Yoga is a passion of mine and I have been practicing it for many years.

My first class was an Ashtanga yoga class and I was impressed by how great I felt after it. My flexibility, stamina and breathing improved tremendously and I had the unexpected boost of feeling more energetic and aware.

I did my yoga training from 2002 to 2005 with the Irish Yoga Association, an affiliated body of the European Union of Yoga. It was a demanding training that opened up new fields of yoga to me such as breathwork, meditation and philosophy. The training also covered prenatal yoga, children’s yoga and yoga for mental health.

I taught vinyasa and hatha yoga classes in various locations and studios around Dublin before teaching prenatal yoga after the birth of my son three years ago. I was amazed at how effective deep breathing and meditation were during my labour and I found yoga really helped me to get back into shape physically and mentally after the birth.

I set up prenatal and postnatal yoga classes with the aim of helping other women stay fit, healthy and relaxed. It is always rewarding to hear back how the deep breathing and concentration techniques help in labour and postnatal recovery.

One of the great things about yoga is that you can travel anywhere to practice it. I have had some wonderful experiences practicing at different yoga retreats. I spent some time in Kovalum, India studying with Lino Miele and regularly travel to Thailand to study with Paul Dallaghan. I have also been to several workshops with teachers such as Danielle Arin on Clare Island, Donna Fahri and Godfrey Devereux.

In addition to prenatal and postnatal yoga, I also teach flowing hatha (a flowing style of yoga) classes and relaxation & meditation sessions.

For now I juggle my yoga practice with motherhood, teaching and my job as an Editor. Yoga helps me to find a balance between everything and offers me so much more than I had expected.

Allyson Dowling is a fully qualified yoga teacher with a Diploma from the Irish Yoga Association. She has trained in pregnancy, hatha and vinyasa yoga.

Allyson is currently teaching prenatal yoga in the North Dublin (Clontarf) area, more classes are coming soon, so check the class schedule frequently!