Joi Living, Stroud (2026)

12/02/2026

Why I think starting yoga over 50 can be even more beneficial 🪷🙏

Starting yoga over 50 can feel intimidating — especially if exercise hasn’t always felt like a welcoming space. I speak to so many people who are curious about yoga but held back by worries, doubts and fears. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

One of the biggest concerns I hear is, “I’m not flexible enough.” And honestly? You don’t need to be. Yoga isn’t about being bendy or tying yourself in knots. It’s about gently moving your body in ways that feel supportive and achievable. Flexibility comes after you start, not before — and every body begins in a different place.

Another common worry is injury. Most people over 50 are already dealing with aches, stiffness, or old niggles and fear that yoga might make things worse. In reality, when yoga is taught properly, it’s one of the safest and most effective ways to build strength, improve balance, and support joint health. I encourage my class members to go at their own pace, rest when needed, and adapt movements so they work for their body.

Feeling self-conscious is another big one. Walking into a class for the first time can feel daunting, especially if you imagine everyone else knowing exactly what they’re doing. The truth is, most people are focused on themselves — not judging anyone else. Classes aimed at beginners or over-50s are usually full of people who feel just like you do: a bit nervous, hopeful, and ready to feel better in their bodies.

You might also be worried about existing health conditions or limitations. As long as you share anything that might affect your practice with your teacher, they can offer options that feel safe and comfortable. Yoga isn’t about pushing through pain — it’s about learning to listen to your body and work with it, not against it.

It’s normal to feel a little unsure at first. You will probably notice small, positive changes sooner than you expected though: moving more freely, less pain, feeling calmer, and gradually trusting your body again.

Starting yoga over 50 isn’t about trying to turn back the clock. It’s about supporting the body you have now, with kindness, patience, and respect — and discovering just how capable you still are.

08/01/2026

Listening vs Forcing - How Yoga Changes When You Tune In. By Vicky Brzonkalik

New Year is a funny time, and it's all too easy to bring the same mindset into yoga as we often do in life….

Make drastic changes, push harder and do more.

But yoga, like life, changes immensely when we listen to our body and mind. When we shift from an attitude of forcing into exploring.

For example, forcing can look like:

• Pushing your body into a pose because you think you should. Because that's what the instructor / person next to you is doing.
• Ignoring warning signs like fatigue, pain, or resistance
• Measuring your progress by how you think a pose should look

Exploring and listening feels very different.

It means:

• Noticing your breath before your shape
• Choosing a variation or modification without guilt
• Resting when you need to

Yoga (in my opinion) should not be something you do TO your body, more something you do WITH it. I always say at the beginning of my classes that….

‘Anything goes, as long as you are not harming yourself or others’.

Experience has taught me that listening and exploring is far more pleasurable and in turn beneficial.
This is because pleasure leads to consistency. And consistency—not force—is where the magic happens

06/01/2026

🧘‍♀️ Slow & Steady Yoga Flow 🧘
❣️ YOUR FIRST CLASS IS FREE ❣️

Gentle, Strength-Building Yoga for Mature Bodies

✨ NEW DAYIME CLASS – NOW OPEN ✨

Our Saturday morning class is currently fully booked, reflecting the lovely community that has already formed.
👉 A small number of places remain on Tuesdays
👉 Saturday waitlist now open

This is a friendly, supportive weekly yoga class created especially for those aged 50 and over (though all are welcome), ideal if you’d like to move with greater ease, build confidence, and enjoy a sense of connection in a calm, welcoming environment.

🌺 Improve balance, coordination and flexibility
🌺 Ease tension, support relaxation and reduce stress
🌺 Build strength to support healthy bones and joints

👣 No previous yoga experience required
🧘‍♀️ Small classes with personal attention

💬 “Menopause caused me a lot of joint pain and weight gain. Since joining, my joints have improved and my anxiety has lifted.”
— Zoe

🕤 9.30am every Tuesday
📍 Minchinhampton Market Rooms

👉 Book your free Tuesday taster while places remain
👉 Join the Saturday waitlist to be first to hear when a space becomes available

30/12/2025

🧘‍♀️ Slow & Steady Yoga Flow 🧘
❣️ Your first class is free ❣️

Gentle, Strength-Building Yoga for Mature Bodies

✨ NEW DAYIME CLASS – NOW OPEN ✨

Our Saturday morning class is currently fully booked, reflecting the lovely community that has already formed.
👉 A small number of places remain on Tuesdays
👉 Saturday waitlist now open

This is a friendly, supportive weekly yoga class created especially for those aged 50 and over (though all are welcome), ideal if you’d like to move with greater ease, build confidence, and enjoy a sense of connection in a calm, welcoming environment.

🌺 Improve balance, coordination and flexibility
🌺 Ease tension, support relaxation and reduce stress
🌺 Build strength to support healthy bones and joints

👣 No previous yoga experience required
🧘‍♀️ Small classes with personal attention

💬 “Menopause caused me a lot of joint pain and weight gain. Since joining, my joints have improved and my anxiety has lifted.”
— Zoe

🕤 9.30am every Tuesday
📍 Minchinhampton Market Rooms

👉 Book your free Tuesday taster while places remain
👉 Join the Saturday waitlist to be first to hear when a space becomes available

08/12/2025

5 surprising things no one talks about….

People often ask me how I stay grounded with multiple plates spinning — being a mum, running my business, helping my husband run his building firm, Djing and navigating menopause as well as a long term, occasional debilitating health condition.

One of my most helpful tools has been a regular yoga practice. I’m certainly not about performing perfect pose and looking flawless on social media. For me it’s all about tuning in and reconnecting with myself, self care and counteracting the physical and emotional challenges of living with a chronic condition.

So with this in mind, I thought I’d share the five biggest benefits yoga gives me:

1. Mental Clarity & Calm

Yoga has a way of turning down the noise — the doubts, the to-do lists, the worries about the future. Breathwork combined with movement helps me stay calm (most of the time) and clears the brain fog in a way like nothing else.

1. Increased Strength & Mobility

People underestimate the strength required for yoga — until they try it! Regular practice aids mobility while improving strong, functional muscles. It supports so much in my daily life, even just getting out of bed with less creaking.

1. Improved Body Confidence

Moving intentionally helps me reconnect with my body like nothing else and I certainly know if I’ve neglected my practice. My posture, confidence and the way I show up in life is affected dramatically.

1. Stress Relief That Actually Works

We all carry stress physically — in our shoulders, hips, jaw, you name it. Yoga brings me relief to those tight, guarded spaces and gives me the tools to release them. I don’t just leave the mat feeling lighter but often in a much better frame of mind.

5. A Deeper Connection to Yourself

Life pulls us all in a thousand directions. Yoga offers the opposite: presence. For the time I’m on the mat, it’s just me and my breath. This helps my intuition, creativity, and the kind of self-reflection that helps growth.

Let me be clear, a regular practice doesn’t mean 90 minutes in a candlelit studio every day. For me it can often be 20 minutes on the living room floor. It’s less about perfecting a posture and more about taking time out and recalibrating — with patience, compassion, and kindness.

And trust me — the ripple effect reaches far beyond the mat.

02/12/2025

🧘‍♀️Slow & Steady Yoga Flow🧘
❣️Try your first class for free❣️

Gentle, Strength-Building Yoga for Mature Bodies.

BRAND NEW DAYTIME CLASS ADDED

A welcoming weekly yoga class designed especially for those aged 50 and over (but all welcome) who want to build confidence, reconnect with their bodies, and feel part of a supportive community 👯

🌺 Improved balance, coordination and flexibility
🌺 Relax, reset and reduce stress
🌺 Improve strength & bone density

👣 No experience needed
🧘‍♀️ Small, welcoming classes

💬 “Menopause caused me a lot of joint pain and weight gain. Since joining, my joints have improved and my anxiety has lifted” Zoe

9.30am every Tuesday and Saturday at Minchinhampton Market Rooms

👉 Book your FREE taster class while we still have spaces

24/11/2025

How’s Your Balance?

Yoga may be one of the best ways to slow the aging process—not only because it improves mobility and helps build lean muscle mass (increasing the production of testosterone and human growth hormone, the hormones that help slow ageing), but also because it improves our balance.

Balance problems can affect all aspects of your life—your relationships, your ability to do the things you enjoy, and your capacity to carry out daily activities.

Improving balance also boosts confidence and helps prevent falls in older adults. Did you know that around 1 in 3 adults over 65, and half of people over 80, will have at least one fall a year? These often result in broken hips or pelvis injuries, which can drastically reduce life expectancy.

And whilst I may not be in this age bracket, I am living proof of the transformative benefits of yoga.

Four months postpartum, I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to my hips, spine, and liver. This left me unable to walk unaided, needing help to get in and out of a chair, and struggling to carry my then tiny baby.

Along with rounds of aggressive chemotherapy and radiotherapy, I also had to have my ovaries shut down. This left me with full-blown menopause symptoms, including stiff and aching joints.

I tried physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists, and even a Chinese doctor. None of it helped long-term.

What did work, though, was a gentle, progressive yoga practice. I started very slowly, as just getting down onto the floor and sitting with my legs crossed felt like a huge undertaking.

Now I move without pain and can walk for miles. I’ve roller-skated, gone downhill mountain biking over challenging terrain, and danced for hours. I can jump, climb, and even run a little. Yoga really did give me my life back.

So if you’re concerned about the limiting effects of getting older and are struggling with mobility or balance issues, a regular yoga practice may be the answer.

Joi Living

12/02/2026

08/01/2026

06/01/2026

30/12/2025

08/12/2025

02/12/2025

24/11/2025

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