I’m the wrong side of 30 these days (quite a long way over that particular line in the sand, actually!) and as the ascending wave of 40 threatens to break on my horizon, I would like to be surfing that crest, rather than seeing my old bones crash to the bottom of the ocean.
Strained metaphors aside, the point is, I’m trying to be good to myself. I quit drinking five years ago (shoutout to NA beers!), I’ve started playing footy again, and I recently joined the dreaded gym – all in an effort to move and preserve my ageing muscles.
For this reason, as well as the spiritual implications of the practice, something I’ve always liked the idea of is yoga. However, I’ve never actually tried any type of yoga before, so beyond knowing names like ‘Downward Dog’ and ‘Tree Pose’, I’m an illiterate, if inquisitive, yoga novice.
As such, when the opportunity to join Anne Marie for a Hatha Fire session at Soul Fire, her yoga studio and holistic wellness centre just off Abbeydale Road, presented itself, I signed myself straight up.
Naively, I hadn’t fully comprehended what a Hatha Fire yoga session actually is. A quick Google told me that Hatha Yoga is about cultivating internal heat and energy and is practised at a relaxed pace, holding poses for longer for a more in-depth examination of posture and improved flexibility. So far, sounds so doable.
However, while Soul Fire Studios offers an impressive array of styles – from aerial to yin, and dharma wheel to dynamic vinyasa – it is also recognised as the hottest yoga studio in the city. Their brand of Hot Yoga (Hatha Fire or Vinyasa Fire) sees classes pushing up towards 40°C. It was going to be a sweaty one.
So, with mild trepidation, I packed my towel and, as instructed by Anne Marie, drank endless bottles of water throughout the day. I arrived early to chat with her beforehand, and she immediately put me at ease. As you’d expect from a yogi who spends a lot of time practising yoga, she’s super chill.
She takes me on a tour of the Tardis-like studio – unassuming from the street, but inside it opens into a generous space spread across several floors. There’s the main yoga rooms, the Rose Room used for events and workshops, and therapy rooms tucked away upstairs. “Soul Fire Studios is actually an amalgamation of a few things,” Anne Marie explains. “It’s the physical space – the studios, café, therapy rooms – but it’s also the community. It’s a place where people can come and find what they need, whether that’s a strong flow class or a quiet restorative moment.”
Finally, we arrive at the studio where the class is due to be held. As I step in, a rush of heat licks my face and, truthfully, I sort of love it already. I’m built for warmer climes, so I’m optimistic this will suit me.
It’s a beautiful day, and the temperature in the room is bolstered by a spring heatwave – we’re hitting around 38°C. Outside, we sit for a moment in the studio’s stunning rooftop garden, a surprising oasis above leafy Edgedale Road. Anne Marie shares more about her journey, having opened her first yoga studio in 2014 and rebranded this space to Soul Fire in 2019. “I’ve offered a lot of myself to create this space,” she says. “It feels like it belongs to the community now. People come here to feel safe, to feel seen, to feel respected for what they want to do – or not do.”
It’s then time to begin the session. The class is busy with enthusiastic participants – a mix of regulars and curious newbies like me. We ease in with some breathwork, taking long, deep inhalations and releasing them with full, audible out-breaths. It takes some getting used to, but it quickly becomes a grounding practice, one I could see becoming a helpful tool in everyday life.
Soon, we move into the poses. I’ll be honest – I’m pretty terrible. But I don’t feel left behind. Anne Marie’s teaching style is calming, supportive and never pushy. “We’re not here to just freak you out,” she had told me earlier. “It’s about inviting the heat in and feeling how your body needs that to loosen up. It’s not a gimmick – the heat can really help you drop out of your thinking mind and into your body.”
That definitely checks out. Somewhere around the 30-minute mark, as sweat starts pooling beneath me, I stop thinking about what I look like or whether I’m doing it right and just start being in the moment. That, I’m learning, is kind of the whole point.
The 75-minute session breezes by at a manageable pace. Anne Marie’s soothing voice gently guides us through the sequence, and while my balance definitely isn’t where it needs to be, I’m amazed at how connected I feel with my body for the first time in ages. It’s less about smashing it, and more about tuning in. “Yoga is presence,” Anne Marie had said. “We want people to feel connected to themselves. To feel welcome. To feel like they’re enough just by showing up.”
That sense of ease and openness isn’t by accident. It’s something Anne Marie and her team consciously cultivate. “We try to constantly find ways to help people feel connected to themselves – and we want to feel connected to them,” she explains. “We love knowing everyone’s name, checking them in, having those little moments. It’s all part of building that community.”
It’s clear that Soul Fire isn’t about exclusivity or performance, but about curiosity and connection. “We’re not here to be judgemental. We just want people to feel welcome and maybe start to get curious about what yoga really is. ”I leave feeling – for want of a better word – zen. There’s no pressure, no ego, just people showing up for themselves and each other. It’s easy to see why Soul Fire Studios has built such a loyal following over the years. “We know that if someone needs Yin one day and a fiery Vinyasa the next, they can find it here. We love that people feel they can make their own flow and be supported whatever they choose.”
Eager to keep the flame burning, I check out their package options. First-timers can access two weeks of unlimited classes for £39, a great way to try out different styles and teachers. After that, memberships start from £66 a month, depending on how often you want to practise. For more flexibility, there are 10-class passes, and everything’s easily managed online. If you’re just after a one-off class or want to dip into workshops or breathwork events, you can do that too. Not all of the classes are ‘hot’ either, so there really is something to suit all your yoga needs.
As I cool off on the roof garden post-session, sipping my water and basking in the glow of both sun and savasana, I feel something shift. I’d come looking for a way to keep my creaking limbs limber, but I left with a little more than that – a sense of grounding, clarity and, dare I say it, soul.
soulfirestudios.co.uk
