Many people come to yoga looking for something like better flexibility, or strength, or reduced stress, or even improvement for a specific health condition. Often people get more than they bargained for – in a good way!

The benefits of yoga are many and mindfulness-based yoga aims to make sure that these benefits are far reaching, integrated and experienced at the deepest level. Rather than simply stretching or mechanically doing exercises, mindfulness-based yoga emphasises building the skills of attention, focus and self-awareness whilst we move and breathe. These skills take us far, both in our yoga practice and in our everyday lives.

Who is this course for?

You! Whether you are young or old; bendy or stiff; sporty or sofa-y; yoga doesn’t care! Being able to touch your toes is not a prerequisite for coming to a yoga class – any yoga class, but especially not this one. We all have to start from where we are – there is literally no other place we can begin from. So be curious and dare to explore where your yoga journey might take you. If you have more experience you are also welcome – especially if you are interested in incorporating more mindfulness in your yoga practice.

Course structure

This is a structured 8-week course with a different theme and focus for each week. This will help you build skills and understanding in a supported, integrated way and gain the most benefit possible from the course. Themes and focuses include: the breath as an anchor, building strength and resilience from the ground up, letting go of tension and finding openness, embracing opposites to create balance. Every week you will learn and practice new yoga postures as well as breathing and meditation exercises.

About the teacher

Hi, I’m Cat, and I’ll be teaching you on this course. I’ve been practising yoga for 8 years and am passionate about the relevance and power of this practice. I am a fully qualified 200hr Yoga Alliance teacher, and love to continually expand my knowledge with ongoing courses and trainings. I regularly return to India, where I originally did my training and I hope to connect you to the heart of yoga, in a down-to-earth, accessible and engaging way.

What do I wear?

Whatever you feel comfortable in and can move and breathe easily in.

What do I need to bring?

You’ll need to bring a mat. It’s best to have your own mat for hygiene practices and so you can practice at home. This course will be supporting you in making yoga a part of your life, so it’s good to remove any barriers to practice right from the get-go. If you don’t have one, you can easily get one, starting from about £10. Amazon is a good option if shopping online. If you prefer to shop in person, Argos, TK Max, sports shops and even supermarkets normally stock them.

As well as bringing your mat, you might also want to bring water for before / after the practice.