March 2026 Newsletter – Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre

Goodbye Winter, welcome Spring!

The days are feeling longer and lighter, and all the joy and beauty of Spring is beginning: snowdrops, daffodils, and primroses will make way for bluebells, wild garlic, red campion, and the fresh, vibrant greens of new growth.

Sun Meditation
Go outside at dawn and greet the sun,
Think about how the dawn stretches from pole to pole,
Think about the earth’s position side on to the sun as it makes its annual orbit around it,
Marvel at the universe we are part of
Feel the warmth of the sun on your face,
Feel the sun getting stronger and stronger.

As we welcome the Spring, we have two workshops to celebrate the Spring Equinox.

Sian Lalita Alcock offers her Spring Equinox workshop, a half-day retreat where you are invited to embrace balance, transformation and renewal. Through gentle yoga, mindful movement, healing, meditative yoga nidra, reflection and ritual, this workshop will mark the turning of the wheel of the year.

Arianna Puran Udini is offering a Spring Equinox ‘Chanting For Peace’ and ‘Venus Gong Soundbath’, harnessing celestial energies by chanting a beautiful Mantra for Peace, and then relaxing and enjoying a beautiful Gong Sound Bath… Venus is particularly associated with peace, harmony, loving self acceptance, and serenity, all qualities we need more of now.

New Workshops

A big welcome to Lucy Warwick, who brings us a new workshop, Hypopressives, which is a breath work and movement practice that restores function in the pelvic floor and core. The unique breathing technique and specific poses improve prolapse, leakage, pelvic pain, diastasis recti, dysfunctional breathing patterns, poor core function and posture. You can find out more here.

In February, Magdalena Atkinson and Ruth Mitchell had a wonderful first workshop, ‘Awakening Inner Gifts’, exploring Gene Keys and transformation. They have added three more workshops to continue their work. Their second workshop in March is called Awakening Freedom. Each workshop is a sacred container for transformation rooted in one gene key and its unique potential.

Maxine Craig is offering another workshop, Stillness in Motion – Zen, a half-day retreat. Experience the invaluable nature of ‘Zen’ with this invitation to return to centre and rediscover the quiet that resides within you.

Guiding you gently through traditional practices to explore true mindfulness, the art of knowing the present moment.

Whether you’re just curious about Zen, or have been walking the path of practice for a while, this experiential workshop welcomes everybody, offering insight into how we can gain direct access to, amongst many things, better overall physical health, mental clarity, emotional stability and empathy, and a deepened sense of connection to all things.

Helios – Movement Under the Sun

On Tuesday, 31st March, we are collaborating with Dorchester Arts with Helios, a new touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram. Measuring seven metres in diameter, the artwork features a detailed imagery of the Sun’s surface.

Family Yoga with Sharon Cox-Button
Exploring body and mind, with movement, sound and relaxation inspired by the sun for all the family. Session runs: 5pm – 5.45pm.

Qi Gong with Tim Button
Learning a qigong routine called the “Ba Duan Jin” which is good for both physical and mental health, and is accessible to most people. Mentally, the exercises require concentration and focus, which can take us away from everyday concerns. Session runs: 6pm – 7pm

Yoga Under the Sun with Sharon Cox-Button
The Sun was a great inspiration for ancient yogis. Come and explore your body and mind with traditional yoga techniques: movement, breathwork, chanting, meditation and relaxation. Suitable for all. Session Runs: 7.30pm – 9pm. All sessions will be accompanied with the Gong played by Arianna Puran Udini.

You can find more information or book here.

Children’s Yoga Classes

The 30th March is the first of our Open mornings for the new children’s yoga classes starting in April. Kim is offering four Open mornings in the Easter holidays to come along and try her children’s yoga classes. These will start on Mondays after the Easter holidays. Find out more here.

Uncomfortable Truths

We come to the last of our 8 Uncomfortable Truths that we have been looking at each month.

8. If they really wanted to, they would! 

Are you still waiting for your phone to light up with their text, or maybe they told you they had to call you back and left you hanging? It hurts to realize that people you love and care about may not always feel the same way about you. The wiser approach is to come to terms with it sooner rather than later, so you don’t end up wasting your time. If you need to force someone to make an effort to keep a relationship alive, be it romantic or platonic, you are better off not having them around at all. Yes, it is painful to admit, but you need to let go of those partners, friends and family members who take you for granted and don’t see your value. Instead, go to where you know you are loved and appreciated.

It is always better to be honest with ourselves about how we feel and what it all means. Living in denial of our problems and flaws is not going to do anyone any good, and staying stuck in our problematic ways will get us nowhere in life. It might feel scary, difficult and overwhelming to confront our issues head-on, but the only way to get past our problems is to get through them, and at the end of the day, an uncomfortable truth is much better than a comfortable lie.

Yoga Therapy has also come to be recognised as an effective complementary treatment to support those with mental health issues. Meditation is one of the more effective tools of Yoga to strengthen the mind and help alleviate many of the symptoms of mental health issues.

Enjoy March,

Sharon

Looking ahead to April

Three year Viniyoga Teacher Training
The 3rd to 6th April 2026 is the first weekend of the 3 year Viniyoga Teacher Training course taught by Kim Burnham and me. To become a Yoga teacher is to step into a path of responsibility, enquiry and transformation. It is an opportunity to engage deeply with one of the most ancient and sophisticated disciplines of human understanding; a tradition that is both philosophically profound and practical in daily life. More than a collection of techniques, Yoga is a process of inner refinement. It supports physical vitality, emotional balance and psychological stability, while guiding us towards deeper insight and self-knowledge. In doing so, it invites us on a journey towards the heart, the inner source of wisdom and creativity. Through this process of self-understanding, we become capable of guiding others. The teacher of Yoga does not impose change but facilitates growth, supporting individuals in discovering their own strength, balance and clarity.

If you have been considering Yoga Teacher Training, we can still fit in one or two more participants, so contact Kim or me if you would like to know more. Of course, many people take a teacher training course not to become a yoga teacher but to access the amazing teachings and undergo the process of transformation for their own development. You can do this training without wanting to be a yoga teacher!!

Subtle Anatomy of Yoga
From the 4th to the 6th of April is a 3 day seminar, Subtle Anatomy of Yoga, taught by Dr. Kausthubha Desikachar. It is part of the teacher training course if you have signed up for that, but it can be taken as a standalone course. For details, see here.

Moon Manifesting Reiki Baths
Rachel Tapping and Lucy Bowtell are bringing a new monthly workshop combining the magic of the New Moon, the deep healing of Reiki, and the integration of sound – all designed to help you manifest with clarity and power.

Each month, you can learn about the unique energy of each moon phase and zodiac sign.

Friday, April 17th 7-9pm: Aries – Courage & New Beginnings