Ella Benham

 

My journey with yoga began in my early teens, though it wasn’t until later that I truly understood how deeply it could support and transform my life. After a childhood shaped by constant change and the loss of my father at seventeen, I experienced anxiety and a strong sense of disconnection. Yoga became a grounding force and something that continually brought me back into my body, my breath, and myself.

Over time, I came to understand yoga as much more than movement. The true meaning of yoga is “union,” and this philosophy lies at the heart of both my practice and my teaching. Yoga is a pathway to connection: connecting mind and body, breath and awareness, movement and stillness. It invites us into a deeper relationship with ourselves, our intuition, and the world around us. This is the space my own practice has led me to, and the space I hope to create for others through my work.

My training includes Kundalini Yoga, a 200-hour foundation in Hatha, Vinyasa, and Ashtanga Yoga, and a 300-hour therapeutically focused teacher training. I have also completed further studies in pre and postnatal yoga, myofascial release within a yoga application, and yoga for women’s radiant health and wellbeing.

I am deeply fascinated by the experience moving through the world in a body. I love exploring different ways of working with the body that help us feel more grounded, connected, and supported in ourselves.

Most recently, yoga has supported me through my own journey into motherhood. I trained and practiced throughout my pregnancy, the birth of my twins, and my experience of postpartum and matrescence. This has deepened my passion for supporting women through these transformative stages of life. I love teaching pregnancy yoga and am currently preparing to begin Doula training to further expand the ways I can support women, babies, and families during this incredibly important time.

Based on the beautiful Beara Peninsula, I teach group classes in Castletownbere, Allihies, and surrounding areas. During the summer months, you’ll often find me teaching on Ballydonegan Beach, surrounded by the wild beauty of the landscape. I also offer one-to-one sessions and small group classes from my studio in Castletownbere.

I work with many different entry points into yoga, meeting people exactly where they are. Whether you are complete beginners, experienced practitioners, pregnant women, older adults, or those looking for a gentler chair-based practice. I teach yoga for pregnancy, Active Retirement Groups, chair yoga, restorative practices, dynamic flows, and more spiritually focused classes. When working one-to-one, I love creating practices that are tailored to the individual — whether the intention is relaxation, mobility, strength, healing, or deeper self-connection.

I incorporate sound baths into many of my classes. In particular if you visit my studio for a class you can enjoy my beautiful Gong tuned to the planetary frequency of Mercury - it has a particular affinity with soul retrieval and a feeling of wholeness. I also play Crystal Sound Bowls which I always think of as angelic sound.

Alongside yoga, Tarot has also been an important part of my personal and spiritual journey. While they may appear to be very different practices, both yoga and Tarot serve as tools for self-awareness, healing, and inner guidance. I trained in Tarot in 2010 and have been reading ever since. Rather than fortune-telling, I see Tarot as a way of illuminating the messages available to us through intuition, the subconscious, and our connection to something greater than ourselves.

Natural health and holistic wellbeing have always been woven into my life. My father founded one of the first health food businesses in Ireland, and I grew up surrounded by people and ideas that embraced a holistic approach to living. Over the years, my own passion for natural wellness has continued to deepen and expand.

I also work with cacao and facilitate ceremonies for both individuals and groups. I have sat with cacao for 12 years and love sharing the heart opening gifts it offers.

I feel deeply grateful to share these practices and experiences with others and warmly welcome anyone who feels called to connect, ask questions, or arrange a booking.

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