Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

How a ‘thriving’ Fife yoga business is stretching its reach

"It has surpassed our expectations. Both in terms of spreading the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar, but also as a business."

Participants head over heels at a Yoga on Tay class. Image: Kenny Smith/ DC Thomson
Participants head over heels at a Yoga on Tay class. Image: Kenny Smith/ DC Thomson

The owners of a yoga studio in Newport-on-Tay say it’s surpassed expectations since taking it over five years ago.

Yoga on Tay says it is the only Iyengar yoga school in Tayside and Fife.

This form of yoga is named after B.K.S Iyengar,who developed the style. It is said to come from a firm physical, spiritual and philosophical base.

Behind the Fife venture are Julie Anderson and Marieke Dwarshuis.

The pair said: “This is our first business venture together, and the first time either of us have owned actual business premises – and we have been delighted to make a success of it in such a short time.

“It has surpassed our expectations. Both in terms of spreading the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar, but also as a business.

Yoga on Tay owners Julie Anderson and Marieke Dwarshuis. Image: Kenny Smith/DC Thomson.

“We have been pleasantly surprised by how it has steadily developed into a thriving Iyengar studio.”

A typical working week for the busy owners takes in everything from teaching yoga to cleaning toilets and holding professional-development events.

“Running a studio is incredibly time-consuming and we have certainly burnt the midnight oil on occasion.

“Mostly it’s manageable but there are moments when there is not enough time in the day,” added the pair.

How yoga can help with illness and injury

Yoga on Tay has a team of five who all teach Iyengar yoga.

There are normally about 100 students attending classes every week. This increases when there are events such as workshops, retreats or holidays.

Marieke added: “Word of mouth is working very well for us these days.

“We regularly receive requests for more classes – and especially for more-specialised therapy work.

About 100 people of all ages attend weekly Yoga on Tay classes. Image: Kenny Smith/DC Thomson.

“Julie is a senior Iyengar yoga teacher and also a qualified Iyengar yoga therapy teacher.

“She can help on a 1-2-1 basis or with small groups on issues ranging from anorexia to multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s.

“The student can hope to gain some relief from their condition.”

Julie, who has been teaching Iyengar yoga for the last 25 years, said it is common for clients to look for help in managing injured knees, backs and shoulders.

‘It’s not just for young women’

Students that visit the Fife yoga business are of all ages. They range from those in their 20s right through to others nearing 80.

Marieke said this age mix illustrates that Iyengar yoga is accessible for all.

“Teachers have been trained to adapt the poses and the teaching so that all can get the benefit. It certainly is not just for young women with flexible bodies.”

Some people travel from as far as Inverness and Newcastle to attend the studio. Image: Kenny Smith/DC Thomson.

Another thing that illustrates the appeal of Iyengar yoga is the significant number of students who travel up to an hour every week to attend classes.

Marieke, who relocated to Scotland from the Netherlands in the early 1990s, added: “We have occasional visitors from further afield when we run specialised workshops or training events.

“People come from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Inverness, Glasgow and the Borders, and occasionally even from Newcastle.”

Conversation