Meet Our Team
Our trustees
My main motivation for becoming a teacher was to pass on the practices to people struggling with mental health problems. Having struggled with anorexia nervosa for many years, I found the practice of yoga improved my quality of life, mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing and body awareness.
You don’t have to have a mental health problem to benefit from yoga, in fact boosting these things can help you build resilience to ward off or reduce problems in the future.
Having worked for a local mental health charity and led a county-wide campaign to end the stigma and discrimination that surrounds mental health my interest in this field runs deep – mental ill health itself doesn’t discriminate and it effects 1 in 4 of us in any given year.
The precursor to Cumbria Yoga Foundation was back in 2018 with the first Yoga Day in Carlisle – a free day of yoga, meditation and mindfulness supported by Carlisle City Council and many amazing organisations and wellbeing leaders. It’s so exciting to be part of a truly grassroots movement and to see the organisation grow and support people across the county.
Katie began to explore different styles of yoga in her early twenties. Initially, she thought of the practice as an exercise class with added benefits for her mental health but as she learnt more, she began to understand that yoga is a collection of practices including but not limited to movement, breathwork, meditation and ethical living.
Katie’s curiosity about yoga in its wider sense has had her learning and unlearning both on and off her mat for more than twenty years. She is particularly interested in making yoga, in all of its forms, more accessible which is how she became involved in the Cumbria Yoga Foundation.
She has never forgotten how much courage it took to attend her first yoga session, even with the privilege of being a white, straight-sized, non-disabled person in a space that welcomes slim, bendy, white people just like her. With this in mind, her classes are designed to be welcoming and accessible, inviting individuals to explore the practice from their unique perspective in a way that feels good for them.
Katie teaches Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative and Chair yoga and has a particular interest in making yoga spaces more welcoming for LGBTQ+ folks.
When she’s not on her yoga mat, she can usually be found out in the fells.
Kath Houston is a career coach, a university lecturer and published author of career management books such as ‘Changing Career to Change your Life’, ‘You Want to Do What (100 alternative career ideas)?’ and the co-authored book ‘How to Succeed at Assessment Centres’. Alongside this career patchwork, she has had long-standing in wellbeing and the practice of yoga. She counts herself blessed to have had the opportunity to practise yoga with a range of skilled yoga teachers and is committed to promoting yoga for all ages and for healthy lifetimes.
I’ve been practicing yoga for over 20 years, since discovering it at university – and teaching yoga in Cumbria for almost 10 years.
I specialise in pregnancy and postnatal yoga, teach yoga for birth and recovery, and hold regular women’s circles. I also teach aerial yoga in beautiful rainbow hammocks in a small village near Penrith.
Yoga is for life, and your practice will bend, change, and flourish alongside you. As a mother of three, I have experienced this through my own physical, mental and spiritual evolution. Everyone can benefit from yoga practices, and I’d love everyone to have a try and see for themselves. I am particularly interested in opening up yoga spaces to those who might think they ‘can’t do it’, and welcoming along families to enjoy yoga together, and take it’s wisdom home with them.
My current yoga practice focuses on a strong vinyasa flow. My background is in contemporary dance which led me to taking yoga classes in my late teens, I’ve been practicing yoga now for roughly 12 years and gained my 200 hour teaching certificate in June 2020 whilst I was living in Berlin and have been teaching since then.
As of April 2024 I’ve been based in Cockermouth and teach at the Better leisure centre there and in Workington. I also have a level 3 personal training qualification from NASM so that, paired with my background in dance means I really like to find the easiest ways to cue postures and alignment as well as ensure everyone in my classes feels safe and capable to take their practice in the direction they need to that day, which is probably why my most repeated phrase must be “your body, your practice”!
I’m a strategic and creative marketing professional with a passion for authentic storytelling and building meaningful connections. With over a decade of experience across brand, content and community engagement, I love helping people connect with ideas that inspire and uplift.
Yoga has been a steady part of my life for many years. I value its ability to strengthen the body and calm the mind in equal measure, and I’m passionate about making its benefits accessible to all. Outside of my Yoga practice, I’m a keen hiker, horse rider and netball player, spending as much time as possible outdoors, connecting with nature and calming my mind.
Giving back to my community is incredibly important to me. I’ve volunteered locally for many years, particularly supporting elderly people through companionship and conversation. Being part of the Cumbria Yoga Foundation gives me the opportunity to combine my love of yoga with my desire to help others and support a cause I truly believe in.
Our project team
Hi I’m Natalie from Nat’s Yoga. After practicing yoga for 20 years, I began sharing yoga professionally 2 years ago. It has been an incredible source of support and healing through my own mental health struggles. It has been such a pleasure to share with the Healthy Hopes group in Workington. We find the time to stretch, breathe, laugh and be present.
We welcome anyone to join us for this time to be mindful within a community space.
Community-hearted and community-led, our activities bring people together in welcoming, familiar spaces.
Give the gift of yoga in your community
Just £10 gives a month of our community sessions to someone who otherwise wouldn’t be able to access the therapeutic benefits of yoga.