Determined to jemmy a few hours of you-time into your hectic week? There’s a wellness hub in Broadway you need to know about. At Yahra, tucked away in rolling countryside near Broadway, you can double dip into yoga classes and wellbeing treatments. Muddy dusted down the yoga mat, and went to see what it’s like.

***Fancy a treat? Keep reading for a SPECIAL MUDDY READER OFFER of £10 off all 60 minute facials and massages, taken before the end of Feb (code below)***

THE LOWDOWN

A wellness hub located in the countryside just minutes from Broadway, Yahra promises to help you press disconnect on the world for a few wholesome hours. Offering yoga classes in a super modern, Scandi-vibe studio, with teachers for all abilities it also has two treatment rooms where therapists will happily pamper you from head to toe for as long as you’ve got.

Owner Emily Sailes (above), a Pershore girl by birth, is a trained beauty therapist and yoga teacher. After spending time training in London, Australia, and at the swanky Daylesford Bamford Spa, she opened the doors to her vision of a wellness hub just over three years ago now.

Whether you’re a nervy newbie or a power-move pulling pro, you’ll find a class here to suit, along with Reiki, sound healing, breathwork sessions, cacao ceremonies and pop-up events. There’s no hidden studio sign up fee, you just pay as you go, so it’s really easy and affordable to dip a toe in to see if you like it.

THE CLASS

A team of ten teachers (including the fabulous Cindy Lin, winner of Best Yoga Teacher in the Muddy Awards 2023) rotates on the timetable so don’t worry, there’s a personality to suit every mat bunny. The same goes for types of classes, pick-n-mix whatever you fancy, from gentle Hatha and Dynamic Flow to Ashtanga. Whilst I won’t pretend I know what half of that means, clearly there’s something for all tastes!

Full confession klaxon, I got really into yoga in lockdown along with the rest of the world, but I haven’t set foot in a yoga class since. I know, embarrassing. But motivated by annual health kick guilt, and the number of Chablis bottles in my recycling bin, it was time to get haul my unfit self back into it.

As my skill level hovers between Rubbish and Optimistic, I opted for the four week Beginner’s Course, which is great if you’re an easily-daunted newbie. There is also a weekly New to Yoga class if you want to learn the foundations before joining other classes, or if you just want a refresh.

Emily has created a well-thought out, one-stop sanctuary in Yahra, and stepping through the doors on a chilly winter’s day the place feels like a big warm hug. The open plan reception is really welcoming, start your visit with a free cup of herbal tea, or take a browse around the wellness shop before your lesson. One thing I also loved was everywhere you go you’re followed by an aroma of essential oils.

There are dual changing rooms with showers, and lockers for bunging all your stuff in, really good if you’re coming to or from work, and want to leave looking like you haven’t broken a sweat rather than a hot mess. Shoes are left downstairs before making your way up to the studio, which is a beautiful space, with shafts of sunlight streaming in, views across to the hills and a wide expanse of mirrors so you can pose it up like a pro.

If you don’t have your own, there are free mats and bolsters to use in the class too. Our teacher for the session was Shasha Crow (above), a yoga expert and reiki master with more than 20 years experience. Guiding our small group of six women (which was a reassuring mix of ages, and sizes) through a series of Hatha yoga stretches and poses, she shows you how to build up to each one slowly, making it all jolly easy to follow.

Over the course of the hour-long session we must have covered around 15 different poses, and I liked that the hard work bit was combined with easier breathwork and meditation moments.

There’s no judgement at Yahra, just lots of friendly help to get you where you want to be. At the end of the hour I came away from the class feeling energised, confidence boosted and uplifted, no mean feat. Even a few weeks on, I still have Shasha’s wise words ringing in my ears… ‘what the mind forgets, the body remembers’ she said, and I do feel like I could strike at least one passably good asana (yoga speak for a pose) on demand now. Has it inspired me to take it back up for good? Definitely.

THE TREATMENT

What better after an hour of contortion than a wind-down treatment? And Yahra comes up trumps here too. The treatment space is all zen white walls, seagrass accents and that amazing aroma again. There’s a really tempting set of treatments to opt for, from full body massages and pedicures to an extensive range of facial treatments (and a Hot Stone Massage coming later this year).

I booked in with therapist Leah for the Full Body Massage and it was a total treat for the senses. Yahra uses a massage oil range called Comfort Zone, which is divine Italian oil brand that I’d never heard of before, a mixture of orange blossom and soothing Vetiver. It was a heady combo and I genuinely fell asleep at one point as she gently melted away the week’s stresses. Plus there’s a lovely, pitched just-right, level of relaxing background music (aka no awkward silences).

Another major plus point? The treatment menu is one of the most reasonably priced massages you’ll find anywhere in the Cotswolds in my opinion. A full hour-long massage is £63, it’s often double that, which made me love this place even more, making it eminently affordable for a treat.

Yahra loves fine details, and after your treatment you get to slide into a robe and slippers and put your feet up on the lounger in the Relaxation Room for as long as you want, I mean, total bliss. It was so restful looking out onto the Cotswold countryside, with a cup of steaming herbal tea.

WHAT ELSE?

Yahra’s mini wellness boutique. The reception area has a bijou shop space, which sells gorgeous eco and vegan products that are used throughout the spa and studio. So you can smell as good at home as you do when you come here.

In the summer classes are also sometimes taken outside to the fields that surround the hub, so you can stretch it out in the sunshine.

MUDDY VERDICT:

Good for: Yoga bunnies, the mat-curious masses and holistic beauty hunters. Yahra is a divine place if you want to ramp up your energy levels, learn expert asanas from the best, or just get totally pampered.

Not for: Lovers of Doga, Yoga, Noga. Classes at Yahra are what I’d term ‘classic yoga’. Anyone who wants a large, bustling studio, the studio prides itself on its intimate, zen-like feel.

Fancy a treat? *** SPECIAL MUDDY READER OFFER *** Get £10 off all 60 minute facials and massages, taken before the end of February. Quote MUDDY10 when booking.

For more information on classes and workshops head to yahra.co.uk or visit @yahra.uk.