My journey into yoga started quite by accident. I never intended to take it up. It all began when I started volunteering with an organisation that required us to attend yoga classes as part of our training.
All my life, I had been a runner in one form or another, starting out playing hockey and eventually spending over twenty years orienteering. I was never particularly good at any of it, but I enjoyed every minute, squeezing plenty of fun out of it along the way.
When I was invited to participate in the Mastery Foundation, I asked if I could go for a run in the mornings instead of joining the yoga sessions. The grounds were beautiful, with a lake and abundant wildlife, perfect for a jog. But my request was politely refused. I was told the value of the yoga practice was in practicing with others.
I have to admit, I was a bit annoyed. Still, I resolved to trust the process and showed up to the early morning yoga class – though I often joke that it felt like I was dragged onto the mat, kicking and screaming!
Yet, within ten minutes of beginning the practice, I had a realisation: Why had I never done this before?
I absolutely revelled in the movement. My body came alive under the gentle rhythm of the class. I felt a deep sense of body awareness and the beginning of an inward journey. We finished with full-body relaxation, and I was stunned – not just by how I felt, but by how quickly all my resistance had melted away.
After class, I went up to the teacher, a lovely American woman and asked her what kind of yoga it was and where I could learn more. She told me it was called Anusara Yoga, though she wasn’t sure where I could find it in Ireland.
As soon as I returned from training, I began searching. That was in the autumn. By the following January, I had signed up for a 100-hour yoga immersion in Dublin and the rest, as they say, is history. That was back in 2008.
Becoming a yoga teacher was never part of the plan either. At the time, I was teaching organic gardening at the Organic Centre in Leitrim and thought, I don’t need any more teaching in my life! But one thing led to another, and a couple of years later, I qualified as a yoga teacher.
Today, even though I have osteoporosis, my body is as strong and flexible as it was in my 40s. I have no stiffness or pain, my posture is upright, and every day I appreciate how yoga helps me live a vibrant, healthy life—especially as I move through the later chapters.
So maybe yoga has never occurred to you. Or maybe, like me, you’ve actively resisted the idea.
I suggest you give it a chance. You never know what might happen.
You’re never too old to start yoga. You come to it with the body you have today not the one from twenty years ago. As long as you’re curious and willing to trust the process, yoga will offer you strength, flexibility, and a deeper connection to life.
