Claire Barron is a yoga and meditation teacher, who works full-time as a journalist with the Financial Times. She has been practising meditation for more than 20 years and runs regular yoga classes in South London, workshops, courses and retreats. As well as renovating her own house in Iznajar, Spain, Claire and her husband Jonathan bought into Cortijo La Presa, a traditional Andalusian farmhouse that dates back to the 18th century. It has been converted into seven-self contained cottages, which sleep 26 people, and has a large pool and fantastic hiking and biking trails from the property. Cortijo La Presa is also a working farm and offers its own olive oil for sale. Claire and Jonathan run mountain biking, yoga and meditation holidays at the property, as well as offering the venue up to teachers from around the world to run their own holidays.

We recently caught up with Claire to find out more.

What brought you to the practice of yoga in the first place?

It started with meditation – first taught to me in school by an Irish Catholic nun, then during my travels in south-east Asia, learning the mindfulness of breathing from monks in Thailand. Most people in the west are drawn to meditation through their practice of yoga. It was the other way round for me. I have learnt how pranayama (breathing exercises) and yoga asanas can enhance and deepen my meditation practice.

In what ways does your yoga practice affect your life as a journalist?

It helps keep me focused and able to deal with the stress, demands and deadlines of the job – to deal with matters at hand while also being able to step back and see the big picture, while driving continual change as we adapt to a new digital landscape. I use certain breathing and meditations before work to keep me calm and focused. I have also noticed that during periods of high stress, I automatically come into an ujjayi breath at work, and use the sound of my breath to calm me. The body intrinsically knows what it needs to do.

How is yoga a calming influence in your daily life?

Yoga helps keeps me balanced – it works on all levels – mental, physical and physiological – leaving me with a strong feeling of wellbeing, resilience and deep focus.

What led you to train as a yoga teacher?

I never intended to teach yoga – I originally did my teaching training because I simply wanted to deepen my own practice. I still do a lot of self-study, self-practice, attend classes and workshops, as yoga continues to bring so much value to my life. I started teaching because a colleague at work insisted on it. She was pretty persuasive. I’m glad I listened to her – it’s an honour to share. I’ve since gone on to train as a mediation teacher and am working more with sound, after doing my gong master training.

You’ve studied a wide variety of yoga styles over the years. Which do you now practise and which do you teach?

I practise both restorative and dynamic yoga styles and meditate every day – with a focus on transcendental meditation. I mostly teach vinyasa flow yoga – the style I studied in my yoga teacher training course. It’s a dynamic form of yoga that has its roots in the Mysore school of yoga as taught by Sri Pattabhi Jois. However I have practised and been influenced by many styles and techniques, enabling me to incorporate nuggets from all these disciplines into my teachings. I offer gentle, dynamic and meditative classes, and would like to do Kundalini teacher training one day.

How did you get into gong meditation and what benefit does it have?

By practising Kundalini yoga. It had such a profound affect – it sent me into deep states of meditation and left me feeling blissfully relaxed. I wanted to explore sound meditation more – and have trained with some of the greats, including Don Conreaux (taught by Yogi Bhajan) and Aidan McIntyre.

What have you learnt from your experience of buying and renovating a property in Spain?

We’ve been working on our Iznajar property in Andalusia for almost 15 years now, with most of that time spent getting planning approval. I can say it’s been an arduous and frustrating experience – one my husband and I would not put ourselves through again. If anything, I’ve learnt that we have a lot of patience, that we’re a tenacious, determined and hardworking couple. For the first time in more than a decade, we’ve had the opportunity to stop and really take a look at what we have done – it blows our mind.

What does a yoga retreat offer that makes it more than a relaxing holiday in the sun?

It’s a unique time to deepen your practice and feel the profound benefits of a regular practice. Being able to immerse yourself in the practice of yoga is truly transformational and enables you to create new habits. As well as enjoying the sun, activities and new friendships offered on a retreat, it helps take your practice to different levels. On a personal level, I find yoga retreats have helped me strengthen my mind to overcome anxiety and deep depression associated with post-traumatic stress.

How do yoga and Pilates complement each other on your retreat?

To my mind, they are the perfect combination, and provide a solid foundation for any practice. While the physical movements of both Pilates and yoga help improve balance, posture, strength and flexibility, yoga’s deep breathing and meditation techniques relieve stress, calm the mind and improve focus. Pilates’ emphasis on alignment, breathing and a strong core works in harmony with the practice of yoga. Jo Redfearn will be teaching Pilates on our May Yoga Holiday in Spain: I practised with Jo (also a yoga teacher) when I was doing my yoga teacher training – we both know from personal experience that the disciplines are complementary.

What techniques and strategies does a participant on a yoga retreat take away that could help them clear their mind and deal with stress on a daily basis?

We offer about 18 classes over the week. It’s enough time for even a beginner to learn meditation techniques, yoga asanas and yogic breathing exercises that they can then incorporate into their daily or regular practice. When you practise as intensely as you do on yoga retreats, the effects of the practice are more profound, and more likely to be integrated within your daily life.

How can you come away from a yoga retreat feeling both energised and relaxed? How can yoga be both energising and restorative?

These seem like contradictory terms. However, yoga can leave you feeling deeply relaxed, but with your battery fully charged. It works the energetic body – and is about finding balance and peace. There are many styles being taught in the yoga world – we offer both dynamic and restorative on our yoga holidays. Practised in combination and/or listening to what type of practice the body needs at any one time – can help develop a sense of energy, but leave you feeling calm, relaxed, and filled with bliss and wellbeing.

What is it that you love about Spain?

I love the warm days, beautiful and rugged landscape and the laid-back lifestyle. It has an amazing history and culture and is a great place to explore, relax and find yourself.

Claire and Jo are running a Yoga, Pilates and Meditation Holiday at Cortijo La Presa in Spain from May 7-14. The seven-day yoga holiday is perfect for all levels and abilities. All classes, food and accommodation are included in the cost of £675 twin share or £875 single. A £200 deposit secures your place. To book, contact Claire on claire_barron@yahoo.co.uk or phone 079600 98985