Yes! If you suffer from back or neck pain, repetitive stress injuries (like carpal tunnel syndrome), arthritis, bursitis, or osteoporosis, you can not only try a class, you’re bound to benefit from it. Do let your instructor know of your health concerns prior to class.

PLEASE NOTE: If you suffer from any severe or unusual medical conditions (such as heart disease, high blood pressure, a previous head/neurological injury, a high-risk pregnancy etc), please take responsibility for your body and seek permission from your GP before embarking on any new exercise program.

There are many different types of back problems, so always seek medical advice first. We have worked with many people who have improved their backs through yoga and pilates. But we have also seen many people damage their backs through unintelligently practice. When approached intelligently, our classes strengthen the core – the natural support of the body – and can release tension that many of us hold in our backs. The main part of the practice to watch out for, as potentially putting too much strain on the lower back, is back bends – these motions should be practiced with care. Don’t work through pain in the back – ‘no pain no gain’ does not apply here. And if experiencing any form of regular discomfort, once again, seek the advice of your doctor or osteopath.

We will always do what we can, and make reasonable adjuments to meet the specific needs of every student. Please contact us to discuss these privately.

No! This is a real misconception. Yoga and Pilates is accessible for all ages, levels of fitness and flexibility. The important thing to remember is this is not a stretch class, but has the potential to go much further than that, as you start to release the deep conditioning within the body and start to build an understanding of it. Physical restrictions will dissolve naturally over time with sensitive practice. This can be done whether you are flexible or not. So, whoever you are, however old or fit you are, however long it has been since you stretched or moved, this is for YOU!

We recommend wearing loose and comfortable clothing with layers that are easily removed or added to allow for changes in body temperature during class. Be ready to practice in bare feet. This is the traditional (and safest) way to practice. One thing that we would recommend is to wear a top that you can keep on until you warm up and that you can put on at the end of a class, especially for relaxation.

The studio does provide mats to borrow, however we usually ask students to bring their own mat when possible. Not only because of the obvious hygiene benefits, but also because having your own mat allows you to have your own personal space to practice. It may encourage and help you to develop and deepen your practice at home.

If you have a rigorous yoga session that burns calories you will definitely lose weight. For us, the main advantage of yoga regarding weight loss is the way it starts to balance out the whole body as well as the mind. This, in turn, has the possibility to re-programme the body for longer results than just a quick weight-loss programme.

Classes follow a traditional Hatha Yoga format and structure as follows:

• Short Relaxation or Preparation Period
• Breath awareness/practises
• Some gently limbering/warming up exercises
• Asana/Posture work
• Breathing practises and guided relaxation to finish

Classes are always modified and adapted to suit the variety of abilities and experience of the class, and students are always encouraged to work within their own range of ability.

Ahimsa is the golden rule. It means ‘do no harm’, and that starts with you. This means listening to your body, mind and breath attentively, with an attitude of love and kindness. This ensures we have the constant, moment-to-moment dialog to make sure we’re ok. If your breathing is laboured, or struggling, it’s a sure sign you are somewhere you shouldn’t be.

A good teacher will try to protect you from yourself in class, but ultimately its your choice whether you move with ease and grace, accepting your physical limits, or choose strain and consequences. To keep out of mischief, choose wisely.

Read more on our class styles to help choose the right class for you. If you are still unsure, ask our front desk, which is manned by experts who will help you to get to the best class for your needs.

Visit our pricing page to purchase the pricing option that best suits you (you must do this before booking a class)
Then simply, click the ‘book’ button next to the class you want to attend and follow the simple steps to check out. 

We have a range of price options to suit everyone. You can pay for a single class, but if you’re practicing regularly our Class Bundles are the best choice! Check out our pricing page for details.

All our in-studio class bundles will work for online classes. This is for those rare occasions when you are unable to get to the studio.

You can pay for your classes online by visiting our Pricing page. We have created many ways to pay so that you get the best value for you. Different people want different things, but here are some guidelines. If you would like to talk through what’s best for you please ask our front desk or call 01908 566610. 

No. Courses are designed to build on each consecutive week to give you maximum benefit – helping you to build a solid foundation to your practice and help you to achieve your personal goals. It’s also a very nurturing environment when everybody in the group is progressing along the same journey together.

We kindly ask that you give us at least 48 hours advance notice to cancel private classes & treatments, or 14 days to cancel a workshop or course, 6 hours for a daily in-studio class, and 30 minutes for a live-online class. We will then offer you a full refund or a replacement class.

We regret that no refund or transfer can be given if you are unable to attend due to illness, work, family or other reasons. This applies to any private classes cancelled within 48 hours, or any workshop/course cancelled within 14 days. If a course or workshop is cancelled you will be offered either a refund or the option of being transferred to an alternative event. Before committing to a course or workshop, please ensure you can attend the scheduled number of sessions to get the most out of the programme.

All bookings are non-exchangeable. Class Bundles are non-exchangeable, non extendable and non-refundable.

No. Sorry. We cannot offer refunds or rollovers for students who are unable to attend some or all of the classes on their course due to illness, work, family or other reasons. We did in the past, until it got way out of hand with too many requests. It became impossible to manage and unfair on those students who either did attend each week or couldn’t book on as the course was full.

Before committing to a course or workshop, we always recommend you can attend the scheduled number of sessions to get the most out of the programme. Thank you for your understanding.

No. Class Bundles are a great way to buy classes at a discounted rate, available to those who have committed to a regular practice. Once you have committed to a Class Bundle, we recommend that you plan for and attend the paid number of sessions to get the most out of the discounted offer.

As the courses are not running concurrently, it’s not possible to switch between days/courses. Once you have committed to a course day and time, we suggest you check you’re available to attend the same day/time for the following sessions.

Our Newbie Offers are only available for anyone brand new to Whitespace. These are (admittedly crazy!) offers to help encourage people to stay a while so they get to experience the magical benefits of the practice. Hopefully you enjoyed one of these offers when you first came to Whitespace too! Throughout the year we ensure there are great deals for ALL of our customers including Discounts on Classes, Sales, Free Talks & Taster sessions – make sure you take advantage of these!

If you’ve already enquired or practice with us – there is a good chance you’ve got a registered email with us. You don’t need to create a new login.

The easiest way to log in, it to click ‘sign in’ and put in your email then ‘get new password’ or ‘forgot my password’. This will allow you to set a new password with the same email that Whitespace has for you.

Just search for ‘Whitespace Yoga and Wellbeing’ in your apple app store or android play-store.
I’m afraid we don’t currently have an app for Windows mobile.

Whilst we still recommend students pre-book their classes, just as is compulsory with workshops or courses – it doesn’t require the app.

You can still book online from our website schedule using your computer browser.

Mats are so easy to care for, in fact all you need to do is pop them into the washing machine.

Washing instructions

• Machine or hand-wash in 30 degrees, or cold water
• Add a tea spoon of mild detergent
• Rinse twice

Hang in a well ventilated room: drape over banister or over radiator to dry (may take up to 2 days depending on how well ventilated the room is) but do NOT direct contact with the radiator.

Breaking in

If you find your mat is a little slippery to begin with, then here are some tricks to breaking in your new mat:

• machine wash as above – this will help to increase the ‘sticky’ nature of the mat when new
• place your mat on well used floor space and walk over it to break in
• take a scrubbing brush that you would normally use for pots & pans and break the surface gently over the top and bottom of mat where the hands and feet are positioned
• place your new mat under an old mat while doing practice to break in

Good, quality mats are very durable, however no mat will last forever. You will know when it’s time for a new mat when your old mat just doesn’t have the grip it used to, when it starts peeling off and you leave a trail wherever you go, when it smells and no amount of washing changes that. Or maybe it’s just time to get a new one when you spy a great new colour!

You can be creative as you like with this one! Contact your local homeless shelter, your favourite old mat could bring so much comfort to another person’s life. Maybe donate it to another student or local charity, use it as a non-slip surface at home between rugs and wooden floorboards, as protection under pot plants. The possibilities are endless – let us know if you come up with a good one, we’d love to hear from you.

You are encouraged to do yoga during Pregnancy for your health and the baby’s health. Yoga and Pilates are excellent for pregnancy on physical, emotional and mental levels. However, for the first trimester, it is recommended you do not practise yoga (or reduce your practice if you’ve already been doing yoga for a while). This is a crucial phase and it is important that the body is allowed space to adapt to the transition. The second and third trimester are times when yoga can support and aid pregnancy – into and beyond the 40th week of pregnancy!

You will need tell the teacher about the SPD and take the sessions very gently. The teacher will give you different practices to many of the other women- your focus is on keeping the pelvis level and steady and strengthening rather than stretching.

Yes on both a psychological and physical level the yoga helps women prepare for birth- these classes are specifically designed to support the journey from pregnancy into birth and beyond.

Yes the sessions are quite gentle. If you are concerned do mention it to the teacher but nothing you do will put the pregnancy at risk.

Any time you feel ready, the baby will need to sleep and feed often in the early weeks but the classes are there to support you in the mothering journey and in that way to support the baby, as well as the practices specifically for nurturing the baby.