2026-2027 Committee
Suzanne Greenwood
Suzanne started her yoga journey whilst living in Spain in the early 1990s. She’d seen a BBC documentary about Russian research into the beneficial effects of pranayama on asthma and decided to give it a go. She fell in love with yoga, demonstrating that it transcends all barriers, including language.
Her interest in gyana yoga was sparked during her yoga teacher training over 25 years ago. Her yoga wisdom teacher, Yogacharya Michael McCann, suggested she visit Mandala Yoga Ashram in Wales to deepen her practice and this first visit was life-changing. As a classically-trained musician, she was blown away by the power of mantra and kirtan. Living the different paths of yoga (karma, bhakti, raja and gyana yoga) in an ashram with its incredible energy, alongside like-minded people, brought yoga to life in a new way. Suzanne still visits the ashram regularly and belongs to its online sangha.
Suzanne is honoured to be serving her second year as chair of Yoga Fellowship NI.
Mary O’Rawe
Mary is based in North Belfast. She was first introduced to yoga in 1977 through the Yoga Fellowship, while at primary school. She still remembers the wonderfulness of that first yoga nidra! Mary has continued to deepen her practice through decades of study in yoga, meditation and present-moment awareness, crediting yoga as a source of joy and support through life’s many transitions, including birthing and raising six children, moving through menopause and beyond.
Mary completed an initial 200-hour Vinyasa Flow Yoga Teacher Training in 2018/19 and has since undertaken 1000s of hours of further training, for example in Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga as Therapy, Trauma, Neuroscience and Yoga, Yoga for Children and Teens, Yoga and Applied Polyvagal Theory. Mary is also an accredited teacher of Qi Gong and Reiki, a Level 3 Therapeutic Sound Practitioner and a Baby Massage Therapist. She also studies T’ai Chi Chuan and other energy-based practices.
Laraine Spackman
Laraine’s yoga story starts 28 years ago when nursing her baby daughter caused back pain and her GP suspected she had fibromyalgia. A visit to the library ‘before www’ guided her to an Iyengar yoga class and symptoms vanished.
She continued to attend yoga and practice at home, eventually finding the renowned Frank Moylan, who mentored and encouraged her to take teacher training with Yoga Fellowship in 2005.
With no intention to teach but blessed with access to other Fellowship founders and first generation yogis this course gave so much more than physical practice.
‘‘Working on yourself’, Frank’s easy interpretation of Satyananda yoga, is integral to Laraine’s classes which now incorporate yin and restorative techniques.
Laraine rejoined the committee in February 2025 and is passionate about paying homage to our loving lineage while our Fellowship community continues to blossom into its 50th year.
Joe McKeown
Joe began attending Marie Quail’s yoga classes in Queens PEC while a student there in the late 90’s. He found the classes gave him more energy and was hooked!
After qualifying as a hatha yoga teacher with YTTC in Lisburn in 2005 , Joe completed kundalini yoga teacher training in 2009 and has been teaching in Belfast and North Down since 2010.
He currently teaches a weekly class in Ethos Holywood.
Joe has a Professional certificate in the Therapeutic Use of Mindfulness. He has completed training in the Art of Stillness in the Classroom at the Sanctuary, Dublin and has taken part in meditation retreats from different traditions including Zen and Christian.
Joe is qualified bodyworker and is a member of the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT). For the past 9 years he has worked as a complementary therapist in Wave Trauma Centre (Belfast) working with people directly affected by the Troubles. Joe is currently training in Somatic Experiencing developed by Peter Levine.
Ciara Boyle
Ciara’s journey with yoga began over twenty years ago with a practice that sparked a lifelong curiosity inside. Since then, yoga has become far more than a physical practice; it has become a way of being in a deeper relationship with herself, others and the world around us.
As a yoga practitioner, Ciara is particularly interested in the ways yoga supports presence, awareness and connection. Ciara’s practice and facilitation are grounded in the understanding that yoga is not about striving, but about meeting ourselves with curiosity and compassion, exactly as we are. Ciara has a particular interest in Trauma Sensitive Yoga and somatic approaches that acknowledge the unique experiences each person brings to practice.
As a committee member of the Yoga Fellowship of Northern Ireland, Ciara looks forward to supporting a welcoming and inclusive community where we can continue to learn from one another and grow, exploring the many ways yoga enriches our lives, both on and beyond the mat.
Lucie Chenet Rea
Lucie is a Franco-British teacher who grew up on the outskirts of Paris and moved to Belfast in 2017 after studying and working in performing arts and humanities in France.
Lucie travels regularly to India to train and deepen her practice. She has completed 500h of training in hatha yoga in Rishikesh between 2019 and 2020 and an additional 100h of training in yin yoga and yoga nidra in 2025 in Goa. She has also trained locally in restorative yoga and kids yoga.
As well as developing herself as a teacher, Lucie has been an active member of the yoga community these past few years by filling the role of manager at Yoga Quarter (2024/25) and currently managing Maitri Studio. She is also a member of Tulca and has been working with Anaka Collective in the past year to offer practices to refugees.