About Us
The Space
The Space is a beautiful community-based yoga space in a very special part of Dorset, Studland. It’s surrounded by stunning countryside and just minutes from the beach. This former Wesleyan Chapel has been renovated to create a light, bright and warm practice space, with underfloor heating and a woodburning stove to keep it cosy on Winter mornings.
Our aim to to create a warm, nurturing environment in which anyone, whatever their experience, can have the space to explore their practice, developing deeper awareness on all levels as they focus on breath and movement. We share this beautiful and empowering practice in a very traditional and authentic way, in small class sizes so that we can offer plenty of individual attention. Our teachers are highly experienced and teach everyone in a way that meets their individual needs, as we have been taught ourselves by our own teachers.
We opened our doors in July 2014, and offer a range of regular classes, workshops, retreat days and private yoga classes for all levels of ability and experience. Our weekly sessions include Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga assisted self practice classes, Hatha Yoga classes, Beginners’ courses and classes, Meditation and Yoga for Pregnancy. We also run specialist workshops, intensive practice weeks and private classes and non-residential retreats, both with our own team of experienced teachers and some amazing teachers from our international yoga community too.
People often say to us ‘I’m not flexible enough to do yoga’ but you really don’t need to be. We welcome all new students here, whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced practitioner we are here to support your practice. It doesn’t matter what age you are or whether you can touch your toes or not. This is an incredible wellness system and is as much about breathing and awareness as it is flexibility. More than everything else we believe that it is a wonderful tool for life. There is also something quite special about creating a sense of community as people come together to practice.
The Team
Helen McCabe
Director and Founder
Helen has practiced yoga since 1991 and has been teaching for over 17 years. She is based in Dorset and teaches weekly classes, including the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga guided self-practice and Hatha yoga classes, as well as teaching beginners’ courses, mentoring new teachers and teaching pre-natal Yoga. She runs regular retreats and workshops both in her own space and internationally.
Helen started practicing yoga, as new mum-to-be, working in an exciting but stressful job in the film industry and immediately recognised what an incredible tool for life it was. It has played a major part in her life ever since. She is a JSY senior teacher as well as a registered Senior Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance Professionals and has had the privilege of studying with a number of fantastic senior teachers over the years, including John Scott, Lucy Crawford, David Keil and Dena Kingsberg, amongst others.
Helen teaches with a gentle, inclusive and incredibly encouraging approach and is passionate about supporting students to connect to the energetic and meditative aspects of the practice of yoga so that they can cultivate a resourcing self practice of their own. She considers herself to be a student first and foremost and is Currently furthering her study and knowledge of yoga as a therapeutic practice through the Yogamedicine® advanced teacher training programme. She is a qualified Level 1 coach with Align Somatics and is continuing her training and exploration somatic movement alongside her yoga practice.
She is also passionate about the importance of building community. As a mother of two grown up daughters the involvement with the Urban Yogis UK project which looks to share this practice with young people is also very close to her heart.
Justine Deudney
Teacher
I discovered Ashtanga yoga after the birth of my first child in 2007 and have been practising ever since. When I subsequently moved to Dorset I was unable to find an Ashtanga teacher. So I decided to enrol myself on a teaching course with the renowned John Scott. Since then I have been lucky to meet a wonderful yoga community in Dorset and find a fabulous teacher in Helen. I completed my teacher training with John Scott Yoga in 2015 and am registered with the Yoga Alliance Professionals.
Sandra Charlton
Teacher
Sandra is a GP and long term practitioner of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga as well as being a keen cyclist. She has completed both Level 1 and Level 2 teacher training with John Scott and Lucy Crawford and we are really lucky to have her at the Space sharing yoga with our community here.
Yoga is a beautiful practice which I have been fortunate to learn under the guidance of Helen McCabe since 2008. In May 2015 I completed my Level 2 Yoga Teacher Training with John Scott and Lucy Crawford (asana teaching), David Keil (yoga anatomy) and Greg Nardi (yoga philosophy). For me yoga is a wonderful journey. It challenges my discipline and patience, fosters humility and gratitude and encourages me to explore the relationship I have with myself and others. I have been a GP for 22 years and over this time I have been increasingly aware of the impact that our daily living patterns have on our bodies, minds and general wellbeing. I believe yoga can provide enormous physical and mental health benefits all from the simplicity of a small space and a mat! I am a keen cyclist and director of Blue Sky Cycle Tours. A company which takes small groups on personalised Alpine road cycling adventures. With this in mind I teach specific Yoga for Cyclists classes in addition to traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa Flow. I wish to thank all the students and teachers who enrich my journey and as Guruji said “Practice, practice and all is coming”.
Narmin Mohammadi
Teacher
Narmin is has been on, and sometimes off, the mat since 2000. She is a long standing student of John Scott, Lucy Crawford and Dena Kingsberg.
She is a great believer in the power of play, and enquiry, in the yoga practice, having had many light bulb moments during her own play sessions.
She shares what she has learned with her students, while encouraging them to deepen their practice through their own self enquiry.
She is also passionate about the importance of building community. As a mother of two grown up daughters the involvement with the Urban Yogis UK project which looks to share this practice with young people is also very close to her heart.