Underpaid and overstretched: Essex yoga instructors ballot to strike over pay

Teachers at Colchester council say they're paid less than those at other councils despite bending over backwards' to provide classes

To those who turn up in Lycra to practise their sun salutations and downward dogs, a yoga class can represent a moment of calm reflection. For a group of instructors in Colchester, however, teaching yoga has become a much more stressful business.

Yoga, pilates and aerobics instructors employed by Colchester city council are balloting on possible strike action, after what their union says is nearly a decade without a pay rise.