I quit my prison job to train as a yoga teacher in India – now I’m opening my own studio in Blackpool

After a decade-long journey working in high pressure environments led to a sabbatical teaching yoga all over the world, Charlotte Dugdale has achieved her dream of opening her own studio.

Agni Yoga, located on Redbank Road in Bispham, opened its doors yesterday, and is designed to bring accessible, community-led wellbeing to Blackpool and the Fylde coast.

Charlotte, 37, of Hawthorne Road, Thornton said it was when her own mental wellbeing suffered that she first turned to yoga – but never imagined the impact it would have on her life.

“I began my career supporting people with drug and alcohol addiction in prisons across the North West, and later moved into social care,” Charlotte explains. “It was incredibly meaningful work and I genuinely loved it, but eventually working in those environments became too much for my mental wellbeing.

"I’ve had challenges with my own mental health, including an OCD diagnosis, and there became a point where I had to be honest with myself about what I needed.”

Looking for something that would help her cope, Charlotte stumbled into an Ashtanga yoga class in her mid-20s and kept coming back after feeling a positive shift in her mental health.

Five years later, she took a year’s sabbatical from her social care job to travel to Rishikesh in India – often referred to as the home of yoga – to complete her yoga teacher training.

Immersed in ashram life and undertaking up to 15 hours of daily study, she trained in breathwork, meditation, philosophy, and traditional Ashtanga practice, later extending her stay to complete over 300 additional hours of training - 500 hours in total.

Since then, Charlotte has taught internationally in destinations including Bali, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Italy, and Ibiza, as well as hosting sold-out retreats across the UK and abroad. Now, with over 10 years of teaching experience and 15 years of personal practice, she has found a permanent home for her global experience, here on the Fylde Coast.

Agni Yoga – named after the Sanskrit word for “fire” – was originally a long-vacant former convenience store and has been completely renovated from scratch by Charlotte and her partner.

“Since we started renovating, it’s been amazing to see the response from the local community,” Charlotte said. “We’ve had so many people walking past, popping their heads in, offering help, and telling us how happy they are that something is finally being done with the space. It’s been really special to feel that support so early on.”

And Agni Yoga is built around community at its core. The studio will continue Charlotte’s long-running free weekly class, offering a complimentary session every Tuesday from 1–2pm to ensure yoga remains accessible to all.

In addition, the studio will host regular charity events and collaborate with local businesses, including sourcing equipment from local suppliers and stocking locally made products.

It will be a unique offering for the Fylde coast: Agni Yoga is one of the only dedicated yoga spaces in the area, offering both traditional and modern practices under one roof. It is also the only one on the Fylde coast to offer Rocket Yoga and Mandala Yoga, alongside a wide range of classes including Hatha, Yin, Restorative, Ashtanga, breathwork, and infrared heated sessions.

Finally, Agni Yoga is a registered yoga school, led by Charlotte as an ERYT 500 teacher trainer, offering professional training programmes designed to support the next generation of yoga teachers.

To mark its launch, Agni Yoga is offering an introductory promotion of 21 days of unlimited yoga for £21, giving new customers the opportunity to explore the full range of classes and find a practice that suits them.

But most of all, Charlotte wants to show that Agni Yoga is accessible for all, and a space where people feel supported, included, and part of something. “I really want people to see that yoga isn’t just for the calm, perfectly put together people we often picture,” she says.

“I’m not that, and I don’t try to be. I’m a normal person who struggles at times, and that’s completely okay. If anything, that’s why yoga matters to me even more.”