Ally Armstrong Yoga

26/07/2023

It’s a busy week at ! We’re facilitating trauma-informed yoga and mindful movement sessions for several of our community partners, including some brilliant young people , carers with , women at , and staff/frontline workers through the Belfast Trust. Also writing lots and lots and lots of grant applications 😂

All so exciting! Follow to up to date on all the things!

yoga

01/06/2023

We’d love you to join us for a day of free wellbeing activities to celebrate the official launch of Belfast Community Yoga! There will be yoga for all ages, mindfulness crafts, and much more.

Drop by for a bit, or stay for the day.

All events are free, open to all, and absolutely no yoga experience is needed.

DETAILS
2 Royal Avenue, Belfast City Centre
Friday, 9th June, 2023 — 10am - 1pm

SCHEDULE
10.15-10.45 - Chair Yoga
11-11.30 - Yoga for Rest
11.45-12.15 - Yoga for Toddlers and Minders
12.15-12.45 - Yoga for Carers and Workers

Throughout the day, massage treatments, homeopathy consultations, and mindful craft sessions will be available. Tea and coffee will be provided, as well as light nibbles from Yallaa Cafe.

ACCESSIBILITY
Yoga sessions will be trauma-informed. Movements will be gentle and options will be given throughout the practice for participants to choose what feels best for them. Wear any comfortable clothing, and there is no need to bring a yoga mat.

Entrance to the venue is on flat ground and there is an accessible toilet on site.

RSVP
Please RSVP via the Eventbrite link in my bio, or by emailing us at [email protected].

This event is hosted by Belfast Community Yoga and funded by the National Lottery Awards for All.

25/05/2023

I’m so excited to share a project I’ve been working on lately with and .

We believe everyone should have access to practices that support their mental, physical, emotional, and social wellbeing. With funding from The National Lottery, we are delivering yoga programmes in partnerships with some incredible community groups throughout Belfast.

As facilitators, this project weaves together our backgrounds in peacebuilding, community development, trauma-informed practice, and of course, yoga. We can’t wait to see what emerges.

We’ll be announcing a special event to celebrate our launch very soon. We’d love to you follow us and to share with your friends and networks!

29/11/2022

Embodied Dignity ~ a free event happening next Tuesday, 6th December from 1-2.30pm as part of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival.

Join me and for a chair-based practice of movement, centering, and rest. We’ll explore what it feels like to experience dignity in our bodies, and how we might cultivate more of these experiences for ourselves and our communities.

This practice will be trauma informed and is open to all.
This is a free event but booking is essential. You’ll find more information and a link to book in my bio. We’d love to see you there. ✨

13/09/2022

TAKE CARE / embodied self care through trauma informed yoga and somatics

Join me for an afternoon practice where we will begin to explore the intersection of embodiment and care. You’ll be invited to nourish your body through movement, breath, and rest. The gathering will take place in person in Belfast (I’ll share location details upon booking) and will involve gentle yoga and somatic movement. No experience at all is needed. ✨

The first gathering will be on Sunday, 23rd October from 2-3.30pm, £15 per person. There are limited spaces available so get in touch if you’d like to join.

26/11/2021

Friends - if you’re interested in practicing with me, this is my current yoga teaching schedule. I’d love to move and breath and slow down with you. Booking via .

Sunday, 11am / SLOW FLOW at YQ East

Monday, 5.30pm / VINYASA at YQ South

Monday, 6.45pm / BEGIN at YQ South

Tuesday, 7am / VINYASA at YQ East

Wednesday, 7pm / BEGIN at YQ East

29/10/2021

I’ve been thinking lately about the connection between self and collective care. Working in both the non-profit and wellness sectors, what I sometimes see is an overemphasis on collective care in one and an overemphasis on self care in the other. I often find myself swinging to one extreme or the other. I’m really interested in exploring the interconnectedness of the two. ⁠
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Gabor Mate talks about this idea of compassion fatigue - that we get physically and emotionally exhausted when we focus too much on caring for others. He reframes it beautifully and says that showing compassion to others is one of the most deeply human things we do. Maybe instead of burning out from being too compassionate to others, we burn out from not being compassionate enough to ourselves. ⁠
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In an exploration of balance and connection and care, I’ve been focusing on the following:⁠
Preparing and eating lots of nourishing food (hello soup season). ⁠
Taking my herbs and adaptogens and vitamin D. ⁠
Scheduling time away (see you next week, London!).⁠
Offering my energy to work that makes mind-body practices more accessible to all. ⁠
Indulging in slower mornings. ⁠
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What about you?

09/10/2021

Hey friends👋🏾 Happy Saturday! I thought I’d do something outside of my comfort zone today and offer a little introductory post. Here are a few things you may or may not know about me. ⁠
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- I’m originally from Waco, Texas (yes, that Waco). My husband, Jonny, is from Belfast and three years ago we decided to move here. It hasn’t been the easiest move (hello pandemic), but I’m loving the ways Belfast is starting to feel like home. ⁠
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- I’m an Enneagram 8, Ta**us sun/Virgo rising, and INTP. I’m also obsessed with personality tests. ⁠
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- I’m a mixed race, Black, cis gender woman on a journey to reclaiming all of myself. I recognize that I exist at multiple intersections of privilege and oppression and I’m in a continual process of learning and unlearning what that means and how I want to show up in the world. Befriending my body has been the most important part of this work, which is a big part of why I teach yoga. ⁠
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- I am a pretty avid reader and love book recommendations. My recent faves have been Deacon King Kong by James McBride (fiction) and Holding Change by adrienne maree brown (non-fiction). ⁠
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- I love to cook. I’m not much of a recipe follower, there is always a random vegetable fermenting in my kitchen, and I love using the amazing local produce here in Ireland to create delicious and nutritious meals for myself and friends.⁠
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Your turn! Tell me something about you!⁠
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[Image: Me, sitting on my sofa wearing a black jumpsuit and smiling at the camera.]

26/09/2021

Next round of Begin classes starting next Sunday evening!🧘🏾‍♀️✨

October offerings.
Moving into the new month at the end of the week, we have a number of offerings for you.
Yoga Begin October starts next Sunday. This is a 4 week course with aimed at taking you through the yoga fundamentals to build your confidence and ground your practice.
This is especially for those of you who are newer to yoga.
This Friday sees the second in our monthly couples childbirth preparation workshop with Gill Bann].
This monthly workshop works in tandem with our regular pregnancy class to support birthing partners prepare together.
Monday 4th also sees the second of our new Womb Time/Me Time class with Gill Bann] .
Suitable for mums once they have had their 6 week postnatal check, this gentle mummy focused class is an opportunity to also meet other new mums.
Alongside of these lie our regular timetable of classes for you to enjoy.
🙏

14/09/2021

I have some upcoming projects that I am so excited to share with you soon. ⁠⁠
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Several of these offerings have been in the making for a while now, and it feels like time and energy are aligning to begin sharing with others.⁠⁠
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I’m passionate about the possibilities of wellbeing and embodiment for collective liberation and healing. I’m excited to be in the process of co-creating some spaces for exploring these ideas and practices. ⁠⁠
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If you’d like to be kept up to date, send me a message with your email address and I will add you to my newsletter list (that is, as of now, non-existent but will be a real thing soon). x⁠⁠
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[Image: A white wall in my living room, with outside light reflecting on a monstera plant in the corner of the photo.]

29/08/2021

Join me on the mat this month~
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Sundays, 11am / Slow Flow ⠀⠀
Sundays, 5pm / Begin Course
Tuesdays, 7am / Vinyasa for All
Wednesdays, 7pm / Beginner Flow
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Classes are held at where you’ll find the coziest vibes and the coolest art like this piece by . YQ is also running a special for the month of September so it’s the perfect time to start or come back to your practice. More info in the link in my bio xx