The Healing Tree

25/05/2026

Here’s a fantastic breath to keep you cool today!

Breathe in through the rolled tongue or lightly clenched teeth….. slow and deep.

Pause gently and feel the delicious coolness.

Exhale in an unhurried manner; letting go of all the agitation, grumpiness and inner fire.

2-5 minutes

Ahhhhh🙏

23/05/2026

It is almost time for our June session of Bring on the Bliss at Driffield Community Centre.

This is a special one, as it includes a gorgeous brunch created by wonderful local vegan chef, Lucy May (menu below).

Community is important in the yogic tradition; we are a family in our own way, and so I offer these two extended sessions each year for you to have chance to linger after class with your yoga buddies:)

I love teaching this class; it offers such a wonderful balance of practice and rest, and is timed to give you all a perfect start to your weekend.

☀️The theme for this month is empowerment.☀️

We are fortunate that yoga offers us many tools to increase self confidence, self worth, self belief, and self love 🧡

Kundalini Yoga, particularly, is brimmed full with transformational meditations that can shift our perception of ourself, kriyas to strengthen the nervous system and create hormonal harmony, mantras to open the heart, and powerful breathing practices to offer us vitality and clarity.

The Kundalini session is followed by a 30 minute gong bath: this offers time for the practice to be integrated, and for you to rest.
We end with an hour of Yin Yoga: a slow form of yoga which opens the body beautifully, offers us time in poses for the body to trust and let go.

Yin Yoga allows slowness in our busy lives, and offers a sense of grounding and deep connection to our bodies, so that we leave renewed, rested and realigned to our true nature: one of ease, peace and soft strength.

I hope to see you. You can book here: https://healingtree.co.uk/products/In-Person-Events-c128227904

Much Love, Louise xx

17/05/2026

Some mornings…..

I’m called outside early, instead of to my mat.

Days like today that beckon cold, blue bright, and full of birdsong.

Everything delights me this morning; the dancing cow parsley, the dew on a stinging nettle, a freshly dug mole hill.

This old drovers path; carrying the echoes of past footsteps. The lines in the crops, the curves of the fields. The huge skies that invite the deepest breath.

The Merlin app counted over 25 birds this morning; skylarks, yellowhammers, linnets, whitethroats, goldfinches and swifts jumbled up with crows, curlews, pheasants, pigeons and robins.

Yoga means ‘to yoke’ or unite all aspects of ourselves.

It doesn’t always happen on the mat. It happens at sunrise, at sunset, at the top of a mountain, in the cold shock of a surprise wave, in birds hatching, lambs skipping, the smell of new cut grass. On an old drovers path in East Yorkshire.

Nature heals 🧡

11/05/2026

Welsh Road & Wild Sauna Trip
Final Leg: Holmfirth to home.

Holmfirth throws up a clear blue morning and we take an early walk around its sleepy winding streets.

Our sauna this morning is in nearby Slaithwaite and we’re excited for it as we’ve been before.
It’s a wonderful set up by nestled in a wooded glade between river and canal, three filtered cold plunges at different temperatures; hot and cold showers, a fire pit to get cosy afterwards and orange segments offered halfway through. Just wonderful, and perfect to end our sauna trip on.

We eat a final welsh cake in the car park before setting off, finally submitting to motorway for a while yet couldn’t resist a detour to make a brew and have a late lunch at Kirkham Priory…just to keep us surrounded in nature for a little while longer.

Home felt good, despite the dread. I’m happy because the blue t**s haven’t flown yet. The foxgloves look ready to bloom, and the aquiligias are out. Sitting on a sofa feels weird.

My friend said it looks like we are having a ’soul nourishing journey’. It really has been just that; so much time outside in nature. Simple pleasures found in the activities of birds, the shifting skies, the crackle of a fire pit.
We have risen early, eaten simply and have worn the same clothes for most of the trip:)

And sauna.
Danny .well.being calls sauna medicine; and he’s so right…..it’s like a total recalibration each time. Somehow your body just welcomes it, like it has been waiting all along to feel this way. I hope some of you feel drawn to try it.

And now, a joyful return to my regular hotspot. I can’t wait to see and the 5am crew on Friday morning in Scarborough.
Wading out into a moonlit sea throughout winter has been such joy each week, and this team work so hard providing saunas all the way up the East & North Yorkshire coast.

And once again; big love to Guru Dave for all the driving, toilet emptying, cooking and generally putting up with my nonsense.

Our trip is over but the journey never is……

10/05/2026

Welsh Road & Wild Sauna Trip
Seventh/Eighth Leg: Crickhowell to Little Hereford to Holmfirth

We have to face the fact we need to leave this beautiful country, and with slightly heavy hearts, we pack up the van and ease out of Crickhowell, and begin our journey northwards.

Fortunately, we have a joyful reunion planned along the way; our Glasto buddy Sam owns in Rhayader, so we plan our route to sample a delicious brew, have a good catch up and several hugs, and get to travel the Wye valley along the way.

The countryside gets softer as we head east; and soon we are over the border and into picture perfect Herefordshire villages with timber framed buildings, bursting hedgerows and zero wilderness. Beautiful it is, yet we’re not ready for it.

Our campsite is pristine, and won’t allow fires. It feels rather uptight and soulless compared to our recent feral evenings basting in woodsmoke, and we both feel a little flat and even more reluctant for home.

A beautiful morning chastises us for our sulking and we take action by deciding to take a minor detour back into Wales for a 90 minute session where we started our journey last week.
It felt good to be back in Llangollen once again; it’s a place that seems to pull on both of our hearts, possibly in a more permanent way one day….

The sauna was amazing; sitting in the cold plunge overlooking the river was enhanced in a delightful way by four alpacas gently grazing the bank.

Some cacao with chilli and a lemon welsh cake, and we hit the road, in much better spirits than yesterday; and managing to avoid the motorway for much of the journey over to Holmfirth.

I fed Dave salted pretzel with garlic cream cheese as he drove, and we roll down into a bustling town whose spirits are unmarred by the damp penine weather.

We park up next to the river, get the van cosy for the night and hit the town in crumpled clothes.

08/05/2026

Welsh Road & Wild Sauna Trip
6th Leg: Skrinkle Bay to Crickhowell

Today is a driving day, no saunas booked……we need to start making our way north and we take a breathtaking route through the Brecon Beacons, but first stop at Laugharne, where Dylan Thomas spent a lot of his time and is buried with his wife Caitlin.
A peep in his writing hut, a cheese scone at his home which is now a cute little museum, and a visit to his simple grave high up on a sloping graveyard of a Welsh Gothic beauty of a church with a view of pure peace and calm.
Dave asks me to read a few lines, and it is a memorable pause in our day.

The sea is behind us now, and the landscape rugged and spacious as we drive through the Black Mountains.
Our campsite is rather civilised tonight, providing fire pits, coffee and pastries in the morning, and a totally level pitch!

Dave surpasses himself with a baked orzo dish, and some nicely charred veg on the fire.
A robin visits us as the sun drops, and we drop off to sleep, a light patter of rain on the van roof.

Morning offers a cool and cloudy start, the robin is here to say hello again, and we discuss return journey options.

We have an exciting sauna booked at noon today, a private ‘Fire & Ice’ experience, located just above the campsite with the most amazing views out over the hills.
don’t disappoint. The sauna is HOT and many dips later we emerge pink and energised for the long journey ahead.

07/05/2026

Welsh Road & Wild Sauna Trip
5th Leg: Solva to Skrinkle Bay

A clear blue sky greets us today and we take an early walk into Solva which is achingly beautiful. A perfect harbour of turquoise sea, sailing boats, and understated charm. We fell in love immediately.

A quick breakfast at the van, and a little bit of cow whispering from Dave, and we are on the move again…..we hug the coast on narrow lanes passing twinkling bays and make our way over to Saundersfoot Bay for our sauna.
Sue greets us warmly, shows us the ropes, and we are in the steam again!
has a clear view of the bay, and we have it all to ourselves. The sea is miles away, so sadly only one dip today, but a shower is a permanent fixture close to the sauna. Feeling rather like sparrows in a bird bath with many town members observing us whilst eating ice cream; we cool off and return to the heat several times, then end on a magnificent honey ice cream from a local maker.

A short hop across the coastline and wow. Skrinkle Bay campsite offers us stunning views over the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, and not a breath of wind.
We play pétanque whilst listening to my son being interviewed on 6Music……he has a book out this week.
The gods are with us as we lose signal immediately after the interview. A very proud mum moment.

This is our final coastal stop and we soak up the view over breakfast the next day.
A light breeze has lifted, the crows are chattering, seagulls swooping and the soft light plays on the sea as the clouds part and reveal wide ribbons of pale blue.

07/05/2026

07/05/2026

Welsh Road & Wild Sauna Trip
4th leg: Newport to Solva

A gentle awakening today, the gurgle of the river is the only sound. We head straight for the shower and an early walk into Newport.
The morning is cold and we bundle up, following the river along a wonky woodland path that takes us up and down and eventually into the mouth of the estuary.
Newport is charming; we stop for breakfast and immediately recognise a Hull accent in the waitress; turns out we were born in the same year and had almost identically misspent youths! No doubt our paths have crossed without us even knowing it in the shady corners of Spiders nightclub.

Today’s drive took us through the Preseli Hills; a wild stretch of ancient land with stone circles and burial mounds. You never feel far from the ancestors here.

Our sauna got cancelled. Boo!
We visited instead St Davids, the smallest city in the UK with a magnificent cathedral, then drove a couple of miles up the coast to our site for the night near Solva overlooking the coastline.
The landscape has changed; it has become softer and more tamed, and feels familiar to parts of the East Yorkshire coastline.
Dave knocked up a splendid lemon risotto while I did very little; the sounds of the cows in calf in the nearby farm keeping us company. We rooted for those brave mammas, watched the sun sink slowly with a game of pétanque, a campfire and a book and toddled off to bed.

05/05/2026

Welsh Road & Wild Sauna Trip
Cellan to Newport

A midnight finish sees us waking slightly later than usual and we all head off for the most beautiful walk taking us high up to a cairn with a stunning 360 degree view.
So much silence and space here. The layers of green are truly breathtaking, and the cuckoo agrees with us. First one I’ve heard this year.

Our walk takes us through a bramble hidden pathway into a secret place that has been claimed by moss. An old settlement with pathways, walls, trees and windows made soft and enchanting by this magical transformation. I could have lingered here for hours to hear its secrets.

A cuppa, toast and warm hugs goodbye, and we are on the road again.
We drop into New Quay for those long awaited chips and I share mine with a very friendly crow who is perched on the wall. What a lovely place…..full of maritime charm and gentle bustle. The wide beach is beautiful.

Our impromptu sauna stop today is the fantastic , in the most perfect position on Llangrannog beach, with a glass wall looking out to sea.
Owned by the delightful Sam, who kept the heat up, we had a fantastic steamy session in great company. The sea was sublime and a little bit cheeky today and took us under a couple of times.
We met the delightful Jack, a local cheesemaker who has lived all over the world and has returned to settle here where he grew up. Conversation about the importance of a sense of place, history and belonging, how places pull you back.
We will scout out some of his cheese for sure.

A stunning drive south towards Newport with the sun lowering over a glistening sea.
Cardigan Bay Area is truly as beautiful as we were told and we are tempted to linger to explore….yet, the route is planned, and so, a simple supper of soup, cake and raspberries, then bed, sand in our hair still, lulled to sleep by the rushing of the river and the hoots of many guardian owls keeping night watch over us.

04/05/2026

Welsh Road & Wild Sauna Trip
Second Leg: Llangollen to Aberystwyth

A short hop …..passing by Bala Lake, where we stopped to chug by the shores on the steam train watching the lambs in the fields, waving to the oncoming train passengers, and being rather enchanted by the whole thing.

As we arrived at our campsite, right on cue, the rain started and the midges came out in their droves as we attempted to find a level spot on the steeply sloping site.

Our plan to walk the Barmouth Bridge to watch the sunset eating chips was thwarted, so we lit a fire and got cosy under the van canopy and read a few chapters before bed.
The dawn chorus nudged me awake at 4.30, and eventually Dave opens one eye too. The midges are back in fighting form, so we decide to ship out and have a cuppa somewhere less hostile.

The Barmouth Bridge stretches over the estuary and we walk it early with a sharp wind playing over the open water. It is a stunning beautiful approach to this beach town; water meeting mountains meeting sky and space. It feels like it sits at the end of the earth and yet we discover a direct train runs all the way from Birmingham!

As we wander, the sun warms up, layers come off and by the time we get back to the van, the hiking boots are chucked in the boot and replaced with the joy of bare toes in sandals.

We take the coastal road to Aberystwyth and find the most amazing viewpoint looking over an Atlantic that looks as benign as the Mediterranean today.
A deliciously leisurely breakfast sitting in the sun…..and then back on the road for a 3pm sauna.
Several laps around the seafront and we finally park up and walk along the prom to sauna sitting by a huge rockface on the edge of the water.
4 refreshing dips later and we emerge full of beans for the journey inland to stay with friends, and the most beautiful sunset.