This is the season to want to treat your loved one (or yourself!) to a New Year grounded in balance, peace, and well-being.
Enjoy 15% off all Giftcards until the 24th of December!
To purchase your discounted gift voucher Click here. Use the discount code XMASGFT to redeem your 15% Off
After you purchase the item you will receive the gift voucher details in digital format which you can send to the recipient
Our Giftcards can be used to buy classes, memberships or class passes at our beautiful studios in Midleton and Ballincollig or our online yoga studio 🧘♂️
A gentle warm-up right before the Yoga practice can make a lot of difference in how you feel throughout your practice. Warming up can make your movement easy and smooth by removing the morning stiffness of the body.
Very accessible warm-up you can catch up before heading to your day to open your body and still your mind.
Asanas to include to cover all the key stations in your warm-up sequence
Side Body Release: One minute (30 seconds each side)
1. Inhale – Raise both your arms up to lengthen your spine.
2. Exhale to place your right hand on the right side and bend to your right.
3. Left arm stretching up, stretching your side rib cage.
4. Inhale to come back in the center.
5. Exhale and repeat on your left.
Forward stretch: One minute
From side release, come back in the centre, lengthen your spine, place your palms in front shoulder distance apart, and fold forward.
Side Twist: One minute (30 seconds each side)
1. From the forward fold come back to the centre. Inhale to lengthen your spine.
2. Exhale to place your right palm behind your right hip, left palm over your right knee and twist.
3. Look over your right shoulder.
4. Come back to the centre, lengthen, and repeat on your left.
Shoulder Rotation: 30 seconds
1. Bring your knees together from Sukhasana, and swing them back to place your sit bones over your heels to sit in Vajrasana.
2. Spread your arms parallel to the floor in a T-shape.
3. Rotate your arms from the shoulder socket – clockwise and anti-clockwise.
Shoulder opening: One Minute
1. From the T shape, sitting in Vajrasana, stretch your arms back.
2. Interlace your fingers.
3. Lengthen your Spine, and stretch your arms towards the floor while opening your chest.
Cat & Cow: Ten Rounds
1. From Vajrasana, place your palms forward, shoulder distance apart.
2. Knee hip distance apart.
3. Wrist in line with shoulders, and knees in line with hips.
4. Inhale and move your chin and chest up, arching your spine.
5. Exhale, bring your chin to the chest, rounding your spine.
Move to Downward Dog – 30 Seconds
1. From Cat & Cow – Tuck your toes, lift your knees and bring your hips back.
2. You can walk your heels to get rid of the stiffness from your hamstrings.
As the evenings get colder we are switching up the heat and we also have some brand-new, cozy blankets and some more heating for Midelton!
When we practise dynamic movement, and then slow things right down for Savasana- we can feel a drop in temperature. This also applies for more restorative classes where we are not moving as much and holding postures for a longer period.
Here are some suggestions to keep comfortable during your practise
Grab a blanket for savasana (the pose at the end of class) or for the full class if it is restorative
Wear layers during class that you can remove and put back on depending on where you are in the class
Wear warmer clothes for slower classes
Of course, you can always bring your own blanket too!
We have infrared overhead heating in Ballincollig and we are closely monitoring the temperature in our new Midleton studio.
Please keep us in the loop with how the temperature works for you- you are our best guides! Just chat to your teacher after class to keep us in the loop.
A relaxing class that includes restorative poses and a yoga Nidra at the end. We will then move into a Restorative Yoga practise to release physical tension, deeply relax your body, still your mind and boost your immune system. Within this part of the class, your parasympathetic nervous system will be stimulated to counteract the body’s fight or flight response and will help to decrease built-up stress or anxiety. We will finish with a full Yoga Nidra or “Yogic Sleep”. This is the systematic method of inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation. You will be lying down and will be talked through a body scan, breath awareness and visualisations to access your theta brain wave state for deep rest, transformation and healing. Masterclass Price: – Free for members on the Unlimited Memberships – €20/person In case of cancellations, prices are non-refundable, but they are transferable to your account for future purchases.
Masterclass: Deep Rest for the body and Mind with Jim
Fri, Oct 7th 20:00 – 90 Minutes Jim D Himalaya Yoga Valley Midleton Centre
Booking Information
Book your place through our schedule here or on the Himalaya Yoga Valley app.
Why not add these Shoulder Opening Practices to your daily routine?
Safeguard your Shoulders today to prevent the most common Shoulder injuries.🙌 Strengthen & open your Shoulders with some small practices you can try any time of the day.
Why should we even have Open Shoulders?
Why should we even have Open Shoulders? 🤔
According to the APA (American Psychological Association), “Ongoing muscle tension in your neck and shoulders can lead to more serious issues like back and shoulder pain, body aches, and migraine and tension headaches.” Click for reference.
Some more:
1. It helps you improve your posture.
2. It helps in multiple muscle movements around your shoulders.
3. Adds extra support to your arms whenever arm strength is required.
4. Reduces neck and shoulder stiffness.
5. It Gives you more flexibility and mobility.
6. Open and strong shoulders help you lift heavy objects and play sports.
7. Psychological effect: Open shoulders make you look more confident.
Here you go with the tips for your shoulder:
Gomukhasana (Cow Face):
1. Sit in Vajrasana or Sit with your legs crisscrossed, placing one knee on top of the other.
2. Raise your right arm, fold it at the elbow, take your right palm behind your back, and take your left palm behind the back from down. Now your right elbow is pointing to the ceiling, and your left is pointing to the floor.
3. Try to hold your palms behind your back. If not, you can also use the belt, as shown in the image.
4. Repeat on the other side.
5. Breath, and hold for five breaths.
Forward fold with Clasp:
1. Stand with feet one foot distance apart or into a wide-legged position. You can also try this by sitting in Vajrasana.
2. Clasp your finger behind your back, inhale deeply, and open your chest.
3. With an exhale, soften your knees and fold forward, letting the head fall toward the ground and gently releasing the neck.
4. Aim your clasp hands to the floor beyond your head. Stay here for five deep breaths.
Ardha Uttanasana with the wall:
1. Stand an arm’s distance away from the wall. Inhale, lengthen your spine up, and raise your arms.
2. With an exhale, extend your spine and fold forward halfway through, making a 90 degree at your pelvic.
3. Place your palms on the wall, fingers pointing to the ceiling, and sink your chest towards the floor. Feel the opening in shoulder joints.
4. Breath. Hold for five breaths and repeat.
Reverse Prayer:
1. Sit in Vajrasana, or you may choose to stand with your feet together, float arms down to either side of your body and, bending elbows, reach arms behind your back.
2. Press palms together in a prayer position on the spine and reach hands as high up as feels good.
3. Stay here for five deep breaths.
In addition to these Practices, you can also explore a Shoulder focused themed session we are running this month every Thursday at 07:15 am with Lalit at our Online platform Alaya. You can also explore the Shoulder Focused Sessions in the Library, go to the Video Library, and hit the search button.😎
Join Letizia, founder of Himalaya Yoga Shala Sardinia, Italy for this 2-hour immersive workshop designed to help you refine your existing Ashtanga practise, or begin your journey on the path of the 8 Limbs of Ashtanga Yoga.
Letizia started to practice Yoga nearly twenty years ago. After trying various styles, she found her home in the connection of breath and movement typical of Vinyasa. She met Himalaya Yoga Valley in 2012 and under Lalit’s guidance completed the 500hrs of Teacher Training between India and Ireland. Over the years her practice and teaching went more and more towards the Ashtanga Vinyasa method. In 2015 she started studying with Lino Miele, both in Italy and India. India. In 2020 she has been honoured with the authorization to teach Ashtanga Vinyasa according to the method codified in the book written by Lino together with Sri PK Jois during his 25 years of study with Guruji. Ashtanga Yoga by Lino Miele is the main written reference for practitioners of Ashtanga Vinyasa worldwide.
WORKSHOP: Ashtanga Yoga Workshop with Letizia
DAY: Saturday, August 6th
TIME: 15:00 – 120 Minutes
This workshop will include:
Mantra, Pranayama and is designed for all levels of practitioners who are seeking a dynamic somatic experience using the traditional discipline of Ashtanga from Mysore, India.🧘🏻♀️
Booking Information
Book your place through our schedule here or on the Himalaya Yoga Valley app.
This week we got a question from a student about starting yoga with disc bulges. We know that this is an issue with many of our clients and we wanted to share our thoughts on this issue.
“Hi there- I just found out I have 2 disc bulges in my lower back, my doctor has suggested yoga, is there anything I should know before I start a class?“
David, Dublin
It’s great that David’s GP suggested yoga, and we are delighted that he wrote to us so we could guide him.
While we are always pleased to hear that doctors are referring their clients to holistic therapeutic practices such as yoga to manage these issues, there are some precautions that we should take when starting yoga when we have disc bulges.
Yoga is extremely therapeutic for disc bulges specifically for Lumbar Disc Protrusions.
Disc protrusions cause instability in the spine and as ligaments cannot be strengthened with yoga (or any exercise) we want to strengthen the muscles around the spine to counteract this lack of stability. Yoga also nourishes and aids the healing of the spine by bringing fresh blood flow to this area. And when we improve our posture and core strength with yoga we can reduce pain or future bulges from occurring
While yoga is a wonderful tool to aid recovery, a general flow class may not be appropriate without the proper modifications applied.
Before we get to the yoga, what is a disc bulge?
A disc bulge refers to an extension or prolapse of disc tissues beyond the edges of the edge of vertebrae. In some cases, this bulge can press on the nerve causing mild or severe pain depending on severity.
Around 30% of the population have disc bulges, and we want to prevent them from progressing to fully herniated discs which can cause a host of issues such as lower back pain, sciatica, and even complete immobility due to pain in some extreme cases.
The issue with attending a general spectrum yoga class, especially without your teacher being informed about your disc bulges is that any forward folding (flexion) could exasperate a bulge.
Now, there are yoga Asana (poses) that are extremely helpful for disc protrusion, however, they should be done in isolation, not in a general class that also includes a forward fold.
Any deep flexion, especially with a rounded back, could potentially turn your bulge into a full prolapse.
Guidelines for practicing safely with a disc bulge
Avoid forward folds or flexion if possible, bend knees
If you do incorporate them into your practice, ensure you keep your chin forward and avoid rounding your spine, when we round our spine, and forward fold at the same time it pushes the prolapsed disc further towards the edge of the vertebrae
How Yoga Can Help
If we look at the issue of forward folds (flexion) bringing the disc further towards the edge of the vertebrae, we can see how backbends, or extension of the spine would do the opposite- bring the disc back towards the other side of the spine (where it should be!)
With this in mind here is a sequence you can practice daily to aid recovery from
Morning time
5 x sphinx pose, held for 5 breaths followed by 5 baby cobra or full cobra held for 5 breaths.
1 x Setu Bandhansana held for 10 breaths (you can use a foam yoga block to support your lower back here)
From Setu Bandhasana bring one with both knees bent and feet planted on the floor bring place your hands behind one and bring it towards your chest until you feel a slight pull. Hold this for 15 seconds and do both sides.
Evening Time
5 x Setu Bandhasana held for 5 breaths (you can use a foam yoga block to support your lower back here)
From Setu Bandhasana bring one with both knees bent and feet planted on the floor bring place your hands behind one and bring it towards your chest until you feel a slight pull. Hold this for 15 seconds and do both sides.
Attending a Yoga Class
If you do attend a yoga class, remember the principle for avoiding or modifying your forward folds and keep your knees bent where possible- and most importantly, let your yoga teacher know so they can keep you safe with modifications.
Off the mat
Don’t just apply these principles to yoga. When you get off your mat and head home to do the housework, take care of your family, or finally clean out the garage- the same principles apply. Avoid forward folding to avoid placing unnecessary pressure on the anterior portion of the disc.
Remember, always get medical clearance from your doctor, listen closely to your body, and avoid anything that causes you pain.
Do you have any questions for us about this topic? What about another issue you are facing around injury, accessibility, or anything related to your practise
Drop them in the comments- we love to hear from you!
We are so looking forward to welcoming our clients back to our Ballincollig centre from the 13th of July! The safety of our clients and team are our top priority. Please follow these guidelines when attending classes with us.
Class Capacity, Timings & Student Registration
• Capacity of students in each class will be in line with social distancing requirements of 2 meters
• Each class will be one hour in duration reduced from one hour and fifteen to allow for extra measures between classes
• There is 30 minutes between classes to allow for cleaning studio
• All bookings and transactions made online so that there is no cash transactions in the studio (prearranged exceptions will be made for people with accessibility barriers, no internet, this must be pre-arranged and absolutely the exception not the norm)
• Students must sign in before coming to the studio. We can not facilitate drop in’s
Supplies
• Students are welcome to wear visors and masks and can bring their own masks
• All students must bring their own props and yoga mat- these can not be left at the studio and must not be shared between clients
• We no longer have a water dispenser- please bring your own water
Cleaning and Hygiene
• Students must sanitize their hands before entering and exiting the studio
• After and in between each class the teacher will sanitize commonly touched surfaces
• The studio will continue to be regularly cleaned by a contracted cleaner
• Our downstairs door will be locked while cleaning takes place. Please wait for the teacher in your car or outside observing social distancing until you are called to enter. This prevents client crossover and ensures you are entering a clean and safe space
Practising Yoga
• We have staggered marked out spaces based on current social distancing guidelines for people to practice. Please place your mat on these designated markings only
• Teachers will provide verbal cues and demos rather than physical adjustments
• Please observe 2 meter distancing from the teacher
• Prop heavy classes are not currently on our schedule as we do not provide props
Class Check in and traffic flow
• Our teacher will meet clients at entry door downstairs to check you in on the iPad and there will be staggered entry staggered entry
• Please keep 2 meters apart when entering and exiting the studio and remove shoes at entry and put in bag, and store with other personal belongings in studio cubby holes. All personal belongings including shoes and car keys must be in a clean bag in cubby hole.
• Please come to the studio in dressed ready for practise. We will not be using changing rooms.
Other Important Measures
• Any student who has contact with someone who has Covid-19 must not attend our studio for 14 days and until they have received medical clearance to do so
• It is imperative that absolutely all students are signed in to class for the purpose of contact tracing should it be required. Please check that your contact details on our system are up to date and we can contact you should we need to
• If you are unwell, or become unwell after class please contact our team on info@yogacorkireland.com and notify us so
Our philosophy on holding space for yoga during these times
We are overjoyed to have you back! We will give you the same warm welcome you are used to when coming to our studio, we may not be able to be physically close to our students but we will still aim for close energetic and human connection. Our space will be a much needed sanctuary that puts safety at the peak of our priorities. We commit to creating a safe space of healing and warmth that is designed promote and protect the health of our clients and team.
We hope you are all doing well and your families are safe and well too. It came as a pleasant surprise to us on Friday that yoga studios will have the opportunity to become operational again on the 29th of this month. We were expecting permission for yoga studios to reopen in the August phase and our planning has been geared towards that date. We will however now begin a phased reopening of Himalaya Yoga Valley with our Ballincollig centre reopening first and we will also retain and expand our virtual studio offerings. With our capacity reduced by close to 60% and Ballincollig being a much larger space it will be feasible for us to begin our reopening from that location with all of the social distancing and hygiene measures required to do so safely. We aim to reopen in Ballincollig in the second week of July and will notify you when our schedule is up to take online bookings!
Ballincollig
Please see this video of our Ballincollig Yoga Studio which will give you an idea of why it is such a popular place to practise with our clients- we look forward to welcoming you there.
Highlights of our Ballincollig Studio
*One of Ireland’s largest yoga studios spanning over 2000 sq ft
*Located just off the link road
*Beautifully designed, spacious studio with lots of light & overhead heating
*Free Parking on Site
*15 minutes drive from Cork City
Safety
We will be following all HSE guidelines to make practising with us as safe as possible for our team and our clients and we will circulate and publish our practice guidelines and policy in the coming weeks before we open. This will be available to view on our website, social media channels and you will also receive it by email if you are on our mailing list. We were the first studio to close in Cork. We did so early to protect our team, clients and community and we will not rush reopening for the same reasons. We thank you for supporting that decision when we made it and thank you in advance for working with us to keep everybody as safe and healthy as possible.
Classes will be one hour in length to account for studio cleaning and can not cross over so we will have approximately 3 classes per day to begin with in this government phase of restrictions.
Your Pass or Membership
If you had a pass or membership with us with remaining classes or time on it before the lockdown started and have not transferred it for use online, you can now contact us to reactivate it and we will extend the validity equal to what was remaining on it when we closed. If you have a pass or membership that you bought for use in our studio before the lockdown and you reactivated it during the lockdown to use online, you can carry on using it online, in house or blended between both. Virtual studio memberships are exclusively for use online. Our team is always on hand if you need any help or clarification regarding your pass. Simply drop us a line.
Please note all bookings must be completed and paid for online as we will not be doing transactions in the interest of safety. In the interest of taking care of vulnerable or elderly clients who may not be able to book online we will make exceptions and our team will assist you. You will need to email for this before attending the class and this is in exceptional cases only. We want to keep barriers to practise down so we are here for those clients who can not book online and for all other clients we greatly appreciate your support in keeping our team safe by pre paying and pre booking.
In respect to our clients who have patiently waited to use their passes during lockdown we will not have passes available for sale. Single classes will be available for purchase and use on the same day from the start of our second operational week. We will monitor attendance and open up sales for passes based on our findings. We kindly request that clients attend a maximum of three classes per week online and also use our online classes to ensure that everyone gets an opportunity to attend.
Himalaya Yoga Valley Online
Should you wish to practise from home you can join our thriving online community and attend up to 100 classes per month with Lalit, Lisa, Anca, Jim and Carolann from the comfort of your own home for just €19.99 per month! We have up to 5 classes a day, including Dynamic, Themed, Gentle Glow, Restore & Revive and plenty more of your usual favourites. Our clients are thrilled with being able to access the same classes they know and love without the commute. If you wish to become a member of our virtual studio you can do so here many clients have expressed their wish to keep practising from home and we are proud to be able to deliver the highest quality yoga experience directly to them. We have some very exciting international teachers lined up and our online community has grown into a very special one!
Thank You So Much
We appreciate all of the incredible support from our clients over the last few months and our wonderful team who offered so much to our community for the first 8 weeks of the pandemic lockdown with free classes every day- we had attendance of over 100,000 during that period with people from all over the world benefiting from yoga to help them get through a difficult time. We continue to offer free online classes to frontline health workers and we hope to restart Yoga in the Park as soon as possible to fundraise for our charity partners who have been so hard hit by this pandemic. We are in the process of getting relevant permissions from the council to do so.
It has been a challenging time for us as a team and to stay afloat as a business, but the support of our wonderful clients and teachers has kept our spirits uplifted!
Once again, thank you, and we look forward to seeing you in Ballincollig or online!
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we have launched Himalaya Yoga Valley online! Classes will kick off live at our virtual studio on Monday the 11th of May. We have up to 5 classes a day and over 100 classes per month for you to enjoy with our team of expert teachers and here is the really exciting news…after such an incredible response to our community wellbeing classes we are launching our introductory unlimited memberships for just €19.99 a month on a rolling basis!
After seeing the response to our online classes and what they meant to so many, we wanted to offer unlimited access to the highest quality classes for as low a price as possible. We launched our studio 7 years ago with a vision to make yoga accessible and now we open our virtual space with the same mission and hope in our heart- to bring authentic, accessible, affordable yoga from it’s origins to everybody! We are keeping our classes FREE for frontline healthcare workers as a way to say thank you for all that you do and we are also running a free weekly Seva class for all levels each week.
We have kept affordability and accessibility at the core of our vision, and you can expect the same incredible quality teachings that you have come to know from our team, led by Yogacharya Lalit.
Here is what is on offer
-Over 100 classes a month
-Classes 7 days a week
-Various styles
-Something for all levels
-Members-only access to our library of classes that will grow as we go
-Private Classes
-Corporate Classes
-FREE classes for frontline Healthcare workers
-All classes easily accessible on Mindbody Online
If you are already a member of our studio you will have received an email about your existing memberships and passes and if you have any questions you can drop us a line. We look forward to welcoming you all back to our classes online and want to thank you for your support over the last few months.
If you have enjoyed our classes or would like to support us in our online expansion we would greatly appreciate your support!
Join our school founder Lalit for this Masterclass which is FREE for Members on 3 & 6 month unlimited passes, half price for those on class passes and €20 drop in. Be sure to book your place as spots are limited!
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1. Cross your legs and sit with spine straight, aligning your neck, spine and your hips.
