MEET CLAIRE
From as early as Claire can remember, the influence of Advaita Vedanta (the philosophy of oneness) and meditation was present in her life, both at home and at school. Following her formal initiation into meditation at the age of eleven, daily practice became an intrinsic part of her life. At sixteen, as she left school for the last time, a clear inner voice spoke to her that she must find her Satguru (a Sanskrit word meaning 'true guru’, the remover of darkness).
Over the next few years this longing, and her wish to master the practice of meditation and the vision of oneness, led to an extraordinary sequence of serendipitous events that eventually took her to India where she experienced many deeply profound and life changing awakenings. There, in 1992, at the age of twenty four, she met the one whom she knew without a shadow of a doubt to be her Satguru, and subsequently had the privilege to be in his company, meditating and studying under his direct guidance for the following twenty-five years.
Constantly inspired, she has found the path of self inquiry to be a profound and multi-faceted journey. Its four most important aspects have without a doubt been, firstly, keen observation of the indescribably free and divine nature of the realised being; secondly, making an in-depth study into all that which he conveyed and continues to convey through both his spoken words as well as his written works; thirdly, prioritising many hours of every day in satsang and meditation; and fourthly, constantly observing and examining the ever changing and unpredictable nature of the human body and mind, as against the truth of that which remains forever the same, unmoved and unchanged.
Her study has allowed her to experience first hand that whether being severely physically challenged or
intensely emotionally stretched, unbroken sameness of being remains the true reality of all existence. This in turn has allowed all suffering, grief and fear to be dissolved. Revealing an awareness and faith, that no matter what situations may arise, the being remains forever undisturbed, untouched, deathless and free.
Growing up, Claire could never have imagined that she would make the transformation from the girl who could never accept life as given, to a deeply contented and happy being. Thus, miraculously, she has evolved into the meaning of the name her Satguruji gave her—Sukhda, ‘the giver of space and happiness’.
Having experienced the highest awareness and deepest stillness, it is her greatest joy to share with others what she has been fortunate enough to receive herself. As well as guiding those keen to examine and enquire, as to how to discover their own essential true nature of being, and inspire keen meditators to deepen their practice.
Claire Pincham has a Certificate of Advanced Studies from the International Meditation Institute (India) and is qualified to teach Yog Science, Vedant Philosophy and the Theory and Practice of Meditation.
She has been teaching meditation and conducting satsangs for a number of years.