The Cake & Yoga Club Story
Cake & Yoga Club is a welcoming place that serves a generous dose of tender loving care in the form of classes at our beautiful studio in London, events, an online membership, retreats, a collection of sustainable clothing and our glorious community of cake gobbling yogis.
A big, warm, freshly baked welcome to Cake & Yoga Club (CAYC, pronounced ‘cake’ - happy coincidence!) It is such a pleasure to share our story with you.
To me, cake is the purest representation of celebration, happiness, love and togetherness. Cake brings people together. It nourishes the soul. It is the ultimate TLC.
The practice of yoga came into my life initially to aid my pesky scoliosis. However, it wasn’t until my early 20’s that I discovered the link to mindfulness and the way yoga filters into every aspect of life. Regular run-ins with anxiety completely altered my perspective on the practice of yoga. Rather than a physical sequence of poses to strengthen, it became an opportunity to connect with myself, relish in the simplicity of breath, movement and choosing to dedicate time to truly nourish.
“Something within me switched, I felt determined to change the way we speak about the things that make us so happy.”
In awe of how much yoga enriched my life, I had a f*ck it moment and decided to embark on yoga teacher training.
I learnt so much about myself and the process completely changed the way I look at and treat my body. Rather than a physical aesthetic that is supposed to look good, I learnt to see my body as an incredible tool that was strong, magic and totally fascinating.
It wasn’t about achieving a particular pose, or burning calories - but how electric I felt in the movement. This learning shone a bright light on the way we speak and think about food and exercise.
Cake is often seen as ‘bad’ and the norm is to feel guilt about ‘indulging’ therefore we exercise almost as if it was punishment for being ‘naughty’. Something in me switched, I felt so determined to change the way we speak about the things that make us so happy.
“It ain’t about handstands, fancy clothes or touching toes. Yoga is a continuous practice made to be messy with many wobbles. It’s about learning to let go, to chuckle when things go a little pear shaped.”
As I began to teach public classes across London, I noticed that students came and left the studio without speaking to a soul. I remembered a pearl of wisdom from my main man B.K.S. Iyengar that resonated with me:
“Practitioners of the asana alone often forget that yoga is for cultivating the head and the heart. Patanjali talked about friendliness, compassion, gladness and joy. Friendliness and grace are two qualities that are essential for the yoga student. In yoga class, students often look so serious and separate from each other. Where is the friendliness? Where is the compassion? Where is the joy? Without these, we have not achieved the true yoga of Patanjali.”
And so, Cake & Yoga Club was born on the 28th of April 2019 in Highbury Fields. 100’s of yogis came along armed with cake and the shared joy of TLC.
When Coronavirus hit the UK, the community navigated into an online space. This was initially an incredibly daunting process, but the silver lining is our CAYC crew is now far beyond London. We have welcomed in cake gobbling yogis from all over the world, and for that I am so grateful.
We hope we can serve you with the TLC, wiggles and good times you deserve.
In 2021 Cake & Yoga Club ventured south of the river and settled in Earlsfield, South West London.
We firstly formed a cosy, pop-up abode in the beautiful hall of Earlsfield Primary School. Fairy lights in abundance, diffusers, good music and plenty of homemade chai latte and baked goods to enjoy mat-side whilst you practice.
We now have our very own studio nestled amongst the trees by the River Wandle, running a full timetable of classes as well as epic events and even a book club. Thank you for joining us on the journey that continues to unfold, here’s to more cake, yoga and TLC.
