Our teachers

A practitioner of Hatha yoga for 25 years, Lucy gained her yoga teacher and pregnancy yoga teaching certifications in 2002 through the Yoga Alliance while living in the USA. Since then she has taught a wide range of classes, from large, mixed-ability groups, yoga for children, pregnancy yoga, one-to-ones and yoga therapy sessions to address a student's specific physical issues/illness. Drawing inspiration from the many teachers she has studied with on both sides of the Atlantic, she is convinced that yoga can have profound benefits to any person at any stage of life. "One of the really appealing things about yoga is its accessibility. Whatever your age, body type, or genetic blueprint, you can do yoga. And in time it will leave you feeling stronger, more balanced and open physically, mentally, emotionally on so many levels."

In 2018 Lucy became accredited by the Prison Phoenix Trust, leading to work in secure units in the south of England, which she loves. She has also recently completed a book: Yoga Off the Mat for anyone who would like to benefit from yoga postures and breathing techniques, but finds themselves unable, for any reason, to get to a yoga class. If you would like to order a copy, please contact Lucy via the Contact page of this website.

Neeta teaches yoga and meditation and is a professional visual artist. She was exposed to yoga and its philosophy from an early age, but from 2001 began practising earnestly to resolve some stress related health issues and explore her heritage further. Since making a regular commitment to yoga and meditation, she has experienced enormous benefits physically, mentally, spiritually not to mention creatively! Neeta has 18 years’ yoga experience and has been teaching Hatha Flow Yoga since 2012. She qualified as a 200-hour level instructor with Yogacampus, London in 2014 and has completed pregnancy yoga training with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli, restorative yoga training with Judith Hanson Lasater and more recently, chair yoga studies with Mary Mackie in Autumn 2018. Neeta continues her learning all the while and in the last couple of years she has been deepening her understanding of how to use yoga to support the dying and their families. Each year Neeta attends 2-3 silent Insight meditation retreats to further her practical understanding of meditation and its impact on health and wellbeing. She qualified as a Natural Breath Awareness meditation teacher with Traditional Yoga in 2013 and has since been teaching the technique as voluntary service to the local community. For more information, please visit www.neetamadahar-yoga.com

Karen’s holistic journey started at 16 when she became a vegetarian with a keen interest in healthy nutritional food, leading to a lifelong interest in diet and lifestyle, and she still leads workshops on Superfoods. She then went on to become a Reiki Master, Holistic Massage and Indian Head Massage practitioner, before deciding to train as a Yoga Instructor. Accumulating more than 25 years’ experience of dipping in and out of a wide range of yoga styles, Karen enrolled firstly in a Level 1 Kundalini Yoga course, followed by a 220 hour Mindful Yoga Course accredited by Yoga Alliance and The Minded Institute.

Conscious that Yoga is a continuous journey of self-awareness and healing, Karen’s teaching is a subtle blend of Hatha, Kundalini Yoga & Meditation and Yin Yoga, working at a cellular level to replenish and maintain our physical and emotional balance and restore equilibrium to the body. Through a fusion of postures and breath work she helps her students achieve optimum health and vitality, improved confidence and empowerment, enabling ease of transition through life's challenges, a strong body, reduced stress levels and a calmer mind resulting in deep relaxation.

Sophie started practising yoga in Edinburgh whilst at university as an antidote to stressful deadlines. She couldn't afford a full body massage to relieve her aching shoulders, but a tenner or so a week for her local studio was affordable! Following the birth of her son in 2014, she decided to retrain doing something she believed passionately in: supporting pregnant mums through yoga. She had a tough pregnancy but wonderful birthing experience at home, surrounded by family. She seeks to call on all her experiences of pregnancy and mothering - good and bad - to empower others to have the experience they want, and can be proud of.

Mothering is a succession of polar opposites: the most stressful, the most rewarding, the most exhausting, the most uplifting, the most frightening, the most exciting time... together we can support each other through asana (poses) pranayama (breath work) and nidra (relaxation). Sophie is a qualified NCT Breastfeeding Peer Supporter, an active participant in both NCT Newbury & District and Berkshire Maternity Voices, driving improvement in maternity services locally and nationally.

Tash qualified as a fitness instructor over 20 years ago and has been passionate about health and well-being ever since. In 2007, whilst living in Japan, Tash began practicing yoga and was inspired by the Japanese ethos of the fusion of body and mind. Initially attracted by the strong physical practice and improved flexibility, she became increasingly fascinated by the stillness yoga brought to her mind and the conscious use of the breath with poses. In April 2017 Tash completed her teacher training at The Power Yoga Company and her classes combine elements of vinyasa flow, hatha and elements of Forrest Yoga. In December 2017, Tash completed her Advanced Teacher Training in Forrest Yoga. In class, she is very keen to build strength and flexibility, focus on alignment, the breath and the healing aspects of yoga as well as recognising that through yoga change starts from the inside out.

Tim has spent the last thirty years working in banking and IT, but has always been keen on fitness classes and healthy living. While he only found Yoga relatively recently, it was during his first class that he discovered it was something very different to any other type of fitness class and immediately wanted to learn more. He quickly knew it was for him and decided he would train as a Yoga teacher to share its benefits with others, particularly to try to bring more men into Yoga.  Building on his personal experiences, Tim is keen to build the awareness of the wider health benefits of Yoga for the mind and spirit, as well as the body.  Tim’s classes are a mix of Hatha yoga with some flowing sections. He is currently a teacher in training, having completed his Yoga Foundation Course earlier in 2019. His favourite quote about Yoga is “Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame.” B.K.S. Iyengar.