/ABOUT ME

About Me

Zena Kidd-May is an Oxford based yoga teacher studying to be a Nutritional Therapist and Wellness Expert.

Formerly known as Satya Yoga Oxford, Zena has been teaching yoga for more than 15 years, specialising in Hatha yoga, one to one yoga sessions, yoga at work, pregnancy yoga and postnatal mother & baby yoga.

Zena’s extensive training in yoga, combined with her personal journey to improve her own wellbeing has led her to dedicate her time to her students in a more holistic way. Please take time to browse the new website and sign up to my Newsletter for regular tips, day retreats, blogs, recipes and class timetable.

In her fully equipped yoga studio, Zena is dedicated to practising and teaching yoga to the highest standards. She weaves mobility, stability, mindfulness, breath work and strength throughout her yoga classes. Through a regular yoga practice with her, individuals become empowered to have the confidence and knowledge to establish their own regular home practice.

“I am absolutely fascinated by the human body/mind and the incredible power of our attitudes to not only influence but to actually create our own realities. The more I practice in the moment, the more joy and peace I feel and it seems to me that my feelings of well-being get embedded in my daily life – this is my yoga”

Zena Kidd-May

Qualifications

Sivananda Yoga 2003

Birthlight Pregnancy Yoga part 1 in 2005 and part 2 in 2006

Postnatal Yoga with Uma Dinsmore-Tully at Sitaram 2009

British Wheel of Yoga 3 year diploma course in Hatha Yoga 2011-2014

First Aid for Yoga certified 2012

Teen Yoga Training with Charlotta Martinus of Teen Yoga at Yoga Campus 2014

Heather Elton Yoga Teacher Training 2017

Currently in my first year studying Nutritional Therapy with CNM (2019-2022)

Currently taking Tune-Up Ball Teacher Training with Jill Miller (2019)

 

In this hectic life we all lead, it is easy to live entirely in our heads, but attending Zena's classes over the last couple of years has enabled me to reconnect mind and body. Zena beautifully demonstrates how to move through the poses, whilst keeping an expert eye on us, to maximise what her students receive in each pose. I feel as strong and fit and as connected with my body and its possibilities as I have ever done in my life, and have always felt in such capable and knowledgable hands at Satya Yoga. The guided relaxation at the end of each class is wonderfully restorative, as are Zena's homemade nutritional treats, allowing us to leave class feeling thoroughly nurtured both inside and out! I enjoy Zena's classes so much I have gone from attending one to two a week.

Clare Henman

I really enjoyed the Yoga day retreat. In particular the first session which I found inclusive of all abilities and within my amateur capabilities. The food was fantastic. Please can I have your energy ball recipes? The second session was relaxing although I didn't get much from the group discussion. Guess I prefer to do the yoga. Would definitely recommend the whole day experience.

Caroline Smith

Classes with Zena feel like a work out, a massage, and a mediation all at once. I look forward to them every week.

A Hall

Fabulous first day retreat, I feel refreshed and rejuvenated, and will certainly be back for more! Lovely to have some goodie I haven't tried before. Thank you Zena!

Rachel Masser

I came to Zena a year ago, in that time she has helped me tremendously. I have Polymyalgia and osteoporosis, she caters for my needs whatever they may be week by week. I cannot recommend her highly enough, I am gaining strength, feel calmer and more positive, her studio is lovely, she has a range of props and every week there are new things to learn.

Annie M

My Thursday Satya yoga classes have been a tremendous help for my chronic back problems. I don't know if it is the gentle warm-up, often skipped or rushed in other exercise classes, the yoga postures, properly explained, or the extended cool-down, with props such as weighted beanbags, cushions and blankets. All I know is that my back feels infinitely better. I'm glad I took the advice from my osteopath to find a yoga class and to have come across Satya Yoga. I highly recommend it!

MU

Wonderful teaching in the most peaceful and beautiful surrounding

Emily W

Coming to Zena’s class is my special time, my little retreat of the week. I have always looked for something to keep my body fit, limber and engaged as well as for a way to help put my mind at ease. Yoga is just that for me because it helps to calm my mind down and offers a chance to leave my worries outside, while giving my bodies a chance to stretch and work on areas previously unknown to me. Zena’s teaching in her lovely studio offers just that to me. It provides for me that perfect serene atmosphere that challenges me to try something new in an environment where I feel completely supported and cared for. I wish I could go every day—and not only because of her delicious goodies which will always make me come back for more.

Elizabeth Bond

I was worried about joining a yoga class as I see myself as a tight, stiff person. I had had bad experiences of classes before that were too fast and not well explained and they had left me feeling I’d ‘failed’. Zena’s classes are completely different – they are calm and mindful and each new pose is well explained. We are given the space to work at our own pace and the time to take something personal from each pose. My body is still pretty tight, but I love the yoga classes and at each lesson appreciate what I am able to do with the right encouragement. Zena creates a very productive and calm atmosphere, where I feel I am free to do what works for me without having to be in competition with others.

Catherine Allen

I went to Zena initially because I was suffering from lower back pain. Within a few months I saw a massive improvement!

Gary

I was a relatively experienced yoga practitioner, but having moved away form my regular yoga community and having recently had children, my practice was less regular than I would have liked. I was desperate to establish my practice again and find other people to practice with. I stumbled across Zena mostly because she was conveniently located, but now I would travel quite a distance to attend her classes if I had to. She knows volumes, not just about Yoga, but anatomy, general health, nutrition which makes her and her classes informative, fresh and fun. Doing yoga with Zena has been just what I needed, in this newly acquired body I don’t really recognise, in a space of acceptance, learning and sometimes laughter.

AH

Zena is a first class teacher. When I moved to Oxford I wanted to find a teacher who really understood all aspects of yoga at all levels. I was looking for a class which recharged and energised me. The groups are friendly and small and Zena focuses on the individual. I feel stronger physically and more supple as a result of attending Zena's classes. Each week, I come away from the class more relaxed but at the same time energised. The focus of the class changes on a weekly basis so you never get bored. Zena also shares her own learning and incorporates this into her classes.

JT

I originally came to work with Zena because of a stiff back causing limitations on my flexibility. The one on one sessions I have undertaken have been exceptionally helpful as they are focussed entirely around my own needs and pace and I can feel the benefit as my flexibility improves.

AG

I have been going to Zena’s classes for a few years now, having struggled to comit to regular classes previously. I really look forward to our sessions and feel that they have helped me enormously mentally, emotionally and physically. I leave feeling nurtured and stronger in all senses.

SH

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