Dionne Palmer has spent more than two decades proving that wellness is about far more than appearances. At 57, the Chester-based yoga expert is regularly mistaken for being in her 30s, but she insists there is no miracle cream or cosmetic procedure behind her youthful looks. Instead, she credits a commitment to yoga, stress management and a holistic approach to health.
TO BOOK A YOGA CLASS WITH DIONNE OR BOOK ON ONE OF HER RETREATS CONTACT 07548278191, VISIT HER WEBSITE OR MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM
After spending 18 years in banking and finance, Dionne swapped the corporate world for a very different career. For the past 15 years, she has become one of the North West’s most respected yoga teacher trainers and tutors, inspiring thousands of people to transform their health through movement, mindfulness and connection.
TO BOOK A YOGA CLASS WITH DIONNE OR BOOK ON ONE OF HER RETREATS CONTACT 07548278191, VISIT HER WEBSITE OR MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM
Today, she owns Bodhi Yoga & Wellness in Chester and teaches across Chester and the Wirral, having trained with renowned yoga masters in Mandrem, India. Alongside teaching everyday clients, she has also worked with elite athletes including world boxing champion Natasha Jonas MBE, former world champion Tony Bellew and Liverpool FC legend Jamie Carragher.
TO BOOK A YOGA CLASS WITH DIONNE OR BOOK ON ONE OF HER RETREATS CONTACT 07548278191, VISIT HER WEBSITE OR MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM
Meanwhile, her 5 Fundamentals Retreats are said to be life-changing. Hosted both locally and overseas, the retreats have taken place in destinations including Provence, Tuscany and India, as well as venues closer to home across Cheshire and the North West. Each retreat combines yoga, meditation, breathwork, sauna experiences, cold-water therapy, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, hypnotherapy and lifestyle coaching.
TO BOOK A YOGA CLASS WITH DIONNE OR BOOK ON ONE OF HER RETREATS CONTACT 07548278191, VISIT HER WEBSITE OR MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM
But Dionne says her own journey into yoga began from a place of exhaustion. “For years, I was caught in the high-voltage grind of the corporate banking world,” she says. “My schedule was relentless, fast-paced and demanding. Like so many women, I was trying to do it all – balancing a heavy corporate workload while raising a young child at home.”
“The result was a constant, heavy cloud of working-mother guilt. I felt like I was splitting myself in two and failing at both. I was permanently exhausted, emotionally drained and deeply burnt out. I was running on empty,” she explains. But everything changed more than 25 years ago when she reluctantly walked into her first yoga class.
TO BOOK A YOGA CLASS WITH DIONNE OR BOOK ON ONE OF HER RETREATS CONTACT 07548278191, VISIT HER WEBSITE OR MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM
“I desperately needed an escape,” she recalls. “The shift was instant. The physical movement was wonderful, but it was the profound relaxation that truly saved me. For the first time in years, my nervous system quietened down. I felt the benefits so deeply that I knew I had to share them. That personal lifeline became my calling and I’ve now spent more than 15 years helping other women navigate their own high-stress lives.”
TO BOOK A YOGA CLASS WITH DIONNE OR BOOK ON ONE OF HER RETREATS CONTACT 07548278191, VISIT HER WEBSITE OR MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM
While many people ask Dionne how she manages to look decades younger than her age, she believes the answer has very little to do with skincare. Instead, she credits years of regulating her nervous system, prioritising wellbeing and living consistently healthy habits. “People are always shocked when I tell them I’m 57,” she laughs. “But they’re even more shocked when I explain it’s purely lifestyle.”
She explains that chronic stress keeps the body locked in a constant state of “fight or flight”, something she believes accelerates ageing both physically and mentally. Through daily yoga, breathwork and meditation, she has learnt to calm her nervous system, improve sleep and reduce the damaging effects of long-term stress.
TO BOOK A YOGA CLASS WITH DIONNE OR BOOK ON ONE OF HER RETREATS CONTACT 07548278191, VISIT HER WEBSITE OR MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM
She has also remained committed to yoga for more than 25 years, maintaining mobility, posture, flexibility and circulation while supporting mental clarity. Alongside this, Dionne incorporates sauna sessions, cold-water therapy, hypnotherapy and mindfulness practices into her own routine, believing that reducing mental clutter is just as important as looking after the body.
Everything Dionne teaches is centred around what she calls her “5 Fundamentals” – the framework that helped her recover from burnout and now forms the foundation of her popular wellness retreats. The five pillars are: Move, Sleep, Hydrate, Nourish and Connect. “It isn’t about perfection,” says Dionne. “It’s about creating daily habits that help women thrive rather than simply survive.”
TO BOOK A YOGA CLASS WITH DIONNE OR BOOK ON ONE OF HER RETREATS CONTACT 07548278191, VISIT HER WEBSITE OR MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM
Her retreats combine these five pillars and the results women experience are profound. Her Mid-Week Reset sessions offer busy women a couple of hours to pause, stretch and reset, while full-day retreats provide a more immersive experience. Weekend and extended retreats allow participants to dive deeper into personal transformation, community and self-care.
TO BOOK A YOGA CLASS WITH DIONNE OR BOOK ON ONE OF HER RETREATS CONTACT 07548278191, VISIT HER WEBSITE OR MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM
As a qualified hypnotherapist and coach, Dionne also works with clients individually, helping them overcome limiting beliefs, manage anxiety and create lasting lifestyle change. Having worked with world champions and Premier League footballers, Dionne says the same principles that keep elite athletes performing at their best can also help everyday women cope with the pressures of modern life.
“The techniques used to help professional athletes stay mentally resilient and physically prepared are incredibly effective for women experiencing stress, burnout and the challenges of midlife,” she explains. “It’s about learning how to regulate your body, calm your mind and build habits that support long-term health.”
TO BOOK A YOGA CLASS WITH DIONNE OR BOOK ON ONE OF HER RETREATS CONTACT 07548278191, VISIT HER WEBSITE OR MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM
For Dionne, looking youthful is simply a by-product of living well. Her message is that true vitality comes from reducing stress, moving regularly, sleeping deeply, eating well, staying hydrated and surrounding yourself with positive people. After leaving behind the pressures of corporate life, she believes she has found something far more valuable than simply looking younger.
“I don’t believe youthfulness is about chasing age,” she summarises. “It’s about feeling energised, resilient and connected. When you take care of yourself from the inside out, it naturally shows on the outside too. I’m open for a free chat with any woman who is feeling burnt out and wants to build a life where they can thrive, not just survive.”
TO BOOK A YOGA CLASS WITH DIONNE OR BOOK ON ONE OF HER RETREATS CONTACT 07548278191, VISIT HER WEBSITE OR MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM
Dionne owns Bodhi Yoga & Wellness in Chester and teaches across Wirral. She also offers retreats both locally and abroad — practising her ‘5 Fundamentals’ and incorporating yoga, meditation, breathwork, sauna experiences, cold-water therapy, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, hypnotherapy and lifestyle coaching. She offers a free chat for women looking to look and feel better.
Dionne Palmer / Palmer Yoga
TO BOOK A YOGA CLASS WITH DIONNE OR BOOK ON ONE OF HER RETREATS CONTACT 07548278191, VISIT HER WEBSITE OR MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM
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