Name: Yoga for Heart Health and Strength.
Start: 2026-05-23T10:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-05-23T16:30:00+01:00
Location: Marino Institute of Education, Griffith Ave.

Join Dr. Kate McCann and YTI's Suzanne Kenny for a day of looking after your heart.
Dr. McCann, received her undergraduate degree cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 2000 and MB BCh (Hons) from University College Cork 2006. She is a Member of Royal College of Surgeons Ireland. She is a former post-doctoral research associate in molecular biology at the Indiana University School of Medicine and former Fellow at the Eck Institute for Global Health.
Dr. McCann is certified in lifestyle medicine and is a Member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and the British Society for Lifestyle Medicine. She has an international diploma in lifestyle medicine and certification from The Strategic Centre for Obesity Professional Education (SCOPE). In 2018, she began a community health promotion project on social media, which is still ongoing, focusing on family health and urban myth-busting. She is a member of WHO Fides.
Since March 2020, Dr. McCann has held a position in clinical covid research at St. Vincent’s University Hospital, in collaboration with UCD and CEPHR, and has co-authored multiple papers. She has academic collaborations with University of Limerick. Dr. McCann also contributes as a lecturer in RCSI. She is a board member of Women in Medicine in Ireland Network and became Chairperson in 2025. She has been active in the development of the newly formed Irish Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
Suzanne Kenny, a graduate of Yoga Therapy Ireland since 2004 is passionate about movement; is an avid mountain runner and a full time Yoga teacher.
What better combination of facilitators to bring you a day of healthcare for your heart.
Yoga for the Heart
Yoga for the Heart is a full-day workshop designed to deepen participants’ understanding of the heart—both as a physical organ and as an energetic centre—and to explore how mindful movement, breathwork, and embodied awareness can support cardiovascular wellbeing.
The day begins with an anatomical introduction from Dr. Kate McCann offering clear, accessible insight into how the heart and circulatory system function. With that foundation in place, the workshop shifts into experiential practice: moving, breathing, and feeling the heart through a variety of yoga-based approaches. Throughout the day, the emphasis remains on accessibility, gentle progression, and creating space within the body for circulation, freedom, and ease.
We open with a short centering practice, inviting participants to transition from “learning mode” into “feeling mode.” Simple joint mobilisations and rhythmic, easeful movements help awaken the rib cage, diaphragm, and upper back—the structural home of the heart and lungs. This sets the tone for the rest of the workshop: tuning into subtle sensation rather than pushing or striving.
The first movement block explores breath-led mobility and the intimate relationship between breath, cardiac workload, and the nervous system. Gentle side bends, thoracic spirals, and soft cat–cow variations create spaciousness around the heart area, illustrating how breath and movement together can support cardiovascular ease.
We then move into a fluid, circulation-focused sequence— sun salutations or modified versions adapted for all levels. Participants flow through forward folds, lunges, and standing poses, sensing how the heart responds to changing movement patterns. This gentle rise and fall in heart rate helps build cardiovascular resilience within the supportive framework of yoga.
After a break, attention turns to posture and heart-opening mobility. Soft backbends, chest-expanding shapes, and shoulder-release work encourage healthier alignment. In a world where many of us live with rounded posture and restricted breathing, this segment highlights how space through the spine, ribs, and shoulders can influence heart–lung function and overall vitality.
The final movement block focuses on nervous-system balance—an essential component of heart health. Slow, grounding practices such as supported forward folds, longer-held stretches, and guided unwinding techniques help participants shift from sympathetic activation into parasympathetic calm.
We close the day with a deep relaxation or yoga nidra–style practice, allowing the body to integrate the themes and experiences of the workshop. Participants leave feeling centred, spacious, and more deeply connected to their own heart.