Meet Niamh. Pronounced “neeve”. She and Alex met during the time they were teaching at the same school in Kuwait. Niamh did some of Alex’s live yoga classes when Alex was teaching yoga part time at Kuwait Helton Hotel. Going through a rough time together there, the two bonded and reconnected again when Niamh joined some of our classes here and there back in 2020. Until she pulled the plug and joined Alex’s Soul Aligned 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training. She’s now in Thailand and has been flowing with us through the lockdown due to Covid-19.
Niamh likes to take classes like Mindful Flow and Mindful Let Go. She’s almost done with the YTT and will soon join the first patch of graduates end of this week. As a way to congratulate her and get to know her more, here’s our star of the week answers for the blog...
What inspired you to start practicing yoga?
Niamh: I use to use yoga as a stretch practice when I was a 1/2 marathon runner. It helped me stay loose after long run days and or rest days.
Have you ever had any experience with yoga before joining the MLPC?
Niamh: I use to do yoga with a small group of women and a friend who was a yoga instructor. We meet weekly for over a year and it was an amazing experience of community.
What’s your connection to the MLPC?
Niamh: My connection to MLPC is Alex, I'm new to the community but joined this summer because I am doing yoga teacher training.
How did you end up being so committed to yoga?
Niamh: This past year I was diagnosed with IBD [Inflammatory Bowel Disease] and my whole body crashed. I started with meditation and breath work because it was the only thing my body could do before getting fatigued...slowly over time I was able to do 20 mins of yoga and then 30mins, then 45 mins, and sometimes an hour. I've realized there is a lot of work that happens mentally and physically on the mat and it’s helped me through a very hard year. I can't imagine a day without one or more of these practices.
Did you face any challenges during the month of August?
Niamh: Yes, travelling internationally is not as easy as it used to be. I was in Canada for the summer and flew back to Thailand. It was once easy to move around the world...now it's filled with flight changes and vaccine certificates. It was challenging but I'm thankful I made it back and stayed healthy.
What are the biggest benefits you’ve reaped from your yoga practice?
Niamh: Yoga is a journey of health for me, it's what helped me through some of the hardest times and it has continued to help me grow stronger physically and mentally over the year.
What’s your favorite posture?
Niamh: I love shoulder stand!
What’s your most difficult posture?
Niamh: Lotus Pose.
I've realized there is a lot of work that happens mentally and physically on the mat and it’s helped me through a very hard year. I can't imagine a day without one or more of these practices.
Niamh
What is your favorite type(s) of yoga? And why?
Niamh: I use to love ashtanga yoga but I'm moving more into a gentle flow, yin and restorative practices these days.
Any words of wisdom to those just starting out?
Niamh: Be in touch with your body, if it doesn't bend into a pose that's okay. Be present and feel good that you are simply breathing, moving and living.
Thank you Niamh for your awesome answers and congratulations on the YTT! You can book for Niamh’s Back to School Season Free class “Coming Back to You (Mindful Flow 1)” here.
Check out the link below to book for your classes this season
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May you all be safe, happy, healthy, and free.
Yasir
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