Brenda Hardy
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To book email [email protected] Initially I just did't get it. I thought it was boring and pointless. My flexibility and posture improved dramatically.
I qualified as a physiotherapist in 2007 and was introduced to pilates the following year, whilst attending a colleague, who was treating me for chronic low back pain. I wasn't out of breath and didn't know what I was meant to be feeling while contracting my 'core.'
My physio soon realised that I wasn't doing my exercises and basically gave me a telling off! From this point I started to apply myself and completed around eight one to one sessions of supervised pilates and was prescribed a progressive exercise programme. Around two months later I was pain free and able to return to camogie. For the first time, following my injury, I was able to play pain free and avoid taking painkillers to play a match. Prior to this I had even resorted to playing with a heat wrap around my lower back. I was able to bend forwards with ease, a movement that I previously avoided due to pain. As pilates had worked so well for me, I started to use it as a treatment adjunct for patients with musculoskeletal problems such as low back pain, sciatica, postural problems and much more. Over the years I've attended pilates and yoga classes both locally and in Australia, which has improved my knowledge and ability. In November 2012 I started formal training with the APPI (Australian Physiotherapy & Pilates Institute) and I have completed the instructors course and advanced movements courses. I currently work in the fracture gym in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast and I continue to use pilates as part of functional rehabilitation.
š«Pilgrimage Avalon, Glastonbury š«
3 kids, 2 nearly missed flights, Tommy cutting his first tooth, punctured tyre on our rental car, intense heat on arrival .keller - I think we can do anything after this ā¤ļøā¤ļø
So grateful for the magic ššš
ā¤ļøWorld breastfeeding week ā¤ļø
Within hours of our second baby Belle being born, I knew something wasnāt right. Her lips looked a little blue and she wasnāt feeding. I was told I was panicking after what had happened with Isla! It turned out she had sustained a spontaneous pnemomediastinum - which is a tear between the lining of the heart and lung at birth. She was transferred to the royal in Belfast the day after her birth and ventilated for one week. She was very ill.
When she was in ICU I began expressing by her bed and holding her as much as I could. After not holding Isla while she was ventilated, I knew the importance this time round. The power of a human touch, a motherās touch, is mind blowing. All of her vital signs always improved with skin to skin. Reduced heart rate, stable blood pressure, improved oxygen levels.
The priest baptised her and blessed her on arrival to the royal and then we just rode it out. ICU stays are a rollercoaster. Some improvements, followed by decline - but gradually she improved and weaned from ventilation. The next week she just had an NG tube in. The nurse asked if I would like to breastfeed. I had never been able to breastfeed Isla and I was ready to try. The feeding co-ordinator was off so I called la leche support. I spoke to a lovely woman who told me to go for ā¦ and that I could do it.
I returned to icu and took Belle to my breast and she immediately latched on and breastfed. No more pumps, syringes, sterilising, feeding sets. To simply take my baby to my breast and nourish her with my body was incredible. It wasnāt all plain sailing though. I tend to have an over supply and had mastitis three times. Belle also had really bad colic and cried alot for her first 6 months and had chronic constipation. Iām sure it was alot to do with her traumatic birth - I went diary free and did lots of reflexology on her and it seemed to really help. Belle weaned at 23 months as I was pregnant with my third and felt it was time to stop. Belle just loved breastfeeding and weaning was really tough on her. Im still so proud of our journey ā¤ļø TBC
Sending love Brenda ā¤ļø
ā¤ļøWorld breastfeeding weekā¤ļø
I didnāt think I would ever have a journey like Iāve had with breastfeeding. I didnāt give breastfeeding much thought until my cousin ā¤ļø gave me a hand held medula pump from her sister in law when I was pregnant with my first baby. My daughter required surgery at birth and would be NG fed. I decided to give the pump a go with she was in PICU. I had no idea what I was doing. The midwives were so busy I attempted it solo. I skinned my ni***es and only got 10 mls of what I later discovered was colostrum. I cried. How could this nourish a child. The midwives came around and were shocked. They thought it was a huge amount! This little bit of motivation spurred me on and I expressed for Isla until she was 7 months old, 3 hourly! š®. It gave me a sense of control when nothing else was certain. It wasnāt pretty. It was exhausting and felt so unnatural. But I canāt tell you now in hindsight - just how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to gift her my breastmilk and for everything that aligned for me to even consider it!
Sending love Brenda ā¤ļø
Our beautiful Belle ā¤ļø my little star āØ
Photos by the best š«¶
Hello ā¤ļø
I have created a 15 minute sound bowl healing journey for you in your postpartum phase. You donāt have to do anything. Simply receive the practice and its medicine. You will need a blanket cushion and mat. You could even do this in bed - that would be really nourishing.
āØWeek 1 and 2 are now LIVE ā¤ļø. See link in bio (short 12-15 minute practices).
This work can regulate pressure and tension in our tissues and support them to soften where they have been gripping, support healing. Essentially trusting body knows what to do ā¦ there is nothing to fix.
This work supports:
ā¢ Nervous system repair
ā¢ Pressure regulation
ā¢ Rebuilding internal support
ā¢ Learning to feel safe inside your body
Supporting tissues to soften where theyāve been gripping.
Supporting upward support where there has been heaviness.
Supporting reconnection through the midline.
This may be for you if you had a :
difficult birth
diastasis
birth trauma
back pain
prolapse symptoms
urinary leakage
muscle tension and gripping
painful neck/joints
Let me know how you get on.
You need a blanket cushion and a mat/rug.
Brenda x
09/03/2026
postpartum healingš¤
After my last baby in lockdown 2020, I thought healing my body, meant pushing harder.
Rehab more.
Strengthen more.
āGet backā to my old self.
Do it right.
Do more.
But no matter what I tried, my body kept saying no.
Back pain.
Pelvic heaviness.
Diastasis that just wouldnāt shift.
I felt stuck, frustrated, and honestlyā¦ a little lost. This went on for years!
This time around, I finally see the pattern ā too much gripping and tension, too little support.
When weāre holding too tight, our bodies canāt truly be held. Even if support is there, we cannot let it inā¦. If you have chronic physical issues with your body after baby, then maybe, like me, this is the missing piece.
And it makes sooo much sense - because birth (no matter how it looked like for you) energetically opens us up and until we return to feeling contained and held no amount of rehab will work. So Iām creating something differentā¦.to rebuild the foundations š¤
āØ A Postpartum Practice where we will be working in, instead of working out!
My first offering is going to be a Sound bowl journey with my Mother Alchemy Sound Bowl - steady, grounding frequencies and guided somatic practices ā¦.
A space to slow down, be held and reconnect with your body.
This is for you if youāve been feeling:
ā¢ Fatigued
ā¢ Pelvic heaviness or prolapse
ā¢ Diastasis
ā¢ Digestive issues
ā¢ Spinal sensitivity
ā¢ Birth trauma
ā¢ Scattered or overstretched
ā¢ Weak boundaries
ā¢ Constant self-pressure
Thereās nothing to fix. Your body knows what to do.
This is about creating the space for it to remember.
Slow down, Soften, Be Held š¤
If this feels like what you need, Iād love for you to join me. Recording will be released tomorrow - I might do it live after that š
All you need is a mat, blanket and pillow.
Brenda š¤
0-6 weeks post partum
Catch up on my stories to hear about my first birth and the complete absence of any post partum healing ā¦.it got better every time and by 4th time postpartum it was very very different š¤
āØRest - I literally mean doing barely anything except feeding baby, walking to toilet , getting some sunlight at the back door. I fed the baby lying downā¦. So much skin to skin contact.
Horizontal rest I like to call it !
āØThis type of profound rest is so powerful - we have literally ran a marathon continuously while pregnantā¦thatās the metabolic equivalent. We are likely to be depleted in minerals and nutrients, undergoing massive healing while caring for a newborn baby and potentially other children. Sleep deprived and navigating huge hormonal shifts.
āØSome sunlight to help circadium rhythm , lots of fluids : water with lemon, mint , Celtic salts, herbal teas. Nutrient dense food in my freezer and two weekly meals from the amazing .keller ā¦. Soups, broths were my fav. Ria made some delicious lactation cookies and turmeric milkš¤.
Hereās a little insight. Of course - it wasnāt all blissful and my husband and I were delirious at stages with sleep deprivation š¤£
Would love to hear about yours postpartum recovery ?
Brenda š¤
22/12/2025
My Winter Sunshineāļø
Before the stars whispered your name, I knew you.
Before your heart sang its first song, you were already written in mine.
The times I reached for the Light, that faded too soon -
Tiny sparks, gifted from heaven, that slipped through my fingers,
And had to return.
Yet still, I felt you waiting.
A promise that would not fade.
āLet go,ā you whisperedā¦.ālet go.ā
For slowness is where miracles are found -
The holy hush, the sacred sound.
In stillness, heaven opens wide,
And grace steps softly, right on time.
And then you came, I felt you Begin - but this time with the gentlest embrace,
I truly Let You In.
In the Womb of our Becoming,āØmy precious boy,
you led me quietly home.āØTo the truth of my heart - āØto an ancient love, I had forgotten.
Slowly, my grip loosened. And piece by piece, I handed over all that I had once clung to, into the palms of something holy, something greater.
And in the deepest surrender, they appeared - a circle of sisters rose, wrapping themselves around us, called from every horizon, whispering - āyou are held, you are held.ā
At the hour of your birth, protected by angels on Earth - the clock stood still, hands aligned: 11:11 - Gods divine sign.
And now you are here My Son.
My Sun - a new Dawn in our home.
You rise and we are warm again.
Your father and I stand in wonder - the circle of our family complete.
Your sisters dance around your glow - their laughter and hands tending you,
as you grow.
I have loved you since before time began and now that you are here, the whole world feels brand new.
Brenda Hardy ā¤ļø
Picture
22/11/2025
āļøOur Beautiful Sun Sean Thomas Hardy - call me Tommy šāļø
šBorn 4/11 at 11:11am 8lb6oz - we are sooo in LOVE š I still canāt believe you are here and all is well š„°
27/10/2025
āØ Signing off to have our baby āØ
Thank you all so much for the kind messages and support throughout this journey ā¤ļø As I prepare to do this all again, it somehow feels just as specialāmaybe even more soāthan the first time.
Iām older now, know more, have lived moreā¦ and I feel deeply grateful to have been able to become pregnant again, carry this baby to term, and experience everything that comes next. I donāt take a single bit of it for granted š
Iām still pinching myself that this is real āand I probably wonāt truly believe it until baby is in my arms.
This time, Iām planning for a very slow, gentle postpartum period. Iāve been the mum who worked right up until birth, who was back on the laptop a few days later and running around too soonā¦ but not this time. Iām giving myself permission to rest, recover, and soak up every moment. š« and try my best not to resist or try to fix the chaos and mess that comes with it!!
Before I go there are some amazing resources which can find out more about and purchase in my shop (click website in bio)
āØ5 week pregnancy yoga flow
āØConscious Pregnancy Journey with Ria
āØFourth trimester Guidance ebook (I had to download this as a personal reminder!)
And some freebiesā¦.
āØPregnancy Pilates
āØYin yoga for fertility
āØConscious birth Work book
See you on the other side, Brenda x
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