Breathe Yoga & Wellness Torquay, Thatcher Avenue, Torquay (2026)

04/09/2026

Gentle Hatha Yoga is not simply a softer version of a stronger class. It is a practice of learning how to listen to our bodies.

Yes, we build strength, improve mobility and flexibility, and work with balance, stability and coordination. But alongside all of that, something else is happening: we are learning to notice.

We notice how the breath changes when something feels difficult, when we are holding unnecessary tension, and the difference between useful effort and strain. We begin to recognise when the body wants movement, when it needs stillness, and when it is asking us to rest.

That matters because so much of life pulls our attention outwards. There are things to do, people to care for and expectations to meet, and it can become very easy to override our own signals simply because life keeps moving.

A mindful Hatha practice gives us a regular opportunity to come back into conversation with the body.

In class we balance effort with release, stronger postures with pauses, movement with stillness. We breathe consciously, take moments to notice what is happening, and eventually come to Savasana, where there is nothing left to achieve - a guided relaxation and Himalayan Singing Bowls.

The aim is not to push until we are exhausted, nor to avoid challenge. It is to learn when to engage, when to soften, when to continue and when to stop.

And over time, that awareness can follow us off the mat. Perhaps one of the deeper gifts of yoga is not simply becoming stronger or more flexible, but becoming better able to hear ourselves.

A space to move, breathe, strengthen, soften and reconnect - finding a little more balance between effort and rest, doing and being.

To explore this further or to book, please go to www.bythesea.yoga

25/08/2026

One of the things yoga can teach us is how to respond more intelligently to what is actually happening in our body and mind.

In class, options are always offered. If your body is asking for more, there is space to take the next step - to stay a little longer, explore a stronger variation, or gradually build strength, mobility, balance and confidence.

But the practice also invites us to become curious about where that desire for “more” is coming from. Is the body genuinely ready, or have we noticed somebody else doing something and immediately felt that we should be able to do it too? Is there a quiet thought underneath it saying, “I’m not good enough here” or “I ought to be further along than this”?

Most of us have thoughts like these. Yoga gives us a place to notice them and, instead of automatically believing everything that appears in the mind, begin to create a little space around them.

We might notice the part of us that wants to push harder, go deeper or prove something, even when the body is quietly asking us to stop. Sometimes the thing encouraging us onwards is not wisdom at all, but comparison, expectation, habit or self-criticism - that persistent feeling that somehow we should be more than we are.

A mindful and gentle yoga practice can help us begin to recognise the difference.

People who come to class regularly absolutely do become stronger and more mobile. They notice changes in their balance, flexibility and in what their bodies are capable of. But some of the most interesting changes are much harder to measure.

We begin to notice our thoughts and recognise tension sooner. We may sleep a little better or feel calmer. We become more aware of when it is right to challenge ourselves and when it is wiser to rest. And perhaps most importantly, we begin to develop a kinder relationship with the body that has carried us through our entire life.

This is where yoga begins to move beyond what happens on the mat.

One of yoga’s great principles is Ahimsa (non-harming) - which is often understood as kindness and compassion towards all living beings. But surely that has to include ourselves.

Can we move our body without punishing it, challenge ourselves without criticising ourselves, and rest without feeling guilty? Can we look at ourselves without immediately searching for something that needs improving?

Could you stand in front of a mirror, look into your own eyes, take a slow breath and say, “I love you”?

For many of us, that may be far harder than any yoga posture.

But perhaps yoga can help us begin moving towards that place - not towards becoming a better version of ourselves, but towards meeting the person who is already here with a little more awareness, kindness and love.

This is where we start to live yoga.

If this resonates with you, you are welcome to join us here at Breathe Yoga and Wellness - in Torquay or Collaton St Mary.

For more info and to book, please see www.bythesea.yoga

20/08/2026

🌕 Full Moon Yoga - a Sunday evening to pause, replenish and reconnect with yourself.

As we move through the busyness and outward energy of the summer season, the full moon offers us an invitation to pause.

A moment to turn our attention inward, become a little quieter, and notice what we might need.

This gentle evening practice will be shaped around the energy of the full moon - inviting reflection, stillness and a little space away from the constant doing of everyday life. 🌿

Through relaxing breathwork, restorative yoga, guided meditation and Yoga Nidra, we’ll gradually settle the body and quieten the mind, before finishing with the deeply soothing sounds of the singing bowls. ✨

This isn’t about achieving anything. It’s an opportunity to rest, replenish and nurture yourself - so that you can return to life feeling a little more grounded, restored and connected.

🌊 If the weather allows, we’ll practise outside in a private space overlooking the sea and Thatcher Rock, with the studio available if the weather isn’t suitable.

No previous yoga experience is needed. Come exactly as you are.

🌕 Sunday 30 August
🕯️ 7pm
📍 Torquay

Booking:
https://www.bythesea.yoga

19/08/2026

🌿 A gentle six-week yoga course beginning in mid-September 🌿

Small class sizes, a welcoming atmosphere and plenty of space to practise at your own pace.

🧘‍♀️ The movement is mindful and slow, helping us to connect gently with the body while gradually building strength, mobility and flexibility.

🌬️ We’ll explore yogic breathwork to help calm and steady the mind, as well as practices that can leave us feeling more awake and energised.

You don’t need to be strong or flexible to begin. Yoga meets us where we are, and there will always be options so you can work in a way that feels right for your body.

This course is suitable for complete beginners, those returning to yoga after some time away, and anyone looking for a slower, more traditional approach to yoga, with greater emphasis on breath, awareness and the wider practices of yoga.

✨ Each class finishes with guided relaxation, giving you time to settle, soften and absorb the benefits of the practice.

🚗 Free parking available.

🌊 Booking and more information:
https://www.bythesea.yoga/

18/08/2026

Gentle Hatha Yoga does not mean easy yoga, and it certainly doesn’t mean there is nowhere to progress. In classes here, there are always options.

If your body is ready for more, you can work more strongly, stay a little longer, explore a deeper variation, challenge your balance, build strength and gradually increase your mobility and flexibility.

Most people who come regularly will find there are things I offer that they cannot yet do - and that is absolutely fine. Yoga is not about already being able to do everything.

There can be enormous value in exploring our edge and moving a little beyond our comfort zone: that place where something feels challenging, the muscles are working, concentration is required and we begin to discover that we may be capable of more than we thought.

But yoga also asks us to notice how we approach that edge-

Is my body genuinely ready to go further, or am I pushing because somebody beside me appears to be doing more?

Am I curious about what my body can do today, or is there a critical little voice saying, “You should be better at this?"

There is a big difference between challenge and force.

Strength, mobility, flexibility, balance and coordination all take time to develop. When we allow that to happen gradually, rather than hurrying the body towards a result, we can become remarkably strong and capable while still treating ourselves with kindness.

Challenge and compassion are not opposites. Being kind to ourselves does not mean always choosing the easiest option. We can work hard, wobble, feel challenged and explore our limits without turning that challenge into punishment or ignoring the body’s signals.

And we can learn that sometimes the wisest thing is to take the stronger option - while at other times the wisest thing is to stay exactly where we are.

This is why I use the word gentle. Not because the practice cannot be strong - it can be strong when that is what your body needs and is ready for.

For me, gentle means challenging the body without fighting with it: working with effort, but not force; exploring our limits while listening to the body; and allowing progress without feeling we should already be stronger, more flexible or further along than we are.

If this sounds like the kind of yoga you’ve been looking for, you’re very welcome to come and practise here.

Classes are held in a purpose-built studio in Torquay, with small friendly class sizes and free parking.

www.bythesea.yoga

15/08/2026

From nearly 60kg of family tent… to just over 6kg! 😆⛺️

Our enormous old tent held so many lovely memories from when the children were young, but that chapter of life came to an end a long time ago.

And now, unexpectedly, another little camping chapter is beginning.

Since his knee replacements, and particularly since beginning a daily yoga practice in January, Alistair is getting his zest for life back. He’s walking miles, cycling all over South Devon and recently went camping in the Brecon Beacons with our son - and loved it.

So we’ve downsized dramatically to a little tent for the two of us and Sid, and this weekend we’re heading off into deepest Cornwall for its first outing. ❤️🤣🤣

14/08/2026

For many, many generations, across hundreds and even thousands of years, people have practised yoga to cultivate the body and mind.

To develop strength and steadiness.
To increase mobility and ease.
To work with the breath.
To concentrate the mind.
To become quieter inside.

Those things matter. They have always mattered.

But the deeper purpose of yoga was never simply to create a stronger, more flexible or calmer version of ourselves.

In the Yoga Sutras, yoga is described as the stilling of the movements of the mind. And then comes a really important bit:

“Tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe ’vasthānam” - then the seer rests in its own true nature.

It doesn’t say that we create a better self.

It suggests that beneath the thoughts, roles, habits, worries, opinions and stories we accumulate, there is something that doesn’t need improving.

Perhaps that is one way of understanding what it means to “come home to yourself.”

We use the body.
We work with the breath.
We learn to notice the mind.
We practise becoming a little less pulled around by every thought and sensation.

But none of those is really the destination. They are ways of becoming quiet enough to notice what was there all along. And perhaps that is why a yoga practice can sometimes feel strangely like remembering rather than learning.

If this resonates with you, and you’re curious to explore yoga in a way that includes the body, breath and mind, you’re very welcome to join us in Torquay or Collaton St Mary.

12/08/2026

Sometimes the yoga we need most isn’t the yoga that asks us to do more.

Much of modern life pulls us continually outwards. There are people to look after, messages to answer, places to be, work to do, families to support and an endless stream of small things asking for our attention. Much of that is lovely - a full life can be a rich life.

But there can come a point when full begins to become a feeling of depletion. We may be tired but still find it hard to switch off. The body is resting, but the mind is still planning. We become more reactive, overwhelmed, or simply feel our reserves running low.

This is where conscious rest is very different from simply stopping. Yin and Restorative Yoga invite us to slow everything down. Postures are supported and held for longer. There is no rushing, no striving and no expectation that we should be anywhere other than exactly where we are.

The breath quietens.
Muscular effort reduces.
The attention turns inward.

A number of people have said that this is “the yoga I never knew I needed”, and I think that describes it beautifully.

Because genuine rest is different from scrolling on our phones, watching television or distracting ourselves.

It is allowing body and mind to be nourished. And that is not selfish or self-indulgent. It is pure self-care. With regular practice, we begin to recognise depletion sooner and pause before our reserves are empty. Little by little, we move from depletion towards nourishment and abundance.

And that begins to ripple outwards.

When we are better rested, steadier and more resourced, we have more to give to the people we love and the lives we are living.

Self-care benefits everyone. It really is a win-win.

The Friday afternoon Yin & Restorative class is a deliberately quiet end to the week - supported postures, stillness, breathwork, deep rest and Himalayan singing bowls.

Perhaps this is the yoga you didn’t know you needed.

If you would like to explore more or book, please go to www.bythesea.yoga

Breathe Yoga & Wellness Torquay

04/09/2026

25/08/2026

20/08/2026

19/08/2026

18/08/2026

15/08/2026

14/08/2026

12/08/2026

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