Holistic Therapist Clare O'Grady: "Yoga is for everybody"

For many people, the idea of yoga can feel intimidating, with images of complex poses and extreme flexibility often coming to mind.

But for Holistic Therapist Clare O’Grady, one simple message sits at the heart of everything she does: yoga is for everybody. 

Clare, who recently took the leap into full-time self-employment, offers a range of holistic therapies and yoga sessions across Tameside and Glossop - but it’s her chair yoga classes and self-care therapies that are truly improving lives. 

After nine years of balancing her passion alongside a full-time job, she made the decision to step fully into teaching, describing it as her “life purpose” - a path shaped due to searching for healing and recovery from mental health challenges, following the loss of her mum at a young age. 

“I found these therapies at a time when I really needed help” Clare explains. “Yoga, Reiki, taking time for myself - it became a toolkit that helped me cope. It made such a difference that I wanted other people to experience that same support too.” 

That sense of purpose is reflected in her warm, open and refreshingly authentic approach. Clare speaks about the importance of “filling your own cup” - making time to care for yourself in order to feel better physically and emotionally - and she is passionate about breaking down the barriers that people can feel around yoga. 

“I used to think I wasn’t good enough to do yoga” she admits. “I thought I didn’t fit the image of what yoga should be. And I know so many people feel like that. The truth is that the purpose of yoga is not to look good, but to feel good.” 

Chair yoga, she says, offers a gentle and accessible alternative. 

“If you can breathe, you can do yoga” she says. “You don’t have to get down on the floor, and that opens it up to so many people - whether that’s due to age, injury, confidence, or simply not feeling comfortable in a traditional class.” 

Clare’s affordable sessions also include a coffee morning and have become about far more than movement. They’ve created a relaxing space where people can connect, share experiences and simply take a moment for themselves. 

“It’s really special” she says. “We have people from all walks of life, aged 30 to 88 - from those recovering from illness to people who are grieving or just feeling isolated.” 

The impact has been heart-warming. Some attendees say the tranquil classes help them manage pain, while others describe them as their “sanity” - a weekly moment of calm in otherwise busy or challenging lives. 

Described by her clients as gentle, calm and caring, Clare says those moments mean everything. “If I can help even one person feel a bit better, then it’s all worth it,” she says. 

Her wider work includes one-to-one treatments such as massage, reflexology and Reiki, as well as retreats designed to give people space to reset and recharge. But at the centre of it all is a simple belief: that people should feel empowered to look after themselves. 

“It’s about giving people the opportunity to pause and realise they are valuable and worthy of this time” she says. “It’s not just about the physical benefits, it’s emotional too.” 

Clare continues to build on her skills, recently expanding her training and working with groups including those recovering from breast cancer. But no matter how her work grows, her focus remains the same, “This isn’t just a job to me” she says. “It feels like a purpose.” 

And through her chair yoga sessions in particular, she hopes more people will begin to see that yoga doesn’t have to look a certain way - it just has to feel right for them. Because sometimes, the smallest step - even from a chair - can be the start of something truly transformative.