Hello. I’m Valerie
I am a RYT500++ and Certified Katonah Yoga® teacher. My teaching style has evolved over 12 years from a deep internal place, to create an energetic sense of steadiness through well-aligned asana, breathwork and meditation. My approach is practical, pragmatic and firmly grounded in real life. I aim to equip you with the tools necessary to organise and orient your interior space so you can function better in the exterior world. When you function better, you feel better; when you feel better, you can find your purpose and place in the human collective.
How I Got Here
I discovered yoga more than 16 years ago when I was disconnected from my body and lived entirely in my head. Yoga offered me self-regulatory framework that transformed my life. I had found a way back to my body. After five years of dedicated practice, I completed my first teacher training while working as a lawyer. I soon realised that the legal profession was not for me, and I started teaching yoga full-time. For over a decade, I have studied extensively and continue to learn and evolve in my practice and teaching. I have completed over 900 hours of training.
What and why I teach have been shaped by my personal experiences on and off the mat, the natural cycles of life, and most notably my journey into motherhood. How I teach has been most influenced by the practice and theory of Katonah Yoga.
Having taught in some of Dublin's most reputable studios, I now live in Cork City with my husband, three children and two dogs. I offer therapeutic private sessions, group studio classes & workshops.
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Certified Katonah Yoga® Teacher 200 hours +++
YA RTY300 Advanced Yoga | Creature Yoga
YA E-RYT200 Hatha Yoga | YTTC
YA PRYT85 Prenatal Yoga | Pure Health
Katonah Yoga Pre & Post Natal Training
Yin Yoga Certification | Josh Summers
Bhakti Yoga Certification | Raghunath Cappo
Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga 100 hour Certification | Sadie Nardini
Meditation Training | Ally Bogard
Workshops and immersions with renowned yoga & bodywork educators including Liz Koch, Meghan Currie, Tiffany Cruickshank, Jason Crandell, Abbie Galvin, Nevine Michaan & Dages Juvelier Keates.
Beyond the yoga mat, I hold a Degree in Law from University College Cork and a Masters in Law from Trinity College Dublin and I am a qualified Solicitor.
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KATONAH YOGA® is a syncretic Hatha yoga practice developed by Nevine Michaan of Katonah Yoga Center over 40 years. She and her teachers incorporate classical Hatha yoga with Taoist theory, geometry, magic, mythology, metaphor, and imagination — in a practical framework designed to potentiate personal and communal well-being. Framing the practice, maps of time and personal space are defined and refined. Themes using asana as origami, manipulating form for function, and developing a sense of personal measure are incorporated in Katonah Yoga practices. Katonah Yoga is organized around three principles of esoteric dialogue: all polarities are mediated by trinity; the universe has pattern, pattern belies intelligence; by virtue of repetition there is potential for insight. Disciplined techniques are organized for revelation through revolutions.
Testimonials
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“Valerie taught me so much about my strengths and my weaknesses in my body. Her adjustments really helped identify my blindspots. Having worked privately with her I feel well so much more well adjusted in my life too!"
EVA B.
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“Valerie is a phenomenal yoga teacher with a huge amount of knowledge which she shares generously throughout her classes. After experiencing her classes, I feel taller, sleep better and look forward every week to the next practice. I would highly recommend her classes, workshops and 1-1 sessions to anyone looking to learn more about Katonah yoga and to practice with an experienced, enthusiastic and engaging yoga practitioner.”
CIARA O’B.
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"I took a workshop with Valerie and I must say I was blown away.. I'm a seasoned yogi and I loved the approach of her practice, the use of props, some were new and very interesting to open the body in new ways. The adjustments she gave were so good and her passion for teaching and the practice was felt deeply. Highly recommend Valerie."
HELENA P.
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"My yoga journey started with Valerie and I couldn't have found a better home in her gentle and respectful practice. She taught me to come back to my body, to rediscover the pieces of me I had forgotten and to learn about the one I haven't met. Forever grateful.”
MIREYA S.
