Our Story

Way, way, way back, the vision for BoCo was sparked in the late 90's after an evening class Maya was teaching at one of the smaller health clubs. At that time, Yoga was the poor relation to the 'Legs, Bums and Tums' classes which were given the studio space. Evening Yoga classes were consigned to the Function Room which also doubled as the crèche. Consequently, the floor was often slightly sticky from play dough etc and with the busy kitchen beside it the clatter and noise often accompanied Maya's dulcet tones! On this particular occasion, the floor was extra sticky and the kitchen exceptionally noisy. Maya and Karin -who had been a long-time regular to the class - were chatting and the idea of bespoke space that was clean and peaceful was born.

In the process of planning, Karin's husband Ken newly retired was soon recruited and became involved on the Finance side and also began taking Yoga classes with Maya. Karin was tasked with the job of buying the Limited Company that we wanted for the structure of planning the venture. It is one of our favourite stories: We were looking for a pre-named company that would fit our vision and the process was slightly more laborious than we expected... the alphabetical list of brand new companies seemed endless. Starting with the A's - which took weeks, Karin was delighted to come across Body Concepts Ltd! It encompassed the 'mind' aspect we wanted to be implicit with the benefits that Yoga and Pilates offer to health of body. 

Some of you will remember Moore Place in Esher - even before it was painted purple! At one time, there was a planning application for it to be converted to Apartment block with a Health Club. We went along to Consultancy company to put together a bid to run the Health Club - complete with Sauna and Steam rooms - it would have been the only fitting outcome to justify demolishing that lovely building. Sadly it was not to be. It then was a very tedious process to find premises for ourselves. 

Fast forward about a couple of years. It was in September 2005, Body Concepts Ltd opened its first Yoga and Pilates Studio in Hinchley Wood. It was soon clear that it was a bit of a mouthful and didn't clearly define who we were so with a flourish of creative licence, we took the first two letters of each word and BoCo Yoga & Pilates came into being with the coloured rectangles as the BoCo rainbow banner.

We were in Hinchley Wood for five years. Karin finally found bigger premises and opening down the road in Surbiton with our two treatment rooms was a big step to becoming more sustainable. We opened at 6 Electric Parade in January 2010. Building our timetable from around fifteen to thirty plus classes a week means that we have been able to stand the test of time!

Whilst we still don't have space for a steam room and sauna, the unexpected events in 2020 have given us new possibilities of Virtual Studios and more and more our story is about our members and how they have shaped our journey as the Teachers and Receptionists who have been part of the Team. Members who moved away during lockdown voted on keeping online classes for ever :). Ken & Karin finally retired at the end of 2021 though Yoga remains a big part of their lives.

In 2017, Natasha joined the BoCo Team on reception behind the desk. She is Maya’s daughter and has grown up with Yoga & BoCo. Natasha now works part-time on the admin and management side of BoCo and was surprised to discover following her mother’s footsteps seemed quite appealing! She is sees a Yoga teacher training course in her future.

As well as her BoCo classes, up to 2022, Maya taught for 10 years at Dysart School - a special needs school in Tolworth. She is fascinated at how the process of Yoga is so effective at every level and in every context. It is truly transformative work for both children and adults. She is now looking to set up classes for parents with pre-schoolers so that children have the benefit of this Yoga before the challenges of settling into full-time education.

The mother/daughter team are working on expanding the business and reach more like-minded people - members, teachers and therapists. Long live BoCo! The story continues..