Yoga and Wellbeing in the Park returns to Bedford for 2026
Organised by Bedford Borough Council and kindly sponsored by The Harpur Trust and Delomac Roofing, Bedford Park will come alive with calm, connection and community on Sunday 7 June 2026, as Yoga and Wellbeing in the Park returns for a full day of inclusive wellbeing activities from 10am to 7pm.
This free-flowing outdoor event brings together 20 different activities and local organisations, offering something for all ages, abilities and interests. Sessions are designed to be welcoming and accessible, with most activities adaptable to seated yoga, ensuring as many people as possible can take part.
Highlights of the day include dedicated SEND, women’s, and family sessions, alongside classes led by two male teachers. Participants can explore a wide range of practices such as Laughter Yoga, a Reiki group session, Cacao Ceremony, Breathwork, Qigong (similar to Tai Chi), and a deeply relaxing Sound Bath.
All sessions are delivered by experienced teachers based in Bedford Borough, celebrating and supporting local wellbeing talent while creating a relaxed, supportive atmosphere in one of the town’s most loved green spaces.
The event will also host a Wellbeing Information Desk, offering information and advice from local mental health services and charities. Attendees are encouraged to visit the desk after their yoga session to speak with the Mindful Sport team about regular weekly activity sessions focused on improving mental health and wellbeing. Information on self-help concepts and the local wellbeing service will also be available.
Now in it’s 9th year, Yoga and Wellbeing in the Park is a free, accessible celebration of movement, mindfulness and community connection – inviting everyone to pause, breathe and enjoy a day dedicated to wellbeing in the heart of Bedford.
Sessions timetable
Zone A 10:00-10:45
Morning Surya Namaskar - Sun Salutations for all ages and abilities with Yoga with Bal (B Ascending)
Come flow with us through a practice of traditional sun salutations, ending with a short, guided meditation. (Should not be practised by people with high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke/hernia patients, people with disc issues.)
Zone B 10:00-10:45
Vinyasa inspired Yin Yang Yoga for adults and all abilities with Genevieve Shaw
A guided flowing soulful yoga practice moving seamlessly through a series of classical yoga poses finishing with held yin poses to cultivate and enrich wellbeing.
Zone A 11:00-11:45
YoQi: Yoga & Qigong for adults and all abilities with Patrizia from yogaforlifecycles.com
"Rising Power: Kundalini & the Swimming Dragon.” An invitation to awaken your unique inner power through a series of Kriya (repetitive moves in rhythm with your breath) and Qigong (energy work) movements. Designed to take you on a journey of discovery, gentle and empowering.
Zone B 11:00-11:45
Yoga session for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Kids, Adults and Families with OmMoShantiYoga (this session will have a British Sign Language interpreter)
This yoga session is designed for SEND children, adults, and families, while remaining open and welcoming to everyone. It offers a supportive approach to wellbeing, nurturing both physical and mental health in a calm, non threatening environment. The practice encourages self awareness, respects individual limits, fosters empathy, and supports personal growth. Sessions can be adapted for chair-based practice and wheelchair users—everyone is welcome.
Zone A 12:00-12:45
Vinyasa for all ages and abilities with YC from Your Celestial Light Yoga
The session offers grounding breathwork, gentle warm-ups, dynamic flow and time for rest and reflection.
Zone B 12:00-12:45
Breathwork for adults and all abilities with Mark from Pure Breath (this session will have a British Sign Language interpreter)
Relaxing / downregulating breathwork session based on principles from Oxygen Advantage / Buteyko Breathing and traditional pranayama. Teaching techniques to help reduce stress and anxiety, promote better sleep, cultivate calm, hone faculties of interoception, focus and concentration.
Zone A 13:00-13:45
Creative Vinyasa and Spoken Word for over 14s, all abilities with Lauren Aimée Yoga (this session will have a British Sign Language interpreter)
My yoga style is a creative, fluid vinyasa that invites you to move with intention rather than urgency. The pace is steady and spacious, allowing time to land in each shape, soften into your breath, and truly feel what’s unfolding in your body. Woven throughout the practice is gentle spoken word, adding an extra layer of depth - subtle prompts and reflections that encourage you to turn inward, explore your inner landscape, and connect more meaningfully to your experience. It’s a practice that’s accessible to all levels, offering both grounding and expansion in equal measure.
Zone B 13:00-13:45
Women's Core Strength and Stillness for all women, pregnant, post birth, hormonal, peri / menopausal with Pippa Moss from the Space Within Wellbeing Studio
An empowering and nurturing session for core wellness for women at every stage of life, whether you are navigating fertility, pregnancy, motherhood or menopause. We will focus on a healthy pelvic floor function, core connection and womb awareness. Experience an intentional blend of mindful movement, breath and stillness, find your inner strength as well as embodying the art of softness.
Zone A 14:00-14:45
Power Flow Yoga for all ages and abilities with Alannah from BodyWise
Ignite Your Power Flow: Join me for a dynamic, all-levels yoga workshop where we’ll build heat, strength, and inner balance. Come flow with me and awaken your power in a welcoming space for all.
Zone B 14:00-15:00
Shift Your Energy: Cacao, Breath, Movement & Sound Bath for all ages and abilities with Yoga with Lenka
A 60-minute reset with a ceremonial cacao mini ceremony, breath, movement and sound.
We begin by sharing our ceremonial cacao, a vegan and gluten-free plant medicine known for its gentle mood-lifting and calming effects, acting as a balm for the nervous system and helping you soften back into your body. From there, we move through guided breath and intuitive movement to release tension and shift your energy, before closing with a grounding sound bath to let it all land.
Zone A 15:00-15:45
Beginners Flexibility Focused Practice for all ages and abilities with Hollie Cameron Yoga
Ever said, ‘I can’t touch my toes’? Then this practice is for you. In this beginner-friendly session, we’ll explore gentle releases to help improve flexibility.
Zone B 15:15-15:45
Mindful Games and Story Massage for families and all abilities with Anne from Mindfulness & Massage
Have you ever explored a park with your main senses? We will start off with a few breathing activities and then focus on seeing, hearing, feeling and smelling what's around us, our mats, in the beautiful Bedford Park. We will finish this session with a story massage.
Zone A 16:00-16:45
Yin Yoga for all ages and abilities with Rosanna from Peacethruyoga /
Yin yoga is a slow, passive, meditative style where floor-based poses are held for extended periods (3-10 minutes) to target deep connective tissues like fascia, ligaments, and joints, promoting flexibility, calm, and balance by complementing more active (yang) yoga styles. It's inspired by Taoist traditions, uses props for support, and focuses on finding stillness and working with gravity to release tension, contrasting with muscle-focused yang yoga.
Zone B 16:00-16:45
Sound Bath for all ages and abilities with Nathan Sounds
Sound baths can help people with physical, emotional, and mental imbalance and bring harmony and greater wellbeing.
Zone A 17:00-17:45
Balance and Chair Yoga for all ages and abilities with Emma from Balanceworks Yoga
A gentle Balance and Chair Yoga class designed to improve stability, flexibility, and confidence through safe, supported movements.
Zone B 17:00-17:45
Laughter Yoga for all ages and abilities with Cheryl Green
Laughter yoga blends playful laughter exercises with gentle breathing techniques, helping you to relax and feel joyful
Zone A 18:00-18:45
Unwind & Flow for all ages and abilities with Bex Ellis Yoga
Join Bex for a soothing, fluid practice aiming to calm the nervous system leaving you ready to take on the week ahead! Gentle and relaxing, this practice will stretch out the body leaving you ready to surrender to the rest of your day.
Zone B 18:00-18:45
Japanese Reiki Sessions for all ages and abilities with Florencia Menna
The session opens with a brief relaxation induction using gentle breathing exercises. This is followed by a guided meditation during which energy is shared without physical contact. The session then concludes with a further sequence of breaths to gently bring awareness back to the present moment and surroundings.
Also available
11:00-15:00
Wellness chair massages available for all with Linzi from LM Fitness and Wellbeing
Linzi will be offering Wellness chair massages from 11am to 3pm which are a convenient and effective way to relieve stress, reduce muscle tension, and boost overall wellbeing in a short amount of time. Performed while fully clothed on a specially designed ergonomic chair, these massages focus on key tension areas such as the neck, shoulders, back, arms, and hands.
11:00-15:00
Regulation Station with sensory regulation activities for children and teenagers with Barnes Active
Sensory regulation activities and equipment available to use with specialist coaches supporting.
A look back at 2025's event
In 2025 despite a few rain showers and some strong winds, the event saw a remarkable turnout, with 615 attendees to yoga sessions and 290 individual participants embracing the opportunity to enhance their wellbeing.
The event offered a diverse range of activities, including 16 free yoga sessions and 30 wellness chair massages. Specific sessions proved particularly popular, with the Sound Bath attracting 70 participants, Vinyasa Flow Yoga drawing 60, and Morning Rocket Yoga engaging 64. A dedicated SEND session also provided a welcoming space for 25 participants.
Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, echoing the sentiments from previous years. Participants praised the inclusive, family-friendly atmosphere, the high quality of instructors, and the opportunity to enjoy free outdoor activities in a community setting.
Feedback from the 2025 event
Just a brilliant day. Got to spend quality time with my mum, it was free and outside. The park was buzzing with life and activity, a really beautiful thing to see. Really showcased Bedford, so much so that my mum said ‘I can see myself living here’ (she’s Cambridgeshire). Well done.
It was great to be doing activities out in such wonderful surroundings. I enjoyed trying new things such as laughter yoga and tapping. Organisation was great. Group leaders were helpful, welcoming and knowledgeable. It was a great event.
Extremely well organised. Incredible instructors with very varied sessions. Overall a great event, feeling extremely relaxed after.
You were asking for feedback and I was wondering if I could pass on to you what I picked up from two participants? They both really enjoyed the day and were very grateful that it was all for free. We have a great Council, they said!
Bedford Junior Aquathlon March 2026 is cancelled
Bedford Junior Aquathlon which was scheduled to take place in March has been cancelled.
The event, run by Bedford Borough Council’s Sports Development team, offers children aged eight-plus the chance to run and swim through Robinson Pool and Bedford Park.
The team is currently involved with delivery of a wide range of community programmes and initiatives, as well as its key role in coordinating the Sports Island at the Bedford River Festival this summer. So they have decided not to run a Junior Aquathlon next month – but the popular event will be back, in all its glory, in October. So get practising and we will see you there!
Bedford Junior Aquathlon October 2025
Bedford Borough Council is delighted to announce the phenomenal success of the 2025 Bedford Junior Aquathlon, held on Sunday 12 October at Robinson Pool and Bedford Park. This year's event saw a record-breaking turnout of 204 participants, the highest in the Aquathlon's 19 year history!
Young athletes aged 7 to 16 (school years 3 to 11) put their swimming and running skills to the test in a fun and friendly competition. The event was designed to be inclusive, welcoming both experienced competitors and first-timers. Distances were tailored to each age group, ranging from a 66 metre swim and 600 metre run for Year 3 participants to a challenging 400 metre swim and 2.8 kilometre run for Years 10 and 11.
The Aquathlon fostered a spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie among participants. Every participant received a medal for their accomplishment, with trophies awarded to the top three finishers in each age group (both boys and girls).
A parent whose child participated shared "This event was incredibly well-organised! The volunteers were fantastic, encouraging and supportive of all the children throughout the race. It was a fantastic experience for my child, and we can't wait to take part again next year!"
Aquathlon objectives
One of the primary objectives of the Bedford Junior Aquathlon is to promote inclusivity and encourage sports participation among youngsters of all abilities. The event warmly welcomes both novices and seasoned contenders, underscoring its inclusive values. Every participant will receive a medal, while trophies will be awarded to the top three performers in each category to reward their achievements.
Find out the full distances each age group will be required to swim and run(PDF).
Please see the video of our October 2024 Bedford Junior Aquathlon.
Aquathlon rules, running routes and pool layout
Please read the following documents, they contain important information for participants.
- Aquathlon rules (PDF)
- Pool layout for Years 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 (PDF)
- Pool layout for Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 (PDF)
- Running route (PDF)
- Over taking in pool (PDF)
- Parking map (PDF)
- Red Route video
- Blue Route video
Important dates for October 2026 Aquathlon
- Booking form available from mid September 2026.
- Deadline for booking form is Tuesday 29 September 2026 at 5pm (due to popularity this event will be capped at 200 participants. If we reach this number of bookings before the deadline we will close bookings).
- Email to be sent out to all participants Friday 2 October 2026.
- Bedford Junior Aquathlon – Sunday 11 October 2026 (Robinson Pool and Bedford Park) (1st, 2nd and 3rd presented awards on day).
- Results emailed out to all participants on Monday 12 October 2026.
Participants must book before the deadline, no entries will be accepted on the day.
Email sport@bedford.gov.uk for more information about the Bedford Junior Aquathlon.