Breathe Yoga & Wellness Torquay, Thatcher Avenue, Torquay (2026)

05/10/2026

A new week of yoga begins 🍂

We’re already halfway through our six-week Beginners Course, and it has been particularly lovely this time to welcome three men who are exploring yoga for the very first time.

We also have some men who regularly attend our weekly classes, and I’ve heard the same comment from more than one of them: “I don’t understand why more men don’t do yoga.” Perhaps it’s because yoga is still so often presented as something requiring flexibility - or even as something predominantly for women. Yet some of the people who can benefit most are those who feel stiff, tight or less mobile.

Yoga isn’t about being able to touch your toes or make complicated shapes. Yoga meets you wher eyou are!

I offer movement and postures to suit all bodies and ages and each of us takes responsibility to focus on the adaptation that suits our body in the moment. There is no judgement of anyone else (or ourselves!), stronger postures are offered for those whose bodies are ready for that.

It makes my heart sing when people in class are each practicing in slightly different ways - or consciously choosing to sit out a movement to rest - showing that they are listening to their body with kindness and compassion .

A regular practice can help us build and maintain strength and mobility, improve balance and body awareness, move stiff joints through comfortable ranges, breathe more freely and learn how to release some of the tension we carry around with us - calmiing our busy minds!

And there’s another side that can be especially valuable in our busy lives: learning how to slow down, become quieter and give the nervous system a chance to settle.

You don’t need to be flexible.

You don’t need to be fit.

You don’t need to have done yoga before.

You simply begin with the body you have today.

Our regular Mindful Hatha classes continue this week
in Torquay and Collaton St Mary, alongside Friday afternoon Yin & Restorative Yoga.
Move • Breathe • Reconnect
www.bythesea.yoga

20/09/2026

🌕 Full Moon Yoga - a Sunday evening to pause, replenish and reconnect with yourself.

The full moon offers us a symbolic invitation to pause - a moment to turn our attention inward, become a little quieter, and notice what we might need.

This gentle evening practice will be shaped around the energy of the full moon - inviting reflection, stillness and a little space away from the constant doing of everyday life. 🌿

Through relaxing breathwork, restorative yoga, guided meditation and Yoga Nidra, we’ll gradually settle the body and quieten the mind, before finishing with the deeply soothing sounds of the singing bowls. ✨

This isn’t about achieving anything. It’s an opportunity to rest, replenish and nurture yourself - so that you can return to life feeling a little more grounded, restored and connected.

We will be practising in a cosy candlelit studio. No previous yoga experience is needed. Come exactly as you are.

🌕 Sunday 27 September
🕯️ 7pm
📍 Torquay
Booking:
https://www.bythesea.yoga

04/09/2026

Gentle Hatha Yoga is not simply a softer version of a stronger class. It is a practice of learning how to listen to our bodies.

Yes, we build strength, improve mobility and flexibility, and work with balance, stability and coordination. But alongside all of that, something else is happening: we are learning to notice.

We notice how the breath changes when something feels difficult, when we are holding unnecessary tension, and the difference between useful effort and strain. We begin to recognise when the body wants movement, when it needs stillness, and when it is asking us to rest.

That matters because so much of life pulls our attention outwards. There are things to do, people to care for and expectations to meet, and it can become very easy to override our own signals simply because life keeps moving.

A mindful Hatha practice gives us a regular opportunity to come back into conversation with the body.

In class we balance effort with release, stronger postures with pauses, movement with stillness. We breathe consciously, take moments to notice what is happening, and eventually come to Savasana, where there is nothing left to achieve - a guided relaxation and Himalayan Singing Bowls.

The aim is not to push until we are exhausted, nor to avoid challenge. It is to learn when to engage, when to soften, when to continue and when to stop.

And over time, that awareness can follow us off the mat. Perhaps one of the deeper gifts of yoga is not simply becoming stronger or more flexible, but becoming better able to hear ourselves.

A space to move, breathe, strengthen, soften and reconnect - finding a little more balance between effort and rest, doing and being.

To explore this further or to book, please go to www.bythesea.yoga

02/09/2026

🌿 A six-week beginner’s yoga course beginning in mid-September 🌿

Small class sizes, a welcoming atmosphere and plenty of space to practise at your own pace.

🧘‍♀️ The movement is mindful and slow, helping us to connect with the body while gradually building strength, mobility and flexibility.

🌬️ We’ll explore yogic breathwork to help calm and steady the mind, as well as practices that can leave us feeling more awake and energised.

You don’t need to be strong or flexible to begin. Yoga meets us where we are, and there will always be options so you can work in a way that feels right for your body.

This course is suitable for complete beginners as well as those returning to yoga after some time away- classical Hatha yoga with elements of qi gong,with emphasis on breath, awareness and the wider practices of yoga.

✨ Each class finishes with guided relaxation, giving you time to settle, soften and absorb the benefits of the practice.

🚗 Free parking

🌊 Booking and more information:

Breathe Yoga and Wellness, Torquay

https://www.bythesea.yoga/

25/08/2026

One of the things yoga can teach us is how to respond more intelligently to what is actually happening in our body and mind.

In class, options are always offered. If your body is asking for more, there is space to take the next step - to stay a little longer, explore a stronger variation, or gradually build strength, mobility, balance and confidence.

But the practice also invites us to become curious about where that desire for “more” is coming from. Is the body genuinely ready, or have we noticed somebody else doing something and immediately felt that we should be able to do it too? Is there a quiet thought underneath it saying, “I’m not good enough here” or “I ought to be further along than this”?

Most of us have thoughts like these. Yoga gives us a place to notice them and, instead of automatically believing everything that appears in the mind, begin to create a little space around them.

We might notice the part of us that wants to push harder, go deeper or prove something, even when the body is quietly asking us to stop. Sometimes the thing encouraging us onwards is not wisdom at all, but comparison, expectation, habit or self-criticism - that persistent feeling that somehow we should be more than we are.

A mindful and gentle yoga practice can help us begin to recognise the difference.

People who come to class regularly absolutely do become stronger and more mobile. They notice changes in their balance, flexibility and in what their bodies are capable of. But some of the most interesting changes are much harder to measure.

We begin to notice our thoughts and recognise tension sooner. We may sleep a little better or feel calmer. We become more aware of when it is right to challenge ourselves and when it is wiser to rest. And perhaps most importantly, we begin to develop a kinder relationship with the body that has carried us through our entire life.

This is where yoga begins to move beyond what happens on the mat.

One of yoga’s great principles is Ahimsa (non-harming) - which is often understood as kindness and compassion towards all living beings. But surely that has to include ourselves.

Can we move our body without punishing it, challenge ourselves without criticising ourselves, and rest without feeling guilty? Can we look at ourselves without immediately searching for something that needs improving?

Could you stand in front of a mirror, look into your own eyes, take a slow breath and say, “I love you”?

For many of us, that may be far harder than any yoga posture.

But perhaps yoga can help us begin moving towards that place - not towards becoming a better version of ourselves, but towards meeting the person who is already here with a little more awareness, kindness and love.

This is where we start to live yoga.

If this resonates with you, you are welcome to join us here at Breathe Yoga and Wellness - in Torquay or Collaton St Mary.

For more info and to book, please see www.bythesea.yoga

20/08/2026

🌕 Full Moon Yoga - a Sunday evening to pause, replenish and reconnect with yourself.

As we move through the busyness and outward energy of the summer season, the full moon offers us an invitation to pause.

A moment to turn our attention inward, become a little quieter, and notice what we might need.

This gentle evening practice will be shaped around the energy of the full moon - inviting reflection, stillness and a little space away from the constant doing of everyday life. 🌿

Through relaxing breathwork, restorative yoga, guided meditation and Yoga Nidra, we’ll gradually settle the body and quieten the mind, before finishing with the deeply soothing sounds of the singing bowls. ✨

This isn’t about achieving anything. It’s an opportunity to rest, replenish and nurture yourself - so that you can return to life feeling a little more grounded, restored and connected.

🌊 If the weather allows, we’ll practise outside in a private space overlooking the sea and Thatcher Rock, with the studio available if the weather isn’t suitable.

No previous yoga experience is needed. Come exactly as you are.

🌕 Sunday 30 August
🕯️ 7pm
📍 Torquay

Booking:
https://www.bythesea.yoga

19/08/2026

🌿 A gentle six-week yoga course beginning in mid-September 🌿

Small class sizes, a welcoming atmosphere and plenty of space to practise at your own pace.

🧘‍♀️ The movement is mindful and slow, helping us to connect gently with the body while gradually building strength, mobility and flexibility.

🌬️ We’ll explore yogic breathwork to help calm and steady the mind, as well as practices that can leave us feeling more awake and energised.

You don’t need to be strong or flexible to begin. Yoga meets us where we are, and there will always be options so you can work in a way that feels right for your body.

This course is suitable for complete beginners, those returning to yoga after some time away, and anyone looking for a slower, more traditional approach to yoga, with greater emphasis on breath, awareness and the wider practices of yoga.

✨ Each class finishes with guided relaxation, giving you time to settle, soften and absorb the benefits of the practice.

🚗 Free parking available.

🌊 Booking and more information:
https://www.bythesea.yoga/

18/08/2026

Gentle Hatha Yoga does not mean easy yoga, and it certainly doesn’t mean there is nowhere to progress. In classes here, there are always options.

If your body is ready for more, you can work more strongly, stay a little longer, explore a deeper variation, challenge your balance, build strength and gradually increase your mobility and flexibility.

Most people who come regularly will find there are things I offer that they cannot yet do - and that is absolutely fine. Yoga is not about already being able to do everything.

There can be enormous value in exploring our edge and moving a little beyond our comfort zone: that place where something feels challenging, the muscles are working, concentration is required and we begin to discover that we may be capable of more than we thought.

But yoga also asks us to notice how we approach that edge-

Is my body genuinely ready to go further, or am I pushing because somebody beside me appears to be doing more?

Am I curious about what my body can do today, or is there a critical little voice saying, “You should be better at this?"

There is a big difference between challenge and force.

Strength, mobility, flexibility, balance and coordination all take time to develop. When we allow that to happen gradually, rather than hurrying the body towards a result, we can become remarkably strong and capable while still treating ourselves with kindness.

Challenge and compassion are not opposites. Being kind to ourselves does not mean always choosing the easiest option. We can work hard, wobble, feel challenged and explore our limits without turning that challenge into punishment or ignoring the body’s signals.

And we can learn that sometimes the wisest thing is to take the stronger option - while at other times the wisest thing is to stay exactly where we are.

This is why I use the word gentle. Not because the practice cannot be strong - it can be strong when that is what your body needs and is ready for.

For me, gentle means challenging the body without fighting with it: working with effort, but not force; exploring our limits while listening to the body; and allowing progress without feeling we should already be stronger, more flexible or further along than we are.

If this sounds like the kind of yoga you’ve been looking for, you’re very welcome to come and practise here.

Classes are held in a purpose-built studio in Torquay, with small friendly class sizes and free parking.

www.bythesea.yoga

15/08/2026

From nearly 60kg of family tent… to just over 6kg! 😆⛺️

Our enormous old tent held so many lovely memories from when the children were young, but that chapter of life came to an end a long time ago.

And now, unexpectedly, another little camping chapter is beginning.

Since his knee replacements, and particularly since beginning a daily yoga practice in January, Alistair is getting his zest for life back. He’s walking miles, cycling all over South Devon and recently went camping in the Brecon Beacons with our son - and loved it.

So we’ve downsized dramatically to a little tent for the two of us and Sid, and this weekend we’re heading off into deepest Cornwall for its first outing. ❤️🤣🤣

Breathe Yoga & Wellness Torquay

05/10/2026

20/09/2026

04/09/2026

02/09/2026

25/08/2026

20/08/2026

19/08/2026

18/08/2026

15/08/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request