Yogis, instructors, healers, and well-being specialists hailing from Bali to Bangor descended upon Co Louth this weekend for Ireland’s first-ever global yoga event: The Celtic Woodland Yoga Festival. Inspired by the wisdom teachings of the east and the Celtic traditions of Ireland, the competition had a formidable undertaking: to enhance the balance of both humans and the planet at massive.
Nestled amongst 350 acres of the ancient wooded area, the competition becomes held on the historical Townley Hall. Just a stone’s throw from Newgrange and the river Boyne, Townley Hall is close. Fionn Mac Cumhaill stuck the salmon of understanding and wherein the Celtic goddess Bovinda gave start to Aengus – the god of affection and poetic proposal. It proved an idyllic placing for an inspirational and joyous weekend of yoga exercise, folklore, dance, poetry, and music.
The Georgian elegance of the residence, a diversity of teachings and presenters, and the infectious enthusiasm of the attendees made the festival’s environment an aspect of splendor. With yoga becoming one of the global’s biggest-developing business industries, instead of a non secular exercise, the pageant held genuine commitment closer to authenticity, connection, and openness.
The welcoming, inclusive, and network environment introduced together Irish people from north and south and pageant goers from everywhere in the international, inclusive of Europe, Thailand, Bali, Japan, and Mexico. The competition validated that yoga is much greater than simply pretzel poses, lycra pants, and mystic chants.
Meditation within the rain
One attendee, Lexy from Manchester, defined it as an inspiring enjoy: “I sense so happy I came and so stimulated and nourished by the complete event – it’s absolutely changed my attitude.”
The competition turned into an embodied and immersive educational revel with a complete spectrum of yoga training in addition to lectures on Irish forests, memories from Celtic myths, memories of India, meditation classes, dance classes and rub down treatments, and lots of craic.
In true Irish style, even the rain didn’t dampen the spirit without doors on foot meditation classes continuing regardless; the festival provided richness for the eyes, the palate, and the soul. The food, cooked by The Vegan Queen, overjoyed diners with vegan versions of seafood chowder, crab cakes, Mexican tacos, and different wholesome takes on world cuisine. After dinner, music, and dance activities stored matters energetic.
The four-day event supplied something for absolutely everyone – both beginners and pro practitioners explored new teachings and practices expanding their bodily and mental limits. Flying in from Portugal, Randall O’Leary mixed vinyasa with a reggae DJ for a hilarious and barely wild elegance, which had college students stretching both their hamstrings and their smiles.
Belfast-born Emma Warmington supplied brilliant breath-led practices while Kanta Barrios from Little Bird studio in Dublin, the festival associate, changed into sensational with touching and deep practices, leaving students with a grounded sense of nonviolent contentment.
Another fantastic spotlight changed from festival founder and Dublin -born Cathy Pearson, whose “dozing meditation” turned into observed by the ethereal sounds of the Celtic harp. Additional accompaniment to the song changed into furnished through folks that couldn’t stay awake – adding a rhythm of comfortable snores.
Despite there being such a lot of paths and types of yoga on provide, one factor was clear from all the presenters: locating one’s own get right of entry to factor to the practice is key. Throughout the weekend, contributors have been gently guided and reminded that despite the busy and excessive-forced lives we frequently lead in those contemporary times – simply to be here, proper now, in this very second, is greater than sufficient.
The festival was not only for the benefit of people who attended however additionally for the health of the land of Ireland and past, as a hundred and fifty very welltree saplings, donated via the competition, have been taken domestically to be planted by individuals, which introduced to the depth and significance of the occasion.