A special yoga morning at Stephens House & Gardens

Instead of our usual online Tuesday session, Stephens House kindly offered us a beautiful room to host a live class — and what a treat it was. A huge thank-you to Malcolm the manager for making the space available.

We had a lovely mix of GoodGym members and local supporters of the House & Gardens, whether through volunteering or donations. It was great to see everyone gather in the Stephens Room — once Sir Samuel Stephens’s own laboratory — with those stunning views across the gardens.

For anyone who couldn’t make it in person, I broadcast the class online as usual, so I hope you still felt part of it.

Thank you to everyone for coming along and supporting the House. Let’s hope we can do it again in the new year.

Have a wonderful Christmas — keep moving, stay well, and here’s the yoga thought for the day:

Yoga Talk : Encouraging Healing Through Gentle Movement

Yoga uses controlled, low-impact movement to gently “wake up” muscles and tendons. This stimulates healthy blood flow, supports tissue repair, and helps reduce stiffness. By balancing effort with rest, yoga becomes one of the most effective ways to maintain mobility and recover from everyday aches or longer-term injuries.

Five wonderful GoodGymmers assembled last night for a thorough litter pick around Finsbury Gardens.

The One Where Sarah Tried (Twice)

The gardens are riddled with mess, we had been assured but at first glance after our arrival, the place looked suspiciously spotless. You know that moment when you arrive, gloves on, litter pickers at the ready, and think: Have we been pre-cleaned? Well, appearances can deceive, and our Goodgymmers are nothing if not determined. Give us a patch of grass and a bit of shrubbery, and we will find rubbish. And sure enough, we did: three whole bags of it, thank you very much.

But the star of the haul was not the crisp packets, the bottles, nor even the mysterious orphaned shoe. No. The true crown jewel of the evening was an old, slightly tragic scooter bravely rescued from an overgrown bramble as if it had been waiting years for exactly this moment.

Naturally, Mark and Paul immediately recreated their BMX-driving, non-helmet-wearing glory days with gusto. Happy to report that despite some questionable driving, no Goodgymmers were harmed in the making of this report.

Meanwhile, James stole the sartorial spotlight with the most important debut of the night: his brand-new red GG T-shirt. Fresh, vibrant, and worn with the pride of someone who has absolutely been waiting for the postman like a kid on Christmas Eve. At one point we’re pretty sure he was modelling it more than he was litter-picking, but honestly? Fair enough. It looked great. All along, Veronika kept us all ticking along and on task with the patience of a saint. Hero.

Special shout-out goes to Sarah, who heroically attempted to join us not once but twice. Unfortunately, the universe , and London buses, had different plans for her. Two failed attempts, two disappearing hopes, one determined Goodgymmer foiled by public transport. We missed you, Sarah. Your perseverance deserves at least half a bag’s worth of credit. Also honourable mention to Ellie, who in true GG Haringey form, absolutely stacked it at her run club and is currently in the sick bin. Heal soon, Ellie.

In the end, Finsbury Gardens was a little cleaner, we were a little happier, and Paul and Mark were a little wobblier in the knees than when we started. A successful evening all round.

Come next week.