Being a freelancer in London, I have found the high cost and inflexibility of most London gyms a significant barrier in my quest to get fit and maintain a healthy exercise schedule. That is why I couldn’t resist a small post on this amazing under the railway arches in London Fields.

Last night fellow OhDearism writer Damien Clarkson suggested that we try out a yoga class and a quick Google search pointed us to a studio in London Fields. On meeting where we thought the studio was, however, we found ourselves completely lost and at the mercy of the dodgy GPS on our phones. Luckily we noticed a sign for a fitness studio and were ushered in by a lovely and enthusiastic fitness instructor called Katy who asked us if we’d ever been to the class before. Assuming that we were in the right place, Damien started explaining his experience with yoga to the lovely lady who nodded along enthusiastically.

As we gathered around for the class, Katy had us run laps of the studio, causing myself and Damien to exchange concerned glances. What kind of yoga class starts with running? As we were forced to run laps punching the air and doing side steps, we couldn’t help but realise we were clearly in the wrong class and burst into giggles. Our laughs quickly faded as Katy had us doing hard-core circuit exercises in between sprints outside in the rain. Yes, these two yoga lovers had found themselves in a circuit training class, which by the end had us near tears and unable to move our limbs.

Although it was ridiculously difficult, the fact that Katy had me working harder than I have in years along with her great positive encouragement meant I really enjoyed myself. Also, as the class was only £5 and you can come to as many or few as you like, this is probably the best value for money workout I’ve ever had. And luckily for Damien, they do yoga on other days, so there is something for everyone. If you’re looking to get fit in the new year and you live in East London, you should definitely check it out. They even have a space at the back where you can put your bike, which made me smile as this is of course East London we are talking about – the hipsters need somewhere to put their bikes!