This is a five-part yoga series which is being held as a fundraising event for the campaign to Save Sunyata.

Each class is being run by a different yoga teacher from the Sunyata community and each week will focus on a different yoga skill or application that can support our practice.

The classes will be held online every Saturday from 10-11am for five weeks, starting on Saturday 18th September. It is possible to sign up for the entire series, or to sign up for one of more classes at any point throughout the series.

To sign up please email [email protected] and let us know which class/classes you would like to attend.

As this event is  a fundraiser, there is a suggested donation of €10 per class. If you can’t meet this suggestion please feel welcome to give what you can at this time – all donations, no matter how big or small are deeply appreciated. If you can give more, please considering doing so, as it greatly helps our efforts in this fundraising campaign. All donations will go directly towards Sunyata’s fundraising campaign.

The classes will also be recorded and available to watch later, if you can’t attend the live session.

You can find descriptions of each class below, along with information on who will be leading it.

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Week 1: Wake up without Coffee – Yoga for Energising

September 18th

with: Sofía Ananda Díaz

A practice to help you wake up in the mornings or any time you are feeling drowsy or lethargic.

Do you like to meditate first thing in the morning, but find yourself sleepy and unable to concentrate? You might  find this practice useful to shake off the cobwebs and help you stay alert, yet relaxed.

About Sofía:

Sofía’s yoga classes are accessible and have just one goal in mind, and no, it is NOT touching your toes! ;). Her goal is to to help you learn some simple yet effective practices to improve your daily life and relationships.

She started practicing yoga 10 years ago, a much needed refuge that helped her come home to her body, still her mind and understand her emotions.

Motivated to share the gifts received by this practice with others she qualified as a yoga teacher in 2016, and has taught for the last 5 years to people from all walks of life and levels of ability.

She believes that everybody can greatly benefit from movement in their body and stillness in their mind.

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Week 2: Yoga  for Meditators – Stretches for hips, back, and shoulders.

[previously scheduled for week 3]

September 25th

with: Dónal Quirke

A yoga class to support sitting posture and meditation practice.

About Dónal:

These days, he is helping bring to Ireland the Yogabody approach to yoga, which emphasises physical fitness, mobility, and mental wellness. . In addition to the Yogabody practice, I draw upon movement training from trainers such as Coach Sommers, the GMG guys, Ido Portal and other leader in the modern-day movement culture.

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Week 3: Yin Yoga

[previously scheduled for week 2]

October 2nd

with: Con Sheehan

Yin involves long held stretches that aim to release physical tension, boost energy flow and settle the mind. The practice will finish with some gentle restorative poses to enter deep relaxation followed by meditation to fully assimilate the practice.

About Con:

Con is a yoga and meditation teacher from Dublin. He has completed over 500 hours of yoga training and has completed an MSc in Mindfulness Based Interventions from UCD. His gentle approach to both yoga and meditation is very inviting and at the core of his work he aims to support people to increase vitality, presence and  find ways to experience greater freedom in the body, heart and mind.

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Week 4: Yoga for releasing tension – incorporating myofascial release

October 9th

with: Maureen Murphy

This class will take us through a series of poses that will help us to move deeper into our myofascial body. Fascia is the connective tissue that runs through our body supporting our joints, muscles, and tendons, helping our movements to be easeful and smooth. Physical injury, emotional setbacks and age can cause this tissue to become ‘sticky’ reducing circulation, nourishment and causing pain and stiffness. We will use movement, breath and pressure points to uncover and meet with our own areas of ‘stuckness’ helping to relieve and rejuvenate them again.

About Maureen:

Maureen’s classes aim to help you to stretch, breath, open, relax, sweat and hopefully connect with yourself.

They tend to be first and foremost, welcoming, dynamic, alignment based and not too serious.

Since 2010, Maureen has taken a variety of teacher trainings including Kundalini Yoga, Hatha, Progressive Vinyasa, Yin Yoga, Children’s Yoga and studies of Yoga from a Neuromuscular and Therapeutic perspective. Normally she teaches yoga in Gort and its surrounding areas, however presently she is teaching via Zoom.

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Week 5: Yoga for restoring the Nervous System

October 16th

with: Michelle Clarke

‘Suffering has always been a vehicle for deep spiritual growth’.

A guided hour of exploring the relationship between yoga, trauma, spiritual growth + rebalancing the nervous system.

About Michelle:

Michelle graduated as a yoga teacher in 2015 and has trained in trauma-sensitive approaches as part of the Yoga Mandala Project.

She has facilitated trauma sessions in Cork, Limerick and Portlaoise prisons, and yoga on numerous retreats and workshops.

She freely offers yoga and embodiment practices to survivors on a volunteer basis.