non-profit group I founded, bringing free, inclusive and down-to-earth mindful yoga and wellbeing to marginalised groups in our community.

The founder of the Wheels of Ananda CIC – a grassroots non-profit organisation to bring inclusive, accessible and free mindful wellbeing to different groups across our community, we are currently supporting people living with cancer and terminal illness at the Fern Centre, NDDH, and North Devon Hospice. Also facilitating trauma-informed mind-body wellness groups for women survivors of sexual abuse and domestic abuse. We also run very popular, fun and free mindful chair yoga and wellbeing groups for 60+s in the Barnstaple and also the Ilfracombe area in partnership with Sports England and One Ilfracombe; our oldest participant recently celebrated her 98th birthday! We are currently developing new projects with other hard-to-reach groups to support physical and mental health and wellbeing. You can find out more through this link: www.facebook.com/wheelsofananda

Indian Thali Takeaways: I also prepare delicious, healthy, authentic Indian VegetarianThalis on a occasional Friday basis for collection from our kitchen in Guineaford EX31 4EA, (by Marwood Milk & Gardens). A Thali includes a wide selection of different healthy, fresh Indian dishes, including 3 main curries, street food snacks, home-made chutneys/raitas, lassi and rice – all bursting with flavour and spice, inspired by Indian roots, family recipes and travels. You can find out about forthcoming dates here: www.facebook.com/NaomisIndianKitchen 

An author of the Mindful Mother: a Practical and Spiritual Guide to Enjoying Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond with Mindfulness’ (Watkins Publishing May 2015), you can find this on Amazon or  Waterstones.

When not practising yoga or meditation, I love spending time in, or under salty seas in rain or shine, walking on Exmoor or our beautiful South West coastal path, and immersing in wild natural spaces. I live in the North Devon countryside with my partner, my two lovely, nearly grown-up-and-away young adult children, a dog called Ivy, and a very noisy black cat called Jupiter.

Some qualifications: 

  • British Wheel of Yoga: Professional yoga teaching diploma (3 year course)
  • Mindfulness Breathworks Facilitator 
  • Trauma Informed Yoga Training, Manchester Trauma Therapy Centre
  • Pregnancy Yoga teaching diploma, facilitated by Uma Thuli Dinsmore
  • IFPA: Clinical and Holistic Aromatherapy Practitioner Diploma
  • IFR: Reflexology Practitioner diploma
  • ITEC: Practitioner diplomas in holistic massage, Indian head massage, reflexology
  • Usui Reiki Master: Dharamasala, India
  • B.A.Hons, Modern History (Oxford University, Trinity College)
  • MSc. Development Studies (London School of Economics)
  • A.L.C.M. Classical Piano Performance Diploma (London College of Music)

Selected publications: 

  • The Mindful Mother: a guide to pregnancy and early motherhood, Watkins Publishing, 2018
  • 5 ways to be a more mindful parent, The Green Parent, 2024
  • The Immigration and Asylum Act, support for children and families: setting a fairer, faster and firmer agenda, Children and Society, Vol 13, Issue 5
  • A Practical Guide to Reintegration for Schools, The Children’s Society & Portsmouth University, 2000
  • School Exclusions and the Race Factor, Naomi Chunilal & Linda Appiah, The Runnymede Trust, 1999

Please contact me if you would to know more about YogaDevon yoga and healing arts classes, workshops, and complementary therapy treatments.