About Us
The Tale Of A Hot Yoga Studio In Glasgow
It’s been an eventful journey since the first ever Hot Yoga studio in Scotland opened in a two-bedroom flat in Glasgow’s Byres Road run by Steven Clark, who we will always be grateful to. People travelled from all over Scotland and queued up in the close to practice in a sweaty living room on the 1st floor. Bedrooms were full as two people also lived there so everyone got changed in the hall, old skool!
Hot Yoga Glasgow was established in 2014. We put everything on the line to make it happen. Investing our life savings and more, we converted an office shell in Shawlands into an amazing yoga space with the capacity to host 50 people per class and achieve temperatures of over 40 degrees. Due to an unexpected twist of fate, our lease was terminated, and we were forced to relocate in 2019. As a small independent business, it was a huge blow to start from scratch again, but we were not prepared to give up on our dream. By this time, we had an amazing team and yoga community behind us. We renovated the old Job Centre building on Battlefield Road into an improved Hot Yoga studio now equipped with a state-of-the-art Infrared Heating system. Lockdown was another fight for survival but we made it through.
Throughout our journey, we have always strived to grow, learn from our struggles and keep on improving ourselves and what we do. The theme of growth is central to our teaching and ethos as an organisation. We love putting our energy into making our studio a really special place for people to connect.
‘Never too bad, never too late never too old and never too broke, to start from scratch once again.’
Want to join our community? Read about our Classes and find our more about our current Pricing Options.
Linda, Co-Founder
Ex primary school teacher has a degree in psychology and has studied anatomy at college. Linda has practiced Bikram Yoga since 2007 and after completing her Teacher Training in San Diago Fall 2010, she co-founded Hot Yoga Glasgow in June 2014 with her now hubby Louis. Linda is a Reiki master and has also completed teacher training in yoga nidra, yin yoga and intermediate hot yoga. Linda is now completing a 200 hour teacher training at the Seasonal Yoga Academy. Her classes are fun, strong yet meditational and full of inspiration.
“When we first got there, the place was an empty office shell. We designed the place from scratch and transformed it into an amazing yogas space. We put everything on the line and put our whole heart and soul into the place. It could not have been more worth it. I truly love what I do, love our studio, it’s community, the energy and love about the place. I love hearing the students’ stories and watching the practice change people’s lives.”
Louis, Co-Founder
Previously a General Manager in Arnold Clark, he became fed up of the 6-day week and the constant pressure and quit to set up his own company. He now runs an online whisky shop and consults as a whisky broker. Louis completed his Inferno Hot Pilates Teacher Training in Mallorca this year. His classes are fun, fast and high energy.
“When we set out to build a Bikram studio one of the key factors for us was to nurture a yoga community. We feel we have now accomplished this and it’s growing all the time. Life is all about the people you meet and the experiences you have. It’s not always been sunshine in the garden, there have been tougher times when we wondered what the hell have we done! These have been far outstripped by the positive times. We wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Sara
Professional Dancer/ Choreographer Sara Gordon had recently been doing music videos and adverts for H&M, House of Fraser, Laura Mvula, Jungle, and Rae Morris. She practised yoga since 2003, graduated as a Bikram Teacher in 2011 and in 2015, Sara became one of the founding teachers of ‘Fierce Grace Yoga’, a hot yoga system based on classic Hatha, Bikram and Ashtanga. Sara is also qualified in pregnancy yoga and her wonderful full-moon workshops weave together astrology, kundalini yogi, conscious dance and ritual, always with a touch of magic. Our warrior goddess.
“My teaching style is always evolving. Three qualities I always convey in class are Sthira (steadiness & alertness), Sukha (comfort & lightness), and focus on the Breath.”
Fraz
Photographer and film maker Fraz is a mentor in Shooters, a film making project that part of a Scottish children’s charity. He has worked as a documentary cameraman for the Spirit Aid filming their overseas projects in the Townships of South Africa and bush communities of Malawi. He also does independent videography work for the Conservatoire, Still Game and Barlinnie. Fraz is a reiki healer who has studied tantra and several methods of meditation.
Fraz brings a unique energy, passion and compassion into the room. Don’t miss his classes for a dose of peace love and happiness
Ann
Psychology graduate and grandmother Anne Shankly works as a support worker and completed her teacher training in 2018 with Fierce Grace in London. She is trained in the 26 + 2 series, fusion yoga, deep release and "In" yoga. With her lovely gentle teaching style and wicked sense of humour, Ann is our gal for keeping it real.
Anne discovered Bikram in 2016. It came as a shock on her first class that she could touch her toes, but with consistent practice, her strength and flexibility improved beyond her expectations. The most challenging aspect was the workout her mind started to experience:
“There’s something about standing sweating in what’s basically your underwear with 40 strangers that pushes you to become comfortable in your own vulnerability, no masks of clothes or makeup, just you, your mat and you’re perfectly, imperfect self.”
Karen
Karen worked for William Hill the bookmakers for 25 years starting out as a 'Saturday Girl' & eventually leaving as Regional Gaming Manager. She is a qualified group exercise instructor and personal trainer with 15 years of experience in the fitness industry. She has recently furthered my studies by training in Life Coaching. Karen is passionate, amazingly organised and super-charged with positive energy. In her most recent role, coached at the F45 flagship studio in City Centre."Hey, I'm Karen, super proud mum of 2 boys, Jack 21 & Sam 15 years. A girl who likes a challenge & always looks to find the positive in any negative situation. Thought I could never complete a marathon... & then I believed, & I did!
As an instructor, my next step was always going to be Yoga teacher training so when the opportunity to surround myself with amazing Yogis in the Assistant Manager role here at Hot Yoga Glasgow presented itself, I believed all my dreams had come true."
James
James first came to yoga after experiencing lower back problems. It didn’t take long before he was hooked, discovering not just physical benefits, but a deeper connection to himself. After years of designing and delivering Diversity Awareness and Leadership training, James made a life-changing decision: he swapped the 9-to-5 lifestyle for a yoga mat and a dream. In 2012, he completed his 100 hour teacher training at Absolute Hot Yoga School in Thailand.James brings a calm, supportive approach to his classes and is passionate about making yoga accessible for everyone. He has a special love for Yin Yoga, training under Bernie Clark in Canada in 2015 to deepen his practice and teaching.Outside of yoga, James has been a DJ since he was sixteen, and he weaves his love of music into his classes, creating soundtracks that help you move, breathe, and flow with intention. Today, alongside teaching Absolute, Bikram, Vinyasa, and Yin Yoga, James continues to inspire others as a Learning and Development Consultant, running Appreciative Leadership programmes that focus on people's strengths.Whether it’s leadership or yoga, James’s philosophy is simple: it’s not about what you can’t do, it’s about celebrating everything you can.
Ashleigh
Ashleigh is an ex-national level acrobatic gymnast who has always had a passion for fitness. She has worked in the fitness industry in many roles from leisure assistant to general manager but teaching classes has always had her heart.After suffering bells palsy, she deep dived into self development to learn how to relax which lead me to yoga and pilates. Inspired, she made a life changing decision and travelled to Rishikesh in India to complete her 250-hour-multi-style yoga teacher training. She is also a qualified personal trainer and has progressed to also train as a Vinyasa Yoga instructor and Ashtanga Yoga instructor.It was totally spontaneous when I booked my flight to India for my yoga teacher training. It was also the best decision I have ever made. The growth has been real and i love helping others step into their positive power. I can be a bit of a wild child so my classes are always full of energy with banging beats.
Laura
Laura’s movement journey began with dance, where she honed her skills and even passed her teacher's exam before university. After years of being an aerobics and gym enthusiast, she discovered Pilates and eventually yoga, a practice that transformed her life.With over 20 years of yoga practice, Laura has grown stronger, more flexible, and fearless both on and off the mat. Reflecting on her first Hot Yoga class in 2014, she says:"I came out drenched in sweat, feeling ecstatic, and in awe of the younger girls with their feet up over their heads. A year later, my foot was up there too but what amazed me most was my headspace. I was sleeping soundly, concentrating better, and everything in life felt better."Laura completed her 250-hour Yoga Alliance Training in 2019 and has been teaching ever since, cultivating an inclusive, down to earth, and fun environment for yogis of all levels. She also brings her passion for Inferno Hot Pilates, a practice that helped her rebuild strength after becoming a mum.Laura’s approach will inspire you to embrace the process and meet your best self
Toni
“My relationship to yoga developed in my mid-twenties, while I was working in Berlin as a designer. I’ve dealt with depression most of my life and during work-related burnout, meditation alongside a solid yoga practice really changed my life!”"In 2020, Tony left his 9–5 job to begin formal training in yoga. He started with Gong Master training in Germany, then travelled to Nepal to study meditation and completed a 200-hour certification in Nada Yoga and Sound Healing. Since returning to Scotland, he has received a 60-hour Yin Yoga training and continues to study and practise meditation under the guidance of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Tara Brach.His classes blend mindfulness, meditation, movement, and sound. Each session encourages curiosity, kindness, and self-compassion while cultivating awareness and finding peace in the present moment
