Trauma-informed Yoga
The Yoga Fellowship NI newsletter. This edition looks at trauma-informed yoga in light of our upcoming one-day training; has a review of our most recent event; and marks World Vegan Day.
Members News
We had a lovely morning of yoga with Claire Ferry on Saturday 25th October. See the review below.
Members areas - we continue to build our library of materials for members and teaching members. Remember - if you haven’t created your account, you can email us to get help with this. Please be aware that the process of creating your account will capture your card details. This will enable us to set up an autorenewal process from April 2026. Previously, we took payment manually every year, which was extremely onerous for an overstretched committee. So, although you are being asked for card details, you won’t be charged until next year.
Members who do not create their account by the end of February will have to reapply for membership from scratch. This is an unavoidable result of the transfer of data from the old to the new website.
Yoga Fellowship NI is run by a committee of volunteers, elected by our membership to serve the yoga community in Northern Ireland. We have worked hard to carry out the mandate to update the website and increase engagement. We welcome your ideas, expertise or feedback. In particular, if you feel you could contribute to building the resource libraries or write for the newsletter, we’d love to hear from you.
We have two lovely events coming up before Christmas. A one-day workshop led by Bridget Hamill on Trauma-informed Yoga (details and booking link below) and our members-only annual Christmas gathering in December (details and how to get your free ticket below).
Tickets are selling fast for Joe McKeown’s Accentuate the Positive workshop in January. See our website for details.
We would encourage all members to refresh their knowledge of our policies, especially the Safeguarding Policy, on our website.
Ahimsa and World Vegan Day
Ahimsa is the first of the yamas mentioned in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. At its core, ahimsa promotes non-violence - not harming in word, thought or action. World Vegan Day is an annual event that celebrates veganism and promotes its core principles, including cruelty-free living, ethical treatment of animals, and environmental sustainability. It encourages individuals to adopt a vegan lifestyle by choosing plant-based foods and products that do not involve the exploitation of animals. This year, will be celebrated on Saturday 1st November.
I often make Almond and Chia Energy Bites for our events. They are light and delicious and full of goodness. People often ask me for the recipe, so to celebrate World Vegan Day, I have included it here. It’s taken from Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward.
Ingredients
200 g almonds
400 g Medjool dates pitted
4 tbsp raw cacao powder
2 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp coconut oil room temperature or melted
2 tbsp chia seeds
Method
Blitz the almonds in a food processor, then add the rest of the ingredients plus 2 tbsp water and blitz again until it all comes together.
Roll the mixture into balls and roll in desiccated coconut or sesame seeds, if desired. and place in the fridge or freezer for an hour to set.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Suzanne Greenwood (Chair of The Yoga Fellowship of NI)
Yoga as a mirror
A review by Maura Parkhill, president of the Yoga Fellowship NI
I found Claire’s workshop ‘Yoga as a Mirror’ on Saturday 25th October very inspiring. Throughout the morning, she helped us to reflect on our own practice and challenged us to move out of our ‘comfort zones’ in a safe and supportive space.
We began with some chanting to honour the lineage of teachers, followed by some asana practice. Claire encouraged us to use the mat as a laboratory, exploring the effect of the asanas on our body and mind and challenging us to use the asana to make a mental shift depending on our mood. After a short break, Claire led us in some breathwork and meditation. The morning finished with a restorative relaxation to balance it all.
Afterwards, I felt more alive and energised, as if I had shifted some fears that had crept into my body and mind since I’ve become older. Claire is a beautiful teacher and I found her authenticity and passion for yoga, particularly the Iyengar style, very charismatic. She continues to grow and develop her own practice and reminded me to keep growing too.
Namaste 🙏 and thank you, Claire.
Upcoming events
Trauma-informed Yoga
A one-day workshop with Bridget Hamill.
Saturday 15th November 2025 10-4pm at NICVA, Belfast
Join Bridget for a nourishing and restorative day exploring the foundations of trauma-informed yoga.
This immersive workshop offers a unique opportunity to experience the physical, emotional, and psychological benefits of trauma-sensitive practice in a supportive and accessible environment.
With her expertise as a psychiatrist and trauma therapist, Bridget will share insights into how trauma is held in the body—and how yoga can support healing and integration. Drawing on the wisdom of Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga, she will guide participants through a gentle yet profound journey incorporating asana (movement), pranayama (breathwork), and dharana (focused attention).
The day will conclude with deeply relaxing Yoga Nidra and sound bowl practices to support nervous system regulation and inner calm.
This workshop is open to all levels and is especially valuable for yoga teachers, therapists, and practitioners interested in creating safer, more inclusive spaces.
Annual Member Christmas Gathering
A free members event with Anne Furgrove.
Saturday 13th December 2025 10-1pm at NICVA, Belfast
‘Tis the season to be jolly...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also a time of rushing, shopping, wrapping presents, guest lists and the Christmas dinner!
Join us for a ‘Christmas Cracker’ of a workshop — one that will be uplifting and energising enough to prepare us for the festive season, yet will also give us time to reflect and relax, helping us build our inner strength.
The two-hour members-only, free workshop will include breathwork to bring calmness, and deep stretches to restore our energy and cultivate a sense of peacefulness. It will also feature a grounding yoga flow, ensuring we don’t get swept away in the Christmas rush, and will conclude with soothing breaths followed by a deep, restorative relaxation.
The workshop will be followed by an opportunity to catch up with our Yoga Fellowship family. Traditionally, everyone brings a little something to share — which always results in a gastronomic cornucopia of delicious delights!
Anne Furgrove
Anne was fortunate enough to discover yoga in her youth. She remembers watching yoga on TV after school with her mum. It was years later that she realised her mum hadn’t been watching at all — but she had!
In her early twenties, Anne found a yoga class with a wonderful instructor who eventually encouraged her to undertake the Yoga Fellowship NI teacher training course. She was trained by Frank Moylan, Marie Quail, Liz Comerton, Margaret Brand, and Phil Templeton.
Anne has been teaching yoga for more than 30 years and is based primarily in the Newtownabbey area.
This event is for members only and tickets can be obtained by emailing events@yogafellowshipni.org
The Yoga Fellowship is a Sangha and the governing body of Yoga in Northern Ireland. We aim to foster a deepening understanding of Yoga in all its forms, connecting member practitioners and yoga teachers, and promoting the benefits of Yoga to all levels of society.
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Trauma-informed Yoga
by Bridget Hamill
“When we take a trauma-informed approach to teaching yoga, it is best practice to both learn and then apply the knowledge about the nervous system with the help of the Polyvagal Theory.”
Bridget Hamill considers how trauma-informed yoga practices can benefit the nervous system when it gets stuck in defensive mode as a result of past trauma.
Check out the latest journal post on our website.