THE downward dog is extraordinary when it is performed in the oldest yoga studio in the world.
I had the opportunity to take part in a physical, mental, and spiritual practice hidden beneath the mountains and woodlands of west Fermanagh in a magical world of caverns, sinkholes and underground rivers.
The Marble Arch Caves let people explore these areas whilst also fully connecting with their surroundings through yoga and I decided to give it a go.
I began the journey by traveling down 154 steps making my way 50 metres underground into the cave.
Here I was met by a lantern lit path filled with yoga mats and instructor Genny Brown.
Genny, who is a Certified Yoga Teacher, Mindfulness Now Teacher and has a Diploma in Yoga Therapy, led the beginner friendly session which let me relax the body and mind whilst being able to connect to nature inside the cave.
“It is unique, it is a way of connecting with the caves, with mother nature, with the earth, we are in this womb like space and its unlike any other yoga experience.
“I have been teaching for 17 years and I have never had anything quite like this, and it’s different every time you come down, even though it is made of stone and rock it’s alive.
“It’s always changing, it depends on the weather outside, the river that runs through it, its like the beating heart that runs through it so its always a different experience every time I come here,” explained Genny.
As a yoga newbie I was amazed by the relaxation benefits of yoga and how you can release these tensions through movement of the body.
I found that by completing yoga in these surroundings creates a multi-sensory experience which takes the yoga practice to a place it has never been, surrounded by the sights and sounds of mother earth deep in the heart of the show cave, I felt that I was in a whole different world.
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