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The Yoga Den

A cozy, welcoming yoga studio nestled in the Irish countryside.

11/11/2025

I’m posting this a little later than usual, because today, my morning walk became an afternoon one.
Between early appointments, kids off school, and rain so biblical (a beautiful phrase stolen from my dear friend who has a way with words) it could have carried an ark, I decided to flip my day on its head. And for someone who’s a creature of habit, that’s no small thing.

I adore my early walks. I leap out of bed, get dressed before my brain can protest, and head out the door because I know life will find a way to get in the way if I don’t. Mornings feel softer… sleepier… mist-kissed. They set me up for the day.

But this afternoon?
It hit so differently.

The light is brighter. The world is fully awake.
Cows are out. Birds are louder.
Everything looks washed clean after the downpour, like someone pressed “refresh” on the countryside.

And here I am, walking through it all with a smile that’s stretching wider by the minute, grateful (again and always) to live somewhere so breathtaking, to have this quiet road right on my doorstep, and to feel my whole perspective shift simply by changing the time I went outside.

Even on a grey, overcast Irish afternoon, beauty finds a way. And sometimes, all we need is to step out at a different hour to notice it.

Maybe that’s today’s lesson:
When life forces you off your usual path, there might be something unexpectedly gorgeous waiting there too.

10/11/2025

Monday morning… and I can barely remember the weekend, it went by in a blink, and that was with me taking a pause.

While I was out on my walk, wrapped in this magically misty morning, I almost missed the beauty of it because my mind was racing through the never-ending to-do list. Isn’t it wild how we’ve made ourselves so busy that even the simplest things, like a walk, can become stressful when our heads run ahead of us?

So here’s the reminder I needed today: walking alone won’t cut it. But walking with your breath?

That changes everything.

The moment I consciously breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly, my mind settled. My shoulders dropped. My feet landed differently. I felt myself gliding and taking it all in.

And yes… I may still be running around like a blue-arsed fly today, but I’ll be a present, content little fly. And that makes all the difference.

09/11/2025

This morning’s walk began with my mind looping on something small but sticky, ruminating! The kind of thing that shouldn’t matter, yet somehow takes up far too much real estate in your head.

A tiny shift in someone’s behaviour.
A silence you weren’t expecting.
A feeling that something is “off,” but no explanation to go with it.

And for a while, I let it take over my walk.
My thoughts spiralled, my stomach tightened, and I kept wondering,
“Why do I care so much?”

But here’s what landed, not everyone communicates the way I do.
Not everyone values directness, clarity, or accountability.
Some people drift, avoid, retreat, or pull away…
and that’s their pattern, not a reflection of my worth.

The truth is: not everyone is meant to stay close.
Not everyone is meant to be called a friend.
And when someone’s behaviour stops matching your values, you’re allowed to let go without guilt.

So I took a deep breath, lifted my head, and kept walking.
Because the birds were singing, the air was crisp, and life is far too beautiful to spend it decoding other people’s silence.

Today’s reminder:
Y"our peace is precious. Choose it. Protect it. And if someone lets themselves drift, let them"

08/11/2025

This morning’s walk arrived with that soft November mist, the kind that blurs the edges of the world just enough to make everything feel a little gentler.

My mind, as always, wandered with me. I found myself circling back to something small-but-heavy I’d been carrying… someone’s words, someone’s actions, or maybe just a story I’d told myself without knowing the full picture.
And there it was, sitting in my belly like a knot.

As I walked, the thought landed:

The hardest things to let go of don’t shift by force they soften when the heart softens first.

Because once the heart cracks open, even just a little, the mind follows.
Perspective widens.
The grip loosens.
And what felt stuck begins to move.

Today’s reminder for me and for you,

If you’re holding something that no longer serves you, start by opening your heart.
The letting go becomes lighter from there.

Wishing you a beautiful day, whatever you’re releasing, whatever you’re welcoming in.

07/11/2025

Some days really do live up to the saying… “It never rains but it pours.”

This morning it rained so hard on my walk I couldn’t get my phone out of my pocket for even one second and by the time I got home, the boys had all slept through their alarms, the house was in full chaos mode, and I’d just discovered a leak in the Velux.
A whole mood. 😂

But somehow by the skin of my teeth, I made it to Hot Pilates, met my beautiful sister-in-law for a hug and a cuppa, crawled through roadworks and traffic, didn’t get half the admin done… and still managed to soak in some sunshine between the showers.

And to finish the day?

Helping my eldest fix the velux, because that’s life: messy, mad, and sometimes absolutely hilarious.

Through it all, there were still bright moments.
There always are.

What was the bright moment in your day today? ✨
I’d love to know, leave a comment below 👇🏼

06/11/2025

🌿 Morning Reflections

Today’s walk nearly didn’t get a caption at all.
I was marching along thinking,
“Why am I even bothering posting these every day?
Who cares? Instagram certainly doesn’t.”

And then…
The birds started singing.
FULL chorus.
Like a tiny private concert just for me.

I tried to record it and every time I hit the button
a tractor thundered past, a car flew by, a dog barked loud enough to shake the hedges.

Every chorus ruined.
And again I thought,
“Why am I even bothering?”

Then I laughed…
because I realised it’s exactly like life.

Whether you’re a mum,
or you work full-time,
or you’re caring for someone,
or you’re running a home,
or you’re simply doing your best to keep yourself going, we all do so much that goes completely unnoticed.
The invisible tasks.
The emotional labour.
The quiet things nobody thanks you for.

And still…
we show up.
Not because anyone applauds.
Not because anyone sees.
But because it’s simply part of who we are.

That’s when voice dropped into my head:
“Let them.”

Let them scroll past.
Let them watch and not like.
Let them never comment.
Let them…

Because I still get the birds singing to me.
I still get the sunrise.
I still get those small moments that fill my soul
long before the world even knows I’m awake.

So this morning’s reflection is simply this:
Let them.
And keep walking anyway.

04/11/2025

Today was one of those grey, misty mornings the kind where even the dog decides to stay home. 🐾

Out walking solo, I tried to capture the landscape between showers, but the light was flat and every photo seemed “spoiled” by a bramble in the way, a concrete post jutting out, a wiry fence cutting through the view.

And then it hit me, maybe this is the perfect landscape. Maybe the beauty isn’t in the clean lines or open fields, but in the brambles, the puddles, the fences the imperfect bits that make it whole.

It’s all perspective, isn’t it?
Maybe perfection isn’t about removing what’s messy… but learning to see the beauty in it. 🌿

03/11/2025

Every morning, just as I’m almost home, I meet the hill.

It’s not huge by any means but it’s steep enough to make me sigh and think, “Ah, here we go again…”

And for a moment, I almost talk myself out of it.
But logic kicks in and reminds me the only way home is up.

So, I drop my head, move my legs, and power on.
And halfway up, I’m already smiling, saying to myself, “You daft old mare, you did it again. You always do.”

And that’s life, isn’t it?
Some of us meet small hills every day, others face one big mountain once in a while.

Either way, we climb.
Because we’re strong.
Because we can.

You got this my beauties ❤️❤️❤️

02/11/2025

The sky painted itself in shades of rose and gold this morning, a gentle reminder that beauty often meets us in the stillness before the rush.

It’s a busy day ahead, but even in the fullness,
there’s space to move with mindfulness and quiet focus.

To do one thing at a time.
To let presence be the anchor.

Fingers frozen, heart warm, and a deep sense of gratitude for the simple rituals that bring me back home to myself.

Address

Ballincollig Near Ovens
Cork
P31TD81

Website

http://www.theyogaden.ie/

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About the hub

All I can say is the universe works in amazing ways. After training as a yoga instructor over 15 years ago, I dreamed of having my own yoga studio. It never showed signs of happening. I have taught in a number of venues around Cork stopping briefly to start a family. After 4 boys and a move to the country I had laid to rest my dream of having my own studio. Instead I added feathers to my cap and trained as a postnatal doula. Through following this path it let me back onto my yoga teaching journey. Right up to this moment when an opportunity too good to pass up presented itself. A beautiful space right here in the heart of the Killumney countryside became available and has allowed me to turn it into a tranquil wellness hub. Making classes like yoga, pilates and tai chi available in the countryside in a countryside setting.