Resilience & Hope

Practices to bring compassion, love and caring to your inner and outer world

“If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear.”  ~ Joanna R. Macy


It can be hard to face the mess the world is in, from the climate crisis to environmental destruction, to wars, famine and pandemics. Often, we switch off from it all as it’s too much to bear or if we let it in, it creates fear, sadness and depression.

Building Resilience & Hope through yoga and mindful compassion can help us navigate uncertainty, overwhelming emotions and ultimately take action to contribute to a better world.

Through this 7-week yoga & mindfulness course, we will learn to balance awareness, wisdom and presence with kindness, open-heartedness and love, to enable us to choose how to respond to these challenges. 

This in turn, can help us deal with our own personal challenges, uncertainties, set-backs, pain and disappointment.

We’ll explore practices that can be used on and off the mat and discover any blockages that may be preventing our mindful compassion from flourishing. 

There will be a strong, physical, alignment-based approach to the dynamic flow classes and an insightful, meditated quality to the gentler, slower paced classes. 


When does it start?

This course starts on Wednesday 3 January 2024, and you’ll have 6 classes to choose from, in 5 different styles throughout the week. See the full timetable of classes HERE and below.

Location

IN-PERSON - Classes take place at Heartwood Forest, AL4 9DQ when the weather allows.

When we can't be outside we're at Highfield Park Trust, AL4 0RA for the following classes:

  • Wednesdays 10.00-11.00 - Gentle & Restorative
  • Wednesdays 18.30-19.30 - Yin Yoga
  • Saturdays 09.30-10.45 - Flow & Reflect

ONLINE - Monday Classes are ALL ONLINE

ALL classes throughout the week are also live-streamed and recorded via Zoom.

I use professional sound equipment so it sounds as if I'm in the room with you (according to my students!).

PLUS I'll be on hand to answer any technical issues you may have.


How to join?

You can book this series of classes for £112.00 HERE which will give you:

  • Access to one in-person or live online class per week,
  • Access to all recordings from this course,
  • A friendly WhatsApp group to ask questions and share thoughts.


Or you can choose to join the membership HERE which will give you:


If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – [email protected].

"An inspiration"

by Cathy Washbrooke

“Louise is a skilled yoga teacher. Her knowledge and skill in the various types of yoga she offers (flow, yin yoga and yoga Nidra) is highly developed and Louise offers much more as she weaves mindful practices into her yoga sessions to create a mind and body practice. Her latest programme, Mindful Compassion, is an inspiration, allowing me to fully relax and find a more compassionate relationship to myself and others.”

Here's what you can expect each week

  • Week 1 - Exploring Resilience & Hope

    Week 1 will be an introduction to the course with an exploration of how we can resource ourselves through yoga & mindful compassion to build Resilience & Hope.

  • Week 2 - Growing the Good

    This week we'll touch on neuroscience and see how our incredible, malleable brain can be rewired to deal with stress, changes and uncertainty.

  • Week 3 - Self-Compassion

    Kindness towards ourselves is not selfish, it’s essential if we are to truly embody mindful compassion. This week we’ll begin to explore practices that we can use on and off the mat that nurture this quality within us.

  • Week 4 - Active Hope

    This week will explore how we can grow our capacity to make a positive difference in the world through Joanna Macy’s ‘Active Hope’ practices.

  • Week 5 - Practice Playfulness

    Our practice, like life, can be serious but it doesn’t always need to be, and when we remember to practice playfulness, we awaken our innate creativity, wonder and joy and see that there is not just one way of looking at the world or our situation.

  • Week 6 - Grit & Grace

    This week will be about encouraging our perseverance, determination and courage to grow, whilst allowing grace to touch our lives, heart and soul.

  • Week 7 - Widening the Circle

    Our mindful compassion practices are like sowing little seeds within and as they begin to grow and flourish, we see clearly that we are all connected, we are all one.

"I love the variety and convenience"

by Sally Bond

"I am so glad I decided to join your yoga classes online. I can’t tell you how beneficial I have found them. I love the variety and convenience of the classes and more than anything the spiritual side and mindfulness that you bring to the classes. I have found the last few months difficult to deal with but your classes have helped me so much."

Your Teacher

'Yoga gives us peace and clarity in order to see the beauty and wonder that is all around us'

Louise Neicho

Having spent the first 20 years of my professional life working in and with Nature I feel a deep connection to the natural world that has promoted numerous benefits in my life. Combining this with a love and appreciation of yoga and mindfulness that spans over two decades has enabled me to share practices that help us connect more deeply with Nature and ourselves. I have completed over 1000hrs of yoga and mindfulness teacher training and in 2023 I received a distinction for my master's degree in Mindfulness where my thesis focused on the wellbeing benefits of connecting with Nature. I can honestly say that yoga and Nature has saved my life on more than one occasion, and I don’t think I would be the person I am today if it wasn’t for my practice. To bring all of this together is simply a dream come true and I hope you will join me and our like-minded community soon.

"Positively affect my day"

by Lindsey Hamilton

"Taking time out to think about your wellbeing (both physical & mental) shouldn’t be a luxury but we almost treat it as such. Lou’s classes make me focus on my whole well being, the sunrise yoga classes help me set my mindset & positively affect the quality of my day."

Your Questions Answered

  • How is this different to other yoga classes?

    This course is designed to take you gently and slowly into the deeper layers of the mind, each week building on your understanding of the workings of the mind and the tools and techniques that you can use on and off your mat. The difference to regular yoga classes is that we focus on one particular emotion or area of the mind, as well as a physical focus in the body each week. You get to explore this theme for a whole week on and off the mat, building your awareness and focus.

  • Which class should I choose

    There five different styles to choose from each week and how you choose will depend on whether you have practiced yoga before or not and what you would like to gain from your practice. If you are new to yoga or haven’t practiced in a while, I would suggest starting with the Gentle & Restorative, Yin Yoga, Meditation and Yoga Nidra. If you are familiar with vinyasas then you’ll love the Flow & Reflect classes on Monday mornings and Saturday mornings and if you’re looking for more stillness, deep physical stretches and meditation techniques then Yin Yoga will be for you.

  • What do I need to begin?

    You will need a yoga mat and comfortable clothing that you can easily move around in, PJ’s work well for this! For some of the classes you will need some props, but we have been experimenting with household pillows, cushions and blankets in place of traditional yoga props. I will let you know at the beginning of class what you need.

  • Other questions?

    If you have any other questions that are not answered here, then feel free to contact me on [email protected].

"Balanced classes"

by Liza Timpson

"The courses are a wonderful balance of discovering the physical sensations of yoga alongside meditation and mindfulness. I really look forward to the online sessions and still feel connected to a community. The latter is created by Louise who has been fantastic at developing her clients’ ability."

"I can dip in and out at a time to suit me"

by Finola McManus

“ What I love most about Lou’s courses is that I can dip in and out at a time that suits me and I can decide at the time if I need a gentle or a more flowing practice. I know it works because on the rare days I miss a practice, I find myself less settled and more stressed. Thank you Lou for creating these courses. They are brilliant”

Full Course Content

Classes start on 3 Jan and recordings will be uploaded within 24 hours of taking place

  • 1

    Week 1 - Exploring Resilience & Hope

    • Gentle & Restorative, Week 1 - Exploring Resilience & Hope
  • 2

    Week 2 - Growing the Good

    • Yoga Nidra, Week 2 - Growing the Good

    • Meditation, Week 2 - Growing the Good
  • 3

    Week 3 - Self-Compassion

    • Yoga Nidra, Week 3 - Self-Compassion

    • Meditation, Week 3 - Self-Compassion
  • 4

    Week 4 - Active Hope

    • Yoga Nidra, Week 4 - Active Hope

    • Meditation, Week 4 - Active Hope
  • 5

    Week 5 - Loving-Kindness

    • Yoga Nidra, Week 5 - Loving-Kindness

    • Meditation, Week 5 - Loving-Kindness
  • 6

    Week 6 - Grit & Grace

    • Yoga Nidra, Week 6 - Grit & Grace

    • Meditation, Week 6 - Grit & Grace
  • 7

    Week 7 - Widening the Circle

    • Yoga Nidra, Week 6 - Widening the Circle

    • Meditation, Week 6 - Widening the Circle

"I've gained so much more than anticipated"

by Emma Scinaldi

“I have been joining Lou’s classes for over 2 years now and thoroughly enjoy each lesson. My motivation was to gain physical strength so I can keep working out as a get older, but I have gained so much more than I anticipated. Lou puts a lot of effort into theming each term, Lou shares her knowledge on the mat but also provides lots of resources ‘off the mat’ which can be accessed easily through her new website. We are currently working on Mindful Compassion, I particularly gained from ‘Self Compassion’ and ‘Future Self’, we are all so busy that we rarely take time out to think about how we can be kind to ourselves and how we want to be. As Lou takes as through our yoga poses she also takes time to share her knowledge and ask reflective questions which I have found really thought provoking.”

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