Unity Yoga

ARIA UNGERER

Aria has been dedicated to practicing yoga and meditation since 1995. Her teaching style is practical and down to earth and she aims to make the traditional tools of yoga such as postures, breathing techniques, chanting and meditation accessible and fun for her students. Aria has a particular interest in the use of yoga as a therapeutic tool and teaches a variety of classes from Therapeutic and Restorative yoga to Dynamic Flow. Her classes emphasize the link between movement and breath as a method for self-healing and transformation. All of Aria’s classes are informed by a contemporary understanding of human anatomy and alignment and the principles of Body Mind Centering as a compliment to the traditional yogic practices. Aria’s classes are also inspired by her background in Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga and the Satyananda tradition. As well as being a full time yoga teacher, Aria also holds a degree in Comparative Religions, is a qualified Thai Yoga Massage Therapist and is a faculty member of the Contemporary Yoga Teacher Training Program. Aria recently founded Unity Yoga in Cork to make the practices of Yoga more readily available to the general public.

Aria trained as a Yoga Instructor with Contemporary Yoga and also completed an Advanced Teacher Training Program with Donna Farhi, incorporating the principles of Body Mind Centering into the teaching of Yoga. She has also trained as a Professional Yoga Therapist with Integrative Yoga Therapy. Aria also has a qualification in Embodied Developmental Movement and Yoga from the School of Body Mind Centering and is currently training as a Somatic Movement Educator.

DANIELA IACOPINO

Daniela’s study of yoga began in Italy in 1996 shortly after she completed her BSC in chemistry. After practising Asthanga yoga for a few years, she felt that her practise was becoming too rigid and structured. Like in chemistry, she had rigorously learned rules and postures. She now felt the need to take the whole yoga experience inside. In Ireland she had the opportunity to explore the integration between body movement, breath and mind through the practise of Asthanga, Vinyasa and Kundalini yoga. She completed her Contemporary Yoga teacher training and started teaching in 2005. In her yoga-flow classes she teaches how to use breath to fluidly move between postures. She also teaches students how to work at their own rhythm to encourage confidence, joy and self-awareness. Her own transformation through yoga has had a profound impact in other aspects of her life and she is currently a very inspired and creative research scientist. For the last two years she has been studying Tribal Bellydance, deeply exploring connections between body movement and sacred rituals. In 2006 she completed the Birthlight Antenatal Yoga teacher-training course. In her Pregnancy Yoga classes women learn to connect to their bodies (and babies!) through meditative movement, breath and sound. At the moment she is actively working on ways to incorporate Tribal Bellydancing movements and sounds into yoga for pregnancy practise. She sees yoga as a beautiful way to explore, express and unify our talents, passions and devotion. Daniela is the co-founder of Unity Yoga in Cork.

MARIUS GRIFFIN

Marius Griffin has been shakin it for a very long time.She began her training in the dance and performance arts at age three, and continued on (with a short break for early twentysomething angst) for 18 years. She first encountered Tribal dance in 1990 and it has been an ever deepening love ever since. A decision to move from California to Ireland inspired her to combine teacher training in other fields with her experience as a tribal student and performer. It was a far better idea than dancing alone in her kitchen. No one can be a tribe of one. The happy result is Rashenkoti Tribal Belly dance, of which she is proud and grateful to be the teacher and director for over eleven years.

JAI KARTAR

Jai Kartar Kaur Mohan is a native Californian who came to the yogic discipline in 1995. She continued to deepen her yogic practice and explore the many different schools of yoga while living in California. Eventually Jai Kartar discovered Kundalini Yoga and instantly realized that it was the path she had been seeking. Kundalini Yoga rapidly accelerated her personal growth and spiritual development. She came to understand that happiness is everyone’s birthright and that a blissful state of being was obtainable through the yogic practice. Her own experience of transformation inspired her to train as a teacher of Kundalini Yoga and of Hatha Yoga.

Jai Kartar has received certification from the 3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teacher’s Association and the Integrative Yoga Therapy Teacher Training Association. She has been teaching yoga for six years. Her classes provide a safe, relaxing and non-competitive environment in which her students are supported in their personal development through the yogic discipline.

Jai Kartar also explores her passions through her graphic design business and various artistic endeavors. She is Director of the Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association of Ireland and facilitates the Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training programe in Ireland.

She relocated to Cork in 2002 and is married with one daughter who is among her greatest teachers.

FRANCESCA GIUSTI

Francesca began her yoga studies in the late 90s while living in Lanzarote. Since then the urge to travel inspired her to study with a number of different teachers, using the Ashtanga Vinyasa traditional method as a tool to increase her body and mind awareness.
Her classes follow the Ashtanga Vinyasa traditional sequence, with a strong emphasis on nurturing the body and respecting the natural structure of each physical person. Each Asana is studied deeply and proper adjustment is given to every individual in the class. She applies the link of the breath to the movement to open up the heart and lead to a pure and focused mind.
She trained at the Yoga Arts school in Byron Bay, Australia in 2004, and completed her second teacher training with David Curtis’ Vinyasa Flow Yoga from Dublin in 2007.
She is back from a yoga trip in India where she deepened her self enquiry and meditation and also continued her Iyengar Yoga studies. She has been inspired by a number of teachers who encourage her to bring devotion and self enquiry into her daily life. Francesca has completed 2 modules on Somatic Movement Education in the tradition of Thomas Hanna and she is incorporating the mind-body integration in her teaching.

EVA WALSH

Eva first became seriously interested in yoga when she began studying yoga with Marianne Gabriel in 2001. She was so inspired by Marianne’s teachings that she joined the 2 year Contemporary Yoga Teacher Training course co-founded by Marianne. Eva views yoga as a bridge that connects mind and body, breath and movement. Her yoga classes include basic pranayama (breathing practises), asana and of course, relaxation!

ZELDA DI BLASI

Zelda is a passionate, spirited instructor who recently completed her teacher training in Contemporary Yoga. With a Diploma in Modern Dance, a Masters in Health Psychology and a PhD in Health Sciences, Zelda moved to the USA to do her post-doctoral work in the Centre for Integrative Medicine at University of California San Francisco. It is during this time that she studied yoga, five rhythms dance, Tai Chi, and became qualified as a massage therapist, counsellor and life coach. Zelda has studied with Kripalu yoga teacher Sierra Bender , and with Anusara trained teachers. She is currently a psychology lecturer in UCC and has recently started a Positive Psychology group which teaches and researches areas including happiness, mindfulness, optimism and gratitude. Zelda brings a wide range of training and skills to her yoga teaching and aims to create safe, fun, inspiring, heart-expanding yoga classes that combine relaxation, mind & body awareness, graceful movement and community connection.

NORMA SLATTERY

I first began practicing Yoga 13 years ago at U.C.C with Michael O’Mhuirecheartaigh; it was a transformative experience! That first impression lasted and drove me towards becoming a Yoga teacher. Since then, I have practised Hatha Yoga, Okido and Satyananda Yoga and have just completed a 2 year course with Contemporary Yoga. I have a degree in Biomedical Science and have also trained in Aromatherapy and Massage. I love the holistic approach to life: balancing the body, mind and emotions thus unveiling our beautiful spirit. Through science and spirit emerges the butterfly! Hare Om,Norma