Yogi Sanctuary

Yogi Sanctuary Creating calm peaceful spaces to help you integrate Yoga and Sound into your life on & off the mat šŸ’› I discovered yoga as a single mum of a demanding toddler.

I was working full time, overweight, unfit and needing to find something that I could do in my own home. Having been active and fit all of my life, I was shocked at the state that I was in. I remember downloading an app and struggling to do even the most basic asanas (postures). The beginners yoga that I followed was gentle on my stiff, unfit body, which was good because I really could do very lit

tle! But when I rolled out my mat it gave me a peaceful sanctuary that I couldn't get anywhere else. It felt like a moving meditation. It wasn't until a few years ago, with my son all grown up, that I was able to really turn my attention to me. I joined a gym and lost weight, became fitter than I had been in over two decades and found a love and respect for my body that had been missing for many years. I went to my first ever yoga class on the gyms open day and that is when I really fell in love with yoga! I have seen my body change, my health change and I have gained an understanding of myself and what I want in my life. I started to dream that maybe one day I could become a yoga teacher and help others feel the same peace, empowerment, energy and rejuvenation that I get when on my mat. October 2020, I took the plunge and enrolled on a 200HR Hatha and Restorative Teacher Training course with Cardiff Yoga School. Amanda opened my eyes to a world beyond breath and physical movement. Yoga is so much more than just the postures and breathing and I feel like I have only just begun my journey into understanding the incredible effects of living and embodying yoga. This will be a life long learning for me. And the more I learn, the more I can share this incredible life changing experience with others. I have since then qualified in Kids Yoga - I dont know who gets the most joy from these classes the kiddies or me. And following my love of strong althetic yoga I recently qualitifed as a Rocket Yoga instructor. I love a strong vinyasa class that gets my blood pumping, my muscles burning and my heart singing with its powerful flow, but I also appreciate the subtle gentle benefits of breath, the life changing affects of inward focus, the importance of correct alignment in building and protecting a flexible, strong, healthy body and I have learnt to treasure the calming effects of a restorative practice. I remember what it is like to barely be able to move so can understand a beginners perspective, but I am also incredibly proud to now be able to work at a strong intermediate level. Last year I took my training further studying Sound Healing and qualifing with the Complimentary Medical Association. With Alchemy Crystal Bowls and Gongs I now offer the incredible healing vibrational energy of sound healing to my classes and events. Sharing my love of yoga and sound healing with the physical and mental health benefits with my community is the best job in the world!

Flight School Workshops at Yogi Sanctuary sit alongside the regular Sunday 12.30pm classes and are designed to give you ...
15/06/2026

Flight School Workshops at Yogi Sanctuary sit alongside the regular Sunday 12.30pm classes and are designed to give you the extra time to play and experiment at a level that works for you, while being guided by Anna, our incredible Aerial yoga teacher, so that you gain the skills and confidence to progess.

Come and learn to fly with us.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
20th June : Flight School Beginners
25th July : Flight School Improvers
15th August : Flight School Beginners
26th September : Flight School Improvers
24th October : Flight School Beginners

Aerial Yoga is open to 12 years and above. No experience necessary for our Beginners workshops. Reach out if you have any questions šŸ˜Š
Book via the app or website

For years weā€™ve talked about flexibility, mindfulness, rest and self-care.Now itā€™s time to talk about strength.Not gym c...
15/06/2026

For years weā€™ve talked about flexibility, mindfulness, rest and self-care.
Now itā€™s time to talk about strength.

Not gym culture.
Not punishment.
Not shrinking ourselves.
Real strength.

The kind that helps you carry shopping without thinking twice.
Get up from the floor with ease.
Protect your bones.
Support your joints.
Move confidently through life.

Research continues to show that strength training is one of the most important things we can do for healthy ageing, particularly for women through midlife and beyond.

Thatā€™s why Empower, our Circuit classes, have become such an important part of what we offer at Yogi Sanctuary. Alongside Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi and Aerial, strength training helps us build resilient bodies to support the lives we want to live.

Weā€™re also delighted to welcome Fran to our Empower team alongside Laura. Fran will take our Friday class at a new time 5.45pm and Laura continues in her 9.30am slot on a Tuesday.

At Yogi Sanctuary we believe wellbeing is built through the practices, habits and connections that help us feel strong, balanced and fully alive.

We cannot do much about your environmental, financial or nutritional wellbeing - though our activities certainly help with your sleep - but we can help you take care of the rest. We believe each pillar strengthens the others.

Together they support a life of vitality, resilience and wellbeing.

Today I learned that one of our community members, a young woman I have known since I first began teaching yoga, is faci...
10/06/2026

Today I learned that one of our community members, a young woman I have known since I first began teaching yoga, is facing breast cancer.
Since her diagnosis she has already undergone surgery and is now preparing for chemotherapy. She is making decisions and facing challenges that no young woman should have to face. I have no words for what I am feeling for this beautiful girl with a heart the size of the earth and whose energy transforms every room she enters. I always smile when I see her name on the class list.

Too many times in recent years someone I care about deeply has walked this path.

Another incredible woman in our community continues to show up with extraordinary courage and grace as she navigates her own treatment. Her heart, her passion, her determination has blown everyone away. She is an inspiration.

And last year, we lost a beloved member of our studio family to this disease.

As a yoga teacher, I sometimes wonder whether what I offer is enough. It is only movement and breath. An hour away from the noise of life.

But moments like these remind me why I teach.

Not because yoga can fix everything. It canā€™t.

But because sometimes it offers a place to rest when life becomes unimaginably heavy. A place to breathe when the future feels uncertain. A place to be held by a community that sees you, cares for you and walks beside you.

To the women facing battles they never asked for: your strength humbles me.

Teaching yoga gives me the privilege of meeting people for a season of their lives.

Sometimes that season is joyful. Sometimes it is painful. Always, it is an honour.

Today my heart is with every woman facing breast cancer, every family supporting them, and every person carrying burdens that others may never see.

You are stronger than you know and you do not walk alone.

Sending much love Stef ###

This month in Book Club, we read The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller. The group loved the atmospheric Cape Cod set...
09/06/2026

This month in Book Club, we read The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller. The group loved the atmospheric Cape Cod setting ā€“ which drew us straight into the story - and the novelā€™s complex relationships, which prompted plenty of lively discussion about morality and the choices made by certain characters. The ending proved divisive - and some of us also found the shifting timelines too distracting, but there was no shortage of debate! 7/10. What did you think?

šŸ“šJoin us for our next read ā€“ Gillian Mc Allisterā€™s Famous Last Words. If youā€™ve read it - no spoilers šŸ¤«.

šŸ“šWant to chat about this and all things books? Then join us Sunday 12th July for our monthly Book Club. This is our Book Clubs first birthday so expect extra special cake šŸ°

Strong bodies. Strong minds. Strong communities.Research shows that resistance training is one of the most powerful thin...
05/06/2026

Strong bodies. Strong minds. Strong communities.
Research shows that resistance training is one of the most powerful things women can do as they age. Supporting bone density, muscle is mass, balance, mobility, metabolism and brain health particularly through perimenopause and beyond.

Thatā€™s why Empower has a place on our timetable.

Itā€™s not about burpees, bootcamps or pushing to exhaustion. Itā€™s about building strength that supports everyday life, moving well, feeling capable and having a laugh with a welcoming group of people while you do it.

Weā€™re now looking for a qualified fitness instructor to lead our Friday 5.30pm Empower class and become part of our growing wellness community.

If you believe exercise should leave people feeling stronger, more confident and more connected, weā€™d love to hear from you.

Get in touch to find out more.

June is often a strange month. The year isnā€™t new anymore, summer holidays havenā€™t arrived yet, and we are running on au...
30/05/2026

June is often a strange month.
The year isnā€™t new anymore, summer holidays havenā€™t arrived yet, and we are running on autopilot.

The diary gets busier.
The days get longer.
Work ramps up.
Weekends disappear.
And somehow we tell ourselves weā€™ll make time for ourselves later.

When things calm down.
When work eases.
When life feels less hectic.

But what if the thing you need isnā€™t another item on your to-do list?

What if itā€™s an hour to move.
To breathe.
To stretch.
To switch off.
To laugh.
To connect.
To remember what it feels like to be with yourself again.

Whether youā€™re looking for strength, flexibility, calm, better sleep, less stress, community, creativity, friendship or simply a reason to leave the house for an hour, there might be something waiting for you this month.

āž”ļø Swipe through to see our June classes, clubs, workshops and events.
Your future self will thank you for booking before life gets in the way. šŸ’›

Most of us feel like we donā€™t have enough energy. But maybe, we just need to stop scattering the energy we already have....
30/05/2026

Most of us feel like we donā€™t have enough energy.
But maybe, we just need to stop scattering the energy we already have.

Our monkey minds and attention are constantly feeding something:
A thought.
A habit.
A worry.
A dream.
A relationship.
A belief.

It can be exhausting.
I know. I spent a good half an hour this morning trying to focus on class writing but instead filling my head with an internal monologue of what I would love to say to my noisy neighbours from hell who are incapable of normal volume speech and whose base line of constant yelling and shouting to each other shows zero consideration for anyone else and makes sitting in our garden pretty miserable (mini rant over sorry ā˜¹ļø).

Was I focusing on the right thing? Almost certainly not as it yielded no positive results, didnā€™t get any meaningful classes written and just filled me with stress hormones! What I should have been doing was concentrating on my work rather than fantasising about them moving house.

In yoga the practice of focus is called Dharana. Itā€™s focusing without forcing, without striving, simply learning to place our attention where it matters most. Dharana within the Sutras is within the journey to meaningful meditation, but it can be a useful tool to master for day to day life.

Itā€™s incredibly difficult. Our minds will want to skit away from anything that is hard.
It takes awareness, presence and practice. We need to train our minds like we train our bodies.

Last month in class, through Svadhyaya and our exploration of Samskaras, we became more aware of the patterns shaping our lives.
This month we ask a different question - where do I want my energy to be focused on?

Throughout June we will explore focus not as an intensity but as a gentle returning. A returning to body. A returning to breath. A returning to what matters. Weā€™ll be exploring what happens when we stop trying to do everything and instead become more intentional about where our awareness and energy goes.

āœØBecause where attention goes, energy flows.

āœØJune Class Theme: Dharana ā€“ the practice of focussed attention and awareness.
Next weeks classes

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