Body Mind Collective Turns 2!.

Celebrating 2 Years of Body Mind Collective CIC in Sandwell

My Journey into Yoga

I (Bryony) grew up in Sandwell. I started practising Yoga when working in London back in 2007 and embarked on an 18 month Yoga Teacher Training Diploma ten years later.

One of the first sessions I delivered as a newly qualified teacher was a volunteer class for a mental health charity. That class remains one of the most humbling moments of my teaching career because I had to drop all of my expectations. In our sessions, we sat together in a circle chatting, learning how to reconnect to our bodies and our breath. This experience ignited my passion for making yoga accessible to all and set me off on my journey…

Returning to Sandwell and Building a Foundation

After moving home to Sandwell in 2019, I began teaching as ‘Bryony Morris Yoga’ alongside my full-time job. During this time, I built up classes, formed partnerships, and worked with some amazing companies and charities.

In the summer of 2021, I was approached by Black Country Moving to deliver a fully funded six-week Beginners’ Yoga Course in Friar Park, Wednesbury. The aim was to support Sandwell residents’ physical and mental health after the COVID-19 lockdowns. Over the next two years, I continued to deliver low-cost weekly community sessions while also running corporate and charity sessions (now with a part-time job!). Still, I knew I wanted to do more.

---

Understanding the Need in Sandwell

Sandwell is home to approximately 347,000 residents. In March 2023, the area ranked second on the cost-of-living vulnerability index and eighth most deprived in England. According to the 2021 census, 20% of Sandwell residents are disabled under the Equality Act, and 9.4% of households are lone parents with dependent children. Unfortunately, many of these individuals face barriers to accessing health and wellbeing services due to cost, location, or societal perceptions.

As ‘Bryony Morris Yoga,’ I had already delivered sessions for community partners who successfully secured funding for their groups. However, I wanted to reach a wider audience and focus on underserved areas I knew needed support.

---

Founding Body Mind Collective CIC

To make this vision a reality, I needed to apply for funding myself—something I couldn’t do while self-employed. So, in May 2023, after receiving advice from SCVO, I founded Body Mind Collective CIC. As a Community Interest Company, we access wider funding streams, giving us more opportunities to make our sessions financially accessible. 

In August of 2023, I joined the MOT Social Enterprise Programme delivered by SWEDA, and was awarded £1800 from the Social Enterprise Boost Fund to develop our branding and marketing. Our wonderful branding was completed by Helen Connolly, and we employed Sandwell-based Citizen Click CIC, to build our website.

As a ‘Collective,’ we built our decision-making processes around transparency and cooperation. Early on, we set up a committee group and invited session attendees to help steer our focus. This group meets quarterly and plays a vital role in our success—from giving feedback on our branding and marketing, suggesting venues, to sourcing local suppliers. By incorporating a diverse range of voices, we ensure that our community stays at the heart of every decision.

One great example of how we utilised the strengths, skills and resources of our students and steering committee, was during our branding and website build. They gave us useful feedback on the design, content and functionality of our website. One of our steering group members suggested that we needed real photos of our sessions (rather than stock images) and connected us with Walsall College Photography Department. Through them we booked local photography student Nikki Hobbs to take photos of our students in our venues around Sandwell. Nikki has now graduated and we have recently booked her to take updated photos for our website and promotional materials.

---

How We Work: Funding with Purpose

We deliver a wide range of paid open sessions throughout the week, but rather than being a ‘yoga studio’, we deliver in community venues in areas where there is a need. Our open sessions vary from beginners’ seated Yoga, to intermediate dynamic flow and everything in between. We recently changed our pricing structure to reflect wider economical challenges, but introduced monthly memberships to ensure that we remain as financially accessible as possible. Any profit from these sessions goes back into subsidising our community programmes.

Alongside our open sessions we apply for grants and public funding, to deliver free/low cost sessions in areas or to groups with specific needs. We also partner with corporate clients who book workplace sessions, and charities who book us for events. We have delivered workplace sessions for companies such as Sandwell Council, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, and regularly deliver sessions for charities The National Trust, Re-engage and Better Understanding of Dementia for Sandwell. These partnerships help to subsidise community offerings, ensuring our mission stays both impactful and sustainable—ultimately creating a ripple effect across the Sandwell communities we serve.

---

Building Connection Through Group Work

At its core, Body Mind Collective exists to build community and reduce social isolation. We choose group work for our sessions because it’s not just about individual self-care—it’s about coming together to create safe, supportive spaces where everyone feels welcome.

A brilliant example of this is our Community Seated Yoga session at Stone Cross Library. Hateley Cross Big Local initially funded this session with a grant to run a 12-week course. Since then, with continued support from Sandwell Libraries, the group still meets weekly. Participants from diverse backgrounds come together to explore gentle movement and mindfulness techniques. In addition, they now borrow and return more books—and many have formed friendships that extend to other community events at the library.

I thoroughly look forward to my weekly chair yoga class. I have met new people and everyone of us have made friends in the group. Our Yoga tutor is brilliant, she is passionate, caring, friendly, approachable and caters for us all. We are mostly seniors, with limited mobility some more than others. My chair yoga is therapeutic, relaxing, strength and balance, reduced stress and pain, good for my soul and wellbeing. I’ve learned to relax better, the breathing exercises is beneficial for me as I suffer with asthma. More over chair yoga has been easy on joint pains; flexibility improved and wellbeing. Thank you so much Bryony. – Hasu

Yoga can be a transformative practice. It empowers physical and mental recovery. Our sessions can help people manage emotions, rebuild confidence, and find inner calm. Each time someone shares how yoga has helped them sleep better, manage stress, or feel seen and heard, we feel reaffirmed in our mission and purpose.

---

Looking Ahead

This year we joined the Black Country Chamber of Commerce who have provided us with invaluable business support and are helping us to grow. Looking ahead, we plan to expand our outreach across Sandwell to meet community needs. We were recently awarded a grant from Active Black Country to deliver two 12-week courses in Oldbury, and Re-engage are funding monthly seated yoga sessions in Tipton. Our team is growing, our offerings are evolving, and over the next six months, we’ll be forming new partnerships. The journey of Body Mind Collective is still unfolding—we look forward to you being a part of our journey.

— Bryony