David’s Story
I never imagined I’d do yoga. As a lifelong PE teacher and sportsman, I thrived on competition—rugby, athletics, swimming. Then came addiction, and everything changed. I was living at the Turning Tides homeless charity in Worthing, in recovery from alcohol dependency, when I met Louise Windsor from Brighton Yoga Foundation*. She led free yoga classes for residents like me. I gave it a go. I didn’t expect much—but something in me shifted.
Yoga wasn’t just exercise. It became part of my healing. Through breathwork, meditation, sound baths, and Louise’s calm guidance, I began reconnecting with myself. My old mindset—pushing to win—gave way to acceptance. I laughed at my wobbly balances. I embraced stillness. Slowly, yoga helped me feel whole again.
I now practise daily, eat Ayurvedic food, meditate on the beach, and even play the didgeridoo. Yoga led me to a spiritual path I never knew I needed. It changed my life.
I often say I found yoga. But maybe yoga found me.
*Now the Brighton Natural Health Foundation
David is now qualified as a yoga teacher and is teaching his own classes for BNHF
You can read a longer version of his story here
