so•ma
The body as distinct from the soul, mind or psyche.
Soma translates to 'moon' in ancient Sanskrit and represents the Moon God in Hindu mythology.
At SOMA Wellness, we believe that yoga doesn't have to be pretentious. Nor life changing. Nor for the stereotypical 'yoga-type.' We simply want to offer a space for people to gather, to move and to feel good about themselves. Then hopefully the life changing stuff will follow...
We are real, raw and honest people who believe in bringing a real, raw and honest practice to EVERYONE. Expect to laugh, perhaps fall, perhaps meet a friend or find yourself entirely surprised. But come with no expectations and certainly no judgement.
We are two dreamers who scrawl our ideas on the backs of receipts, who struggle with technology and who love the beauty of connection. So, we might not be the greatest at admin but damn, do we deliver with passion. And somehow, our little business stays afloat and keeps thriving. People keep leaving with a smile and we often get blown away by the heart-warming feedback we receive. Something's working. For us, and for you. So keep stepping back on that mat, baby, cause it looks good on you.
Where did it all start, we hear you ask...
For two free floating hippies, ironically SOMA started online. Rachel, a previous student of Carole Newbaulds School of Dance noticed it was looking rather neglected. After a few enquiries Rachel also came to learn it was vacant. With a background of dance and a mighty passion for yoga, Rachel wanted to find someone who would be up for a project. Cue Georgie. Rach did some digging and found George. An up-the-duff dance and yoga teacher with little money but big dreams.. 6 hours and about 494 facebook messages later...the pipedream of SOMA was born.
She had long existed in each of our minds – and simply required a lot of caffeine fuelled meetings, creative vision and a deep dive into the savings account until we were able to finally create our little studio. We had one main intention – to build a studio that could impact the lives of those living around us. We wanted to create a space whereby people feel warmth as they enter, a space for people to unwind over a post-yoga coffee, a space for children to explore their worlds through learning and movement, and finally a space away from home whereby people could seek a moment to pause, unplug and check in.
"it was when I stopped searching for home within others and lifted the foundations of home within myself I found there were no roots more intimate than those between a mind and body that have decided to be whole"
- Rupi Kaur
CLASSES
We offer a whole heap of classes that roll out weekly to fill your wellness cup. Whether you're an experienced lotus flower, complete yoga newbie, desiring a dose of dance or fitness fan - we got ya. Check out our classes below...
WORKSHOPS
To keep things fresh at SOMA we have a range of exciting events.
With monthly supper clubs, menopause workshops, retreat days, quarterly birthing workshops and plenty of kids activities – we aim to bring an extensive list of fun to you lovely people. Please see our list of upcoming events, workshops and pop up classes and if there’s anything you‘d like to see at the studio that we’ve not yet done – please let us know and we’ll do our best to make it happen!
SMALLS
HIRE THE SPACE
Now, lets not forget the littles! One of our favourite things about what makes our studio so unique is that we are big on kids. Or big kids. Or both. We offer classes from in-utero to tween! We're really about ALL ages accessing the magic and power of their bodies. Our classes and clubs are playful, creative and educational - expect to leave messy, invigorated and feeling wonderful.
Please get in touch to get your free taster for our kids yoga/kids ballet or kids dance classes...and keep your eyes peeled on our socials for our upcoming kids camps.
Our beautiful and snug little space is located in the heart of Otley, a thriving market town in the North of Leeds. The studio is on the upper floor of an old town house and was formerly used as a Dance and Theatre School. The space is light and open and with many original features (such as beams and windows), which gives it plenty of character and charm. At Soma, we offer a variety of classes all centred around the premise of ‘wellness’ and with this comes a thriving community of people who utilise the studio as their own mini-wellness hub.
RETREATS
TEAM SOMA
Now, we promise this is 'work.' But yes, we do offer annual retreats. We aim to host one UK based weekend retreat and another overseas week long venture. Currently our retreats sell like post-Covid Glasto tickets, but if you'd like to register your interest for 2025 then please send us an email and we will add you to our growing interest list.
Team Soma is a beautiful group of unique being's of whom we love very much. Each of them are experienced and passionate yoga/movement wizards who bring their own flavour and freshness to our space. With our wonderful yoga family in full swing you can absolutely expect us to tick your wellness wish box. We got hatha, vinyasa, ashtanga, mens, hot, restorative...the list goes on. To find your perfect imperfect teacher, please read a bit more about them and what they offer below...
