Yasmin Zaman
I provide professional supervision to other teachers of both yoga and mindfulness to help them in their development as teachers. I am an accredited mindfulness teacher with the British Association of Mindfulness-based Approaches, and adhere to the Good Practice Guidelines for mindfulness teachers.
I am a Senior Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance Professionals, and trained yoga teachers with Yoga Professionals in London for the first REPs registered teacher training course; and am registered with the General Medical Council regulated CNHC as a yoga therapist.
My health and wellbeing experience has been gathered in the following spheres:
- 2016 to present: Priory Hospital Group & Wellbeing Centre – Mindfulness Therapist within Therapy Services team supporting patients with variety of mental health issues – eating disorders, general adult and adolescent
- 2014 to 2017: Solent Health/Solent University – Project Development Manager of pioneering Big Lottery funded programme called HeadStart to bring the benefits of mindfulness to school teachers and young people in Southampton and the New Forest
- 2011 – 2016: Solent Health/Solent University – Health Promotion Officer working in the health promotion unit, Solent Health, designing bespoke well-being services for staff, students and external organisations’ staff resiliency programmes, resulting in winning the prestigious UK FLAME Award for Workplace Well-being in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
- 2013 to present: Teaching MBSR courses and other mindfulness-based approeaches, workshops and retreats for organisations and the public.
- 2009: Yoga Professionals – Course Director training yoga teachers for a Level 3 CYQ/REPs qualification in Hatha yoga.
- 2005 – 2007: Stress Busters/Southampton City Council – Manager of Active Options GP referral programme for stress, anxiety, depression. The innovative programme combined gym-based exercise, yoga , meditation and relaxation
- 2002 – present: Teaching yoga classes, workshops and leading retreats in Dorset, Hampshire and around the world
- 1989 – 1991: Yoga for Health Foundation – assisting at a residential centre to support visitors with variety of conditions: M.S., cancer, disabilities, arthritis, pregnancy as well as other rare conditions
Publications & Papers
Webber, L., Bailey, L., Doyle, M., Zaman, Y., & Dunn, C. (2016). Southampton HeadStart Pilot of Mindfulness in Schools Project: The effect of Paws b on behaviour and resiliency in children. CMRP Conference 2016: Mindfulness supporting all aspects of family life. Bangor, Wales, 8th-11th July, 2016.
Webber, L., Scott, H., Zaman, Y., & Dunn, C. (2016). Understanding the role of mindfulness practices in fostering student wellbeing. Learning and Teaching Community Conference 2016. Southampton, England, 24th June, 2016.
Webber, L., Tijou, I., Zaman, Y., & Dunn, C. (2016). HeadStart Pilot of Mindfulness in Schools Project: The effect of MBSR on stress and wellbeing in teachers. MiSP Conference 2016: Mindfulness and Education Well-being and resilience for young people. London, 22nd January, 2016.
Link to extract of Amrita magazine (issue 4 November 2018)
My professional life before my current work provided a rich and thorough grounding in life experience, for which I’m grateful as it brings a real world perspective and understanding of people I work with today.
It was largely gathered in Public Relations, press and communications where I held various positions and senior roles working for some of the world’s leading organisations: 15 years with UNICEF, including at UN Headquarters in New York and all over the world, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, BBC Comic Relief and other organisations.
01/02 – 11/10Communications Consultancy
UNICEF: Communications Consultant, Colombo, Sri Lanka (06/10 – 11/10)
- Researched, wrote and edited first Donor Fundraising Report since the end of the country’s civil war.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: Senior Media Consultant,
International Secretariat, UK (01/05 – 03/05)
- Devised strategy on the Stop Violence Against Women Campaign at UN Commission on Status of Women
UNICEF: Chief of Communications, New Delhi, India (01/03- 10/03)
- Responsible for interim management of organisation’s largest country office communications team: strategic direction of donor fundraising (British Airways Change for Good), media relations; management and provision of communication support to ten state offices and teams.
UNICEF: Communications Consultant, Geneva, Switzerland (01/02 to 12/02)
- Editor, responsible for producing global fundraising and advocacy materials on HIV/AIDS, immunisation, early childhood development and child protection.
10/00 – 09/01:UNICEF: Communications Officer, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), UN HQ, New York, USA
- Managed and strengthened GAVI’s global reputation by developing a broad-based communication strategy for the alliance’s diverse partners (The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the pharmaceutical industry, WHO, developing country governments, NGOs).
09/98 – 09/00:UNICEF: Communications Officer, New York, USA
- Managed UNICEF’s global reputation & core campaign team, devising international multi-media campaigns for high profile brands e.g. The State of the World’s Children and The Progress of Nations reports and managed relationship with Special Representatives: Susan Sarandon, Mia Farrow and others.
06/96 – 09/98:UNICEF: Emergency Press Officer, London, UK
- Developed UNICEF-UK’s communication strategy on children in conflict and posted to North Korea as organisation’s first Information Officer.
08/95 – 06/96:London City Ballet – PR and Marketing Manager, London, UK
06/94 – 07/95:BBC Comic Relief – Corporate Fundraising Publicist, London, UK
06/91 – 04/94:The Body Shop International PLC – Public Relations Officer, London, UK and Australia
09/84 – 12/90:Inner London Education Authority – Junior School Teacher & Europe – TEFL Teacher
