HI i’M SALLY

founder of buddha baby - holistic wellbeing for women

I help you find little moments of calm, comfort and connection

I am a Yoga teacher; holistic massage therapist; baby-massage, baby-yoga and toddler-yoga instructor; and babywearing consultant.

I PROVIDE 1-1 sessions, group CLASSES, WORKSHOPS and RETREATS

With over 25 years experience as a teacher-educator, I bring a unique skills set to Buddha Baby, which combines my interest in education, wellbeing and community.

i aim to help you include more positive touch and gentle movement into your daily life

I’ve been running Buddha Baby for the last 18 years, here in Wanstead, E11 and am proud to have helped hundreds of clients experience the benefits of positive touch and gentle movement. I’m passionate about what I do, I believe whole-heartedly that these things really do make a difference!

i LOVE CREATING SPACE FOR YOU TO RELAX, REFLECT AND REJUVENATE

I help you to nurture and nourish yourself, giving yourself time for self-care and self-compassion, and whilst you are here at Buddha Baby, I will nurture you! I’ve become well-known for the attention to detail and care I provide for my clients, and for the traditional, homemade cakes/biscuits I bake for some of my classes!

I like to keep things SIMPLE, SEASONAL and sensory

At the heart of Buddha Baby, I believe that sometimes, it’s the simple things that make us the most happy - a cup of tea, a comfy cushion, a chat, homemade food, a lovely massage, a song, a smile… all of which you can find at Buddha Baby.

YOU WILL LEAVE FEELING MORE CALM, CAPABLE AND CONFIDENT!

Sally x

MY STORY

How it all began

Back in 2005, I was teaching primary pupils in Tower-Hamlets when I undertook the Massage in Schools Instructor training - little did I know that would change my life! On seeing the positive effects on the children and families in my care, I was encouraged to complete the (IAIM) Infant Massage Instructor course, and in 2007, Buddha Baby was born! I set up some small-group infant massage classes and noticing I didn’t have any refreshments available for our discussion time one week, quickly baked a cake. The clients loved it, so I did it again the following week. Now I seem to be somewhat famous locally for my homemade cakes, which I still bake as a complimentary treat at some of my parent and baby classes!

In my teenage years, I really wanted to be a massage therapist and had a fascination with aromatherapy and massage. Whilst still teaching, I went back to college to study traditional Indian Head Massage and later undertook training in holistic massage (2016) and pregnancy massage (2017).

Buddha Baby grows

After a while, my baby-massage classes became well known and popular with new parents in the local area. I was also starting to practise yoga regularly and found that this complemented my interest in holistic education and massage. Many clients were asking me to offer Baby Yoga, so it seemed the next most logical thing to try. I was dubious at first, but honestly, it’s brilliant! Parents talked a lot about slings/carriers in classes and I realised there were many myths and misconceptions, and that people wanted good no-nonsense advice - soon I found myself on the consultant training, and have since helped many families find their way! For a while, I was also a franchisee for Sling Swing (babywearing dance classes) but sadly had to let this go following the devastation of the covid pandemic. However, it was also during the lockdown that I developed baby-play and I started training in Toddler Yoga. My newest adventure has been undertaking my adult Yoga-Teacher-Training… it’s the beginning of the most amazing journey and I can’t wait to share my teachings with my clients.

From these small seeds Buddha Baby has grown, guided by my intuition and following only what has felt right to pursue.

balance and gratitude

Alongside Buddha Baby, I’ve always worked another job, changing from full to part-time class teaching, then local authority to national advisor for primary PSHE education. I now work freelance as a education consultant in PSHE education which makes it a bit easier to manage Buddha Baby too. It’s frustrating to work two jobs sometimes, but my other work enables me to continue my commitment to grow Buddha Baby! I love running Buddha Baby and I love its place right in the heart of the Wanstead community. I like my clients to feel ‘at home’ at my classes, babywearing consultations and massage treatments. Everything I choose for Buddha Baby is done so with care and consideration. It’s my greatest joy to bring you these services and products.

My favourite place in all the world is Bali, Indonesia, but I love nothing more than baking in my little pink kitchen with the door swung open to the back garden and the radio on. I like a good cup of tea, anywhere a bit wild and windy, elephants, seahorses and ancient stories of goddesses!

I’m looking forward to seeing you at Buddha Baby soon!

Sally x

A photo from ‘back in the day’ teaching baby music at home, pre-covid!

My training and qualifications

My clients deserve the best professional advice and guidance I can give and for that reason I am trained with the UK’s leading educational providers: IAIM (International Association of infant Massage), Birthlight (the pioneers of Baby Yoga), and MISA (Massage in Schools Association). I have practitioner’s diplomas in holistic massage, including from ITEC and City and Guilds. I’m a babywearing consultant trained with the School of Babywearing (Babywearing UK). I recently achieved 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training with fringe.yoga, and attended additional training from Birthlight, in Yoga for Breast Care and postnatal Yoga with Tara Lee. Buddha Baby is insured by BGI.