[See also a recent blog on Yoga Matters website]

The Brighton Natural Health Centre is a registered charity that was founded in January 1982 by Infinity Foods. Indeed, of the three original founding members of Infinity from 1970 (Peter Deadman, Jenny Deadman and Robin Bines) Peter and Robin are still trustees of the centre and Jenny has taught yoga at the centre since the beginning.

In 1978, a fire devastated the mostly wooden, rickety warehouse building at the back of Infinity Foods which we had been using as storage and for various small workshops. Luckily, it was properly insured and the subsequent rebuilding offered us the opportunity to realise an ambition that we had held for several years.

Infinity Foods was set up in 1971 with a strong idealistic base; that simple, natural and organic foods (in short supply in those days) represented a healthier and more ethical way of eating. Ethical because reducing consumption of junk foods and meat, and eating local foods, organically grown where possible, was beneficial to the environment – especially the soil. It also represented a fairer way of sharing out the world’s resources. And healthier because we believed that a diet based predominantly on whole grains and vegetables, pulses and fruits, could both help prevent disease and improve health.

Eating in this way represented an empowering move towards accepting personal responsibility for our own health. Yet clearly diet is only one part of health maintenance and we very much wanted to increase access to disciplines such as yoga, tai chi and meditation, which at that time were hard to find. It’s funny to think that now that there is such an abundance of yoga in Brighton!

So in 1982, from the ashes of the fire, Infinity Foods launched the Brighton Natural Health Centre as a registered charity. All kinds of classes have been run at the centre since then, with an emphasis on practices that cultivate a calm, centered attention, harmonious body posture and movement and integrated breathing.

In the three decades since the Brighton Natural Health Centre was established, access to many of the disciplines we offer has become widespread, yet our long experience, our dedication to seeking the best and most qualified teachers, and the vibrant and happy energy of the centre, has meant that we have been able to consistently set the highest standards in the fulfilment of our aims.

The Brighton Natural Health Centre continues to prosper with the generous support of Infinity Foods, Brighton’s leading natural food store.