My work today sits at the meeting point of two long paths: healthcare and embodied practice. For more than 30 years, I have worked as a Registered Nurse in emergency, clinical facilitation and education, occupational health and safety within a multinational corporate environment, and mine-site medicine. I have worked with people experiencing illness, injury, and stress at times of great uncertainty and change in their lives.
These experiences taught me the importance of remaining present when circumstances change quickly. Of listening carefully. Of communicating clearly. Of understanding that every person arrives with a different history, body, capacity and set of circumstances.
Niamh is a rare teacher. She is generous of spirit and quietly passionate about yoga. She is patient and focused and always considers the needs of her students above all else.
My academic background includes a Master of Science in Occupational Health and Safety, specialising in musculoskeletal disorders. This study and work in a turnkey telecom solutions company deepened my understanding of the relationship between the body, movement, physical, mental and social demands and the environments in which we live and work. It also strengthened something that has remained central to my belief and teaching: the body is integral to the life we live. and how dynamic this is. This is great because we can adapt our ability to direct our lives in a meaningful way. We can ride the waves of life with equanimity and calm.
How embodied we are expresses itself in the quality of: How we be, How we work, How we sit, How we move, How we breathe, How we rest, How we respond to pressure, The choices we make. How we can experience joy.
The difference in my joints and body are staggering. I could not put a price on the benefits that I have gained, and the results are far better than I ever imagined.
Individual experiences vary and testimonials describe personal experiences. They are not a guarantee of outcomes.
Alongside my nursing career, my own relationship with yoga has developed over more than 26 years. What began as personal practice became a lifelong field of study. I have studied and practised in India and elsewhere and have taught students and teachers internationally.
My teaching and study have included: yoga asana or postures, pranayama, meditation, yin yoga, trauma-sensitive yoga, embodied awareness, and teaching yoga teachers.
I continue to practise and study. I remain curious. For me, this matters.
I believe educating is about sharing what I have learned while remaining open to the person in front of me — inviting them to discover, explore, and ultimately come home to themselves.
I was six months post-partum and very much in need of reconnecting with my body, both physically and mentally. Niamh provided patience, space, and focus on my practice.
Over time, healthcare and yoga have become less like two separate worlds and more like two ways of understanding the same human being.
Healthcare gave me an understanding of the person in front of me. Yoga gave me another way of understanding the relationship between body, breath, mind and experience. Together, they inform the way I approach being an educator. I don't believe people need fixing. I believe we can become more intimate with ourselves, more at ease, more at peace with ourselves.
Sometimes we simply need a pathway.
I educate people in principles and practices and invite people to discover what is appropriate and useful for them. There is room for choice. There is room for curiosity, for not knowing. Some practices may take ten minutes or less. Others may become practices we return to for years.
My intention is always that you learn something you can take with you.
Something you can use when life is busy.
When your mind is racing.
Before a difficult conversation.
After a demanding day.
When you wake in the night.
Or simply when you want to feel more present in your own life.
Learning pranayama, the breath of yoga was incredibly important for me. I have been able to use this technique many times to encourage and promote focus, stillness and awareness.
I have had the joy of seeing people discover new possibilities in themselves. I have taught complete beginners and experienced practitioners, corporate managers, nurses, yoga teachers. My experience encompasses working with people individually. And I have watched simple practices become meaningful parts of people's lives.
At 52 years old, life was feeling overwhelmed. My doctor recommended Niamh Shaw and I'm grateful. I only know how I feel now — so much better. The future seems brighter now than it ever has.
Individual experiences vary. Niamh's work is complementary to, and does not replace, appropriate medical care.
I honour the trust that people place in me.
My role is to listen carefully, share what I know and create a space in which each person can explore.
That is the heart of my work.
Niamh is an incredibly strong and gifted teacher — engaging, informative and supportive, inclusive and accessible to all students.
I was a beginner. Her classes are always relaxing and filled with a little humour, which is a nice added bonus.
Every person arrives differently.
The experiences shared here belong to the people who have generously offered them.
They are not promises of what another person will experience.
My intention is to offer thoughtful teaching, appropriate practices and a carefully held environment in which each person can explore for themselves.