Spotlight: Urban Yoga Warrior
We recently invited Tina MacVeigh to tell us a little bit more about ‘Urban Yoga Warrior’ and her involvement in St. Andrew’s Community Centre.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to approach St Andrew’s Community Centre for a room?
It was through my role as a community worker in Rialto that I had the opportunity a number of years ago to spend some time teaching Yoga in a refugee camp in Palestine. There, I saw first hand how powerful the gift of Yoga is! Of course, I knew this from my own practice, but it was inspiring to see how quickly the women and children I was working with benefited. So when I came home and decided I wanted to bring that out into community of Dublin 8, St. Andrew's seemed like the perfect choice. It is a centre at the heart of the community providing incredible supports and services to people who live and work in our area.
Tell us more about the activity you run and who it’s for.
I offer Hatha Yoga classes at St. Andrew's every Tuesday - it is a style of Yoga that is gentler, with a slower pace and a more meditative experience. This does not mean that you won't be challenged if that is what you would like or need, but it is a style that is good for beginners as well as advanced, so it means that everyone can come and is welcome to the class. In the classes we also do some breath work and meditation. I always do a mini Sound Bath during relaxation at the end of class. And once a month, there is a full Sound Bath on offer on the last Sunday of the month.
How has it been going so far?
It is an absolute joy to teach Yoga at St. Andrew's - people leave so relaxed and feeling good, just watching them float away - what is not to love about that! And it's the same with the monthly Sound Baths. Offering a space for people to relax and restore themselves with beautiful sounds, it's just magical.
How can someone get in touch with you?
I teach Yoga at St. Andrew's every Tuesday, and there is a Sound Bath on the last Sunday of every month. People interested in either can email me at UrbanYogaWarrior@gmail.com or can follow me on Instagram @Urban_Yoga_Warrior.
Lastly, do you have an interesting or inspiring fact you’d like to share with us?
Well, what I can tell you is that coming to a Yoga practice feels like a coming home to yourself. It is so powerful to gift yourself that time out, and no matter what is going on in your world, you will always feel better for having connected with yourself, your body, your mind and your heart. And that's what my classes are about. I will meet you where you are at, and we will work together to bring more connection, more flow, more strength and more ease into your life.