Niamh Burke

Niamh first started practicing yoga as a child when she discovered padmasana (lotus pose) and salamba sarvangasana (shoulder stand or all limbs pose). When adults saw her in lotus and told her “stop doing that, it’s bad for your knees” she learned of the internal nature of yoga and continued to practice in private without judgement. Eventually, seeking to deepen her practice, she would find her way to Moksha Yoga for her teacher certification in 2014, benefiting from the wisdom of Daren Friesen and other master teachers including Leann Carey, Gary Kraftsow, Aadil Palkhivala, and Alexia Bauer, apprenticing under Aimee Forsberg. She is thankful for the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translated into English by B. S. Iyengar.

As a teacher, Niamh believes in the power of building strong foundations and understands the importance of bringing a trauma-informed approach to the studio. Benefitting herself from the disparate styles of Astanga and Restorative yoga, she understands the importance of traditional wisdom to cue proper alignment as well as essential fact that yoga must be made available and accessible to all bodies; that each practitioner should have the autonomy to explore and benefit from each posture. Unifying all walks in the practice of yoga is the healing power or prana (breath).

Niamh’s intention as a teacher is working to make yoga more accessible to all persons, no matter where they live or what their income might be. With an understanding of the deep inequities in our segregated city, Niamh has looked for ways to incorporate yoga into her classroom so that young people in Chicago Public Schools can have the tools to clear their mind of the chitti-vrittis (thoughts/emotions) and stresses of daily life. Now she would like to welcome all ages into the studio to share in the wisdom of this ancient Indian tradition.

Certifications: 200hr Certification / 2016 / RYT200