The Zanzibar Yoga Festival

ZANZIBAR......The birthplace of Freddie Mercury, famous for it’s role in the slave trade and well known for spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, Zanzibar is a paradise of white sandy beaches, turquoise seas, avocados the size of footballs and the sweetest fruits in the world.

April is the rainy season and with rain being seen as a blessing in Africa, it is fair to say we were blessed quite a lot but only in short spells, leaving lush greenery and clear blue skies with temperatures in the 30’s.

Tanzania is a word created from a combination of Tanganyika (the mainland) and Zanzibar upon their union. It is hugely diverse with influences from Arabian, Persian, Indian and African communities. The Tanzanian people are gentle, kind, softly spoken and hugely friendly and I felt very welcomed throughout my travels.

Talking diversity, just the lineup of teachers for the Zanzibar Yoga festival was pretty impressive with birthplaces ranging from UK, Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Uganda, Kenya, India, Belarus, Slovenia and Canada and when you brought in the mix of 70 plus guests, the reach went wider still. All brought together for one reason and yet, so many reasons. Some very experienced, some total newbies and everyone in between, everyone on their own journey. It was a joy to mix with so many very different people from all corners of the globe with so many different life stories.

The night before the festival started, our organisers Sophia and Tizia hosted a team briefing and during this, we were all asked what we hoped to bring to the festival, what we wanted to gain and what we hoped to take away. For my part, while hoping to bring some energy and spread some Pilates love, I intended to fully immerse myself in the full experience and try as many diverse forms of Yoga as I could and I can claim that, despite all doubts to the contrary, I am a Yin convert! As someone always rushing and pushing for more, to surrender to holding poses for EIGHT MINUTES was a revelation and a big win!

The whole event was organised superbly and ran like a dream. Everything was optional so if you wanted to simply lie by the pool with your book, no-one would challenge you but if you were up for it, you had a huge variety of classes to choose from running through the day.

We stared with 05.30am drinks (yup, coffee for me, full disclosure) before 6am Yoga or meditation or journalling or one of the other classes available. We were asked to be silent until the end of the first class (7.30am) and it is fascinating how much you can communicate with hand signals and expressions but also to embrace some quiet and some peace.

There is something liberating about moving about in silence and it really helps you to be present.

Don't worry... as soon as that class ended, we all talked our heads off for the rest of the day!

There was a huge variety of Yoga, Ariel Yoga, SUP Yoga, (Pilates!!) dance, singing therapy, art therapy, tie dye classes, journaling, Qigong - there were around 7 different teaching spaces so lots going on all day.

It really was heaven. I was rather impressed at how I settled into a beautiful Yin class. I floated out on a cloud and thought that while I was so “zen” I would pop back to my lodge and grab my swim things and hop into the sea. The sun was setting, I was floating on a cloud and so zoned out that when a young cat jumped out of a bush, winding it's way around my legs to say hello, I screamed, jumped a foot into the air and bought the security guard running!

There were so many sessions going on all day factored around meals consisting of the most delicious organic, locally sourced deliciousness - fruit in abundance, natural yogurt with local honey, curries, stir frys, salads and vegetables, home made breads, all eaten in the large cabanna stle restaurant looking over the sea and joined nightly by a family of Bush Babies who were very keen on bananas! They came as regualr as clockwork trotting along the beams and sliding down to say hello.

I ate SO well and so much... but it was all so healthy and fresh and organic and SO delicous: oh my goodness, I am still thinking about the coconut and chickpea curry and the peanut desert biscuity things they made... as someone who does not do desserts, I miss them still!

We had some lovely stalls set up at the festival in the restaurant area to enjoy browsing - beautiful dresses, amazing organic skin care made from locally sourced products, fiery salt and honey! Also an amazing henna artist as well as masage and spa treatments.

The electricity is a rule to itself and some nights, you might have thought we were trying to communicate by morse code as the lights flicked on and off but it is the way and you get used to it very quickly. I was grateful that it behaved itself to allow me to continue teaching online for the few days before and after the festival. I started by teaching on the space outside my lodge but it was too hot (I was 2 hours ahead so the sun was well and truly up) so I moved into one of the Yoga “shalas” which was perfect until the maintenance guys decided to use that time to repair the roof and with ladders tied up around me - they clearly thought it was hilarious as I sweated and gasped through a strength class.

It was a truly wonderful vibe.Gentle, accepting, calm and supportive. Those are the words that come to my mind as I reflect on the wonderful non profit event in only it's second year.

I moved on to Stone Town for a few days which was quite an assault on the senses after all that wafting and peace. A busy and fascinating city. I visited the Freddie Mercury museum and had a guide to take me around the slave market. This was quite shocking and really quite horrifying as he detailed some of the stories and facts. We went into 2 tiny underground rooms where he explained that 50 women and children at a time would be held in one side and 75 men in the other. Shocking given that he and I were uncomfortably close just by ourselves. You could walk around the market area and there are a lot of artifacts and information to help you understand what happened - and not all that long ago....

The beach infront of my hotel was a hive of activity constantly. At school end, children were running down and jumping in the sea, using the fishing boats as dive platforms.

There was boxing training, cardio classes, a wrestling competition with much cheering on both sides, live music, running training - it reminded me of the beaches near where I live where you can just see so many people enjoying the space in so many ways, much like this.

I walked miles around the city and all it’s little back alleys full of shops and stalls selling everything you can imagine. Some of the best coffee and cake shops you could ever need provided the perfect rest stop while sight seeing. The night market is well worth a visit - very busy and lively with so many food stalls and everyone trying to tempt you. Typically, I enjoyed walking but just one day when I really felt I was going round in circles and clearly not making progress, I hailed a tuk tuk and had a very jolly driver take me back to my hotel.

While in Stonetown, I taught 2 days’ classes from the balcony outside my room, attracting a bit of attention from people lounging by the pool but to reinforce that wherever we are in the world, we can connect and keep our classes going!

And so to home, stunning sunshine and 2 very cuddly dogs. I was so tired that I went to bed early the night I returned, thinking I was having an early night at 9.30pm, not realising that my watch hadn’t updated and I was actually going to bed at 7.30pm and I went on to sleep for 13 hours!

Back to a very busy timetable and lots of things to look forward to. Can you believe we are into the final school term of the year? How has that happened? I am still mulling over my goals and plans for the year and here we are at full gallop heading into the summer term!

It has been wonderful to be able to share my trip with so many of you joining me online and I bring home with me so many happy memories, new friends, new experiences and new learnings.

There has been some teasing that maybe I will move over to "the other side"... I won't. I am way too passionate about my work but what I have brought away is how much I need to stop. Breathe. Reset.. and Sophia, if you are reading this, I may just factor in some Yin Yoga later to help me de stress after trying to work on this blogging program!

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Sitting in Southampton airport and other stuff

By juliet • April 9, 2026

I want to keep it as on point and brief as I can and here are some cold, hard facts. Doing SOMETHING is a lot better than doing NOTHING! Whatever equipment you use and program you follow is far less important than the fact that you show up. Regularly and consistently. Only 30% of adults meet the resistance training guidelines and this drops to as low 10% for older adults. What is required? Training all major muscle groups at least once a week Aiming for 2 - 3 sets per exercises Using a weight that is getting challenging by the end of the set Moving through full range of movement. Now, why this is good news is that this can be acheived in whatever form of exercise takes your fancy and over here on our Pilates mat, we tick a lot of those boxes. Going into the 100 and wishing for the end, sitting tall in your Spine Twist and pushing for JUST ONE MORE rep is meeting this! We go through full range of movement, we use bodyweight as well as small equipment, so even if you are not lifting weights, you are doing your bit. (N.b. provided this is min. 3 times a week and you are pushing yourself to max ability in each of those sessions in one way or another and bringing in bands, small weights etc for additional resistance) WHAT COUNTS BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES AT HOME BANDS, BALLS, BODY WEIGHT, LOOPS A QUICK EXPRESS SET WHEN YOU GET BACK FROM YOUR RUN/WALKING THE DOG 15 MINS IN THE KITCHEN - YOU DON'T NEED TO COMPLICATE IT IT DOESNT NEED TO BE FANCY, STRUCTURED OR ELABORATE. IT JUST NEEDS TO HAPPEN Generally ALL types of resistance training work, as long as they are performed with high efforts which means that you get to a point where you are almost at failure. In other words, choose what you enjoy as you are more likely to stick to it and work harder at ut. CONSISTENCY IS KEY and the BEST exercise programme to do is the one you enjoy and will be more likely to stick at! MEMBERS. We have multiple classes involving strength and resistance every week. NON MEMBERS - I am just putting dates together for another 4 week strength program. Please email me if you are interested. More details to follow (I am delighted to be starting a 4 week strength training session with my local running club so I really am doing my best to share the love! )

Why runners need to lift weights

By juliet • April 8, 2026

Let's start with Improves balance and coordination Improves bone density Boosts metabolism and weight management Enhances mental health Helps with daily activity A few more?! Improves posture by strengthening your core and back muscles Reduces risk of injury by strengthening joints, ligaments, and tendons Helps regulate blood sugar levels and lowers risk of type 2 diabetes Improves sleep quality and helps you fall asleep faster Enhances athletic performance (speed, power, endurance) Slows down age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) The ACSM (American college of Sports Science) is the bible of the fitness world with regards to fitness and exercise prescription and has recently done a huge survey, publishing it’s findings in a new report which has got the fitness world very excited as it is the first survey of it’s kind since 2009.