Claire Valdez switched careers to find fulfillment teaching yoga and meditation
It takes a lot of faith and courage to leave the security of a good-paying job and follow one’s heart in pursuing a career path that is far more personally rewarding. That’s exactly what Claire Valdez has done in leaving her job in the corporate medical field and starting Clarity Meditation and Yoga Studio.
After initially opening a studio in the community, Valdez and her husband purchased property near Fancher Heights that had a separate welding shop that could accommodate a yoga studio. They’ve created a yoga and meditation space and incorporated paintings created by her father, Terry Valdez, that set the tone for the mind-body connection that Claire Valdez is striving to create for her students.
“I was an analyst in the corporate medical field and also a Microsoft Health Connect navigator” in the Seattle area, Valdez told me. “I just started to know it wasn’t for me,” she recalled.
One day, while deep in meditation, “I felt this strong urge to quit my job, resign, sell my house and move home,” she recalled
She’d been practicing yoga for just a few years at that point, but fell in love with the practice and felt a strong desire to share it with others. One of the unique aspects of yoga is that “we all teach each other,” said Valdez.
The personal transformation she found in practicing yoga and meditating “is a limitless gift that yoga can truly give people,” she said. For individuals who are struggling with calming their minds or who struggle with anxiety and physical pain, the yoga mat can be a place where people can find inner peace and acceptance.
“My approach is to meet every student where they are at, but I do challenge them,” she told me. “I do believe that we’re capable of things that we don’t think we are most of the time,” she added. Her goal is to assist students in connecting with the best version of themselves and leave class with greater clarity, balance and strength.
Her students come from all walks of life, but she has a contingent of medical professionals and others who have found their way to her studio.
“I have a lot of people that come here looking to reconnect with themselves,” she said. One of the most popular classes is Reiki, an energy healing practice that originated in Japan. She was a bit skeptical about whether to include Reiki classes in her studio, but it has been one of the most sought-after classes by students.
She incorporates a variety of practices in her studio, from rattles and crystals to aromatherapy, rain sticks and sound bowls. Her students can take classes in person or also online, which expands the possible number of students she and her fellow teachers — Dr. Ali Morgan, Jakki Slater and Katie Casados — can serve.
Valdez is on a similar path as her students. “I was in a place in my life where I was desperate for healing,” she recalled. Once she started practicing yoga consistently, she found the inner peace and contentment that she sought. And that’s what drove her to quit her corporate job and start a meditation and yoga studio.
Her father’s art, which adorns the walls of the studio, have turned the space into something of an art gallery. The whimsical and spiritual themes of his paintings fit perfectly in the studio. Other artists’ work also can be found in the studio. At the front of her studio is a painting by her father Terry titled Ganesha and the Cosmic Crows. The notion for that piece of artwork came directly from a Reiki session with Claire, he recalled.
Claire Valdez is in her happy place working with students of all abilities as they seek their own version of healing and transformation. She’s found peace and purpose doing what she loves the most.
For more information about her studio, check out claritymeditationandyogastudio.com.
