If you’ve ever felt a bit tense about starting a creative project, then I can thoroughly recommend giving yoga a try beforehand.

At the weekend, I taught my first adult workshop since the pandemic, working alongside another teacher for a day of yoga and ceramics.

It was great to get back into this sort of class – the pandemic brought a halt to so many plans.

The session took place at the Crossfit Cairngorm gym in Aviemore, with yoga teacher Izzy Dubois leading the way through a series of stretches and poses.

Suitably relaxed, everyone took a walk through local woodlands to find inspiration and materials for their next challenge – making a pinch pot.

Sitting around the table in the gym was a wonderful communal activity and we were all calm and focussed for the pottery.

Natural materials were used to make marks in the clay and we got to use some underglaze to add some contrast. All the pots will now be fired, ready to be returned to participants as a souvenir of the day. I can’t wait to see the results.

Combining the two activities seemed to work really well – I’d definitely recommend a bit of exercise before a creative activity.

Thanks to everyone who came along, to Izzy for inviting me and to Luke Welch for the wonderful pictures.

Check my Events page for news of upcoming classes.