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Yoga at Sweaty Betty
'The hour-long class takes us through a full-body workout and stretch'

Yoga class at Sweaty Betty, Fulham Road

The Blurb:

Bucking the trend of ever-increasing gym membership fees, Sweaty Betty’s free fitness classes are a favourite among bargain-loving Londonistas. The clothing brand synonymous with stylish activewear offers a range of group workouts including yoga, pilates, BarreCorre and boxing across all its stores, including 17 London locations.

To secure a spot at the Fulham Road shop’s Sunday morning yoga class you simply post a comment on their Facebook page a day in advance, when the class is advertised. You have to be quick though, as there are only a limited number of spaces and the sessions are always fully booked.

The Process:

Starting with some breathing exercises, our instructor, German-born Mona Heep (monaheepyoga.com), encourages us to let go of any stress or negative thoughts and instead focus our mind by setting ourselves an intention for our practice — for example being kind to ourselves.

Despite only being in her mid-twenties, Mona is very experienced and guides us through the practice with calm and poise. She is on hand to help with the slightly trickier positions, offering assistance to those on the cusp of nailing a wheel or a headstand and demonstrating variations to suit those at a more advanced level.

The health benefits of practising yoga are well-known; it can alleviate muscle pain, lower blood pressure, improve coordination and reduce stress. The hour-long class takes us through a full-body workout and stretch, during which we not only practise our upward and downward dogs, humble warriors and crows, but also, I think, become more aware of how our breathing and movement affect how we feel in our bodies.

At the very end, having thoroughly stretched and had a lie down, during which Mona tiptoed around the mats and treated each of us to a moment of aromatherapy, we sit with our legs crossed and eyes closed while she reminds us that we can come back to the feeling of stillness at any point during the week ahead by focusing on our breathing. ‘With a quieter mind and an open heart, namaste,’ she says. ‘Namaste,’ we all reply in unison. It’s the perfect way to start your Sunday.

The Details:

To register for a Sunday morning yoga class at Sweaty Betty Fulham, become a member (for free) and visit www.facebook.com/sweatybetty.fulham, where bookings take place every Saturday morning at 10am on a first come, first served basis.

For details of other fitness classes offered by Sweaty Betty stores across London, visit www.sweatybetty.com.

Tried & Tested |