About us
Award Winning Yoga Studio
‘Best Yoga/pilates Studio in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire’
The Breathing Space is more than a yoga studio – it’s a Yoga Shala – or House of Yoga. Here you will find Yoga rather than mixed disciplines or Yoga for body fitness. The traditional teachings of Yoga Philosophy shine through all our classes and workshops and our team of teachers are committed to a life-long pursuit of Yoga and all its challenges and beauty.
Derby City Centre’s first Yoga Shala is not just beautiful, housed in the 17th century Coach House of Friar Gate, but also welcoming, cosy and full of personality. We have two beautiful practice rooms offering a wide array of yoga classes as well as ‘bijou’ therapy suite offering, reflexology and massage therapies to promote your wellbeing.
We offer clean and secure shower and changing facilities and a community space where you can enjoy complimentary Yogi Tea® and relax with friends before and after your yoga class. You can even find an exclusive, customer car park right next to the studio.
Inside the Breathing Space:
- Studio One has state-of-the-art infrared heating to aid muscle relaxation and flexibility during practice. Also fitted out with everything needed for an aerial practice.
- Studio Two has magnificent 17th century king truss beams and an abundance of natural light to awaken the senses and please the eye.
- A props cupboard filled to the brim with goodies to make your practice accessible or extra challenging (depending on how you use them!); bolsters, bricks, blocks, chairs, straps, balls, blankets, beanbags, eye pillows, aerial silks, cushions… We believe in bringing the postures to the body – not just the body to the postures!
- A cosy, beautifully appointed, private treatment room, offering holistic therapies and massages.
- A homely community space where you can grab a complimentary Yogi® tea and spend some time relaxing before and after your yoga class or therapy.
- Clean, welcoming changing rooms and showers.
The Team
Christine Mason
Christine started her Yoga journey in 2006 when she sought a form of physical exercise to alleviate chronic back pain. After several years of practice and continued improvement in her physical condition, she developed a strong home practice which incorporated more subtle practices of breath work and meditation.
Following her passion, Christine spent three years living in Bangalore, India with her family, where she trained in the Bihar, or Satyananda, style of yoga. Whilst in India, she fell in love with the concept and reality of a Yoga Shala - a place of yoga, deep learning and community.
Christine has studied a range of Hatha styles and pre-natal yoga and continues to be a committed Yoga student. She is determined to share an authentic yoga practice based on the philosophies of the Yoga Sutras and traditional principles, honouring her teachers in India.
Christine is passionate about inclusive Yoga. She believes that every body is a ‘yoga body’ and it isn’t about being bendy or a certain type. She teaches chair yoga, volunteers FREE yoga at a local charity and enjoys practicing with aerial silks and a range of props because it allows practitioners to meet the practice with their body wherever they are on their journey.
Having begun her career as a primary school teacher, she is also an experienced educator who enjoys the opportunity to teach children and families how to bring Yoga into the home.
Bel Harvey
Bel came to yoga as a teenager, attending yoga classes in Derby with her mum. The physical practice was very rewarding, but it was the unexpected calm and relaxation that followed that really got her hooked. The skills she has learned over the years from her practice have helped her through exams, work stress, two complicated pregnancies, the transition into motherhood and a multitude of challenges life has presented.
Bel has qualifications in Hatha yoga, pregnancy and post-natal yoga, children’s yoga, partner yoga and mum and baby yoga. She has been teaching yoga in Derby since 2012 when she set up Derby’s very first children’s and family yoga sessions and delivered her signature Yogaberries classes in school and nursery settings.
She practices a Hatha yoga style incorporating classic yoga postures, breath awareness and relaxation, integrating elements of movement, pranayama (breathwork) and conscious relaxation. Bel also practices restorative yoga and offers this style to people who are looking to deepen their connection to themselves and seek a calm yoga practice that works at an emotional level.