Liz’s Update Corner

I’ve created this blog as a quiet space to share updates with my students — a place you can visit any time to check in and see if there’s any news.

A photo of yellow lotus blooming I took at Kew Gardens in August 2025 — a quiet reminder that beauty can rise from murky waters.

Scroll below the photo for updates. Scroll to the very bottom of the page to leave a comment.

26/08/25:

My surgery is booked for Wednesday the 27th of August 2025. I'll update here when I can afterwards. In case of emergency, my husband Nick's number is 07941 277830.

29/08/25:

Greetings!

Thanks so much for stopping by to see how I am. My surgery went ahead as planned on Wednesday, and I’m now back home recovering.

I’m already doing micro chair yoga and my physio exercises four times a day—and even managed a gentle walk around the block (no surprises there, I imagine!).

Now it’s just a matter of healing from the surgery and waiting for the histology results in a few weeks, which will determine whether I need further treatment.

I'm missing you all and am deeply grateful for your ongoing love and support.

With love, Liz.

04/09/25:

Greetings!

Just a little update from me…

I'm just over a week post-op now. The first few days are a bit of a blur, followed by a wave of relief that left me feeling as high as a kite! Yesterday, I hit a bit of a low — but today feels a little more balanced. Healing, as we know, is never a straight line.

I'm keeping up with my physio, gentle walks, and some yoga — all of which are helping hugely. Rest is just as important, and I'm making space for that too.

I’m hoping to feel more grounded once I get the histology results next week and have a clearer picture of the next steps.

Thank you so much for all the lovely cards, flowers, and thoughtful messages — they truly mean a lot.

I hope you're all doing well, and that the on-demand pack I put together is helping to keep your practice going while I'm away.

With love,Liz.

08/09/25:

More of a musing than an update...

I’m the fourth woman in my family to be diagnosed with breast cancer. Me, my mum, my mum’s sister, and their mum's sister — four women, four diagnoses.

And despite living what many would consider a “clean” lifestyle — I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I eat a wholefood diet, I exercise regularly, and I 'live and breathe' yoga — I still got breast cancer.

What’s more, my cancer was missed on a mammogram. One in five breast cancers — that’s 20% — are missed this way. Thankfully, I found mine through self-checking.

Please, attend your medical appointments. But also, get to know your body. Check yourself regularly, and if something feels off — trust yourself and speak to your GP.

12/09/25:

✨ Update for My Lovely Yoga Community

Thank you all for your kind messages, patience, and positive energy over these past few weeks — I’ve truly felt the love and support from our little yoga family.

Yesterday, I had my surgical check-up and received the histology results following my double mastectomy. I’m relieved and grateful to share some good news: the cancer was caught just in time, and I won’t need chemotherapy or radiotherapy. I’m now focusing on healing, rebuilding strength, and letting my whole self recover.

The type of cancer I had was unusually difficult to detect and had been missed for years on annual mammograms — despite my strong family history. I’m incredibly lucky I found it myself through self-checking. Please take this as your reminder to trust your intuition and check in with your body regularly, just as yoga teaches us every time we step onto the mat.

More updates to come as I heal.

With love and gratitude to each of you,

Liz.

17/09/25:

It’s three weeks post-op today. The pain is more manageable now, and I’ve nearly regained full range of movement—thanks in large part to yoga therapy, which seems to reach the places physiotherapy can’t. It’s not just about moving the arms, but about mobilising the breath, spine and ribs too—everything is connected.

The good histology results are slowly sinking in, and I’m deeply grateful. Mostly, I’m just feeling tired as the adrenaline finally begins to fade. Some wise words from my students have stayed with me: take the time to rest, recover, and process. That’s exactly what I plan to do.

I’ll review my return to work in a few weeks, most likely easing back in with 1:1 sessions before resuming group classes.

Thank you all for your kind wishes—what a lovely bunch you are. I miss you and hope you’re keeping well.

Liz x

25/09/25:

“The attitude of gratitude is the highest form of yoga.” — Yogi Bhajan

Today marks four weeks since my double mastectomy, and four years since my total hysterectomy and endometriosis excision (with a shoulder operation in between for good measure!).

And today, I feel grateful.

Grateful that the surgeries worked and I didn't require any further treatments.

Grateful that my body knows how to heal.

Grateful for a wonderful husband and daughter who carried me through.

Grateful for friends and students who have shown such kindness.

Grateful that yoga has once again sustained me.

Grateful that my belief in yoga for every-body continues to prove itself true.

When I first began yoga teacher training, it was on a series of retreats. We lived a yogic lifestyle, nourished by our tutors (very different from much of the training on offer today). Every day, we practiced together—those more able and those less able side by side. The course director often reminded us with these words from Lady Julian of Norwich:

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”

And it truly was!

I hope you’re keeping well too—and I look forward to seeing you soon.

With love, Liz.

01/10/25

Happy Autumn! 🍂

My favourite season has arrived.

It’s been five weeks since my surgery, and while healing brings some tightness and fatigue, I’m starting to feel like myself again.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and a reminder feels timely: in the UK, not everyone is automatically invited for a mammogram. Routine screening is offered only to those aged 50–71 — and even then, one in five cancers won’t appear on a mammogram. So, it’s vital to know your own body. Notice what’s normal for you, and get any changes checked (yes, men too!).

I turn 50 on the 26th — and ironically, received my first routine screening invite after being diagnosed at 49. Because of family history, I’d been having annual mammograms for years, yet my cancer never showed on them. I found it myself — a hard, immovable lump I knew wasn’t normal.

My histology report confirmed more: alongside that lump were an early-stage cancer and a pre-cancer. This reaffirmed why I chose a double mastectomy — the right decision for me.

In yoga, we speak of the five koshas — layers of being: body, breath, mind, wisdom, and bliss. The Vijnanamaya Kosha, our wisdom layer, holds intuition beyond thought or emotion. I believe yoga helped me trust that intuition — and continues to guide my recovery with movement and calm.

Wishing you a gentle autumn.✨ Know yourself, trust yourself, and advocate for yourself — you are the expert on you. ✨

🧘‍♀️

09/10/25

No news is good news! I’m feeling much more like my usual self again.

Whenever I take a break from teaching — whether by choice or circumstance — I find myself diving even more deeply into my own practice. It always reminds me why I love sharing yoga: it reconnects me with the simple joy of mindful movement and presence.

I hope you’re all keeping well and taking good care of yourselves. I’m really looking forward to seeing you in class soon.

17/1025

This is my final update and joyfully - it's the notices for next half term!✨ See you, 'on the mat...'

Greetings!

I hope this message finds you well.

I’m delighted to share that I’ll be returning to work next month. Here are the details:

🧘‍♀️ Private Yoga Therapy & Reflexology

Available from the first week of November (w/c 3rd) — please get in touch to book your session.

🧘‍♀️ Group Yoga Classes

Resuming the following week (w/c 10th) for a six-week block before Christmas.

Online booking opens Saturday, 1st November (I'll send a reminder): www.lizbrownyoga.co.uk/book-online

--Note: With Fridays always full and regular requests for another day/time, in 2026 I can consider either two sessions on a Friday (9:30am & 11:30am) or a new class at BodySong Studio in Stoke Mandeville (Wednesday AM or Thursday PM - timetable permitting). If this is of interest, please let me know - 8 students are needed to make it happen--

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has shown such kindness and support throughout my unexpected cancer diagnosis and surgery — it has meant the world to me. 

I’m healing well, and returning to “normal life” is an important part of that journey. Thank you for being part of it, and for your continued support.

With sincere gratitude and warm regards — see you 'on the mat'!

Liz. x

Liz Brown Yoga Therapist & Reflexologist.

Certified Yoga Therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists.

Registered Yoga Therapist with the UK Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council.

Member of the Association of Reflexologists

www.lizbrownyoga.co.uk