Iyengar Yoga with Lisa Wylde

09/09/2026

I’m back teaching at Castle Cary tomorrow! Join me at the beautiful Light on Yoga Somerset studio 11.15am. Go to www.lightonyogasomerset.co.uk to book 💻📱

Hope to see you there!
Light on Yoga Somerset

29/08/2026

🍂 My Iyengar Yoga classes restart next week!

As the summer holidays draw to a close and the hottest weather begins to ease, perhaps it’s time to turn your attention back to yourself, return to your yoga practice, or begin something completely new.

Iyengar Yoga is a thoughtful and intelligent practice for body, mind and spirit. Through careful anatomical alignment, focused movement and awareness of the breath and the body’s energy, we develop strength, flexibility and stability while gradually cultivating a quieter mind and a deeper awareness of ourselves.

I have practised yoga for more than 20 years and have been teaching for 12. My classes are friendly and welcoming, with clear teaching, individual guidance and a wonderful community of students.

There are classes at several different times throughout the week, catering for a range of experience levels. They are suitable for complete beginners, those returning after a break and experienced students who would like to deepen their practice. Classes are pay as you go, so there is no need to commit to a whole term.

This video shows one of my wonderfully busy classes in action, but please don’t be daunted! Everyone works at their own level and beginners are always very welcome.

If you’ve been thinking about trying yoga, returning to your mat, or doing something positive for yourself this autumn, this could be the perfect time.

Classes restart next week in West Coker, East Coker, Halstock, Yetminster, Castle Cary and Sherborne.

Full timetable and booking details below 👇

🪷Monday - 9.45am, Gentle Yoga, West Coker
🪷Monday - 1.10pm, Level 1, Yetminster
🪷Monday - 3pm, Level 2, Yetminster
🪷Tuesday - 6.30pm, Level 2, Sherborne
🪷Wednesday - 10am, Level 2, East Coker
🪷Wednesday - 7pm, Level 1, Halstock
🪷Thursday - 11.15am, General, Castle Cary
🪷Thursday - 7.30pm, Level 2, West Coker
🪷Friday - 10am, Level 1, East Coker

To book visit: www.lisawylde.yoga - DM if you have any questions 🙏

25/07/2026

🌟🧘‍♀️STUDENT OF THE MONTH🧘‍♀️🌟
🌟July 2026 Student of the month is… Jane!

Some people seem to have yoga in their DNA…..

From the very first time Jane came to class, I had the feeling that this was not her first encounter with Iyengar Yoga. She seemed to instinctively understand the work… naturally finding alignment, listening deeply to the instructions and quickly processing what she heard.

Whether or not you believe in reincarnation, there is something about Jane’s practice that makes me wonder if she has done this before. Perhaps, in another lifetime, she was already practising yoga. Perhaps the seeds of that practice have simply carried forward into this one.

There is an instinctive understanding in the way Jane works. She is systematic, attentive and incredibly focused. She doesn’t need a lot of instruction or correction; she listens, observes and then seems to understand. I rarely need to say very much to her during a class because she picks things up so quickly.

And this, to me, is beautifully connected to the vijñānamaya kośa - the sheath of wisdom, discernment and understanding.

For some people, when they come to yoga, it can feel as though everything has to be learned from the beginning. For others, something seems to be waiting there already. A familiarity, an instinctive understanding, a recognition. Jane is one of those people.

She works with such concentration and focus that the practice seems to reveal itself to her almost effortlessly. Not because she doesn’t work hard - she does! - but because she listens so deeply that the instructions become understanding, and the understanding becomes action.

Jane, it has been a joy to watch you practise and to see the quiet, thoughtful way you approach your yoga. You are a very deserving Student of the Month. 🧘‍♀️✨

❓Tell us a little about yourself

🧘🏼‍♂️Hello, I'm Jane and I live in West Coker with my partner Steve. I work for a firm of financial advisers and spend much of my time in the office crunching numbers, so I like to get out and about when I'm not at work. I enjoy exploring local villages, especially if there's a fete and a tombola to try my luck on. I also enjoy "trig bagging" – tracking down the concrete Ordnance Survey trig points that are often found on the top of hills. It takes us to places we might never have visited otherwise and, although it can involve a steep climb, the views are usually well worth the effort.

❓How long have you been practicing yoga?
🧘🏼‍♂️I first tried yoga about 25 years ago, but I moved house and changed jobs - life moved on, and yoga slipped into the background. Then, when Lisa started a class in the village in 2018, I decided to give it another go, and I’ve been coming ever since.

❓What made you start yoga?
🧘🏼‍♂️I’d always been fairly flexible, so yoga seemed like something that would suit me and help me stay that way. But I soon realised there’s a lot more to it, and that flexibility isn’t always the advantage I thought it was. What’s kept me engaged is the precision and clarity of Iyengar yoga - the way each pose is broken down and worked through appeals to my sense of order, and that steady, methodical approach is what’s kept me coming back.

❓What’s your favourite pose?
🧘🏼‍♂️Trikonasana was one of the first poses I learned, and it’s stayed a favourite. I love how the whole body gets involved — feet, legs, hips, trunk and arms — and when everything works together, there’s a real feeling of openness and lightness.

❓What’s your favourite prop?
🧘🏼‍♂️A chair – I find it really versatile. It can provide stability, support and a bit of leverage when needed. I love that it can be used in so many different positions – open or closed, forwards or backwards, up or down – depending on what the pose needs.

❓How has practicing yoga benefitted your life?
🧘🏼‍♂️Yoga has become a really important part of my week. It gives me a bit of space to slow down and focus, and I like having that built‑in pause where I can just be present for a while. Some weeks it helps me settle, other weeks it gives me a bit more energy, but whatever the class is like, I'm always glad I made the effort to go, even on the dark, cold winter evenings when it would have been easier to stay at home.

❓What makes you keep practicing?
🧘🏼‍♂️I like that there is always something new to explore and improve, and that the practice can be adapted to how you are feeling on the day. Coming to class also helps me maintain some discipline, especially when my home practice is a bit hit and miss!

❓Anything else you’d like to add?
🧘🏼‍♂️After starting and stopping yoga many years ago, I’m glad I found my way back to it. I enjoy that there is always something new to learn and that the practice continues to evolve over time.

Thank you Jane for sharing your yoga journey with us! ❤️🙏🕉️

15/07/2026

So many of us first come to yoga because something hurts.

🕉️ Perhaps it’s back pain, stiff shoulders, anxiety, grief, exhaustion, or an injury that simply won’t go away. We arrive looking for a solution to a problem. But somewhere along the way, the practice changes. We realise it was never just about the aching knee or the stressful job. Yoga becomes part of who we are. It teaches us patience, resilience, awareness and acceptance. It helps us meet life with a little more steadiness.

❤️ I loved this article because the writer describes her scoliosis not simply as something to overcome, but as the very thing that led her to a daily yoga practice. What once felt like an obstacle became the doorway.

✨It’s a lovely reminder that our greatest challenges can sometimes become our greatest gifts. Without them, many of us might never have stepped onto a yoga mat in the first place.

🙏Sometimes the path we would never have chosen turns out to be exactly the one we needed.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jul/15/a-moment-that-changed-me-i-started-yoga-and-saw-my-scoliosis-in-a-surprising-new-light

As a teenager I declined a painful operation to straighten my spinal curvature, and it was a decision I sometimes regretted. But through daily stretching and exercise, my relationship with my body was transformed

23/06/2026

🌟🧘‍♀️STUDENT OF THE MONTH🧘‍♀️🌟
🌟June 2026 Student of the month is……. Mark Probert!!
Mark Probert is well known and much loved within our yoga community. In a curious twist of timing, although we had never met, Mark and I were both in India in January 2020, just before the world changed in ways none of us could have imagined. When classes resumed later the following year, Mark joined one of my classes. Perhaps his recent visit to India had already sparked an interest, because he quickly became one of the most committed and inquisitive students in the class.

Mark embraced yoga with enthusiasm, curiosity and an open mind. His practice has gone hand in hand with a wider exploration of yoga’s rich traditions and history, something that became particularly evident during his second trip to India. As he mentions in his answers below, one highlight was visiting the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune (where I was in 2020), where he interviewed Prashant Iyengar, son of BKS Iyengar. Parts of that interview appeared in Mark’s book, with a longer version later published in the Iyengar Yoga (UK) magazine, something that filled me with immense pride.

What I especially admire about Mark is the breadth of his interest. While deeply appreciative of Iyengar Yoga, he has explored many different strands of yogic knowledge, giving him a thoughtful and well-rounded perspective. Despite all he has learned and achieved, he remains incredibly humble, kind and generous. When his second book about travelling in India was published, he gave a wonderful talk for my students about his travels and research, sharing his knowledge with great warmth, humour and enthusiasm.

It is also a pleasure to see Mark attend classes alongside his wife, Jan, who was herself a previous Student of the Month. Together they are a lovely part of our community, and I am delighted to feature Mark this month.

Thank you Mark for all you bring to our community!

❓Tell us a little about yourself …………………

🧘‍♀️I am Mark Probert, aged 72 and married to Janice. We've lived in Yetminster since 2021, having lived previously in many parts of Britain, and for a short while in France. We have two sons, one in London and one in Bristol, and a daughter and grand-daughter nearby in Sherborne. I retired from a career in map-making six years ago and now mostly spend my time on Jan’s job list, writing, cycling, travelling, gardening and enjoying various clubs and activities in the village... including yoga, of course.

❓How long have you been practicing yoga?

🧘‍♀️I began when we moved to Yetminster in 2021. Jan started soon after and we’ve been practicing weekly since then.

❓What made you start yoga?

🧘‍♀️Over the years I’ve always enjoyed taking part in sports and activities - particularly football, sailing, cycling, hill-walking and running. As the years tick by I do less of those. I’m beginning to think that my chances of playing for England in the World Cup, or in a Lords Test, may be fading. Likewise, I may have left it too late for the Tour de France. But I still cycle and walk a lot, and I want to maintain as much fitness, movement and flexibility as possible, for as long as I can. I see yoga as helping with this, and I particularly like the precision and pace of Iyengar yoga.

❓What’s your favourite pose?

🧘‍♀️I suppose everyone chooses the pose they are most comfortable with and for me that seems to be Vrksāsana (tree pose), although Lisa recently introduced me to supported karnapidāsana (resting on shoulders with thighs supported on chair) - and I found that surprisingly relaxing.

❓What’s your favourite prop?

🧘‍♀️The bolster. Its a bit of a lump to haul around but its very adaptable and supportive for many positions.

❓How has practicing yoga benefitted your life?

🧘‍♀️When I began practicing yoga I found there was something unusual happening, apart from the physical benefits. It might be to do with the friendly group, the teacher, slowing down and being mindful for over an hour, energy flows, and/or something else (but probably all of these). However weary I might feel when I go into a class, I always come out feeling better! My curiosity has led me to yoga centres in Mumbai, Mysuru, and Pune - where I was fortunate (with some help from Lisa) to meet BKS Iyengar’s son Prashant at the famous RIMYI. I’ve also attended workshops in London on yoga for health and Mallakamb (pole / rope yoga).

❓What makes you keep practicing?

🧘‍♀️Yoga is something to which you can adapt as time goes by - some things become easier... some not so much! I’d like to keep the physical, mental and social benefits going as long as I can.

❓Anything else you’d like to add?

🧘‍♀️I feel very fortunate to have discovered Iyengar yoga, to have such an enthusiastic and supportive teacher, and to have such a friendly group of fellow class-mates. I aim to keep moving and learning for as long as I can, hoping my knee clicks and gentle groans aren’t too much of a distraction for everyone else! Namaste.

Thank you Mark for sharing your yoga journey with us! ❤️🙏🕉️
Mark Probert Author