Felixstowe Nub News gets UP CLOSE with a Yoga Studio owner Hazel Baldwin who oozes positivity despite dealing with extreme adversity and now living the Beach Street dream

If you could bottle the energy, positivity and pure loveliness that radiates from Hazel Baldwin and sell it in one of the colourful containers that makes up Beach Street, then you would probably be millionaire by this time next year.

Like Hazel, Beach Street has an incredible vibrancy and it is easy to see how the two are so compatible, especially the somewhat unique backgrounds.

"That hippy vibe is part of the attraction and we have that feeling of being an adventurer by being in these containers, yet being in one of these is nowhere near as fearful as going into a high street shop.

"I live life to full, I'm not just someone who sees the glass as half full, I seize the whole bottle and drink straight from the bottle of life. I'm very lucky, I have a positive attitude, I have loads of energy, too much for some people to live with, which I understand, however, I'm also really lucky."

Almost Killed

As many of us know, luck does not always just happen, and people's individual character, strength, determination and fortitude, often play a part.

For this Leicestershire born woman of many talents, almost being killed, left partially scalped, with a squashed spine, and facing the prospect of struggling to walk again actually shaped her future.

The emergency services often describe the victim of an accident as having life-changing injuries, for Hazel a collision on her bike while cycling from work with Deutche Bank in London while in her mid 30s, spent her spiralling into a pain-wracked existence, filled with depression, fuelled by pharmaceutical drugs and alcohol.

For the party girl who had previously enjoyed a life as a chef, champagne girl in London, working at F1 grand prix, being in a pop video party, party promoter, psychiatric nurse, personal trainer hypnotherapist, and painter and decorator. it was a hugely difficult time.

From living in in Hawaii, then Bulgaria while working a ski resort, and spending a lot of time in India, hazel found herself living at the back of her parents house not knowing what the future held.

"After that accident I could not do any more martial arts which I had done for years and loved," said Hazel, "I went from being incredibly active with cycling walking, running up steps, my world stopped.

"It took me a year and during that period the doctors wanted to give me certain medicines and as well as the pharmaceuticals, alcohol, self medication, etc, I was a mess. Then I found yoga.

Yoga Saved Her Life

"It was bit of blur but I found myself in HMV and found a DVD by Nicole Kidman's sister, came home put it on and I was hooked."

That DVD that hooked Hazel was entitled 'Antonia Kidman yoga: The Power and Style of Ashtanga' focussed on a different way of looking at exercise, and is still popular today.

Hall said: "I love India, I have spent time there, I understood the stories and it all fitted together.

"It was as if Yoga had been saying 'we have been waiting for you to grow up' and I went from living at the back of my parents house, being on sickness benefits, a 10 stone wreck with nothing, to what I am now.

Yoga literally saved my life.

"I have been inspired by Anne Mare Newland who is a nutter, but utterly brilliant. I don't work any more I do Yoga and people give me money. It's wonderful."

Bit of Pizzazz

Hazel is also an on-call firefighter and preparing for a huge Lands End to John O'Groats bike ride to raise awareness and money for the Firefighters Charity, and all that while opening and running her new Yoga Studio.

Hazels' instinct played its part in choosing Beach Street and is already convinced she did the right thing.

Hazel said: "I'm one of those people that does things on gut instinct and as soon as I walked in and saw these containers I knew it was for me.

"I have rented places before and I have worked with lots of other people before teaching yoga but when this came up I knew it was right. It is a bit innovative, it is up cycling and it is original. Above all I liked the fact it is bringing a bit of pizzazz and wow to this part of town and it is reading the Felixstowe vibe.

"There is joke people often make about one end is like Torremolinos and the other is like St Tropez, and it is nice to now think that is being rebalanced and we are getting a bit more of St Tropez."

Like everywhere getting on with your neighbours is important but with a waffle shop one side, and a row of clothing and accessory outlets the other, it can be a double edged sword, in good way.

Hall said: "One of the biggest ups is the neighbours, it can be a problem sometimes when I don't get my work done because we are having too much of a giggle. We have created really good community and I know this sounds bit Walt Disney but Charlie and Jonny have really made dreams come true.

"We have members of this Beach Street crew where they have tried elsewhere, didn't work out - came here - dream come true. Susie Sparkles and been doing markets for years, now has her own place - dream come true.

"This really is our own little dream factory and they are the dream makers."

Destiny and Destination

As always, Hazel is not settling for what she has and has already dreamed up how her extension will work.

"I already want another on top." she said. "I would like to have this as a performance area and workshop space and then have the yoga studio on top with sky lights, views over the sea and a meditation chamber.

"Then all different types of people can meet and enjoy a positive experience."

She shares a vision with Beach Street and its wide range of entrepreneurs and is convinced the initial goodwill will last and it is going to become a must visit destination.

Hall said: "Usually when there is change there is resistance. But this has really gone down well in Felixstowe, it is the talk if the town.

"You have the vegan options, you have the wonderful food options and this is where the magic happens.

Visitors from all area

"This is going be a visitor destination. People who come to Suffolk will want to come here, Beach Street is one of those must see places."

Contact Hazel to find out more about booking in at Hazel's Yoga Studio: [email protected]

07896577758

For the full list of Beach Street operators see Quirky container attraction story here...

They are Beach Street dream makers