Yoga, massage, nutrition for women in Oxford
From April – end of May 2026, we’ll be alternating deep rest yoga nidra (YN) and restorative classes on Thursday evenings 8 – 9.15pm. Book all classes here and check which week we’re on below! What’s the difference between restorative yoga and deep rest yoga nidra? Read more here.
Thursday 21st May: deep rest Yn
Thursday 4th June: restorative
Thursday 11th June: deep rest YN
Thursday 18th June: restorative
Thursday 25th June: deep rest YN
Thursday 2nd July: restorative
In today’s fast-paced world, the art of self-care often takes a backseat and will almost always be the first thing to go when life gets busy. Yet, for every woman striving to find balance amidst the chaos, prioritising your well-being is not just a luxury—it’s essential. All of my yoga and massage offerings for women in Headington, Oxford, are designed to create spaciousness in body and mind: bringing you back to who you truly are.
Imagine a life where rest is not viewed as a guilty pleasure but as a productive and vital activity. When we take the time to nurture ourselves, we create space for clarity and creativity to flourish. This isn’t about just taking a break; it’s about resetting your nervous system and allowing yourself to recharge fully. This creates space for us to respond thoughtfully (or, more thoughtfully!) to those around us, rather than some kind of knee-jerk reaction. There are times we all react, but these happen most often when we’re under-resourced, depleted.
This is when our decisions and actions can become misaligned with our true intentions. By filling your cup and nurturing yourself deeply, you empower yourself to speak and act from a place of abundance. This shift can profoundly impact your life and the lives of those around you.
Yoga is so much more than just bodily movement – I will write more on this in future – but for now, know that it offers a holistic practice that nurtures every part of your being—body, mind, and soul. My exclusive yoga classes offer a calm and beautiful sanctuary where you can escape from daily stressors , big and small, and immerse yourself in practices that replenish and restore. Exclusively to my classes (as far as I can tell from my own extensive research across the county), I also provide resources for you to take home to truly support you further in real, daily life situations – enabling you to continue your practice and deepen the benefits.
I offer the following classes, all of which are suitable for beginners and experts alike – there is always something new to experience. All my classes are designed to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, enabling you to feel soothed, balanced and calm.
Each of these practices is designed to help you reset and replenish, allowing you to emerge feeling renewed and empowered.
Every woman deserves to feel radiant and balanced. And we also know with all the pulls on our time and attention, just how difficult and often fleeting those feelings can be. By committing to your self-care through yoga, you’re not only investing in your health but also in your overall well-being, and that of the community or family that surrounds you. Women are often the anchors and the state of our peace determines that of the household/workspace. It can feel a lot. Believe me, as an often solo mother of two, I know and work hard to support myself in this way daily. This journey is about more than just physical fitness; it’s about cultivating a sense of peace and purpose that has the potential, with your commitment to yourself, to resonate in every aspect of your life.
Are you ready to embrace this journey? Every week, small groups of women from across Oxford and more widely, attend my classes, prioritise their well-being and experiencing the transformative power of yoga. Read their independent reviews here and book here.
Two cake recipes for you today, although as always, with a twist to pack in as much nutrition as possible. Both are low/no sugar and full of extra benefits specifically designed and tested to support perimenopause and puberty – and everything in between! The orange and chia is a take on lemon and poppyseed… orange juice from leftover oranges/satsumas etc gives you a vitamin C boost (lemons would too, to be fair) but chia packs a much stronger nutritional punch than poppyseeds! Full of protein, fibre and crucially omega 3 fatty acids these tiny seeds will help your digestion, support your hormones and help you feel fuller for longer. My kids loved these for lunch boxes.
Sweet potato “choc” brownies – well, who doesn’t love a chocolate brownie? Except these are full of fibre, vitamin C and A, and A and iron (in the cacao). Remember my blog about enhancing iron absorption? Here it is again – the vitamin C in the sweet potato is a super way to make iron more accessible here. I’m really giving my family a big nutritional boost at the moment as we head through the last days of winter towards the spring light and these are two recipes that taste great AND provide a greater depth of nutrition AND school lunchbox friendly.
Orange and chia seed muffins: makes approx 12
100g wholemeal self raising flour
100g ground nuts/seeds/flax
4 eggs
Juice from 3-4 oranges/satsumas (see how many need using up in the fruit bowl)
100g butter
100g chia seeds
Dash of milk
Sprinkle of baking powder
Optional dark chocolate drops
What you do: combine all the ingredients except the chocolate drops, in a food processor. Whizz until smooth. Stir in the dark chocolate drops. Check the taste. Likely to be sweet enough with the orange juice, but stir a drizzle of honey if not. Distribute into muffin cases. Bake for 20ish minutes at 180 degrees. Enjoy!
Sweet potato chocolate brownie – makes approx 20 depending on how big your slice!
250g butter
3 tablespoons cacao
1 table spoon cinammon
4 eggs
4 large sweet potatoes/6 or 8 small skinny ones
150g wholemeal self raising flour
100g ground nuts/seeds/flaxseed
Packet of dark chocolate drops
Dash of milk of your choice
Possibly a dash of honey if you need it
Sprinkle of baking powder
What you do:
Roast the sweet potatoes, skin on, until soft and gooey. Combine with all the other ingredients (except the chocolate drops) in a food processor and whizz until fully mixed. Check the taste. Likely it is sweet enough already but add a bit of honey if not and whizz again to combine. Stir in the chocolate drops. Pour into a prepared tray/tin to bake for approx 20 mins at 180 degrees. It should look baked on top like a normal cake, but the cake consistency is likely to be softer than normal cake, due to the sweet potato consistency.
Some of my clients like to come for a treatment with their partner. This means you can enjoy your massage with your partner in the room, reading quietly whilst enjoying the relaxing ambience of my treatment room, before it’s their turn for a massage. I think this is a lovely thing to do together as you should both feel really relaxed by the time you leave.
Others like to go for a coffee while they wait for their turn. So I thought you might like to know some nice local places for coffee or a snack, while you wait! With Cowley Road less than five minutes walk from my treatment room, you’re spoilt for choice really. My absolute favourite place to go is Door 74 – local, seasonal, delicious food and friendly staff – it is probably a 10 – 15 minute slow walk away as it is towards the ‘town-end’ of Cowley Road. There’s also the Truck Store – about a 7 minute saunter – I haven’t been myself but clients highly recommend it for it’s speciality coffee. Then there is Kazbar for a mint tea, Coco’s for lunch – both again around a 15 minute meander away towards town. There are also lots of new places springing up – Miro’s is a middle eastern and Mediterranean coffee bar which looks lovely and Rick’s is also good. There is also a Costa and Coffee Republic, but personally I prefer the little independent places.
If you come on a Saturday morning, there is a local farmer’s market which has fabulous bread, cakes, gifts, milk, cheese, meat, veggies – and a lovely cafe. It opens 10 – 1pm in the school hall behind Tesco.
There’s also a myriad of charity shops, hair dressers, jewellery and bike shops on Cowley Road all well worth a visit and a pleasant browse while you wait!
A wonderful poem, full of good advice, although not always easy to follow:
The Guest House
~ Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi
This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows
Who violently sweep your house
Empty of all its furniture
Still treat each guest honourably
He may be cleaning you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
Meet them at the door laughing
And invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes
Because each has been sent
As a guide from beyond.