Helen Byrne has a background in education, psychology and family therapy.  She trained as a yoga teacher in 2004 with Yttc and did a post-graduate teacher training with Yoga Therapy Ireland in 2006/2007.  Helen has attended yoga retreats, workshops and trainings with Donna Farhi, Clive Sheridan, John Stirk and Martyn Hoogstra, among others, in India, Spain and the U.K.

The physical practice of Yoga led Helen to meditation.  She has a strong personal meditation practice and sustains and develops this through participation in meditation retreats led by world-renowned teachers including Thich Nhat Hanh, Sharon Salzberg, Christina Feldman and John Teasdale.

Helen is currently completing a Masters degree in Mindfulness-Based Approaches to Social Care, Health and Education with the University of Wales at Bangor.  She has also trained in teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction with Dr.s Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli of The Centre for Mindfulness at The University of Massachusetts Medical Centre.

In Mindfulness Yoga we use the body and the breath to anchor ourselves firmly in the present moment, whatever it contains.  Through the movement, we practice developing patience, calmness, kindness  and acceptance of ourselves and our experience as it actually is.  We learn to listen to the wisdom of the body / mind and to develop a deep sense of trust in ourselves.  In still meditation practice we  rest in the present moment, letting go of constantly striving and doing.  We learn to simply be.