Classes
Yoga and Pilates, on the mat and the reformer, for every body and most reasons: a bad back, a baby on the way, a first time, a long practice, or an hour of quiet. Each has its own page with what it is, who teaches it, what it costs and which class to start with.
01
Nineteen yoga classes a week: hatha and slow flow for most people, a strong flow for those who want to work, yin and restorative for those who want to stop, and an early-morning class for people who need to be at a desk by nine. Every class ends with five minutes of stillness that is not cut short.
£8 for your first class, then £15 drop-in, £65 for five, £120 for ten, or £89 a month unlimited.
02
Eleven mat Pilates classes a week, from a gentle class built for stiff backs and new mothers to a strong class with the full classical sequence, taught by Sam and Nia with small equipment (rings, balls, bands) and a great deal of attention to how you breathe and where your pelvis is.
The same prices as yoga: £8 first class, £15 drop-in, five for £65, ten for £120, unlimited £89 a month.
03
Six reformer beds in the room at the back of the schoolroom, six people to a class, taught by Sam and Ruth: the springs and the carriage make Pilates precise for beginners and demanding for the experienced, and six to a class means the teacher adjusts every one. Booked only, £24 a class or five for £110.
£24 a class, five for £110.
04
Pregnancy yoga as a six-week course from fourteen weeks, with the same group each week and a teacher trained in pregnancy and birth; and a postnatal Pilates class after the six-week check where the baby comes too and nobody minds the noise. Nia teaches both.
The pregnancy course is £78 for six weeks.
05
A six-week course for people who have never done yoga or Pilates and would rather learn with other beginners than guess in an open class: the basic poses and principles, how to breathe, what the words mean, what to do when something hurts, and a free class afterwards to try the schedule. Eight people, Tuesday evenings, Eleri.
£72 for six weeks, including a free class on the schedule afterwards.
06
An hour with one teacher, on the mat or the reformer, for people recovering from an injury, people who are nervous of a class, people who want a home practice built for them, and people who simply prefer it. £65 an hour, £90 for two of you, and a plan after the first session that says honestly how many you need.
£65 an hour, £90 for two.
The room
The schoolroom was built beside the chapel for Sunday school and a weekday infants' class, with tall pointed windows on both sides so the children could read without lamps. It is why the studio is bright at seven in the morning and still at seven at night, and why there is no music: the room has its own quiet. The floor is sprung oak over the original boards, the walls are lime-washed, the vestry at the back holds six reformers, and the old porch is the tea corner where the shoes go. We did not add mirrors, on purpose.
Any gentle or open mat class, mats and props provided, the teacher told you are new, and the kinder version of every pose offered without being asked. Book in the app, send the form, or walk in ten minutes early; the desk is open half an hour before each class.
