Category: Birthday Special

Namaste,

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!

Yours in Yoga,

The Himalaya Yoga Valley Team

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!

We are excited to be running our first Masterclass of the year with our school founder Lalit. These Masterclasses are 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!

Every Monday and Wednesday evening and all day Saturday our New Beginnings Level 2 and Bridge to Peak classes are themed! To keep things fresh the themes change each month. Check out the December themes below!

December Themes
Penrose Wharf
Monday: Hips & Hamstrings
Wednesday: Twists
Saturday: Shoulders (Mobility &Stability)

Ballincollig
Monday: Sun Salutation Techniques
Wednesday: Backbends
Saturday: Arm Balances & Inversions

Joanne O’Riordan recently started practicing yoga with Lalit Kumar, school founder of Himalaya Yoga Valley at our Cork City studio.

This YouTube video which can be viewed at this link is the inspirational story of her journey to yoga, a journey without limits that embodies the spirit of yoga for everybody! Joanne is a sports journalist and disability rights advocate and one of only seven people living in the world with the condition Tetra-Amelia Syndrome. Joanne was born without any limbs and her motto in life is ‘No Limbs No Limits’. Her amazing attitude to life has inspired many! In this video you will hear about Joanne’s experience of yoga since she started practicing with Lalit only 6 weeks ago and how our only limitations are the doubts we place on ourselves.

Lalit Kumar from India has been practicing yoga since the age of seven at traditional schools in the Himalayas. He has been teaching internationally for over a decade with a wealth of experience. He is a renowned teacher in the global yoga community. Lalit and the team at Himalaya Yoga Valley Cork are dedicated to improving the health, happiness and wellbeing of our clients and also our communities. The team have raised over €70,000 for Cork Simon Community and Pieta House through their Yoga in the Park project. Himalaya Yoga Valley centres in Cork City and Ballincollig are known as sanctuaries from modern day stress and places where people always leave feeling better than they arrived!

If you believe that yoga is for everybody please share this video and Joanne’s story!

To hear more from Joanne, check out the Joanne O’Riordan Podcast on redextra.ie, Apple podcasts and Spotify.

#yogaforeverybody

Media Queries
Please contact Marion Courtney on 0852544535 or by email marion@yogacorkireland.com for any media queries in relation to this news release.

Press Release 14th May 2019

‘Yoga in the Park with Himalaya Yoga Valley’ is back again this summer in the beautiful setting of Fitzgerald’s Park and the Regional Park Ballincollig. The weekly summer event has raised over €62,000 for charity over the last five years, with the team hoping to raise even more funds this year!

The first outdoor class of the summer will take place in both parks over the bank holiday weekend on Saturday 1st June 2019. All funds raised at Fitzgerald’s Park will go towards Cork Simon Community, while Pieta House will benefit from the funds raised at the Regional Park Ballincollig. The class at Fitzgerald’s Park will take place in front of the bandstand and run from 10:00-11:15am. The class at the Regional Park Ballincollig will run from 10:15-11:30am.

Every Saturday from June 1st-September 7th, yoga enthusiasts and novices will stretch it out and improve their own physical and mental health while supporting those in need! Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre will host this weekly donation yoga class. Last year, over 400 people joined the Himalaya Yoga Valley team across both parks for Yoga in the Park and this year they hope to make it an even greater success!

Cork Simon’s Director, Dermot Kavanagh, said “This is what community is all about – people believing in people; coming together to support men, women and children in our community who are suffering from the exclusion, isolation and devastation of homelessness. The support of Himalaya Yoga Valley and all those participating in this very popular event over the last five years have helped us to keep our doors open for every person turning to us for help – it’s Cork at its best.”

Kieran Brady Director of Funding & Advocacy, Pieta House said “Pieta would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the generous donation and continued support from Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre Cork. The Yoga in the Park is a really rewarding and beneficial Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative for all involved. The funds received will help us provide our nationwide services which are free of charge and freely available therapeutic services to people who are in suicidal distress, those who engage in self-harm and those who are bereaved by suicide”.

We welcome you to join members of the Himalaya Yoga Valley team, Cork City Council, Cork Simon Community and Pieta House at the launch of this wonderful fundraising initiative on Saturday 1st June 2019.

Marion Courtney, Business Manager at Himalaya Yoga Valley said “All of our team get great satisfaction from helping others through yoga. We encourage everybody to join us each Saturday of the summer months in either park to help raise much needed funds for these organisations whilst looking after their mind and body through yoga! To see over 400 people from all walks of life, ages, fitness abilities and entire families practicing yoga together every week for charity really is something special. We are so grateful to our team, members of our community and Cork City Council for making it such a great success”.

To take part in ‘Yoga in the Park with Himalaya Yoga Valley’ all you need to bring along is your yoga mat, donation (minimum €5), water and sunscreen. All ages and abilities are welcome and this is a family friendly event. Follow Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre Cork on social media to keep up to date on weather updates each Saturday. For more information log onto www.yogacorkireland.com, email info@yogacorkireland.com or telephone 0214279696.

We look forward to seeing you at the launch of this wonderful community initiative!

Picture Caption: Fitzgerald’s Park, July 2018. Yoga from the Sky! ‘Yoga in the Park with Himalaya Yoga Valley’ starts back on Saturday June 1st! This class by donation will take place every Saturday over the summer months in Fitzgerald’s Park and the Regional Park Ballincollig. Photo Credit: Loose Skies

One of the wonderful things about yoga is that it’s not just a series of exercises, breathing and relaxation techniques. It can be a way of life! We can practice yoga through the way we treat ourselves and others in everything we do. We can become happier and more fulfilled through practicing the yamas of yoga, which are ethical guidelines for our daily lives. Yoga is an ancient healing science from India and the very first part of the traditional journey of yoga starts with these five yamas:

1. Ahimsa (non-harming)
This instruction is to practice kindness, forgiveness and non-judgement to ourselves and other beings, both in our actions and most challengingly, in our thoughts. Putting this into action can be difficult but so internally transformative that students often put all of their focus into this yama before moving on to exploring the others. When we are free from negative thoughts towards ourselves and others, inner peace can be found.

2. Satya (honesty)
To practice Satya, we need to explore the reasons why we are being dishonest in the first place. Is it habit? Fear? Recklessness? If we are more honest with ourselves about the causes of our lies it may help us to be more honest with others. Through truthfulness we can live freer, more confident and authentic lives.

3. Asteya (non-stealing)
Of course, this yama means to refrain from stealing the obvious – physical objects but it also asks us to look at what else we are taking from others that we don’t own or need. Are we taking advantage of other people’s kindness, their time, credit for their work? Are we stealing from our own potential by spending time and energy on things that don’t lift ourselves or others? We all know how good it feels to give a present or help another being. This yama encourages us to consciously take less and give more.

4. Brahmacharya (unity)
This yama asks us to look at where we are getting our pleasure from? Are we using other people? Stimulants? Unhealthy habits? Can we assess and moderate these dependencies to balance our senses and free our minds? Can we strive for healthy, non-dependant relationships, and make better choices in what we are feeding our minds through social media, TV, magazines etc. Moderating our senses can help us to find inner peace and joy.

5. Aparigraha (non-possessiveness)
Do you envy others for what they have? Do you attach emotion to your possessions and to the acquisition of them? Do you own more than you need? Are your goals in life to acquire more stuff? It’s hard when we live in a society that encourages all of this. It takes wisdom to see that these things only lead to unhappiness, but it takes huge strength to stop. This yama asks us to put less importance on possessions, to use what we need in life without placing ownership on it, to value our relationships, our health, happiness and self-worth more than the things we own or could own.

By practicing the 5 Yamas of Yoga this New Year, you will lead a more honest and peaceful life.

Lisa Fahy
Senior Teacher
Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre Cork

Join our wonderful team at our sister centre Himalaya Yoga Valley Goa India for sun, sand, sea, amazing food and culture and of course- yoga in it’s birthplace with our school founder Yogacharya Lalit. This retreat is an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in traditional practices with an Indian master teacher in this beautiful location.We take you on an unforgettable journey of a lifetime without the hassle or stress that can sometimes come with travelling to exotic locations.It’s the perfect 10 Day escape-spaces for February 26- 7 March 2019 are filling fast so get in touch now to book your place. We can’t wait to welcome you!

For more information, visit our website: https://yogagoaindia.com/yoga-retreats/

This Saturday, 24th November from 14.00 until 16.00 our Penrose Wharf Centre will play host to the much anticipated ‘Full Moon Yin Yoga Melt’ with Lisa Keating.

In this workshop you will enjoy a sense of surrender in a series of gently held Yin Yoga postures. Soothing music, inspirational theme and aromatherapy, peel away all that does not serve. We soften into a state of ease and target the deeper Yin tissue, facia, ligaments, connective tissue which concentrate in our joints.

Yin Yoga practice stimulates the body’s energy channels (meridians) bringing balance to the vital organs, improving flexibility and joint mobility.

We realise how calm and balanced both mind and body feel when we practice letting go of worry, if only for a moment, it is enough!

Please note that workshops fill quickly and spaces are limited so book early to avoid disappointment! Please book online at www.yogacorkireland.com, the MindBody app, email: info@yogacorkireland.com or call 021 427 9696.

Workshop price: €25*

*Workshop fee is transferable if cancelled at least 24h beforehand, but non-refundable

Join expert practitioner and Level 2 Authorized KPJAYI teacher Tashi Dawa for her much anticipated return to Himalaya Yoga Valley!

Tashi is a KPJAYI Authorised level 2 Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga teacher whose objective is to lead each student to develop and adore their yoga as a self-practice.Currently she teaches Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga for beginners and Embodied Mindfulness on some of the most successful yoga retreats in Europe. She is the resident yoga teacher at the highly celebrated Kaliyoga Retreats in Italy and a regular guest teacher at the acclaimed Vale de Moses retreat in Portugal and the stunning Kadermo Retreat in Finland. Tashi is a featured teacher online at Ekhart Yoga.

Workshops will take place in our Penrose Wharf Centre Friday October 26th-Saturday October 27th. Please see below details:

“Yoga as a Life Practice” with Tashi Dawa
Finding Home Base
Open to all levels
Friday, 26th October
7.30-9.30pm

“Yoga as a Life Practice” with Tashi Dawa
Finding Sukha as Mobility
Open to all levels
Saturday, 27th October
10.00-13.00

“Yoga as a Life Practice” with Tashi Dawa Finding Sthira as Stability
Suitable for Improvers (Level 2)
Saturday, 27th October
14.00-17.00

Please note that workshops fill quickly and spaces are limited so book early to avoid disappointment! Payment essential to reserve a space for these workshops.

*Workshop fees are transferable and non-refundable.

Please book online at www.yogacorkireland.com, the MindBody app, email: info@yogacorkireland.com or call 021 427 9696.

Our team members Anca Erena and Hazel O’Sullivan (pictured) were both absolutely thrilled to accept our award for the Best Use of Digital Marketing for the Greater Good Award at the Cork Digital Marketing Awards which took place in the Rochestown Park Hotel last Friday Night (September 28th) .This is our second year in a row as winners for our efforts with Yoga in the Park Cork and we would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who rolled out a mat over the summer, teachers and students. This is your win too! Go Team Himalaya!