Asana Intensive Weekend with Lalit-June 8th-June 10th

Deepen and expand your practice under the guidance of Yogacharya Lalit. Each day of this retreat will see students practicing the full Ashtanga primary series in the morning with focus on opening a specific area of the body in the afternoon class.

All levels are encouraged to attend & whilst this is an advanced immersion it is open to those with a steady existing practice or those who are currently teaching.

Full Weekend Program Cost: €200*
Please note that Lalit’s workshops fill quickly and spaces are limited so book early to avoid disappointment!

Russell Brand visits Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre

Russell Brand graced us with his presence last Tuesday March 13th for a private Yoga class with our lovely teacher Hazel. It is no secret that Russell Brand has used yoga as a way to stay clean and sober for the last 12+ years and we loved having him come to practice at our centre in Penrose Wharf.

Hip Opening Workshop Level 1 & 2 with Lisa Fahy

Why did you take up Yoga?

I lost my Father suddenly in December 2009 and I struggled for a long time with sleep and grief in general. 3.5 years later it was taking its toll on me working 40 hours a week and not being able to get even one night of uninterrupted sleep.

I attended my first class with the amazing Lisa Fahy and for the first time in 3.5 years I got a full night’s sleep after 1 single class. I continued once a week with restorative yoga and my sleep pattern just turned around completely in no time. Within a few weeks I began to notice profound changes going on with my own mind, how I viewed life, feelings and emotions in general about everything in my life. I was truly intrigued with what was happening and curious to look into it more, it was like nothing I had ever experienced before.

I eventually decided to try New Beginnings Level 1. One of my first few classes of this was a dark wet dreary Monday night in early January 2014, usually a night when one would be full of the January blues. Yet I left this class and felt really happy smiling to myself driving home. Even more intrigued at this point I starting attending classes at least 3 times a week from that point on. Lisa was my first teacher and her passion, love and dedication to yoga was truly contagious & I just absorbed it.

The mental changes that came with the practice were so profound I haven’t stopped since, now it’s just part of my everyday life. The physical changes have also been amazing but I always consider this a side effect. You cannot pay for inner peace and calmness this practice brings.

How has yoga helped in your everyday life?

It has totally changed every aspect of my life. I work in a corporate tech company, sitting at a computer 5 days a week and at times it’s a highly pressured stressed environment but these days the stress is like water running off a duck’s back & more often than not I just laugh things off, what else can you do?!

Yoga is part of everything in my life, both good and bad.  It has made me truly understand how to actually just be, to live in the moment, something my Father always tried teaching me and I couldn’t grasp how to stop the “monkey mind” as Lalit calls it. I have finally learned.

Of course there are times where I have to consciously remind myself that there is no point in stressing out but with my regular practice of Yoga that reminder comes to the forefront so much quicker than anything would have previously. “Take a deep breath” is something we so often hear when in a heightened stressed state yet it’s quickly dismissed and I think in general we have all long forgotten of the real true power of simply our own breath.

Aside from dealing with the stresses of life, as clichéd as it sounds it really has made me realise the beauty in life, how grateful I am to just be here and have this chance to live. Life excites me and what I find most profound is that excitement most days (we all have our down days, so don’t get me wrong!!) is that there is no specific reason attached to it, it’s not dependent on something specific in my life that I have, own, have planned and so on, it’s simply just life itself and that’s something that cannot be taken from me until my time here is up.

Lastly I have found I have changed simple things like how I sit, how I walk and many other normal daily movements to ensure I do it with integrity to prevent long-term damage to muscles, tissues, joints and so on so planning to still be practicing Yoga in my 80s 😉

Which are you favorite classes?

That’s honestly the hardest question as I attend almost all classes and love them all for all different reasons. If I absolutely had to choose then I would say Ashtanga and Peak to Power.

Do you use yogic breathing outside of your yoga classes?

Yes, absolutely. In work I will often take a few minutes out somewhere and do a few rounds of Nadi Shondana. Just sitting at my desk in work I will often stop for a minute to just focus on my breath or the 3 part breath. Anytime I feel a cold or flu coming on I will do a lot more practice of Nadi Shodhona, Ujjayi and Bhramari & I think I have definitely have warded off some nasty symptoms in doing these.

What would you say to somebody considering taking up yoga ?

Don’t take my word for it just go for it, take a class and I promise you will not regret it. Anyone at all can start Yoga anytime in their life, you do not need to be young, fit, flexible or strong to start practicing. Yoga will simply do its thing regardless of your expectations.

Partner Yoga Workshop

Do you have someone in mind that you know should try yoga? This is your workshop to help them get started! Share the love of yoga with your partner, partner in crime, best friend, sibling or parent.

Come for an enjoyable pair yoga session full of fun and full of yoga. The workshop will be led by our wonderful teacher Anca.

Detox January with our Super Sonic Liver Tonic Workshop

http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/asp/adm/main_enroll.asp?fl=true&tabID=8

We are so excited to share our new Yoga Memberships with you! We have always aimed to offer affordable, authentic and accessible yoga to the people of Cork and these Yoga Memberships are a great way to practice as much as you desire for a seriously affordable price! You can enjoy unlimited yoga with any teacher, any day, anytime at our centres in Penrose Wharf and Ballincollig for just €69 per month for a 6 month pass and €79 per month for a 3 month pass! These memberships also entitle you to 10% off our yoga retreats, workshops with our teachers and merchandise. This is a seriously fantastic way to immerse yourself in your yoga practice or begin your yoga journey with Corks largest yoga studio with over 50 classes per week across two branches on offer!

JCI Cork & Himalaya Yoga Valley Wellness Event in aid of the Cork Simon Community

JCI Cork and Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre Cork invite you to an evening of relaxation and yoga at the Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre in Penrose Wharf on Thursday 23rd November. Starting at 6pm, the event in aid of the Cork Simon Community will be presented by Emer Harrington of Himalaya Yoga Valley. Emer will give a short talk on the physical and mental benefits of yoga – particularly for those leading busy lives. This will be followed by a one hour yoga class, with a focus on calming breathing techniques and yoga poses that you can practice at home to help build strength and flexibility. The evening will continue with some healthy refreshments and networking.

JCI Cork is a voluntary organisation dedicated to providing leadership and personal development opportunities for people in their 20’s and 30’s. JCI Cork is part of JCI Ireland and a larger worldwide organisation with a global membership of over 200,000 in 120+ countries. During the year, they run training for members and the general public, community projects and also flagship projects such as the Friendly Business Awards. “We are very excited to partner with Himalaya Yoga Valley on this event and hope to raise much needed funds and awareness of the wonderful work that the Cork Simon Community are doing here in our city” said JCI Cork President, Carol O’Donovan.

Himalaya Yoga Valley recently received the 2017 National Friendly Business Award for Community Impact from JCI Ireland. The award recognised their friendly staff, excellent customer service and the huge impact the business has made in the local community through their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives which include Yoga in The Park. Yoga in the Park brings the whole yoga community together to help the Cork homeless crisis. Himalaya Yoga Valley are also running Meditate by Donate classes at their Penrose Wharf Centre on a Saturday morning at 9am and at their Ballincollig Centre on a Sunday morning at 9am. These initiatives have now raised over €40,000 for the Cork Simon Community.  “We are very proud of the yoga community we’ve grown in Cork over the past five years,” said Director Maeve O’Brien.  “We were delighted to receive the National Friendly Business Award for Community Impact which recognises the impact we have made in our local community.  Not only have we enriched the lives of thousands of people in Cork through yoga but we have also supported many charities over the years. All our staff get great satisfaction from helping others through yoga and making a difference in their community.”

“Everyone has a role to play in fighting homelessness. Himalaya Yoga Valley Cork have done an excellent job over the years in facilitating people to take an easy and active role in addressing the growing homeless crisis in Cork. As the number of people turning to us for help continues to increase, we welcome their partnership with JCI Cork to host another community event in support of our work, with their Wellness Event on November 23^rd. With conscientious and generous support from the community, we are keeping our doors open around-the-clock, every day of the year for everyone who needs our help.” Dermot Kavanagh, Director.

Online registration is essential for this event as spaces are limited. A minimum donation of €15 is requested and you can book online through Eventbrite. For further information ring 021 4279696.

Digital Champions at the Cork Digital Marketing Awards 

Himalaya Yoga Valley were declared as the overall 2017 Cork Digital Marketing Champion at the Cork Digital Marketing Awards which took place on Thursday October 26th in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. We also took home the prize for Best Use of Video (30 or less employees) & Digital Superhero which recognised our community initiative Yoga in the Park which to date has raised over €40,000 for the Cork Simon Community. The Judges were impressed with our creativity and sense of fun and the way our Digital Marketing has had a real world social impact that is going to inspire other businesses and organisations. Thanks to our dedicated team and online followers for helping us to achieve this.  Read the full press release from the night HERE.

Come join us this Friday for ‘Feel Good Friday’. Feel good Friday is hosted by the Cork Business Association, Cork Chamber, Cork City Council and city centre businesses.Businesses come together to create a fun day around the streets of Cork.There is a festival-like atmosphere in the Cork City centre with live music, free finger food, special offers, competitions, workshops, and lots of fun.

This month for Feel Good Friday we are hosting a Happy Hour Class with Yogita which takes place from 4pm-5pm at our yoga centre situated at 34 Penrose Wharf, Cork City. The class will include  meditation and breathing exercises (praynama) followed by a yoga class and healthy goodies. Book your class at www.yogacorkireland.com or by emailing your details to info@yogacorkireland.com