Team Dharma - Yoga Dharma

Fran and Martin have a unique and inspiring teaching style. Born out of their utter dedication to their own practice and each other. For the past 45 years they have been exploring Yoga practice as a way of life and warmly share this with their students, family & friends.

They have developed a distinctive style which is challenging, dynamic & deeply supportive of the individual. They have been blessed to have worked with many renowned teachers including Pattabhi jois, Dharma Mittra, David Swenson, Danny Paradise, Venkatesh, Brian Cooper and Ana Forest. They have studied in India for extensive periods, enabling them to offer a blend of tradition and contemporary insight to yoga for Westerners.

Martin brings calm authority, discipline and focus while Fran brings nurture, creativity and laughter, together they offer a profound yet unpretentious wealth of experience which they share generously, enabling their students to access their potential.

Want to know more about our fabulous team? Here are they are!

Martin Thompson Yoga

45 Years Yoga Experience
Martin has a life time of yoga experience behind him beginning his yoga journey 45 years ago. Martin trained with the worlds leading teachers including Brian Cooper and Patabi Jois. Martin is a Union Yoga Certified Ashtanga ...

Fran

Fran is:

a British Wheel of Yoga Diploma Course Teacher ,
has trained with Brian Cooper of Union Yoga to gain a Union Yoga Teaching Diploma,
has completed the Yoga Alliance UK Teacher Training Course ,
and is a certified member of ...

Lola

In 2012 Lola had a riding accident which fractured her spine, neck, shoulder (and broke some ribs, too!) After physiotherapy she tried Pilates and then discovered yoga and never looked back. She fell in love with the philosophy and history of yoga...

Michelle

My earliest memory of yoga was watching my mother during her home practice in the early 1970s, I was fascinated by the beautiful postures, their names and their associations with nature and animals.

I began my own journey over 30 years ago when I met...

Alex

I went to my first Yoga Class 30 years ago, with my sister Fran. She had wanted to practise since she was a child and it was something new to do on our day off together. From the moment I walked in, I was so inspired by all these people in their...

Pete

Pete has been practising yoga for 20 years and teaching for five. Having studied the various forms of yoga individually SIVANANDA, IYENGAR and ASHTANGA he has concentrated his practice around ashtanga and pranayama. He believes in the healing and transformational...

Elaine

I also teach Anatomy and Thai Massage workshops at Yoga Dharma. I am a chartered physiotherapist and Thai massage therapist. I have been going to classes at Yoga Dharma for ten years, but my first attempts at yoga were in the seventies.

Over the ...

Steve

Steve has been practising yoga for 10 years and has recently completed the two hundred hour teacher training course at Yoga Dharma.

By profession Steve is an art & design teacher at Seevic College in Benfleet, and has a studio in Leigh where ...

Nicky

Nicky has recently completed teacher training at Yoga Dharma.

She found that as a full time mum and career for her two sons, Reggie and Alfie, both with ASD and SLD, she was experiencing stress, anxiety and panic attacks. After starting to come to...

Sue

Yoga has been part of my life for over 10 years. I had been exercising for many years before I started yoga and was in to keeping fit and going to the gym regularly.

I went to my first yoga class with the mindset this was just a different form of...

Kirston

In 2014 I, by chance, met Fran as I was passing by on my mobility scooter. I had my mobility scooter for 10 years and was told that I was going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. This was a very low point in my life.

I started coming to...