Dear Friends,
I hope this blog finds you all well. We’ve had a busy month of August, Myself and a my very good friend and fellow yogi Colette, along with our walking guide Oliver took a group of 19 kids into the heart of the Burren on a 1 day retreat for kids. It was AMAZING! Between the 3 guides, the children got to experience the local heritage and farm life of the Burren, walked them a little further up the mountain where we stopped for a small lunch break followed by a Mindfulness session with myself, the ascent to the top was nothing short of breathtaking. It was beautiful to witness children making new friends, laughing, collecting flowers, sitting together safely in the outdoors. At the top of the mountain Colette practiced a beautiful yoga class, where they got to be trees, dancers pose, warrior, frog etc. The highlight of the trip was the hidden cave. Each one of the kids got to walk underground and come out the other side like little rabbits coming out of a burrow. To see children being immersed in nature has many profound benefits, there was no shyness, no social anxiety, only happy playful kids. I firmly believe and studies back this that the outdoors helps children build confidence, promotes creative fun and imagination, teaches responsibility for themselves and their belongings, gets them moving, allows time for thinking. Halfway down the descend, I surprised them all with a bottol of bubbles. They got to sit, grounded in a meditation and then blew all their worries away in bubbles, I watched each one of them create a sense of wonderment, imagination, deep in the moment, little giggles here and there and it was just beautiful to watch. This was our first children’s summer retreat and we hope to do this again at some stage……
So moving on to almost end of August, I am proud to say I have completed a 6 week term of Yoga with a beautiful group of ladies at a fabulous location @ District Fitness, Athenry. The style is Vinyasa flow, focusing very much on Mind, Body, Breath. Class focuses very much on building strength, deepen flexibility while also quietening the mind. I encourage you to honor your body, notice what works for you and over 6 weeks see the progression deepen. This was a huge success and with so much interest, I am delighted to say I am now offering another 2 classes of 6 weeks. They are as follows:
Tuesday 24th August, 7pm, District Fitness, Athenry (2 spaces available)
Wednesday 25th August, 7.45pm, District Fitness, Athenry (spaces available)
Wednesday 1st September 6pm, Athenry Tranquility Centre (Available to members only)
Every Monday evening 8.30pm, Online zoom Meditation class (with yoga)
If you are interested in joining any of these classes, please do so on my website, (except for Tranquility, bookings direct with leisure centre).
Benefits of Yoga:
- Yoga improves strength, balance and flexibility
- Yoga helps with back relief
- Yoga relaxes your nervous system
- Yoga helps manage stress and improves sleep
- Yoga connects you with a supportive, like minded community (something I am very passionate about)
- Yoga promotes better self care
Benefits of Meditation:
- Builds skills to manage stress
- Increases self-awareness
- Cultivates self-love, empathy and kindness to ones self
- Focuses on the present moment
- Focuses on breathing techniques
- Reduces anxiety
- Helps clear “brain fog”
Looking at these benefits, who wouldn’t want to give it a go! A typical week day for me (can’t say the same at the weekends, but I always bring meditation/mindfulness/yoga into my everyday life.
Morning yoga 6.30am, followed by 20 mins meditation, on the days I practice this routine early in the morning, my day just flows and starts off on the right foot. I usually have some time to myself to have a cuppa and do my daily chores and get ready for the day ahead. Yoga has become part of my life now, and it has helped me so much in my personal life. Meditation on the other hand has always been with me since I was a little child, I just never knew what it was. When I went back to college to study Psychology in 2016, I found mindfulness and it changed my life, for the better…..thats a blog for another day!
Have a beautiful peaceful day!
“Quieten the mind and the soul will speak”
Namaste
Marie
