I'm new to yoga but I've been to about 7 classes here so far and had lots of different teachers who…read morehave all been great. It's all Iyengar yoga but there's a lot of variation between classes. I have only been to beginner classes but have now been on every day they run (all except Friday and Sunday) and the teachers all have a slightly different style. Because of that you need to try it a few times on different days I think, see what pace of class suits you. The building is tucked away off Gloucester Road and is basic to look at but has a lovely atmosphere. It's very peaceful and smells of scented oil. You take your shoes off at the door and there's 2 studios and 2 changing rooms. You pay £10 for a one hour 15 min class but you can buy sessions in bulk to make it cheaper. I bought 12 classes for £84 so that's a hefty saving and after testing the water a couple of times in single sessions I knew I'd want to go all the time. You get 3 months to use the 12 classes. They provide all the equipment for free and they make sure you're happy and comfortable. There's no pressure to tie yourself in knots from day one and no judging - a 60 yr old woman regularly kicks my a*s and I'm half her age! It's first come first served so try and get there five minutes early. I haven't been turned away yet but the size of the class is quite unpredictable. I already feel stronger and today I did restorative yoga for the first time and I loved it. It's taken until now but I'm really into it and I'm historically unfit and don't go to the gym or do any exercise. I'd really recommend this place and yoga in general, I feel healthier every time I go.

I LOVE yoga west and everything about it!! Went for a…read moremeetup.com (Bristol thrive) group meet here for beginners yoga with Anne marie and it was hands down the best yoga class i've been to so far. It's just off gloucester road on denmark street, right at the end of the little side road. Shoes come off at the door and it's bare foot/socks around the studio. The nicest man ever greets you at reception telling you info. Cost is £10 per class which is the higher end cost wise- totes worth it! The class was busy with about 15 people attending, anne marie was amazing taking into account peoples various balances, hips and strengths. Easy to follow moves with definate pushing to achieve but without injury! Calming 5 minutes at the end left us all feeling calm but revitalised. Def will be booking more sessions, really really enjoyable :)

Christ Church lies just a short walk south west of the town's mediaeval parish church of St John…read morethe Baptist, set attractively in the centre of an extensive churchyard on Christchurch Street West. History The church was built largely to provide additional capacity at a time when the main Parish church was no longer large enough to cater for its congregation, and particularly to provide more free pews (as opposed to those which were rented, as was the custom at the time). The churchyard was originally shared with St John's, but is closed for burials. It has a fine long stone wall on Christchurch Street - which, alas, has lost its railings. The building The church was built in 1817-18 to designs by the local architect George Allen Underwood (1793-1829), although much altered subsequently, most notably with new window tracery by Manners & Gill around the 1840s onwards, supposedly based on those of the church at Yatton, near Weston-super-Mare. The style is broadly Neo-Gothic (Perpendicular) and cruciform in plan, with a tall clerestory, low crossing tower and substantial aisles to the nave. An unusual feature is that the altar is under the crossing, with a later projecting Lady Chapel (now the Sacristy) added in 1929. Furnishings are decent Victorian work, including a substantial carved reredos and a later Rood erected in 1910, and some brightly coloured stained glass. The church is a Grade II* listed building. Practicalities The church has had an Anglo-catholic tradition since the mid 1850s, and provides for a friendly welcome. Parking seems relatively straightforward along the road outside.

Nearly 200 years old, this gem of a Victorian classical gothic style church sits in it's own…read moregrounds along Christchurch Street West. I always think of it as Reverse-tardis in that it's seems bigger on the outside than on the inside. But ti's well worth stopping by if classical churches are your interest. Old wooden pews, dark with age and use, beautiful stained-glass windows and a small simplicity iof style that is still grand and elegant. Choir stalls complete the package, and the local vicar is a delight - managing to bring the spiritual side of life out in an easy-listening, relevant and light-hearted package that makes strikes a chord with believers and athiests alike. A gorgeous venue for a wedding (which I had the pleasure to attend recently) and a lovely part of Frome's heritage.

Circomedia is the leading training centre for phsical theatre in Europe and has been established in…read moreBristol for ten years. It offers serious full time professional courses or three month tasters or part time evening classes for those curious to just have a go. Has a second home in a beautiful converted church in St Pauls which houses a large selection of equipment such as trapezes and rope ladders . If you just like watching circus check out their end of year show, often on at Bristol Old Vic for some high flying high quality performances.

My review is primarily for the Circomedia Portland Square, St Pauls site which they lease this…read morebeautifully restored church from the Church's Conservation Trust and have installed a permanent flying trapeze rig and a sprung dance floor. It is a wonderful space with the modern equipment and glass screens juxtaposed with the richly coloured stained glass windows and old stone font. Circomedia run a range of training courses from a two year diploma, teacher training, evening courses, workshops and team-building exercises. Some of the skills covered include clowning, corde lisse, acrobatics, juggling and unicycling. Circomedia also hosts performances here, the next one being Rapunzel and for just one short week in August, will be opening a continental style café at the front of the church with fair trade and organic produce and spontaneous circus performance

Bristol Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church…read moreof England cathedral in the city of Bristol, and was built 1220-1877. it is located at the bottom of the steep hill In Clifton an sits majestically n the green there, and opposite the City Hall of Bristol.

We came to Bristol Cathedral as the meet-up place and 1st stop on our Bluebeard to Banksy walking…read moreTour of Bristol. The Cathedral is located in this gorgeous open square, and overlooks the Bristol City Council buildings. For me, the curlicue fanciful Victorian Architecture was most dominant, but our guide pointed out the Chapter House is dated from the medieval period and various restoration and expansion efforts were continuously pretty much undertaken over various centuries, so that now the Bristol Cathedral is a beautiful and harmonious blend of Gothic - Medieval, Tudor, Restoration and Victorian architecture. Luckily its still standing as it wasn't damaged during the WWII blitz of the city. An interesting fact our guide told us was that no member of the Bristol City Council ever comes to worship here. Instead they go to a church, which is located directly opposite this Cathedral, because back at the turn of the 19th century, the then-Councillors requested the Bristol Cathedral Bishop for them to be seated closer to the front. The Bishop refused and so they Councillors decided to build their own Church, where they could be given more prominence. If in Bristol, I definitely recommend coming to check this Cathedral out. Yelp 157/ 2019

This brings yoga away from smelly yoga mats and old farts down the local sports centre or community…read morecentre and into the Heart of the city with fearsome challenge to your body. You get younger with every day not older surrounded by the occasional superhuman athlete to look up to not some anatomical failure. When I started, I was in regular pain and seeing myself in a pit of despair of losing my mobility due to back pain/fibromyalgia with a scoliosis about to set in. With a discounted membership for newbies, I went on a one year charge practising yoga nearly every day, sometimes twice a day, at their studio. For the most part, the effects were medical miracles, and though it took me many months to master some basic excercises, and some I am still only average at to say the least, the classes are powerful and stimulating and exhausting, and i have never found anything better. On the down side, i didn't lose any weight, and after you have been to that many classes of Bikram Yoga, even with the variety of friendly instructors, its difficult not to feel that the lack of variety to the program tends to take instructors and students into a realm of robotics, and its a shame that too few of the 'instructors' actually prove to us they can do the poses themselves on the day which is arguably immoral for a 'teacher'? Thankfully other classes are options, though too few of them make use of the heated room option. Whilst the statue of Indian Elephant-Head God Ganesh is cute, its not going to please all faiths. The changing rooms are often over-crowded especially in the most popular sessions. Special note must go to Vinyasa yoga teacher Jude Whitburn who is a breath of fresh air originality and surprise. Worth every penny, not cheap, but no complaints just suggestions.

BIKRAM - ok, this is not a class for the faint-hearted. You do indeed feel at some point you would…read morekill someone to be able to get out for a breath of cool air and I suspect that previous reviews alluded to this part of their experience. But there are two good news 1) it stops feeling 'masochistic' after a month of regular attendance as your body adapts 2) when you get out you feel absolutely fabulous ( from day one !) . It is the only intense exercise I have done where your body is buzzing with effort yet your parasympathetic system kicks in and you feel paradoxically relaxed. I have done various sports absolutely nothing compares to the sense of wellbeing at the end of a Bikram class. FACILITIES - I agree they could be a bit better; especially the showers. But overall there is a touch of care and gentleness - you find creams, deodorants, tampons in the bathroom for free. THE TEAM - I found the teachers wonderful: dedicated supportive and fun. There is a team feeling and sense of belonging. I have overshoot my 90days pass and all the unused entries were rescued added to my next subscription. I love this place!

Esporta is a Health Club located just off Avondale Road in Cwmbran. It used to be Club Indigo, but…read morechanged to Esporta a few years back. It features a full modern gym, swimming pool, aerobics room, cafe and children's creche, and as part fo the building there is a health and beauty section, where you can get your hair cut, nails done, waxing and other beauty treatments. I used to be a member at this gym, and the facilities are of a high quality, the staff are very friendly and make a point of saying your name when you enter and it is a great place to relax after work or on weekends. The gym does get quite busy at 5 pm though.

Tucked away in the Conservation Area this lovely gothical church stands stately at the end of…read moreTrinity Street, a testament to Frome's past, where churches and pubs nestled side-by-side almost, fighting for the souls (or wallets!) of the hundreds of weavers that flocked to the town to set up shop and trade. A fine classical facade, inside there are the soaring rooms and lovely windows that are perfectly preserved. Amd yet for all it's grandeur, it's not TOO big, and there is a very homely and welcoming feel to the place. The acoustics aren't brilliant (having watched several local school carol concerts there) but they are okay. At the side is a useful social room/centre, and the church enjoys it's own small car park - and it's own adjacent cemetary. For a quiet, enjoyable religious service in a good local community traditional church, this is delightful.

Welcoming and community driven cafe. They took this church and created something whimsical and…read moreunique. I was just there so the interior was decked out in Christmas fair. Mostly older patrons who appear to come often. Many were groups of friends who bring games to play and I talked to many who have been coming for years. They had a childcare or play areas for parents to sit and play with their kids as there was carpeting and children's interactive games and such. About a quarter of the space was dedicated to a fund raiser which helped raise funds for 17 local charities. They were selling packages of Christmas cards and ornaments. I bought some items myself. Even being a church it didn't feel downright religiously inclined. All were welcomed and no push of any religion was obvious. Such a brilliant idea to upscale a space that may go empty when not in use and transform it into such a community driven space. I loved it. I had a peppermint mocha with my partner as we needed a break to sit and catch a break from all the hills in bath. Ordering and seating wasn't as obvious when we got there. They had limited space and you needed to stake out an empty area as some seats and sections of tables have numbers so as to indicate to the cashier. This created a scramble for my partner to run around and find and empty area and then wave across church to the cashier as to where we would be. Luckily the cashier knew what number it was from memory. I think a simply sigh indicating maybe the steps needed for this. Honestly giving out numbers like they do at a restaurant may be more efficient. All in all it was a fun experience and I wish we had this in the states. Such a novel idea to transform a church like this.

This place confused me. The signage said "Church and Cafe" which seemed off so I had to check it…read moreout. It ended up actually being a...church which was primarily a cafe at least the time I was there. The main church area was the seating area for the cafe and it was busy. I grabbed a coffee and snack and enjoyed my short stay here.