A NEW yoga studio is the latest addition to join a street already jam-packed with independent businesses.

Everybody Studio, which previously was based on St Clements, has moved to Magdalen Road – and now occupies a space four times the size of its previous building.

The new studio, which opened for the first time this week, aims to make everybody feel welcome and comfortable when attending yoga classes.

Founder, Katie Gordon, who lives nearby in Cowley said: “When I started doing yoga, I always felt quite self-conscious, because I have a fairly normal body - I don’t look the way people would expect a yoga teacher to look.

“And I thought if I felt like this, lots of different people would also be feeling excluded.

“So, it is important for me that we have created a studio that is super welcoming, and anyone can show up to.”

The new studio, at 9 Newtec Place, will host yoga, Pilates, and barre classes.

Inside the studio, there will also be an office, co-working facilities, and a space for workshops, such as evening art classes, that the local community will be encouraged to use.

The main aim of the space is to create an inclusive and accessible environment for all those who want to partake.

“We are aiming at people who haven’t tried yoga before.

“We have people of all sorts of ages – my oldest client is 72, but we also have students who come down a lot – so we try to cater to a diverse audience.

“We are also going to start kid’s classes and more gentle classes for those with limited mobility.”

The move follows lockdown easing, with restrictions on face-to-face classes now being lifted.

Ms Gordon said: “Because we had a smaller space in St. Clements, we were limited with what we could accommodate to keep in line with social distancing.

"During the lockdown, we took our classes online, which worked well, and we’ll continue to offer that via a library of online classes.

“However, there is something special about people moving together, and the in-person interactions at a real-life class.

“I spent a lot of time at the Missing Bean coffee shop during lockdown and saw the to let sign on the building next door.

“I kept thinking what a great studio space it would be and eventually asked the agents if it could work for us.

“We want the space to feel like a friend’s living room, and people to know that they are welcome here, whether they think they are a ‘yoga person’ or not.”

To find out more about class timetables and prices please visit www.everybodystudio.co.uk