Victoria Mary Clarke has been practicing yoga for 25 years,(ever since she was a baby) 
and has always loved it even though she is really very lazy and not at all the type of person who gets up at 5 am to do sun salutations.
She doesn’t even do headstands
and can barely manage one chattaranga! But EVEN SO Vic firmly and completely believes that yoga is fantastic for keeping a body flexible and for keeping a mind as relaxed and peaceful as it is possible to be. And so in 2009 she did her teacher training with Ganga White at http://www.whitelotus.org and was thrilled to pass the exams and receive the certifiicate.
A few years ago, Victoria decided to take up gardening and to grow her own vegetables.
She soon discovered that even though she is super lazy and did not enjoy weeding or digging, and in fact she was even more disorganised than she had suspected……
29/09/2011: Victoria Mary Clarke in the overgrown/abandoned garden of the home she shares with Shane McGowan in Donnybrook. ©Picture: JOHN COGILL (CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHER)
29/09/2011: Victoria Mary Clarke in the overgrown/abandoned garden of the home she shares with Shane McGowan in Donnybrook. ©Picture: JOHN COGILL (CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHER)
she was still able to grow quite a lot of lovely vegetables and they were incredibly tasty and well worth the effort!
Her partner Shane was ASTOUNDED at how well Victoria got on with the gardening
And so, when she decided to make a television show about growing vegetables, Shane was 100% on board
Many many millions of people all over the world were inspired by Vic and Shane and they too began to grow their own and soon there were so many gardeners that the garden centres were overrun and could not cope……..
But there was one big problem.
All that digging and weeding was playing havoc with peoples muscles, and especially with their backs. And so GARDENING YOGA was born!
Victoria filmed a DVD of simple, easy, beginner friendly poses that any gardener could do to ease the strains and the aches and pains and to maintain flexibility and prevent injuries while gardening!
Her mother Orla was the first one to try the DVD and she said it was exactly what gardeners needed. And so Vic approached Michael Kelly of the GIY movement www.giyinternational.org and he suggested that she teach workshops to GIY members. Vic taught a workshop at the Bloom festival in Dublin, where GIY had an edible garden.
DAte : Sat 5.6.10 – BLOOM in The Park, Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland.
Pictured on the 3rd day, over 10,000 people were there :
L to r: Victoria Mary Clarke @ THE GIY Edible Garden, doing YOGA poses.
Pics : Mark Doyle 01-2763090 – Dublin, Ireland.
She also taught at the GIY annual conference, and began to teach at Airfield House in Dundrum, Dublin and at Rathbeggan Lakes in Meath. And having got enthusiastic feedback from well known gardeners including Michael Kelly, Jimi Blake and Sophie Von Maltzan, Vic decided to make the Gardening Yoga DVD available to millions of gardeners everywhere via her online shop. Which means that you too can have a copy! And if you know of anyone who gardens, you can buy one for them too!
http://www.victoriamaryclarke.tictail.com/product/yoga-gardening-dvd
You can also request a gardening yoga workshop for your own group or organisation or as a one to one session for yourself
Email: victoriamaryclarke@gmail.com for more information
Victoria Mary Clarke Yoga 