Before there was Elie Seaside Sauna, there was Elie Seaside Yoga. I trained in The Classical School of Yoga, taught by the legend that is June Mitchell.
One of the things that June taught us, budding yoga teachers, is ‘teach the yoga’. She got the message across that teaching yoga is not about you, as a yoga teacher, but about the yoga itself.
I found this specific part of June’s teaching useful in establishing a sauna operation. I told myself that it is not about me. I aim to keep my ego out of Scottish Seaside Saunas.
No Ego In The Yoga Studio/ No Ego In The Sauna
Instead of being a reflection of my ego, Scottish Seaside Saunas is about an ethos, sauna is a movement, a reflection of societal need.
To practice yoga, is not about touching one’s toes. Yoga is, at least, finding calm in a busy world, if not completely finding inner peace.
In my practice, I work a lot with the 7 main chakras. But, before I even do that, I invite those that come to my yoga classes, which, in the summer take place on Chapel Green, Earlsferry, to tune in with their senses.
Outdoor Yoga Practice
There’s something about starting the day facing the sea. The rhythm of the waves, the salt in the air, the light bouncing off the water, it has a way of settling the mind before you’ve even taken your first breath in. That’s the idea behind Elie Seaside Yoga, the yoga offering that sits alongside Elie Seaside Sauna, bringing movement, breathwork and stillness to one of the East Neuk of Fife’s most beautiful stretches of coastline.
Elie Seaside Yoga classes are led by me, Judith Dunlop, founder of Scottish Seaside Saunas. I have been teaching yoga in Elie since I qualified as a yoga teacher in 2019, a few months before COVID-19 creeped into our lives.
After a few months teaching yoga in halls, around Elie & Earlsferry and at St. Andrews University Sports Club and Students Union, like millions of people at the time my yoga teaching was forced online.
During early lockdowns I started most days, flipping open my laptop and teaching yoga to someone, somewhere, in The UK, or around the world, as well as to many people that I knew in and around Elie.
However, during breaks in lockdown, when we were allowed to meet outside, in small groups, I taught yoga on Chapel Green, at the far end of Earlsferry.
I remember sunrises on winter’s mornings and people doing triangle pose in layers of thermals and woolly hats, were light flurries of snow fell around us.
Yoga As Inspiration For The Saunas
In many ways, practicing yoga, in these conditions, was my inspiration for the saunas.
Practicing yoga outside, all year round is what yoga is. It teaches one resilience. It’s not about determination, but about realising that these factors are external to you.
As lockdowns came to an end, I did not want such experiences to come to an end. I want to keep people outdoors and not allow this creep back into climate controlled homes. The closer we got to the end of lockdown, the more I became ‘possessed’ by the idea of outdoor saunas as a means of stimming this retreat into the home and keeping people socialising outdoors.
Yoga Rooted By The Sea
I have continued to teach yoga outside - and online - beyond the end of lockdown, often combining yoga classes with sauna sessions.
My regular 9.30am Sunday Yoga Classes, are timed to finish 30mins prior to the 11.00am sauna session.
In the winter, I do teach indoors, now, sometimes in Earlsferry Town Hall, but, more often, in Toll Green Hall, Elie. But, as soon as there is a whiff of warmer weather, I am suggesting to my yoga regulars that we head, back outside, to Chapel Green, with its springy machair-style grass, wild flowers, bird song and stunning view of the sparkly waters of Elie Bay.
My yoga classes are rooted in a genuine, long-standing connection to Elie and to the practice itself, is not a bolt-on activity, but something that I have been quietly building in this community for years.
Yoga For Everyone
Whether you’re an experienced yogi or trying your first sun salutation, my approach is welcoming, unpretentious and shaped by a real love of this coastline.
Regular classes take place at 9.30am on Sunday mornings, all year round. It doesn’t matter if it is for 1 person, or 20 people.
Come summer and over Christmas, New Year and Easter, when demand peaks, the timetable opens up further, with additional classes on Saturday mornings, plus extra sessions on other mornings whenever there’s enough demand.
If you’d like a class added to the calendar, it’s always worth getting in touch, Elie Seaside Yoga is flexible and happy to grow the schedule around the people who want to practise. As we move into the darker months, I might drop an evening yin class, into the calendar.
Where You’ll Find Us
Location depends on the weather and the season, and that’s very much part of the charm.
In the summer months, classes are held outdoors on Chapel Green, overlooking Elie Bay — mat down on the grass, sea breeze on your skin, and one of the finest views in Fife stretching out in front of you as you move through your practice.
It’s hard to beat sun salutations with the tide out and the bay glinting in the morning light.
When the weather turns, or through the winter, classes move indoors to Toll Green Hall or Earlsferry Town Hall, so the practice continues whatever’s happening outside. Wet, windy or wintry — there’s always a warm, dry space nearby to roll out a mat and breathe.
The Perfect Pairing: Yoga and Sauna
For many, the real magic happens when yoga is combined with a sauna session at Elie Seaside Sauna.
There’s a natural flow to it: open up the body and mind with a class, then let the heat of the sauna finish the job, interspersed by a bracing dip in the sea, to enliven your senses.
It’s a full reset for body and mind, and a growing number of regulars build their weekend around exactly this combination — yoga first, sauna after, coffee in one of the village’s fine coffee shops, to finish.
Yoga and sauna sessions are booked separately, so you can mix and match to suit your morning, whether that’s a quick class before a long soak in the heat, or a sauna session followed by a slower, more restorative practice.
Celebrating Something Special? Ask About Zen Hens
Got a birthday, hen party, retreat day or any other occasion worth marking? Elie Seaside Yoga welcomes group bookings for special occasions, including our popular Zen Hens sessions — a wellness-focused alternative to the traditional hen do.
Think a private yoga class tailored to your group, followed by time in the sauna and a dip in Elie Bay, all set against one of the most scenic backdrops on the Fife coast. It’s a memorable, feel-good way to celebrate with friends, without a single glow stick, or sash in sight.
If you’re planning a group session, a birthday class, a Zen Hen, or simply want a private class at a time that suits your party, get in touch and Judith will help put together something special.
Ready to Join a Class?
Whether you’re a Sunday-morning regular, hoping to catch a summer session on Chapel Green, or planning a Zen Hen with friends, there’s a place on the mat waiting for you.
Classes are priced at £13 per person, with a loyalty option of five classes for the price of four for regulars.
Head to the Yoga page on scottishseasidesaunas.com to see the latest schedule and book your class, or combine it with a sauna session via our booking page.
For group bookings, Zen Hens, or requests for extra classes, please send us an email to [email protected]
We would love to join us on Chapel Green, in the hall, or straight from the mat into the sauna.
See you by the sea.