Woodland Yoga

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?

Last week I shared some words about not feeling festive—thank you for all your messages. So many of you shared that this...
18/12/2025

Last week I shared some words about not feeling festive—thank you for all your messages. So many of you shared that this time of year feels heavy too, for all sorts of reasons.

I’ve expanded those reflections into a longer piece exploring why forced cheerfulness feels impossible when we’re struggling (there’s actual neuroscience behind it), what our ancestors understood about winter and the solstice that we’ve largely forgotten, and some gentle, research-backed strategies for navigating these next few weeks.

This is likely my last post before Christmas, so I wanted to offer something that might help you find your own way through this season—however that looks for you.

Find link in comments.

May you be gentle with yourself. May you find your own small rituals of comfort. And may you know you are not alone in the dark.

Sending love and strength for the days and weeks ahead,
Lou x

I shared some of these silly memes last year and I'm still saying wtf?!So you won't see any "new year, new me" posts, or...
16/12/2025

I shared some of these silly memes last year and I'm still saying wtf?!

So you won't see any "new year, new me" posts, or "2026 has to be better". Nope. It will just be me, somehow still here, putting one foot in front of the other - and honestly I'm calling that a heroic act.

Sending love to anyone who feels similar 💚

What a beautiful Winter Solstice celebration we shared yesterday 🙏Thank you to everyone who came together to mark this t...
15/12/2025

What a beautiful Winter Solstice celebration we shared yesterday 🙏

Thank you to everyone who came together to mark this time. There's something deeply nourishing about pausing in community during the turning of the year—breathing together, moving gently, and honouring the natural rhythms that hold us all.

The stillness, the shared presence... it was exactly what this moment needed.

If you were there, thank you for bringing your whole self to the space. And if you'd like to explore the meaning of the solstice further, I've gathered some recordings honouring this time, let me know if you'd like access.

May this season bring you whatever rest and renewal you need ✨

In winter, the trees stand bare,branches exposed,silhouettes stark against the sky.Nothing to hide behind,nothing extra ...
11/12/2025

In winter, the trees stand bare,
branches exposed,
silhouettes stark against the sky.

Nothing to hide behind,
nothing extra to carry.

And yet—
there is a quiet strength in this bareness.
The trees are not “less than” without their leaves.
They are simply resting,
conserving,
preparing.

Roots deepen,
life pulses unseen.

Bare branches remind us:
it is enough to strip back to essentials,
to let go of what no longer serves,
to rest,
to pause,
to be.

Like the trees,
we too can honour seasons of bareness—
of showing up in our simplest form,
of trusting renewal will come,
because it always does.

******
© Louise Neicho, 2025





If this year has been tough, If you’re not feeling festive right now,If everything feels overwhelming, If the pressure t...
09/12/2025

If this year has been tough,
If you’re not feeling festive right now,
If everything feels overwhelming,
If the pressure to be joyful feels impossible,
—you are not alone.

This season wasn’t always about consumption and performance. Long before tinsel and turkey, our ancestors honoured the Winter Solstice—the longest night, the deepest darkness.

They knew this wasn’t a time for forced cheerfulness, but for going inward. For finding strength in the stillness. For deep rest.

You don’t need the perfect tree,
The expensive gifts,
The flawless gathering,
To spend a fortune,
Or pretend everything is fine when it isn’t.

What you might need is permission:
✨To do things differently this year,
✨To spend time however nourishes you most—alone or with loved ones,
✨To honour where you actually are, not where you think you should be,
✨To find your own flicker of light in the darkness.

The light returns because of the darkness, not despite it.
The very thing that feels unbearable is also what makes renewal possible.

However you’re moving through this season, may you be gentle with yourself 💚

We gathered at the new Cosy Club in St Albans for our end of year celebration, and my heart is so full 💚🙏To see so many ...
05/12/2025

We gathered at the new Cosy Club in St Albans for our end of year celebration, and my heart is so full 💚🙏

To see so many of you gathered around one table—sharing food, laughter, and wine (and not in yoga clothes!)—was such a joy. Community truly is medicine, and I feel deeply fortunate to have you all in my life.

Thank you for being part of this beautiful circle. For showing up, for supporting one another, and for creating a space where we can all belong. I’m endlessly grateful for each of you.

Here’s to more shared moments, more connection, and more joy in 2025 ✨

03/12/2025

My final retreat for 2025 - our annual Winter Solstice Celebration, held a little earlier as we're often so busy close to Christmas - Sunday 14 December, 10.00-13.00.

There are just 2 spaces left so if you’d like to join us for a deeply relaxing morning of yoga, mindfulness and sound therapy then find out more via bio 🥰

It’s the time to go inwards and rest deeply but our world often doesn’t allow that. You can however find pockets of deep...
03/12/2025

It’s the time to go inwards and rest deeply but our world often doesn’t allow that. You can however find pockets of deep rest that give you the permission to go slowly and kindly with yourself.

To help with that I have just 2 spaces remaining for our Winter Solstice Celebration on Sunday 14th December, 10:00–13:00 at Kinsbourne Barn in Harpenden.

I’d love to welcome you to this 3-hour mini retreat to mark the turning point of the year - a chance to pause before the festive season sweeps us along. Together we'll go within, find deep rest, and discover the wisdom that winter has to offer.

I hope you can join us, more info via comments.
Lots of love,
Louise x

There are moments when I think I can't do this. When the weight feels too heavy, the path too unclear.But then I'm remin...
01/12/2025

There are moments when I think I can't do this. When the weight feels too heavy, the path too unclear.

But then I'm reminded—through a text, a hug after class, a shared cup of tea, a wagging tail—that I'm not doing this alone.

The truth is, grief is lonely business. That's just its nature. But the people around me (and yes, you too Boinn!) have made it a little less so. You've shown up, checked in, held space, and kept me tethered to life when I needed it most.

November has been about remembering that connection is everything. That community isn't just nice to have—it's what carries us through.

To everyone who has been part of my coming back to life: thank you. You matter more than you know 💚

During our Welcoming Winter Retreat last Sunday so many of you shared that this season feels challenging - the darkness,...
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 🤍

8 years ago we completed the planting of Heartwood Forest - all 600,000 trees! It took the best part of 10 years to get ...
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 🙏

I'm still holding the warmth of Sunday's retreat at Hatfield House in my heart.This was my first retreat back, and I was...
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

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

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