Freedom Yoga and Relaxation with Carolyn

08/10/2025

If your little one needs a Halloween costume this year - check this out.

A scary statistic – an estimated 7 million Halloween costumes are thrown away annually in the UK. The majority are made from non-recyclable materials and only worn once 👻.

You can help reduce waste and save money too 👇

📚 Gloucestershire Libraries are holding their annual Halloween costume swap now.

Until 15 October - DONATE a costume to any library

15 October - 3 November - SWAP an old costume for a new one!

✔️Accessories, whole and part costumes are accepted, and you can still take a costume home if you don’t have one to swap. Adult and child costumes are welcome.

Alternatively, you could make a costume – from cardboard box robots to DIY witch hats made from old bits of fabric and ghosts from old bedsheets, there are lots of ideas online. Face paint is a good alternative to plastic masks too.

Or have a hunt for second hand options at places like Facebook Marketplace or your local charity shop. If you’re looking for something special, you can even rent costumes.

Gloucestershire Recycles has more information:
https://www.gloucestershirerecycles.com/reduce/seasonal-waste/halloween/fancy-dress

03/10/2025

Wow! What an inspiring lady.

For decades, Charlotte Chopin has been bending and stretching in Léré, a village in France. Here’s how she keeps moving.

03/10/2025

Yoga Therapy can be powerful. Sometimes, the benefits are noticed after a few sessions. Occasionally, I am astonished when a client reports almost immediate relief.

Paula (not her real name) contacted me struggling with painful neuralgia for which she had been described medication she would rather not be taking. Paula had had difficulty sleeping, feeling “wound up” and stressed for some time. This followed a few difficult years of big life events and bereavement. She booked in for online 1:1 yoga therapy.

During the session, I guided Paul through a nervous system soothing, very gentle breath-led yoga and deep relaxation leaving her peacefully sleeping as the session ended. On waking, she reported feeling much calmer, less stressed and sleeping better - this feeling lasted for several days. More importantly though, the neuralgia pain had disappeared after the session and she was still pain- free two weeks later at her next session. Paula felt her stress levels were rising again so we ran a similar session, leaving her asleep for some time after the session ended.

I’m pleased to know the neuralgia pain has still not returned and look forward to seeing Paula again shortly when we hope to explore some more movement and breath work for use in daily practice.

Gratitude to Yoga Therapy and my teachers. Trusting the Process.

25/09/2025

Chair yoga is great, offering accessible benefits such as improved strength, balance, flexibility, maintenance/improvement in joint range of motion and reduced joint pain, making it an effective exercise for people of all ages, especially those with limited mobility, recovering from injury, or dealing with conditions like arthritis. The practice also includes breath work and mindfulness, to aid stress reduction, relaxation and better sleep.

Chair yoga classes are on Monday afternoons at 2pm Lydney Community Centre.

You can book your place through this link

If booking up front for a full month's worth of classes, please contact me for a code giving you 50% off a second (online) class per week.

17/09/2025

There are many schools of yoga and many more styles of yoga teaching. I did my initial training many years ago and have continued learning and adapting “my style” based on my learnings.

I offer yoga to people with “lived in bodies”. I believe a yoga pose needs to feel safe, steady and comfortable in the body experiencing that pose. We are not all the same.

I was asked today about a foot position in modified half moon pose (“should my toes be tucked under or top of foot on ground?”)

My answer is always “what feels right in your body - try both, which feels right/safe in your body?” Result - student nailed the pose!!! In fact a room filled with happy half moons. 😀

17/09/2025

The benefits of yoga are not always obvious but I discovered after committing to my first set of classes, a gentle ripple effect began.

15/09/2025

From now until the end of October, we’ll be focusing on stability. From a place of stability, we are safer. If we are stable, we can better withstand disturbance and bring ourselves back to equalibrium/find our centre.

This of course applies not only to the physical body but the mental, emotional layers and our breath energetic layers too.

This comes nicely after a 3 week break in classes. Many of us will notice how any lack of practice will have affected our stability in balances for example.

We will cautiously work towards some tricky postures. We will feel into our stability and how easily we regain equalibrium.

13/09/2025

Chair Yoga anyone? Monday afternoons 2pm for 1 hour at Lydney Community Centre.

This yoga class is aimed at adults who prefer not to get up and down from the floor.

Message me for more information or book a place via this link https://bookwhen.com/freedomyogaandrelaxation

Hope to see you soon.

11/09/2025

We live in inflammatory times!
Comparisonitis. Go faster do more. Lack or rest/sleep. News. Pollution. Poor diet choices. Stress. Not great for our nervous system or the rest of our body. How might you be able to reduce the things that aggravate inflammation in your body?

Our time on the yoga mat is grounding. We slow down. We look and feel inward. We are encouraged to move according to the needs of our own body, mind and breath.

Have you stepped on your yoga mat today?

Yoga classes restart next week. Book your place using the link below.

https://bookwhen.com/freedomyogaandrelaxation

09/09/2025

Whilst I have been off enjoying special family time, have you been missing your yoga classes? If so, the good news is we restart week commencing Monday 15th September.

*Face to Face Hatha yoga classes on Monday am, Wednesday am and eve and Thursday am.

*Chair Yoga (for those who find it difficult to get up and down from the floor) Monday afternoons.

*Online hatha yoga via Zoom Tuesday morning and Thursday evening.

I will get back to offering Yoga Therapy and private 1:1 yoga the following week.

Click this link to book your space https://bookwhen.com/freedomyogaandrelaxation

15/08/2025

One more week of classes etc and then I’m taking a three week break.

I am taking my break from Friday 22nd August until Monday 15th September.

September classes have been uploaded to my booking system ready for booking when you are.

I am certainly ready for my break.

In my email to those on my mailing list, I offered up a challenge for while I am off. I wonder if any of them will accept that challenge 🤔

03/07/2025

There’s this thing ………. As a yoga teacher/therapist (and it’s not just in yoga but some other modalities too).

We arrive at our session with our lesson plan - sometimes memorised, sometimes on paper - all considered - Intentions, themes, risk assessed, modifications, variations yadayada.

As student/s arrive, we sense it …….. the energy in the room……. It’s off ……. This plan is going to need adapting…….

You just never know what is happening in the nervous system of others in the group and we sense into the combination effect.

Be open to change - dare I say “be flexible”?