What are the opening hours?

Monday 6:30pm - 8:45pm Wednesday 9:30am - 10:30am 6:30pm - 8:45pm Friday 6:30pm - 8:30pm Saturday 9:30am - 10:30am

Woodland Yoga

Yoga, mindfulness & nature-based retreats with Louise. Rooted in compassion, neuroscience & seasonal wisdom.

Come as you are, leave feeling nourished, grounded & whole. Woodland Yoga is set in England’s largest new woodland, Heartwood Forest in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Blissful, balancing classes are on offer in gorgeously wild surroundings so why not come and give one a try?

23/11/2025

During our Welcoming Winter Retreat last Sunday so many of you shared that this season feels challenging - the darkness, the cold, that sense of just wanting to hibernate until spring. I get it. I used to feel exactly the same way.

I've spent years (perhaps decades!) learning to shift my relationship with winter, and I wanted to share what's worked beyond our retreat community.

I've written a new blog post sharing the practical things that transformed my relationship with this season - including the one thing I did that sounds ridiculous but genuinely works.

Read it at the link in comments.

If you'd like to explore this more, join me for a 3-hour mini retreat to mark the turning of the year. We'll pause before the festive season sweeps us along, and create space for:

✨ Gentle, restorative yoga
✨ Guided meditation & reflection
✨ Relaxing sound bath
✨ Deep rest and the quiet wisdom of winter

Sun 14 Dec | 10:00-13:00 | Kinsbourne Barn, Harpenden
Early Bird £45 (until 30 Nov) | Standard £55

Booking link in comments.

With warmth,
Louise x

P.S. If winter is particularly hard for you this year, please be extra gentle with yourself. You're not alone 🤍

21/11/2025

8 years ago we completed the planting of Heartwood Forest - all 600,000 trees! It took the best part of 10 years to get permissions, find the 10's of thousands of volunteers needed and actually plant all those trees.

We're now blessed with a stunning woodland that supports so much wildlife and is home to our yoga circle in the summer months.

📸taken on one of the final planting events - big smiles of relief that we made it as many people thought it wasn't possible and for a chapter of my life that was filled with so much laughter and community 🙏

19/11/2025

I'm still holding the warmth of Sunday's retreat at Hatfield House in my heart.

This was my first retreat back, and I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was something I should have known all along – that this community holds each other with such tenderness and strength. Thank you for showing up, for practicing with me, for the conversations and the quiet moments, and for reminding me why this work matters so much.

We gathered to welcome winter, to practice slowing down and turning inward. And in doing that together, I felt held by something larger than any of us – this web of connection we've woven through our shared practices, through showing up for ourselves and each other. It's really rather magical! ✨

As we move deeper into winter's invitation to slow down, I hope you'll carry that permission with you. Even when the world around you rushes and pulls and demands, you can choose your own pace.

With so much love and gratitude,
Louise x

13/11/2025

Sometimes it feels like we're walking aimlessly in circles - coming back around to the same emotions, the same grief, the same questions about who we are and how to find peace.

"Haven't I been here before?"

But here's what I'm learning: we're not walking in circles. We're walking a spiral.

Each time we return to these tender places - loss, longing, uncertainty - we meet them differently. With more wisdom. More compassion. A deeper capacity to hold what's true.

The journey isn't about arriving at some permanent state of enlightenment or "being healed." It's about learning to be present with ourselves exactly as we are, in each season, in each turning of the spiral.

You're not failing because you haven't "gotten there." You're exactly where you need to be - exploring, feeling, growing, returning.

This is the path. And you're walking it beautifully, even when (especially when) it doesn't feel that way.

📸First photo taken 9 years ago - I found myself in the exact same spot, wearing the same top this September. Coincidence? Or something reminding me it's okay to be back here again, trying to navigate this messy human life. Or maybe I just need new clothes 😆

11/11/2025

Love it when I’m coordinated with the colours of nature! 🍂😍

The last of the autumn leaves are about to fall reminding us of the wisdom of release, something we'll be exploring in our classes this week.

Through flowing, intuitive movement, we'll learn to shake loose physical tensions.
Through spacious, unhurried breath, we'll create room for our emotional landscape.
This isn't about forcing or pushing - it's about softening, allowing, trusting.

Like the trees that so gracefully let go, knowing that what falls away creates space for renewal.

Join us in learning to let go as beautifully as nature does 🧡

09/11/2025

An invitation to join me to close out the year with a mini retreat to honour the winter solstice. On Sunday 14 December, 10.00-13.00 at the Kinsbourne Barn in Harpenden we’ll create a peaceful pause to set meaningful intentions and ground ourselves before the festive season unfolds.

If you tend to struggle with winter or the busyness of this time of the year, then this will support you in finding an inner slowness and calm even if the world around carries on at its usual pace.

Find full details and link in comments, any queries do get in touch.

07/11/2025

Oh it's November, how did that happen?! How's your descent into winter going? I've always struggled with this season, but in more recent years I've given myself permission to rest more. This feels particularly important this year as I navigate my first winter without my husband.

So, I created a cosy nook at home and left some space in my diary. I'm also re-reading the beautiful book 'Wintering' by Katherine May after a friend reminded me how good it is. I think the reason it's so helpful is that it gives permission to rest and retreat in a world that makes us believe we should just keep going no matter what.

What are you doing to prepare for winter? Are there any rituals that help with the darker days?

04/11/2025

This week in class, we will be rooting into the body through grounding movement, breath, and sensory presence - simple rituals that help us honour this season's transition and find our footing.

The science is clear: when we ground into our bodies, we activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and cortisol. We strengthen interoception - our ability to sense what's happening inside - which research shows improves emotional regulation, decision-making, and resilience.

Simply put: when we land in our bodies, we come home to ourselves.

Week 1 begins tomorrow. Message me to book or see link below in comments.

03/11/2025

If you're having a dull day, remember nature has them too - and she's still beautiful🧡

02/11/2025

Three months ago my world changed forever. In that time I've learned that grief doesn't follow a timeline. That healing isn't linear. That some days I can breathe, and other days I can't.

I've also been writing - a lot! Letters to John. Reflections on loss. Explorations of what neuroscience teaches us about grief.

And I realised: maybe these words could help someone else walking this impossible path.

So, I'm launching "Light Through Loss" - a space for honest, unfiltered conversations about grief.

This is for anyone who knows that:
💛 Grief isn't linear
💛"Time heals" isn't the whole story
💛 You can be healing and drowning at the same time
💛 Community matters

I'll be sharing personal essays, letters to my husband John, insights from grief research, and creating space for real conversation about loss.

Whether you're grieving, supporting someone, or just want to understand - you're welcome here.

First post "Why I'm Here" is live. Link in comments to subscribe (free) 💛

31/10/2025

A few little highlights from our trip to the seaside – there's something special about being by the sea with wide open spaces and time to simply explore and breathe.

Now I'm looking forward to being back with you all from 5th November for our new 7-week course, 'Embody & Remember' (last photo).

This is a yoga and mindfulness journey through autumn's quiet turning towards winter – gently guiding you home to your breath, body, and inner knowing. Come to let go, root down, and remember who you are.

If you'd like to join us, I'd love to welcome you. Details can be found via the link below, or send me a message to book your space.

https://www.woodlandyoga.co.uk/embody-and-remember/

Address

Heartwood Forest
Saint Albans
AL49DQ

Opening Hours

Monday	6:30pm - 8:45pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 10:30am
	6:30pm - 8:45pm
Friday	6:30pm - 8:30pm
Saturday	9:30am - 10:30am

Telephone

+447459112675

Website

https://woodlandyoga.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Woodland Yoga posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Woodland Yoga:

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Saint Albans?