The real reason I opened A Fine Balance (my story)

Finding Balance, Building Community

Hello, I’m Hannah, founder of A Fine Balance, and I want to share the story of how - and why - I started this community.

In my 20s, I burned out. I was working for a brilliant charity in London, helping small businesses prepare for emergencies, yet I couldn’t cope with my own life. The pressure of the job, combined with personal struggles and low self-esteem, built up until one day I sat at my desk and simply couldn’t open my emails. My mind had shut down.

What followed was months away from work, therapy, rest, and - most importantly - yoga. Through daily practice, often twice a day, at a local studio (shout out to East of Eden in Walthamstow ), I slowly rebuilt my health and my relationship with myself. Yoga gave me the tools to calm my nervous system, manage my thoughts, and reconnect with what truly matters in my life.

Even now, I still struggle at times - especially when hormones shift, or whenever work and life get overwhelming and I stop prioritising yoga, meditation, walking, good food, and space in my diary. But the difference now is that I know the tools, I have more awareness, and I can return to balance. Even a few minutes on the mat, a short meditation, or a mindful walk can reset everything.

Those tools have become the foundation of my life. They inspired me to train as a yoga teacher nearly a decade a go and eventually create a space where others could experience the same transformation.

When we later moved to Harold Wood, I realised there wasn’t a yoga studio offering the same quality and depth of practice I’d been lucky enough to find in Walthamstow. So in 2018, alongside my husband Alex (and while pregnant with our daughter Theodora!), we opened our first studio in Upminster. What started as a leap of faith has grown into a thriving, welcoming community with thousands of 5-star reviews, teachers who’ve been with us for years, and students who return week after week.

Since moving with our family into the beautiful North Essex countryside, we’ve continued this journey by opening a second sanctuary in Saffron Walden. Our dream is simple: to create spaces where people can pause, breathe, and rediscover balance in their busy lives.

At A Fine Balance, our mission is to support you in every way - whether you want to move your body, quiet your mind, or simply carve out time for yourself. Our classes are designed to improve your physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing, and to help you reconnect with what truly matters. I've been there, through incredibly hard times, and know these classes could help you to feel good. 

Whether you’re brand new to yoga, Pilates, or Barre - or already love the practice - there’s a space for you here. We’d love for you to come and experience it for yourself.

I’m so grateful you’re here. Thank you for being part of this journey.

With love, Hannah x

Come and join us: www.afinebalance.me