Meet the Wexford woman who travelled to India to complete 300 hours of Yoga training

Based in Gorey, Lauren Keogh has become a familiar name in the local wellness community…

Through her business LK Yoga, she offers yoga classes and women’s circles designed to help people connect more deeply with themselves and others.

Lauren’s business, LK Yoga, is proudly rooted in Gorey. Lauren officially launched her yoga venture in April 2023, after years of personal growth and transformation.

When asked about her business and the inspiration behind it, Lauren explained that her journey began with her own need for healing. Yoga, she said, became a lifeline during a difficult period and eventually evolved into her calling to support others.

“My business is LK YOGA. I am a yoga teacher and women’s circle facilitator. I found yoga years ago when I was going through a really tough time in my life, I was feeling very lost and unsure and yoga gave me the tools to cope and to find strength and resiliency within myself.”

“During my first 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in Earthwise Enniscorthy, I got to experience women’s circles which was a container to express everything and anything without judgement. I grew so much in confidence and was finally able to express myself in a way I never had before. I realised I needed to offer this in my community as at the time there wasn’t anything like that in my area,” she told Wexford Weekly.

That desire to create a supportive space for others led her to launch An Fhírinne — meaning “the truth” in Irish — a weekly women’s circle in The Olive Room at The Palms Health & Well-being Centre.

“After I finished my first training, I started a weekly women’s circle in The Olive Room in The Palms Health & Well-being Centre called ‘An Fhírinne’ which means ‘the truth’ in Irish. For a long time the group was quite small, but it was a great way to understand how to hold space for people. I would teach a little yoga, breathwork & meditation and then we would share our stories & thoughts on different subjects.”

Lauren’s passion for learning took her to Goa, India, where she completed an intensive 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training course. It was a transformative experience that deepened her understanding of yoga and solidified her confidence as a teacher.

“In 2023 I travelled to Goa, India to do a month-long 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training. I felt like I wanted to go deeper into understanding yoga, the philosophy, the poses and the different styles and getting to immerse myself in its birthplace was amazing. It was a very intense month, very long days, very hot weather but I learned so much and felt confident and ready to teach my own classes when I came back,” Lauren told Wexford Weekly about the experience.

After returning home, Lauren made the bold decision to leave her long-term job and fully commit to teaching yoga. It was a leap that has certainly paid off as her community continues to grow:

“I left my job of 17 years in Pettitts SuperValu and started teaching weekly classes in The Olive Room. It took time to build a client base and to build my own confidence and find my voice as a yoga teacher. But after two and a half years I feel like I have a lovely community of people joining me every week.”

Today, Lauren teaches multiple weekly classes, collaborates with other practitioners, and continues to host transformative women’s circles.

“I teach classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays and sometimes I teach a weekend class. I host different events every month too with other amazing practitioners such as Cacao ceremonies, Soundbaths, Reiki, and Hypnotherapy.”

“My women’s circles became a monthly event. I realised how important it is to be fully prepared as a facilitator to hold space for others. These spaces have grown into a true passion of mine. I have a lovely community of women that join me and that look forward to meeting like-minded women of all ages and backgrounds.”

“Now, these circles are every few months as I embarked on a new 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training this year called ‘Feminine Roots’ which is yoga, breathwork & ritual for women and I look forward to seeing where this path will lead me.”

Reflecting on her entrepreneurial journey, Lauren said one of her biggest challenges has been maintaining a consistent client base — something that requires patience, understanding, and trust in the process.

“The challenges I have faced in business is building a strong client base with people returning weekly. The nature of yoga classes is fluctuating numbers from week to week and the main lesson has been not to take it personally! Everyone is busy in their lives and find it hard to carve out personal time but when they do come to class they realise how much they need that 90 minutes to just breathe, move and connect to themselves,” the Wexford woman said.

When it comes to the growing interest in fitness and wellbeing, Lauren has noticed both enthusiasm and misconceptions about yoga.

She hopes to redefine how people view the practice.

“It’s great that people are much more invested in their health and well-being these days. But I think a lot of people have a negative view of yoga that it’s for skinny, flexible people – but I feel that when people come to my classes they realise that yoga is an inward practice, about meeting yourself where you are and having compassion for yourself.”

“Yoga is great physically but it’s more about connecting to your body, to how it feels, understanding any limitations, having compassion for any pain or stiffness and then using the breath to connect to the present moment and move energy. There is so much more to yoga than the physical practice, that’s why in my classes we focus a lot on the breath, we use lots of props for support in the poses and then we finish with yoga nidra meditation which is a lovely rest for the body.”

For anyone thinking about starting their own business, Lauren’s advice is simple but powerful: stay consistent, believe in yourself, and always treat people with care.

“My advice to budding entrepreneurs is perseverance. Nothing is going to fall into your lap. I had to believe that it was going to work out, even through the times when I only had one person in my class, I knew I had to be consistent and keep building my skills and treat every single person with respect and kindness. People want to feel seen and heard and I feel that is so important so anyone that comes to my classes I try my best to make them feel welcome and comfortable. I absolutely love what I do and I’m excited for what the future holds.”