A Sunday Morning Slow Down at Ballymore House
A peaceful outdoor yoga session at Ballymore House in Tandragee reminded Local Women Editor Kim Kelly that sometimes the best form of self-care is simply lying still in the sunshine and breathing.
I’m lying on the grass with the sun in my eyes. It’s half past nine on a Sunday morning and, for perhaps the first time in weeks, I feel completely peaceful.
There’s a gentle breeze moving through the trees above me. Birds are singing somewhere nearby. Around me, a small group of us lie quietly on yoga mats scattered across the garden at Ballymore House in Tandragee, while yoga instructor Ally softly talks us through grounding ourselves before we begin.
Honestly, if someone had blindfolded me and dropped me there, I’d have assumed I was at some luxury wellness retreat in Spain.
Instead, I’m less than an hour from home, standing in the gardens of a beautiful old stone house that feels wonderfully untouched by modern chaos. Ballymore House is so warm, calm and welcoming.
The Sunday morning yoga session takes place outdoors when the weather allows, and on this particular morning the garden looked almost cinematic in the early sunshine.
Now, let me clarify something important here. I am not a yoga expert. I’ve only recently started yoga and I quickly discovered that while yoga instructors somehow manage to look elegant and swan-like, the reality for beginners can feel more like an uncoordinated folding chair trying to survive a mild electrical fault.
Some of the poses were genuinely challenging. There were moments where one leg seemed to be pointing in the wrong direction while the rest of the class floated effortlessly into position around me.
But what I loved about Ally’s approach was that there was never any sense of pressure or judgement.
Softly spoken, calm and incredibly patient, she moved around helping people adjust positions whenever needed, gently guiding rather than correcting. I never once felt awkward or out of place, despite clearly not being the bendiest person in the garden.
That’s probably the magic of Ballymore House: it doesn’t feel intimidating. The whole ethos of the place is centred around making wellness feel accessible and welcoming, whether you’re someone who practises yoga every day or someone who, like me, occasionally loses balance standing on one leg while putting on jeans.
Everything is provided too, which makes it feel easy from the moment you arrive. Mats, blocks and equipment are all there waiting for you, removing that panic of wondering whether you’re supposed to own mysterious yoga accessories before you’re officially allowed to attend.
For around an hour, we moved through the session while the garden buzzed quietly. Every so often there’d be a pause where all you could hear was birdsong and the rustle of leaves overhead.
By the end, after a little breath work and meditation lying back on the mats, I felt noticeably calmer than when I’d arrived.
And that’s what stayed with me most afterwards. Not whether I mastered the poses or touched my toes. Just the feeling of slowing down properly.
We spend so much of life rushing from one thing to another, constantly checking phones, replying to messages and mentally racing ahead to the next task before we’ve even finished the current one. For one Sunday morning in a garden in Tandragee, all of that noise disappeared for a while.
Driving home afterwards, still slightly stretched and very zen, I genuinely couldn’t think of a better way to start the day.
And if you’re someone who’s been curious about yoga but convinced you’re “not the type”, trust me, neither was I. All you really need is an open mind and the willingness to wobble through it!
Ballymore House
Address: Ballymore House, Ballymore Road, Tandragee
Website: www.ballymorehouseyoga.com
