After nearly a whole year since my accident and breaking my leg, I was still suffering with chronic pain in my hip and leg - unable to do every day tasks and fearful that I may never get back to living my normal lifestyle.  I had a new daily routine of just taking painkillers.  Then after a chance encounter I met Helen who could see that something was not right with me and she offered to help me. With her vast experience and knowledge of yoga therapy, she invited me to join her in her amazing studio for some sessions, which at that time I had no idea how yoga therapy would work, but I had exasperated every other medical advice that was offered to me and felt I needed to give it a chance. incredibly, after our first session I got home and looked at my staircase, which for a year I had been unable to get up and down without holding the banister and taking each step slowly one at a time.  I instead marched straight up the centre of the stairs like it was nothing and once at the top I felt like I'd just climbed a mountain. With my partner looking on in disbelief I walked straight back down again without the need to hold on and it just felt incredible.  Our weekly sessions continued with extraordinary results each week, which was another step further towards me being pain free.  After only 4 weeks I feel like I have turned  a massive corner and I'm not suffering anymore.  I now feel I have the freedom and confidence in my own body and that is thanks to Helen. I'm not sure words are enough to express my gratitude to Helen as I feel she has given me back my normality which was just a distant memory after a year of chronic pain and suffering.  I would recommend Helen to anyone that is not in a good place and suffering and let her work her magic. - RB

I came to Helen for help with chronic pain which I have lived with for many years.  It was causing sleep issues and a lot of mental strain and I had decided it was time to try something new.  Since I began yoga therapy with Helen my pain has reduced and I feel better able to manage it through breathing and mindfulness.  I  look forward to my sessions each week as they are a relief from my pain, and I notice how much calmer I feel when I leave, Helen is very patient but also frank and honest - she delivers the right nudge when I need it. - HM

The yoga for insomnia course more than met my expectations; it was brilliant. Knowing the background unravels the mystery and being able to pick and choose different techniques is so helpful. I am able to go back to sleep much more quickly and feel like I fully understand the process which reduces so much anxiety around sleep. - AC

The science we were taught on the sleep course was fascinating! Although inconsistent I have managed to catch a good night pf sleep here and there which proves it can be done. Knowing the why is so empowering! - LH

My sleep has started to improve and honestly I just feel so much less anxious.  Which I now understand was probably causing half my problems in the first place. I used to lay awake half the night and my bed had become a war zone. Now I feel calmer because I know what's going on and what I can do about it. - AM

I loved this course.  So much helpful information - technical and practical, and I loved the friendly and open approach. Pretty sure it will continue to help me and I will probably carry on reading and discovering the things Helen told us about. - DF

The breathing workshop was amazing.  It's made me realise how important breathing and breathwork is within my practice and in everyday life. My husband now practices coherent breathing and feels so much benefit from it.  He has suffered depression and trauma in the past and this is something he is finding so interesting and helpful. - CP

Helen's breathing workshop was brilliant, I leant so much.  I knew some of the exercises already from Helen's yoga classes but this workshop put it all together into a bigger picture. It really helped to make sense of how different breathing practises can help with different situations, and what they actually do to out body and mind. It was really empowering to learn that we can change so much by simply taking control of our breath. Helen's knowledge and passion is wonderful. - LD

Such an inspiring couple of hours at the breathing workshop.  I really enjoyed the science behind it all, which was made easy to understand and also the exercises.  All beautifully delivered in a very friendly and open atmosphere.  I have been doing some of the exercises every day so was definitely inspired.  It was really brilliant! - AH

I have been going to Helen Bashford Yoga for over three years and would recommend her classes to everyone. I started out as complete novice and have slowly and steadily improved my breathing, flexibility and strength and this has been done with patience and excellent coaching on her part. So, get involved and see those improvements yourself! - DO

I came to Helen stiff as a board from a lifetime of contact sport and weightlifting, and can honestly say I have never felt more balanced. The additional, and I would say even greater, benefit has been the impact on my emotional wellbeing. I truly notice a zen like calm after classes that lasts days - win win all round, thanks Helen! - DR

Helen's ethos of yoga and mental health being interlinked really struck a cord with me and after 6 months of trying to find a suitable yoga class I took the step of booking a 1 to 1 session with her. Helen did not disappoint and even after a few sessions I have found myself sleeping better, breathing has improved and being able to manage better the stresses and anxieties as a result of bereavements over the last 2 years. Helen is a great listener, very empathetic and works with you and your abilities as well as having this amazing ability to break down into simple terms what is happening with the body and mind and how yoga and breathing can help your body and mind. Its early days but for the first time in over 2 years I am feeling more at peace with things, getting far less stressed and finally being able to sleep better. I love my sessions with Helen and really feel she is passionate and invested in sharing her vast knowledge and experience to help us mentally and physically. I would not hesitate to highly recommend her to anyone. - YL

I really do look forward to Helen’s small, intimate classes and never fail to leave feeling calmer, taller and recharged. Her classes are varied with the opportunity to push yourself (but only if you so wish) and also combine wonderful breath work with lots of insight into yoga for the mind. I am so happy to have found this little yoga haven and couldn’t recommend enough. - LP

I was a complete beginner when I started yoga with Helen and have loved every minute of her classes. I mostly attend the power yoga sessions, and love the fast pace, meaning as well as stretching it also get my heart rate up and I often leave sweating! Helen has an incredible knowledge of the benefits of yoga for mental health and is always incorporating techniques to help us with this, particularly different breathing techniques which have been so helpful in normal situations (especially during the last year!). I recommend Helen to anyone wanting to practise yoga, whether a beginner or a fully fledged yogi! - LB

Absolutely amazing!! Helen is fantastic!! If you are thinking of joining a yoga class then you should definitely consider joining Helen's. Helen is a fantastic teacher, making you feel at ease, whilst tailoring the class to meet your needs with a balance of relaxation and encouragement to improve at the level and speed you wish to do so. I look forward to our yoga sessions each week! - SM

Loved Helen's deep rest course. She has such a calming demeanor, even virtually via zoom, and was so knowledge and clearly passionate about what she does. Always felt so chilled afterwards, and was rewarded with a great nights sleep after every session. Would not hesitate to recommend Helen as a yoga practitioner to anyone, from beginners to experienced yogi's, and think everyone could benefit massively from her knowledge, patience, and compassion. - KF

I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Helen or Helen’s classes. Helen has a true wealth of theoretical and practical knowledge alongside her yoga training, and a knack of making it relatable, personal and understandable, which she brings to her all of her classes. It’s something I really enjoy and haven’t experienced on the same level in other classes I have attended before, and has made such a difference to the benefit I gain from the classes and courses I have attended with Helen. I always leave feeling I have gained something and 100% glad I’ve been. Often as though my body and mind have been re-set. Thank you! Thank you also for always being so willing to share and discuss any queries or issues I have specifically in relation to myself and my own practice. And for giving me the confidence to practice yoga when I started as a total newbie with not a clue and a paranoia of getting things wrong! - EW

Helen is a guru of yoga and how it can help improve mental health conditions. She has a wonderful approach and I thoroughly recommend her services to anyone wishing to incorporate the magic of yoga in life's journey. - MA

I've recommended Helen's classes to so many people - she's absolutely brilliant. I've never really got on with yoga before, but was struggling with burnout this year and thought I'd give Helen's classes a try. I've now done three different courses with Helen and found them all really helpful - I came away with enough knowledge and confidence to be able to practise yoga at home, and a good understanding of how to use breathing methods to manage anxiety and stress. She gives really practical advice, with a gentle, warm and empathetic teaching style, and I love the way that she focuses on the science to demonstrate why techniques are effective. Thanks Helen! - SC

Helen has such knowledge and passion around her specialism, she personalised a post-covid yoga breathing plan for me when I was struggling to get back to health form the virus. Within two weeks I had seen a complete turnaround in my health. Can’t thank her and her knowledge and experience enough. - LH

I’ve loved every class and course I have done with Helen. Her knowledge is second to none. I was a complete yoga novice and because of having rheumatoid arthritis I thought yoga wouldn’t be something I could do, but with Helen’s advice I have not only been able to do her classes but also found the benefit of doing so. I can’t thank her and recommend her classes enough. - ST

Helen is a fabulous yoga instructor. She has a wealth of knowledge on mental health, yoga and breath work, and explains all of it in a very coherent way. She is highly empathetic and has a calming and uplifting energy. I have just completed a 6 week online deep rest yoga with Helen, including yin, breathwork and Nidra - so lovely and much needed relaxation. - JL

Helen is a wonderful empathetic yoga teacher for all levels. Her classes are inclusive and holistic. I recently attended her deep rest classes which were restorative and focusing. Amazing. - PS

AMAZING! I was a complete Yoga Novice and got introduced to Helen, and for the past couple of months have been having a weekly session. My eyes have been opened and my body and mind have become slightly addicted! The stretching, the twisting, the movement, the strength, its all amazing, the breathing techniques and the way the body reacts to small movements and alterations is simply awesome. the science behind it is fascinating, and Helen is brilliant at explaining it all and giving small but great tips and suggestions to make your body work and 'switch on'. i love my weekly session, and come out feeling energized, relaxed and my mind and body very much alive. Cant thank Helen enough for the way she practices her yoga and passes it on. it is clearly a passion of her's and that shows in the way she passes on her vast knowledge. - CM

I had my first class with Helen in September 18. I had just been to my first yoga class elsewhere and although I enjoyed it I felt I wanted something a bit more challenging.  I saw Helen's poster on the Rugby Club's wall offering power yoga and decided to give it a go.  It was the best decision I have made and I can honestly say Helen has changed my life! I am definitely not an airy fairy soppy sort of girl and what always put me off yoga was the thought that it would be all incense sticks and chanting and whilst that is great if it's your kind of thing it is definitely not mine.  Helen's classes are challenging in as much as you can push yourself but only to a point you are comfortable with.  I had no real previous experience of yoga when I first joined her class but I never felt anything other than encouraged by both her and her other students.  You can build up a sweat and push yourself to your absolute limit, or you can simply rest in child's pose - whatever you feel like doing is encouraged by Helen and everyone is super friendly in her classes; her vibe definitely attracts her tribe. What I particularly love about Helen is that she gives you the science behind what she is teaching you.  She has taught me how to breathe properly, which has massively helped my anxiety and depression.  She has taught me TRE which is amazing.  I have done her insomnia course and can now sleep through the night again after 15 years of broken sleep, and I cant wait to go on her retreat day in March.  I could go on and on about Helen, she is simply the best yoga teacher and one of the best human beings I have met. Go to one of her classes, you wont regret it!  - SD
 
I have found yoga more helpful than I expected.  I originally came to Helen with quite severe anxiety and stress and I was a complete yoga novice. I find Helen's classes a challenge, but I like that - I feel like I have achieved something and I usually ache the next day.  I notice that when I miss a week I start to feel twitchy and anxious so I know that yoga is doing me good.  Helen is very knowledgeable about yoga, and the mind, and beyond that she is very encouraging and kind.  I feel like I get much more than a yoga class, I also get a lot of education and emotional support.  Cannot recommend Helen's classes enough. - LB

I have PTSD and found Helen by accident.  I didn't really think that yoga could help me, but I was desperate so tried some 1-2-1's just to see.  After the first session I remember telling Helen that I got a glimpse of the old me again, and I had a bit of hope that things could change.  I have been having sessions for some months now and very slowly I do feel like things are changing...I am calmer and more in touch with how I feel, whereas before I just felt numb.  I am feeling stronger, both physically and mentally.  Sometimes I feel like I take a step backwards but I also have faith that it is temporary and I am still going the right way.  Helen is so supportive and understanding and I don't think I could have got the same benefits from a normal class. There is something about having someone that understands, and cares, and who can explain things clearly that I think is priceless. - PL

1-2-1 yoga has been a life line for me in more ways than one.  Helen has helped me battle chronic fatigue, anxiety and depression.  Out of everything I have tried to help my anxiety and depression (and I have tried every treatment under the sun) yoga has been the thing that has helped me the most. - HP
 
My personal mental health story probably started 4.5 years ago when my mum's cancer diagnosis moved to terminal. However it was only after the traumatic birth of my son, the shift into parenthood, and my father's sudden death that I finally admitted all was not well. With PND, PTSD and bereavement hanging over my head I started yoga with Helen (I last dabbled with yoga 5 or so years ago with an aim to have the flexibility of a gymnast).  This time around I am less concerned with flexibility as yoga offers me so much more; it softens the hum in my head and has taught me how to connect my mind and body (even if it's emotional).  I feel mentally and physically stronger and I am much more resilient to the ebbs and flow of life. I am sleeping better, I'm much more present and less anxious on a day to day basis. - CH

I've always thought breathing was just something you did and breathing techniques were mumbo jumbo...how wrong can you be.  Since starting yoga 4 months ago my life has changed for the better.  I have been claustrophic for many years; lifts and crowds being my main phobias which can make life difficult.  Now I find I am using breathing techniques all the time, and in the last few weeks have been able to get in lifts and trains without panicking.  I still don't like them and may never be entirely comfortable but learning to breathe and practicing yoga has made an enormous difference. - BB
 
I have tried gym yoga before but was always put off.  I didn't know what I was doing, the classes were so big I felt lost,  and usually left feeling like I hadn't done anything.  Helen's classes are different and that's why I love them - they are small groups and Helen will spend a lot of time showing me what to do and how to make the pose feel better/stronger so I leave feeling my body has been worked. I now feel like I actually know the poses properly and could probably walk into any yoga class and feel confident that I know what I am doing. -AR 
 
Anxiety had increasingly taken over my life and I had learnt to uncomfortably sit with it whilst wearing a very convincing mask to the world.  It was exhausting.  I constantly felt like my body was revving and firmly stuck simultaneously.  I decided to give yoga a go with Helen and I openly admit my resistance, both mentally and physically, was well known - it became a standing joke! I also decided that I hated the classes but for some reason I found myself returning, still resisting, twice a week. My hatred began to turn into a love:hate relationship as I began to notice every time I left a class a layer of 'something' had peeled away.  I felt calmer, more grounded, and I slept better too. Like many I went to yoga to increase my flexibility but that became an added bonus when I realised how incredibly effective yoga is for our mental health. I still resist somewhat but I still turn up and I feel far better than I did 18 months ago.  I know yoga helps alleviate my anxiety, I'm still working on the resistance.  - KW

I had been following Helen on Instagram for a few months and then in Febuary 18 started weekly 1-2-1's and it has been amazing! I started yoga for anxiety and it has changed my life in so many ways. Helen brings something very unique to a class that I have never found elsewhere. I have always been someone who has said no to a yoga class with other people; someone could suggest it and I would never entertain the idea - my low self esteem would not allow it. In June, with the help of my 1-2-1's  and Helen's positive and gentle encouragement I went to one of her classes which was fabulous. I never in a million years thought I would be able to practice yoga with other people but I did and I loved it, and that's all down to Helen encouraging me but with no expectation or pressure and for that I am so grateful.  I now try and go to 2 classes as week but I still make sure I can get in my 1-2-1 because I get something different from a 1-2-1 - we will adjust a session based on what's going on for me.  Helen's knowledge is priceless; it enables me to understand what is going on in my mind and body both on and off the mat. - NS
 
I have just finished the 'Yoga for Anxiety' course.  I wish it wasn't finishing, I have loved every second of it.  I found the course super interesting and helpful, especially understanding the science.  I use the techniques in my day to day life and feel much better for it.  I definitely feel calmer and think less irrationally.  It has changed me as a person which I really did not expect so I could not be more grateful. - LS

There really isn't anything I would change about the course (Yoga for Anxiety).  It was a great mix of yoga, mindfulness and breathing which have all been really helpful. I liked knowing why we were doing certain things and how it worked. I left each class feeling really chilled, like I could just go to sleep. - AB
 
I really enjoyed the course structure (Yoga for Mental Health) as it was a really good balance between practicing yoga, breathing exercises and learning the theory and biological explanations behind how it all helps to keep the mind and body healthy.  I really enjoyed the science bits as I find it very helpful when I can rationalise the physical symptoms of anxiety and better understand what I can do to help my brain and body through.  I found the breathing exercises really effective at taking me out of my head and they are a tool I use everyday.  I think one of the most positive things is how at ease I felt during the session.  I left feeling totally chilled out and I slept so well which, as someone who struggles with sleep, is a huge achievement.  Some group exercises for stress/anxiety actually end up triggering much higher levels of stress in my experience, but this did not at all.  - SM
 
Helen is so knowledgeable about yoga and mental health and I feel like I can ask her anything; from questions about my sleep pattern to questions about my diet. She is one of the least judgemental people I have met and whatever I say she just seems to 'get'.  I have spent many years feeling ashamed of my anxiety and trying to hide it, but everyone in Helen's classes are so lovely I feel like I can be myself and if I'm having a bad day no one minds. - AM

I have never done yoga before so was really nervous but found everything so calming.  I found it fascinating and am now much more aware of my breathing and how it effects my anxiety. I slept like a baby after the workshop (Mental Health Workshop).  It was a really enjoyable day. - HS

I have been having classes with Helen for 6 months but wanted to try the mental health workshop.  I found the day really helpful - having everything laid out at once was amazing.  When it is explained how much our breathing affects our mood it is so obvious, but I was completely unaware.  I loved the workshop and found it extremely relaxing to the point I fell asleep during the last meditation! - KP
 
I thought a 1-2-1 might be helpful as I have had knee and hip surgery (and need further surgery) and thought it might be helpful for the teacher to see what I could and couldn't do.  I quickly realised it was more about my own confidence and mainly my fear of certain movements; I am very guarded because of fear of injury and pain. Having 1-2-1's gave me more time to voice my concerns without feeling like I was holding the class up.  I learnt that there is no 'right' way to do yoga and I can get in the positions as best I can. When I joined a class, instead of fretting that I wasn't doing it right I was able to get into the pose the best way for me and feel happy.  I am now joining class lessons every week and feeling happy and confident with what I am doing. - SW