Category: News

Karen Barry is a full-time secondary school teacher who is passionate about the benefits of yoga in schools.  She completed her teacher training with Himalaya Yoga Valley in Cork in 2015 and has been teaching at the centre for just over a year.  Currently, Karen can be found teaching New Beginnings Level 2 on Wednesday evenings at 19.45.

What was your path from practitioner to teacher?

I had dipped in and out of yoga for many years in my twenties, attending six week courses here and there. A few years ago I moved overseas and lived in a small rural town with very few amenities so I bought myself a yoga DVD and started to practice in the living room. Initially the aim was to increase my fitness but over time the draw to the mat became about so much more. When I returned to Ireland I started to attend classes in Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre and then the real journey began. I slowly began to build up a regular practice, experiencing the transformative benefits of pranayama and asana first hand. With guidance and encouragement from both Lisa and Lalit I decided to sign up for the teacher training here in Cork.

What is your favourite pose and why? Are there any poses that are difficult for you?

I love backbends. I find them accessible, liberating, uplifting and energising.

I have a love hate relationship with arm balances. While I relish and really enjoy the challenge I do find many of them difficult and frustrating. I used to beat myself up about them but now I use them them as a way of focusing my mind and keeping my competitive streak in check!

What’s the most important thing yoga has taught you?

The importance of yoga as an investment in my own well-being, not to be so hard on myself, to enjoy the successes and respect the limitations within my own practice.

How does your own practice fit in? 

I am a full-time secondary school teacher and I teach yoga in the evenings so my week can be quite busy. Yoga is not just something I do on my mat. I consider it to be a tool that supports me in my everyday life.

I like to start my day with diaphragmatic breathing to ground myself, to set myself up for the day as it were. Throughout the day I try to remind myself to come back to the breath when the monkey mind starts to go into overdrive. I like to do seated stretches and breathing exercises during my school day (often with my students) to release muscle tension, shift the energy and to help me focus.

On days when I feel strong, energetic, full of the joys of life or even frustrated with something I enjoy an invigorating challenging asana practice. Other days when the energy is low I find myself drawn to a slow gentle restorative practice. I am enjoying exploring my own practice and tailoring it to how I am feeling on any given day.

What’s one of the biggest misconceptions about yoga that you’d like to address?

That yoga is for women. Yoga is for everyone and everybody!

Any gentle etiquette reminders you’d like to give students?

We can often be very eager to move on to the next pose.  A gentle reminder to follow the teacher’s cues when coming out of each pose so that students come out of the poses safely and with awareness.

How do you see the future of yoga?

I would love to see yoga as part of the core curriculum in our schools. I strongly believe in yoga as a tool for building resilience in children and adolescents.

Favourites:  food, place in Ireland, vacation destination, book?

Food: Italian

Place in Ireland: Kerry

Vacation destination: Anywhere in Africa.

Book: Jonathan Livingston Seagull- Richard Bach, haven’t read it in about 15 years, must go back to it!

What would you like your students to take away with them after a class with you?

People are drawn to yoga for many different reasons. Whatever the reason, I would like my students to leave my class with that “Ah…that’s why I do yoga!” feeling.

Treasa Kearney has been teaching at Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre since she graduated from the teacher training course here in Cork in 2015.   She is a full-time primary school teacher and currently teaches New Beginnings Level 1 at 17.00 every Wednesday.

What was your path from practitioner to teacher?

My path from practitioner to teacher was relatively short. I was only practicing for over a year before I began my teacher training. I was amazed with how yoga helped me in my recovery from a head injury. The benefits I gained from the different pranyama techniques aided my recovery. I was fascinated with the way yoga increased my energy levels and stamina. I quickly became hooked! I wanted to study more about the benefits of yoga and to deepen my practice further so I began teacher training in 2015.

What is your favourite pose and why? Are there any poses that are difficult for you?

I love hip opening poses and backbends. Each time I enter a deep backbend or hip opener I am always surprised powerful they can be to release built up tension and emotions.

I find arm balances challenging. I can often feel frustrated when trying to perfect a pose. I have face planted many a time on my mat!!

What’s the most important thing yoga has taught you?

Yoga has helped me to live in the present moment. Breath is the focus. Often we can forget to breathe mindfully, just focusing on deep breaths can really bring me to the present moment and help with anxieties.

How does your own practice fit in?

It can be hard to fit in a full yoga practice every day with a full time job and other life commitments. I start my day with some kapalabhati pranayama followed by sun salutations and if time allows I do some standing and seated poses. Usually I will try fit in at least two long practices during the week.

What’s one of the biggest misconceptions about yoga that you’d like to address?

One of the biggest misconceptions is that yoga is for young, fit, flexible people. Yoga is so varied. There are many branches of yoga that people are unaware of – meditation, chanting, pranayama (breathing techniques) as well as asana (physical poses). Yoga is accessible for everyone you just have to discover which aspect suits you.

Favourites:  food, drink, place in Ireland, vacation destination, book?

Favourite place in Ireland – Ballycotton cliff walk or Banna beach Kerry

Favourite vacation destination – Zanzibar

Favourite book – One of my favourite reads is Tuesdays with Morrie

Jim Daly is a Sergeant in the Irish Defence Forces, where he has worked for 22 years.   He travelled to Goa in 2013 to complete the Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre Teacher Training and since then, he has taught in a variety of settings including the Irish Defence Forces and the Slí Eile Farm Project where he is a voluntary teacher.  He has been teaching classes at Himalaya Yoga Valley Cork for the past year.  Jim teaches Bridge to Peak Flow and Restore & Revive on Wednesday evenings and New Beginnings Level 2, Gentle Glow and Bridge to Peak every third Sunday.

What was your path from practitioner to teacher?

My path was a short one, I was only practicing yoga for about a year and a half when I started my Teacher Training.  Yoga was an instant love for me, I went to class every day, I became immersed in learning about the anatomy of poses, benefits etc. While overseas with the United Nations in 2013 I developed my self-practice and started leading classes for military personnel from a range of countries. The feedback on how yoga was influencing these soldiers, both physically and mentally, sealed my decision to teach.

What is your favourite pose and why?

My favourite pose is Bakasana (Crow Pose), it takes some strength and balance yet it still looks graceful.

What’s the most important thing yoga has taught you?

Yoga has taught me how to be flexible, and I don’t mean in anatomical terms. Your practice can change from day to day, some days you may be sore or tired and on those days you have to respect yourself and modify/adapt where it’s needed, be flexible in your practice.

How does your own practice fit in?

Getting my own practice in every day can honestly be a challenge.  Like most of us, I have plenty of work and family commitments so if I don’t have the time for a full practice on a day I just do five rounds of sun salutations A and B.

What’s one of the biggest misconceptions about yoga that you’d like to address?

“You have to be flexible to do yoga”.  No you don’t, you just have to get on your mat!  It’s not about being flexible or strong or touching your toes, it’s about the journey on the way down – that sense of calmness in your whole being after practising.  It’s about that time on your mat where you turn your practice into a moving meditation.

What’s the most memorable thing that’s ever happened in your class?

There are many, and most are from seeing students nailing that pose that has been so challenging for them for weeks or months, seeing that little grin on their face with what I can only presume are words running around in their mind saying “hell yeah, what’s next”.

WE ARE HIRING!!
We are currently seeking a friendly, customer service orientated administrative assistant who has a keen interest in marketing & social media. This position is a part-time position working 10 hours per week on Mondays and Fridays.

If you are interested in applying for this position, please email your application & CV to hyvcoffice@gmail.com. Applications will close 6pm Wednesday 2nd November.

We couldn’t be happier to announce that we are finalists in the Cork Chamber Digital Marketing Awards in the categories Best Use of Facebook and Best Use of Twitter! We look forward to the award ceremony at Fota Island Resort on the 27th!

We are delighted to announce we are semi Finalists in the following categories of the Cork Digital Marketing Awards 2016:

-Best Use of Facebook
-Best Use of Twitter
-Best Use of Video

Thanks to all of our amazing followers across all platforms for your support!

Free admission, pre-book online

Saturday, 6 August
14.00-14.45 pm
Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre
Penrose Wharf

The word Ayurveda transcribed means “The Science of Life or “The Science of Longevity”.  Ayurveda is one of the ancient medical sciences in the world and is not only a health care system but the art of healthy living that enables you to create harmony in daily life by applying self-knowledge and self-care.

Ayurveda specialises in designing a health and living plan that includes elimination of the cause(s) of disease or conditions; it treats the condition and implements health and wellness actions using herbs, foods, aromas, gems, colours, yoga and mantras that rebuild the body and continue its rejuvenation.

In this lecture, learn how you can use the Ayurveda approach to life to address the unique needs of your body, recognising and balancing your mental and emotional states and deepening your connection with your spirituality.

About Dr. Rohit

Dr. Rohit was born in Goa and completed his Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery (B.A.M.S.) degree at Goa University. He practices medicine in his North Goa clinics www.ayurvedagoa.org, renowned as an Ayurvedic physician, panchakarma and yoga specialist, with over a decade of experience in these areas.

Dr Rohit travels extensively around India and Europe, consulting, studying, lecturing and conducting workshops on Ayurveda, yoga and allied subjects.  Since 2008, Dr Rohit has been at the forefront of educating Himalaya Yoga Valley teacher trainees from all over the world on traditional Ayurveda and its relation to therapeutic yoga.  He is a valued member of the Himalaya Yoga Valley teaching team for India and Europe training. He is a very popular lecturer with trainees, inspiring many to continue further studies in Ayurveda medicine. He says: “Ayurveda, the science of life, is a boon to the science of healing and to seekers of health, rejuvenation, longevity and well-being”