Health and wellbeing

Tuesday mornings at the Harwick yoga studio

When Leila Brandt opened her small yoga studio in Harwick, she expected most of her customers to be young and already fit. In spite [1] ______ this, the most popular class on her timetable is now a gentle session on Tuesday mornings for people over sixty-five. Many of them had never tried yoga before, and some arrive worried that they will not be able to keep up.

'The first thing I tell them is that there is no such thing as keeping up,' Leila says. 'Everyone moves at their own speed.' Each class ends with five minutes of slow breathing, which several regulars say is the part they enjoy most. One of them, a retired bus driver called Frank, now does the same exercise at home every evening. 'I try to do it, [2] ______ busy the day has been,' he says. 'Even after the worst days, it helps me get to sleep.'