Yoga has informed my life in ways I could not have anticipated; from the physical, to the philosophical, the spiritual to the psychic. Taking my place in a lineage that dates back to the Vedas of C.1200 BCE is humbling and enriching. I can only hope to share this blessing with others and in so doing pass along some grace as it has been offered to me.
Dublin native Dearbhla Kelly M.A. came to the US in 2001 to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy. She began teaching yoga in 2003 and has taught nationally and internationally at festivals and conferences, in teacher trainings and retreats as well as studios and private clientele. She has taught yoga to diverse populations including prisoners, veterans with PTSD, Navy Seals, children with severe physical limitations and college students.
Dearbhla skillfully marries the more esoteric aspects of yoga with modern scientific insights and the practicalities of everyday life and weaves the philosophical aspects of yoga into her asana teaching. She believes that yoga practice is an invitation to self-enquiry and skill in action, but also a method of healing trauma and integrating psyche and soma.
An advanced Ashtanga yoga practitioner, Dearbhla’s superpower is encouraging students to go deeper, to try new things and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. She invites her students to embrace challenge, to expand the edges of their capabilities and step into the unknown. The invitation comes from the experience of her own practice which has yielded gifts of empowerment and deeper self-trust.
Her classes are accented by her warmth and keen intelligence combined with dynamic sequencing and attention to breath while her lilting Irish accent and Dublin wit make her classes especially enjoyable. Dearbhla is also a widely published writer whose work appears in numerous European and American publications including Substack, Yoga Journal, Huffington Post, LA Yoga Magazine and the Irish Times.
