I'm too stressed to relax. Won't I just lie there thinking about my to-do list?

Probably, for the first five minutes. That's normal and I expect it. The practices give your brain something to do: counting breaths, scanning your body, following my voice. And if it takes you the whole class to settle? That's fine too. You still got an hour away from your inbox.

Is yoga better than the gym for stress?

Gym exercise and yoga can both help with stress in different ways. Choose the kind of movement you can keep doing, or combine them. If you're curious what a slower hour feels like, try one class and compare.

How quickly will I notice a difference?

I can't give you a timetable. Some people walk out of their first class with looser shoulders. For others it builds slowly, or doesn't suit them at all. Try it and see.

I can't switch off. Is meditation even possible for me?

Yes, because I don't teach the kind of meditation where you sit in silence and fight your thoughts. Breathing practice, body scans and Yoga Nidra all give your mind a job. You're following instructions, not emptying your head.

I only have an hour a week. Is that enough to make a difference?

One class a week is a reasonable start, and it's the start most people can actually keep. You'll also learn breathing practices you can use in two-minute bursts at your desk or at 3am. It doesn't have to take over your life.

Yoga for stress

Yoga for stress and burnout

Stress isn't a badge of honour. An hour of slow movement and rest each week is a reasonable place to start.

Best for

✓Work stress and burnout
✓Tension in your jaw, shoulders or back
✓Sleep ruined by a busy head
✓Feeling permanently overwhelmed
✓Being unable to switch off

What to expect

Slow movement, breathing practice and guided rest. No performance, no pressure, and nobody needing anything from you for an hour.

1–2 classes per week

Recommended classes

View timetable

You don't need to be told to relax

You already know you're stressed. You don't need an app to tell you that.

The jaw clenching you don't notice until bedtime. The shoulders that live somewhere near your ears. The 3am wake-up where your brain helpfully replays every conversation you've had that week.

You've probably been told to "take a break" by people who don't seem to understand that the to-do list doesn't stop because you've had a bath. I'm not going to tell you to light a candle. I'm going to teach you a class.

How the class works

We slow everything down. Gentle movement to loosen the places where you hold tension, breathing practice with long, slow exhales, and guided rest at the end.

For one hour, nobody needs anything from you. No emails, no messages, no decisions. My studio is a shed at the end of a garden in Wallington, and there's no phone signal. Genuinely, not a gimmick.

I won't promise to fix your workload. What I can offer is an hour a week where you put it down, and a few breathing habits you can take back out with you.

Classes that help

Breathe.Meditate.Relax

Breathing practice and guided rest

·Slow breathing with long exhales
·Body scan to notice where you're holding tension
·Yoga Nidra, a guided rest lying down

Restorative Yoga

Doing nothing, with structure

·Fully supported poses, so bolsters and blankets do the work
·A structure for resting, for people who find rest hard
·No effort, no performance

Yin Yoga

Long, quiet stretches

·Poses held for a few minutes at a time
·Time to be still, away from your phone
·Hips, shoulders and back

What the research says

1.There's plenty of research on yoga and stress, but the trials tested specific programmes, not my classes, so I won't borrow their numbers.
2.What students tell me is that the hour itself helps: an evening a week with no phone and no demands. That's their experience, not a clinical claim.

Yoga is a powerful tool for managing stress but doesn't replace medical advice. If stress is significantly affecting your health, relationships, or ability to function, speak to your GP. For crisis support, contact Samaritans: 116 123.

If you need more than yoga

Yoga helps a lot of people, but it isn't everything. If you need more, here's where I'd point you.

Talk to Luke

Psychodynamic therapy in Wallington

Croydon Talking Therapies

NHS-funded CBT and counselling for stress and burnout

Mind in Croydon

Mental health support and crisis resources

Samaritans

116 123, available 24/7 for crisis support

Common questions

Put the list down for an hour

If you only have one hour, start there. One class a week, no phone signal, nobody needing anything from you.

Book your first class Email me

Come as you are. Bring the to-do list brain and the shoulders-by-your-ears.

Read about my training.