I HAVE, on occasion, been accused of jumping headfirst into the latest trend - be it wine, fashion or festivals.

Exercise comes into this, too, as does mindfulness and meditation.

So you can imagine my pleasure when I realised that the yoga revival, which is happening nationwide, has found its way to Ulverston.

I mean, you can’t walk down Market Street these days without getting whacked in the face by a yoga mat.

Plus, unlike the 90s, when the trend was lead by Gwyneth Paltrow and the yummy mummies of north London, this time round it all feels much more egalitarian, with both sexes and all ages joining in.

Best of all, us provincial folk are no longer expected to roll around on the dusty floor in a draughty, old church hall.

I wanted in on the fun. So I did a little research and found Nirodhah.

Nirodhah, as their website says, is a purpose-built space in Ulverston’s town centre dedicated to the practice of yoga and other holistic methods.

And it is gorgeous. It’s all stripped back wood and exposed brick.

I love being in rooms like that. I associate them with the Danish mood word ‘hygge’. A word that means coziness with feelings of wellness and contentment. Or maybe this was just the treat of under floor heating on a cold March evening.

I’ve been to exactly one yoga class in the past. I think it was a little advanced for me. This was many years ago in Thailand, on a detox retreat, where a well-known British actor became my exercise partner and trussed me up with a leather strap into some animal shape and left me like that.

At this point I hadn’t eaten solid food for seven days - afterwards I could barely walk for three.

At Nirodhah, I decided on the beginners' class.

The teacher was Ishwara, a very, very bendy middle-aged chap with an endearing smile. He was really welcoming, which I feel is massively important when you’re a little insecure about being somewhere new, especially if your knees are going to be up by your shoulders at any minute.

The class was a gentle, but thorough, introduction into the principles of yoga.

The classmates were all at the same level, me included, which was reassuring.

That night I had an amazing sleep. The next morning I woke early, feeling refreshed. In fact, I was so refreshed I jumped out of bed, dressed, and climbed Hoad before work. I don’t know who was more surprised, me or the dog.

So now, I feel, I’ve finally found my calling.

I wanted to be a Golden Gloves Boxer six months ago, but now I’m definitely all about becoming a yogi.