Our team
SAMADHI TEACHERS
TEMPLE BAR & ON ZOOM
Greg Walsh
YOGA TEACHER AND OWNER/DIRECTOR OF SAMADHI
Greg Walsh Has been teaching yoga since 1999… before some of his students were born! He set up Samadhi in 2005, having run Prana Yoga Centre for 3 years. Greg is deeply passionate about yoga, as a practice, as a philosophy, and as a subject. He has taught yoga all over Ireland, Europe and the USA. He loves providing space for good yoga.
Greg says:
I was introduced to yoga in my mid 20’s whilst traveling in Nepal. I didn’t think it would be for me, but in fact I really took to it straight away. I initially practiced Satyananda yoga, but on my return to Dublin I was introduced to Iyengar yoga. Its strong physical challenge, focus on strong body awareness and attention to detail appealed to me immediately. I have studied primarily Iyengar yoga for 20 years, and really appreciate its clear physical focus.
I was awarded my Introductory Iyengar Teacher Training Certificate in 2002 after 2 years of intensive teacher training. In March 2016 I received my Intermediate Level 3 Certificate. I have stepped back from using the Iyengar name, as I often teach in a more exploratory and less rigid way than traditional Iyengar yoga is often presented.
For me, yoga is not a physical practice, it is an exploratory philosophical and energetic practice which uses the body to access the inner essence. We use yoga to gain control and mastery of our body, we use our body to access the breath, and we use the breath to gain mastery of our thoughts, our mind, our consciousness, our whole being.
Contact Greg: greg@samadhi.ie
- EXPERIENCE
- Teaching yoga since 1999
- Certified Iyengar Junior Intermediate Level 3
- Yoga Alliance Professionals SYT (senior yoga teacher)
- Yoga Alliance E-RYT 500 Certified
- Yoga Alliance YACEP (Yoga Alliance continuing education provider)
- Diploma in Anatomy & Physiology
- Formerly co-owned and co-managed Prana Yoga Centre 2002-2005
- Owner/Director of Samadhi
Aine Kerrigan
JIVAMUKTI AND VINYASA YOGA TEACHER
Aine Kerrigan aka The Yoga Bear is a 300-Hour certified Jivamukti Yoga Teacher and a 500-Hour qualified yoga teacher with Yoga Therapy Ireland.
Aine teaches yoga with an emphasis on safety and alignment with hands on assists, offering students a safe and supportive environment to explore their personal yoga practice while moving mindfully. First introduced to the world of yoga in 2005, her interest derived from the desire to balance out a busy lifestyle. Finding a new level of stillness, Aine is now on a mission to share the benefits of yoga with everyone!
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Jivamukti Yoga is a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. It is a rigorous, challenging practice where the goal of practice, enlightenment, is remembered throughout the practice by teacher and student alike.
Cara Chotiner
HATHA, VINYASA, RESTORATIVE & SIVANANDA YOGA TEACHER, SAMADHI TEACHER TRAINER AND YOGA NIDRA SPECIALIST
Cara’s original training was in the Sivananda tradition, which continues to be the main influence in her teaching style today. Additional styles include Vinyasa, Astanga, Iyengar, Satyananda, Ananda & Bikram. All of which have deepened her personal and teaching practices. She has studied pranayama within the Sivananda Yoga tradition and also with Phillip Xerri.
Cara has had the privilege to train with such respected teachers as David Swenson, Granville Cousins, Godfrey Devereux, Danny Paradise & various Iyengar teachers of all levels. She has been teaching yoga since 1997 and is one of the resident instructors for Samadhi Studios Teacher training. Incorporating a varied approach from many yoga schools, Cara brings a challenging yet very therapeutic sequence accessible to all levels in her classes.
“Atma Namaste to the Samadhi TT team for their unconditional yoga kinship and bringing me into the Samadhi family. Thank you for your fun, friendship & teaching! My practice of meditation and pranayama is from the guidance and instruction of my most beloved Sat Guru Maha Atma GMCKS. I will always be eternally grateful & inspired by his loving direction and dedicate my practice & teaching to his life’s work and priceless service to humanity.”
Elena Moreo
VINYASA YOGA TEACHER & SAMADHI TEACHER TRAINER
I took my first yoga class in 2004 while I was recovering from a painful injury and I immediately felt the benefits of the practice on my body and mind.
Encouraged by the speed of my recovery and by the sense of calm and wellbeing I experienced in every class, I continued to practice Iyengar yoga under the guidance of Orla Punch and Greg Walsh and later started to practice Vinyasa Flow yoga with Rohan Hennessy. I immediately fell in love with the freedom and dynamism of Vinyasa Flow, which resonated with my life experiences and personality at a very deep level and benefited from Rohan’s skills and encouragement. In 2009 I completed the Vinyasa Flow teacher training programme run by David Curtis and Ruth Walshe who shared their detailed knowledge and teaching experience with great generosity.
Vinyasa flow yoga is somehow less definable than others style because it is inherently dynamic and incorporates insights from different traditions. In a Vinyasa Flow practice, we move from pose to pose in sequences of movements while connecting to the rhythmic flow of the breath. Iyengar alignment principles often apply and emphasis is placed on the energetic actions within poses and the dynamics of “letting go”and “yielding”, always allowing space for creativity and individual exploration. Vinyasa Flow can be an intensive and physically challenging practice but its step-by-step approach accommodates different abilities and intentions and allows building up strength and flexibility progressively and safely.
I am a dedicated student and teacher and I continue to explore different styles and approaches to teaching. I wish to thank all the teachers and students in Samadhi who have been rich sources of knowledge, wisdom and guidance throughout the years.
Ewa Szczupak
ASHTANGA & VINYASA YOGA TEACHER & SAMADHI TEACHER TRAINER
I have been teaching Ashtanga flow in various studios in Dublin for over 6 years, and have been practicing yoga regularly for nearly ten years.
And while initially I found it very challenging to stay present on the
mat, I noticed the calming and grounding effect of yoga within few weeks of regular practice. When I discovered Ashtanga yoga method, I was immediately drawn to it, at first enjoying the physical intensity of it
most, however with true commitment to the practice came strength, clarity
and stillness of the mind. When teaching I like to remind my students that Ashtanga yoga practice is a breathing practice, a flowing meditation, that allows for deep transformation and healing.
I consider myself a student of yoga first and to deepen my practice I attend Ashtanga workshops in Europe and at home and have practiced with many renowed Ashtanga teachers such as Hamish Hendry, Kino McGregor, David
Robson and Mark Robberds. I am truly grateful to have practiced with Sharath Jois during his last three trips to Europe.
I feel privileged to share experience of yoga with my students and I am humbly grateful to all my teachers for their guidance, encouragement and inspiration I am given every time I step on my mat.
Maria Caldwell
ASHTANGA & VINYASA YOGA TEACHER, PRANAYAMA EXPERT & SAMADHI TEACHER TRAINER
I’ve been practicing yoga for 15 years, and I continue to enjoy being a student and exploring my practise of yoga asana, pranayma and meditation on a daily basis.
I primarily practice Ashtanga Yoga, and I teach this style to beginners, introducing them to this powerful method. I also teach dynamic vinyasa yoga, yoga for sports, and gentle yoga. For me yoga is a fundamental part of my life and lifestyle – its is a tool for helping me to live life in a better way with more awareness of the world around me. Gratitude to my teacher Paul Dallaghan for his continuing guidance, and all those teachers whom I have been fortunate to learn from and meet both in the yoga world and elsewhere.
Melanie Taylor
SENIOR IYENGAR YOGA TEACHER
Melanie began practising Yoga in London, and after moving to Dublin in 1996, started her training in Iyengar Yoga with Aisling Guirke & Elizabeth Connolly.
Since then she continues to attend workshops and trainings with many senior Iyengar teachers in Ireland and the UK, including the Iyengar Yoga Association’s 2009 Convention in London with Dr. Geeta Iyengar. She holds a Senior Intermediate Level I Teaching Certificate and has been teaching Iyengar Yoga in Adult Education.
Reeta Cherie
HATHA, REGGAE & YIN YOGA TEACHER
I have been a yoga and wellness enthusiast for many years. In 2015 I decided to challenge myself and train to become an instructor. Having successfully completed 250 hours of Teacher Training, I currently Teach Reggae Yoga as part of a collective of Workshops with Sim Simma- Music, workshops, culture. Teaching yoga, as well practicing, is my biggest passion and sharing this passion along with constantly learning, brings so much tranqulity, peace and happiness.
Outside of yoga, I enjoy dining out, traveling, music(live and digital), meeting new people and enjoying life, with all its twists and turns. Life truly is what you make it, so why not make it as fun and interesting as possible. I look forward to bending, balancing, twisting and turning with you soon.
Sharon Brady
CHAIR, HATHA & VINYASA YOGA TEACHER
I began practising yoga about 15 years ago when a friend asked me to go along to a class. Little did I know then that I would grow to love it so much and go on to become a teacher! Initially my yoga practice was purely about exercise and keeping fit. Over the past few years, and particularly since I began training to become a teacher, I realise that there is more to yoga that making nice shapes. For me my mat is a place of total calm where I have learnt a lot about myself and become stronger physically and mentally. Connecting the body and breath brings a sense of inner stillness which is invaluable in the hectic world in which we live. While Ashtanga yoga is my first yoga love, I have developed a real connection with the flow of Vinyasa yoga which I feel is like a dance between your body and breath.
I am committed to yoga being for everyone, regardless of age, fitness or flexibility. For me, what’s most important about yoga practice is what you as an individual get out of it and how it makes you feel, learning to listen to your own body, mind and spirit. I am also fascinated by anatomy and how the body works – such a truly incredible machine which we can only too often take for granted!
On my yoga journey I have met some fantastic people, teachers and students, who have taught me so much and to whom I am eternally grateful. I am particularly thankful that I walked into Maria Caldwell’s class a good number of years ago and for her encouragement to give teaching a go. I try to bring what I have learnt from all these wonderful people to my own practice and teaching. I believe that it is important to bring a sense of fun and curiosity to everything we do in life and I hope that I bring this to my practice and teaching too.
I look forward to seeing you on a mat soon!
Siobhan Flynn
VINYASA YOGA TEACHER
Yoga first came into my life while in college in NYC, my hometown. I loved the effect it had on me. It seemed to bring strength and serenity to both my body and mind.
However, upon my move to Ireland, my yoga practice gave way to other things, namely Pilates. Then, a few years ago, when I needed it most, yoga came back to me. Immediately falling back in love with not only the practice, but the balance it helped bring to my busy life; I began to integrate yoga into my everyday life. With the encouragement and support of my amazing teachers, I embarked upon my yoga teacher training journey. Now a qualified RYT200, I consider myself so incredibly blessed to be able to share the practice with others. While I am a teacher, I am a student first, learning from teachers and students alike, and seeking to expand and deepen my practice.