Breathe Yoga and Wellness Centre open day in Dunfermline

Susan David is a "sofa surfer" no more and there'll be an open day from 3pm to 6pm on Saturday at the premises on Nethertown Broad Street.

A former beauty salon, the building's conversion to Breathe Yoga and Wellness will enable her 12 weekly classes - at the moment they're spread across Dunfermline High School, Fire Station Creative and Bannatyne's - to move under one roof.

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Susan, 53, said: "I've never had my own premises before.

"It's taken a lot longer and it's way more expensive than I expected but what's been really nice is all the people that have helped and supported me.

"The lease took a while to sort and the landlord could easily have got another beauty salon in there.

"One of the reasons he didn't was because he saw the previous article in the Press and said 'I want to help you get your dream'."

There will be an open day this Saturday, from 3pm to 6pm, for people to have a look around and ask questions about the classes on offer. (Image: Susan David)

The centre has a main studio and a smaller studio and two therapy rooms which, when she's not running classes for her 300-plus clients, will be made available for other teachers and instructors to hire.

What will it mean to her?

"It gives me a home," she said. "At the minute I have to travel all over the city for my classes and my car is full of yoga stuff.

"It'll be a clean and warm, an inviting and safe space with low lights, where people can come without fear or judgement.

"And the chippie is next door!"

After years of knockbacks, she saw the empty salon on Nethertown Broad Street in October and after planning hold-ups and legal red tape, she signed a lease earlier this month.

The opening day is the culmination of all that toil but it'll be poignant too.

The initial Press story was prompted by a woman who wrote in to praise the "yoga legend", highlighting the help she had given to people and charities, and the fact that sessions were even taking place on the beach because she'd found it so hard to find premises.

Susan said: "She was so supportive of yoga, she said it was life changing and helped her find peace.

"She was instrumental in getting that article published, the landlord and letting agent saw it and everything moved from there so quickly.

"She didn't want to be named or anything, as that was the kind of woman she was, and we lost her last month at the age of 52. Cancer.

"If that article hadn't been written there's no way I'd have these premises now."

There are many different types of yoga. You can find out more at the open day. (Image: Newsquest)

Susan said that yoga improves both physical and mental health, and is popular with men and women.

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She continued: "There are so many different types.

"There's chair yoga for less able bodied people or those recovering from injury, yin yoga is more chilled out, hatha yoga is right in the middle with poses and breathing techniques, while vinyasa is more energetic and works on the cardio-vascular."

And it's already been life-changing for Susan as she explained: "I didn't just pluck the Breathe Yoga name out of thin air.

"I was diagnosed with chronic asthma years ago and breathing is something we all take for granted - until you get asthma.

"I've struggled my whole life but since I did my teacher training six years ago and started doing regular yoga, I've not needed my inhaler, or steroids or the nebuliser.

"Yoga also helps people to stop, pause, slow down and take time for themselves in this crazy busy world."