A former Harvard-educated journalist and Level III Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Tara Duffy brings more than 25 years of dedicated practice, 15 years of international teaching experience, and two decades of study with the Iyengar family and their senior disciples. She is among the most highly trained and experienced teachers at Down Under School of Yoga. 

Tara’s rare combination of intellectual and professional accomplishment, seniority in certification, international experience, and direct study with the Iyengar family make her beloved as a guide to students and also a teacher’s teacher.

Tara discovered Iyengar Yoga while working as a journalist in London in 2000. She began her studies with Lorraine McConnon and subsequently trained with Silvia Prescott, Penny Chaplin, and Faeq Biria, a pioneering figure in the establishment of Iyengar Yoga not only in China, but in many countries. She was fortunate to have attended international conventions with B.K.S. Iyengar in China and Geeta Iyengar in London, in addition to studying with Geeta, Prashant and Abhijata Iyengar at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Institute in Pune, India on three separate visits. She continues to study with Corine Biria, Jordi Martin, and Lorraine McConnon.

Tara has taught Iyengar Yoga in English and Mandarin across Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei, Galway, and Providence, working with everyone from beginners and athletes to experienced teachers, older adults, and students with physical limitations. While living in Ireland, she founded a nonprofit yoga studio that partnered with local organisations to extend the benefits of yoga beyond the traditional studio.

Her professional background is equally distinguished. She holds a master’s degree in East Asian Studies from Harvard University and has worked as an international journalist, in nonprofit development in Beijing, and as a Teach for America educator in her native Rhode Island.

Tara’s teaching combines the precision and intellectual rigour of the Iyengar tradition with warmth, energy, and a finely tuned understanding of the individual student.