Private yoga questions, answered

As hard as your breath allows. The pace follows your breathing, so when that gets ragged we slow down. There is a resting posture you can take at any point without asking.

Yin is held still on the floor for minutes at a time, with props doing the work. Vinyasa keeps moving and asks your muscles to work. If you want to be warm and a little out of breath, Vinyasa. If you want to slow right down, Yin.

Probably, especially in a condo without the aircon running. Wear something you can move in properly and keep a towel nearby. If the room is very warm we can shorten the standing sequence and spend longer on the floor.

Yes. In a private lesson the sequence is built for you, so we start with a few simple shapes and link them slowly. As they become familiar we add more. You never have to keep up with anyone.

No. I bring mats, blocks and straps. You need a clear patch of floor about the size of a mat, with a little space around it to step and reach.

Not quite. A stretch is usually short and active, with the muscle working against something. In Yin the muscle is deliberately switched off and the props hold the shape, so what you feel is much duller and takes longer to arrive.

A dull, broad sensation spread over an area is what we are looking for. Anything sharp, electrical, or felt inside a joint is a sign to come out, and I would far rather you came out early than held on politely. Tell me and we change the shape.

Three to five minutes each, which usually means five or six postures in a lesson. I count for you and talk you through the first minute, then leave you alone with it.

No. The props come up to meet you, so a stiff body is held just as well as a flexible one. Nothing asks you to force a shape further than it wants to go, and we change any shape that does not suit you.

They are close. Both are slow and propped. In Yin you look for a dull, steady sensation and stay with it. In restorative yoga the props take all of your weight, and the aim is to feel as little effort as possible.

Once your doctor or midwife has cleared you for exercise, and not before. Every recovery is different, so I don't work to a set number of weeks. Tell me what they said when you book, and we start from there.

Yes, once your doctor has cleared you. Tell me how you gave birth and we keep well away from anything that asks much of your abdomen. I am not a medical professional, so anything that hurts is a question for your doctor.

Yes. Plenty of lessons happen with a baby asleep nearby or lying on the mat beside you. If they need feeding or settling, we pause, and pick up again when you are ready. Nothing is lost by stopping.

No. Plenty of new mothers come to yoga for the first time after birth. We start from where your body is that week, and nothing asks for experience or flexibility.

Yes. Lessons happen at your home or condo across Metro Manila, including Makati and BGC, so you do not have to travel with a newborn. I bring the mats and props.

Yes, that is exactly what I do. I come to your condo, house or office anywhere in Makati with mats, blocks and straps. Message me on Viber with your building or village and the days that suit you.

It depends on what you need. A studio class is a set sequence for a full room. A private lesson is ninety minutes planned around your body, your schedule and your space, with no commute to a studio. If you are new, working around an injury or simply short on time, private often suits better.

All of it. Rockwell, Salcedo Village, Legaspi Village, Poblacion, and Forbes Park and Dasmariñas each have their own page, and I teach in the rest of the city too, from the towers along Ayala Avenue to the streets of Bel-Air. If your area is not listed, just ask.

Yes. For a few colleagues sharing a lesson, a meeting room is enough: for group lessons, message me with the size of the group. For a whole team or a regular class in the office, that is corporate yoga: send me the headcount, the location and the format you have in mind, and I will reply with a quote.

No. There is no transportation fee anywhere in Metro Manila, so a lesson in a Bel-Air house costs the same as one in a Rockwell tower or a Legaspi Village meeting room. The pricing page has the details.

Yes, and in Rockwell I would usually suggest it. The Proscenium, Edades and One Rockwell all have space you can reserve by the hour, and it is more comfortable than clearing the living room. Ask your admin what booking it involves and I will work around the slot you get.

The Proscenium, Edades Tower, One Rockwell, Joya Lofts, Amorsolo Square and Hidalgo Place, among others. If yours is not on that list it makes no difference. I need the address and whatever the front desk asks of guests.

Yes. I come up to your unit or meet you on the amenity floor, whichever your building prefers. Register me as a guest with the lobby the day before and clear a patch of floor about the length of a mat with a little room on each side. I bring the mats, blocks and straps.

Yes. The bridge joins Estrella Street to Barangka Drive, so the towers just across the river are close to Rockwell. Send me the building name on Viber and we will find a time that suits us both.

Yes. A lesson can be for you alone, for the two of you, or for a few people in the same household. Tell me who is joining and anything I should know about each of you, and I will plan it so it works for everyone in the room.

Almost certainly. Two metres of clear floor is genuinely all we need, and I have taught full lessons in Salcedo studios where we moved one coffee table and that was the whole preparation. Do not rule yourself out on square metres before asking.

Yes. Saturday mornings in Salcedo book out first, usually early enough that you are finished before the market fills Jaime Velasquez Park. Tell me at the start of the week if you want that slot.

Salcedo Park, One Salcedo Place, The Alexandra, Antel 2000 and Classica Tower, among others. Most of Leviste and Tordesillas is a short walk for me either way.

Yes. I teach in your unit, or in your building's gym or function room if the admin allows a guest there. Whether you are in a tower on H.V. dela Costa or a smaller building near the park, register me at the lobby and I bring the mats, blocks and straps.

Yes, if your building lets you book a meeting room or a quiet corner for an hour and a half. A lesson before the working day is practical here because so many people live and work inside the village. Tell me when your day starts and I will tell you what I can offer.

If your admin allows it, yes. The Columns has an amenity floor with a gym and a function room, and residents of Greenbelt Chancellor or Greenbelt Madisons can ask their own admin what is available. Otherwise we use your unit. Register me as a guest at the lobby, clear a space a little longer than a mat, and I bring everything else.

Yes. The market takes over Legazpi Active Park from early morning, so we either practise before you head down for breakfast or after the crowd has thinned out. Tell me early in the week which one you prefer.

Yes, a small group of friends or colleagues can share a lesson: for group lessons, message me with the size of the group. All we need is a meeting room with the table pushed to one side and a door that closes. For a whole team or a regular office class, that is corporate yoga, which I quote on inquiry.

It can. Some weeks the office works better, some weeks home does. Give me both addresses when you book on Viber and tell me which one you want each time.

The parks are public spaces with their own rules, so I teach indoors: in your unit, your amenity floor or a meeting room. A slow walk through Washington SyCip Park before or after the lesson is a lovely way to bookend it, though.

If residents can book it, yes, and mornings up there before the heat arrives are the best lessons I teach all week. Air Residences, Century Spire and Milano all have space worth asking your admin about.

Before about half past seven it is genuinely lovely. After that I would move us inside, and I will say so rather than let you cook through a sequence. It is the main reason Poblacion lessons skew early.

Yes. Evenings work well and the traffic along Kalayaan has usually loosened by eight, so a later slot is easier here than the address suggests.

Yes. A few friends in one unit or up on a roof deck works well here. Tell me how many of you there are and roughly how much floor you have, and I will plan the lesson for the group, not for one person with others watching.

Often, yes. Both towers sit in Century City on Kalayaan Avenue, and shared spaces there are reserved through the admin. Ask what the lobby needs from a guest and which room residents can book, then send me the slot and I will be there with everything else.

Yes. I teach at homes in Forbes Park, Dasmariñas, Urdaneta, San Lorenzo and Bel-Air. Leave my name with the gate, tell me which room or garden you have in mind, and I bring the mats, blocks and straps.

Every village has its own procedure, usually a call from the gate to the house or a name left with the guards. Tell me what yours asks for and I will have my ID ready. I aim to arrive a little early so the gate never cuts into your 90 minutes.

Often, yes. Early morning or late afternoon is kinder than midday. If the lawn is uneven, the ground is wet or rain looks close, we move under the lanai or indoors, and I will say so rather than push through.

Yes. A lesson can be for you alone, for a couple, or for a few family members or friends. For group lessons, message me with the size of the group, who is joining and roughly how much yoga each person has done, and I will plan one practice that works for everyone on the mat.

All five villages. Bel-Air is north of the business district, with Makati Avenue running through it. Urdaneta lies between Ayala Avenue and Buendia. San Lorenzo is between Arnaiz Avenue and EDSA, and Dasmariñas sits beside Forbes Park along McKinley Road.

Yes, if the floor is flat and the space is quiet. A pool house or a guest room away from the main house often makes the calmest spot, especially when the rest of the household is busy. I bring everything we need there.

Yes, and around 5th Avenue and 32nd Street that is often the easier option. A meeting room or a cleared corner of the floor is enough. You skip the commute home, which for a six o'clock lesson in BGC is most of the battle.

No. BGC is included in the lesson rate, whether we practise at Uptown Parksuites, Two Serendra, Verve or an office tower off High Street.

You will need about two metres of clear floor per person. In most units around Burgos Circle that means moving a coffee table and nothing else.

Yes. Tell the lobby to expect me, clear about two metres of floor per person, and I bring mats, blocks and straps. We begin once the floor is clear.

All of it: Uptown Bonifacio and the towers near Uptown Mall, the blocks around Burgos Circle and Forbes Town, High Street and Track 30th, and Serendra. For McKinley Hill, just south, see its own page.

A studio class is one sequence for a full room. A private lesson is built around you: your body that day, your schedule, your floor. If you are new, stiff or coming back after a break, it is a gentler place to start.

Several McKinley villages have garden or clubhouse space that suits a lesson well, particularly in the cooler months. Ask your association what reserving it involves and I will bring everything else.

Yes, and the reservable space here suits it better than most areas. Groups practise in a clubhouse or a studio rather than a living room, which is a question of floor space rather than preference.

No. McKinley Hill is included in the lesson rate, including Venice Luxury Residences, Viceroy, Morgan Suites and the Tuscany estate.

Yes. Whether you are at The Venice Luxury Residences by the canal or The Viceroy and Morgan Suites on Florence Way, let the guard know to expect me. I bring mats, blocks and straps, and we start once the floor is clear.

It is its own township, built by Megaworld on former Fort Bonifacio land, just south of Bonifacio Global City along Upper McKinley Road. For lessons I treat the two as neighbours, which is why I can often pair a McKinley lesson with a BGC one on the same morning.

Ortigas is the area where that works best. I batch lessons here onto set days, so if you and two colleagues want the same slot it is easier for me to accommodate and cheaper per person. Groups run at a studio rather than an office floor.

The Podium West Tower, One Shangri-La Place, St. Francis Shangri-La and Robinsons Summit, among others. Emerald Avenue and ADB Avenue are both straightforward for me on a batched day.

Both, and the Quezon City corner too. The Shangri-La towers at EDSA and Shaw are on the Mandaluyong side, while Emerald Avenue is Pasig. Send me the building name on Viber and I will know exactly where you are.

Yes, if your building lets you bring a guest up and there is a meeting room with space for two mats. Book it for the whole lesson plus a little setup. For a whole team rather than you and a friend, ask me about a corporate class instead.

Yes. They sit just across Shaw Boulevard from Ortigas Center and have their own page here. Houses in Kapitolyo usually have more floor than an Ortigas condo, which is worth knowing if your family wants to join.

Yes. I bring the mats and props and set up wherever the floor is flat and quiet: a cleared sala, a covered garage, a garden in the shade. Send me your street and two or three times that suit you on Viber, and I will tell you which I can keep. A room at the back of the house, away from the street, is usually the quietest choice for the rest at the end.

Yes. Leave my name with the front desk as your guest and I will come up to the unit. If the living room is small, we can move the coffee table or use a function room, if your building lets residents book one. Estancia is next door if you want a slow coffee after.

Yes, at your house or at theirs. I teach whoever is in the room and change each shape for each body, so a stiff beginner and a regular can share the same lesson. For group lessons, message me with the size of the group and who is joining, so I bring a mat and props for each person.

It sits right next to it, across Shaw Boulevard, and I treat the two as neighbours. If you work in Ortigas Center and live in Kapitolyo, you can have your lesson at either place. Just tell me which address on the day.

Yes. Capitol Commons was built on the grounds of the former Rizal Provincial Capitol, at the edge of Kapitolyo. Its towers and Estancia Mall sit a short walk from the Capitol Drives, and I teach in both: in the towers upstairs and in the houses on the streets around them.

Yes. Put my name on your guest list with the lobby, and I will come up with mats, blocks and straps. A cleared patch of living room the length of a mat and a little wider is enough. If your tower lets residents book a function room, that works too.

Yes, in your unit at Twin Oaks Place or anywhere else in the district. If you would like a quieter, slower lesson, Greenfield is a good place for it. Tell me what your week looks like on Viber and we will find a time.

Both. Ortigas Center crosses into Mandaluyong, so One Shangri-La Place and the St. Francis towers are Ortigas addresses in Mandaluyong City. It makes no difference to the lesson. Give me the building name and I will know where you are.

Tell me the evenings that suit you and I will say which I can keep. An evening lesson after a day on Shaw often wants less effort, not more: slow shapes, long holds, and sound healing at the end so you go to sleep lighter. If the day ran long, we shorten the movement and lengthen the rest.

Yes. The streets and towers around Wack Wack Golf and Country Club are part of Mandaluyong, and a house on the Greenhills East side usually has room for a lesson in the sala or on a covered terrace. Tell me the street or the building and I will plan from there.

Yes. I come to the house with mats, blocks and straps. A garden in the shade, a lanai or a cleared family room all work. Tell me your street and village on Viber, and leave my name at the gate on the day. If you would rather not move furniture, a garage or a covered lanai is often the simplest spot.

Mostly San Juan. North Greenhills, Greenhills West and the shopping center are all San Juan, while the Wack Wack side of Greenhills East crosses into Mandaluyong. I teach on both sides of the line, so just send the village and street.

Yes, and a Greenhills house is made for it. Parents, grown children, a grandmother who wants to join for the gentle part: I adjust each shape for each person, so nobody has to keep up with anyone, and anyone who tires can rest in a supported shape while the others carry on. Tell me how many are joining so I bring enough mats.

Yes. A lesson works in your unit or in a function room, if your building lets residents book one. Leave my name at the lobby and clear a space a little longer than a mat. You also skip the parking at the shopping center, because the lesson comes to you.

Yes. If your day runs around drop-off and pick-up, a mid-morning lesson, once the house is quiet, is often the easiest to protect. Tell me the hours you are actually free on Viber, and I will plan a lesson that finishes with time to spare before you head out again, with a few minutes of rest you do not have to rush.

Yes. I come to you anywhere in Quezon City, from Diliman and Loyola Heights to the towers near North Avenue. Send me your barangay or building on Viber and we will look at days that suit us both.

A garage or a covered lanai is often perfect in the villages near Ateneo and Miriam College. I need a space about the length of a mat and a little more on each side, out of direct afternoon sun. If it rains we simply move indoors.

Usually, yes. Most towers there want a guest registered at the lobby ahead of time, and some let residents book a function room or gym corner. Check with your admin, tell me what they allow, and I will plan the lesson around that room. A corner of the gym works if it is quiet at that hour.

Yes. Eastwood City and the Libis side of C-5 have their own page, because lessons there run a little differently, mostly in towers above the malls. Everything else in Quezon City is covered here.

The lesson itself happens indoors, at your home, your condo or a room at work, because parks and malls have their own rules. A weekend walk around Quezon Memorial Circle pairs well with a slower lesson at home later the same day, if you like to spend a morning outside first.

Yes, and it is a good idea. After a night shift the body often wants a slower practice with longer holds and more rest, and the sound healing at the end helps you settle before sleep. Message me your usual shift and we will find a slot that fits it. Coming straight off a shift, a light snack and some water beforehand help more than another coffee.

Often, if your admin allows it. Most towers in Eastwood City ask for a guest name at the lobby before I arrive, and some let residents book a function room or the amenity deck, which saves moving furniture in the unit. Ask your admin what your building allows and tell me when you book.

Yes. Libis is part of this page, including the Acropolis side of C-5. A house there usually has a quiet room or a covered terrace, which makes a calm place for a 90-minute lesson.

This page is for private lessons at home. For a team at a BPO or office in Eastwood, see my corporate yoga page and send an inquiry with your headcount and the space you have. I reply with options, not a fixed rate.

The streets around Eastwood Citywalk and the Open Park stay lively late, but a unit or a function room upstairs is a different world. We close the windows if the noise carries, start slowly with the breath, and let the sound healing at the end take over from the street below. By the final rest, most people have stopped noticing it.

Yes. I teach private lessons at home in Ayala Alabang Village. Leave my name with your guard and tell me which part of the village you are in, and I will come to your gate.

We can, if there is shade and a level patch of grass or a patio. Earlier or later in the day is kinder than midday. I always keep an indoor spot in mind in case of rain, so the lesson never has to be cancelled for weather.

Almost always. One mat and a little clear floor around it is enough for most of what we do. If your unit is tight, ask your admin about booking an amenity room in your tower for the 90 minutes.

Yes, Alabang is one of the areas I teach in. It is farther from my base than most, so message me on Viber with your village or building first and we will agree the details before booking.

The lesson itself happens at your home or in an amenity room, but the linear park is a lovely way to arrive or to wind down. A slow walk there before we start warms the legs, and a short one afterwards keeps the quiet going a little longer. Tell me which you prefer and I will time the lesson around it.

Yes, if the hotel allows a guest in your room or has a space we can use. The hotels at Newport World Resorts sit right across from Terminal 3. Send me the hotel name and your room situation on Viber and I will tell you what works after a long flight.

Yes. The towers along Seaside Boulevard usually ask for a guest to be registered, and many have function rooms residents can book. If your unit faces the bay, practising by the window at the end of the day is a treat.

Yes. Newport City is part of this page, from the residential clusters on Resort Drive to the hotels. Tell me your building and whether you want the lesson in the unit or an amenity space. Hotel guests can ask the concierge which spaces are open to visitors.

Something gentle and slow: long holds for the hips and back, easy twists, legs up the wall, and a long rest at the end with the mini massage and sound healing. We adjust it to how you feel on the day.

Either end of the day works. A morning lesson starts the day slowly before the Seaside Boulevard crowds, and a unit facing the water catches the sunset later on. Tell me whether you prefer a quiet start or an evening lesson as the light goes over the bay, and we will plan around it.

Yes. I teach teams at their own offices, in function rooms and at offsite venues around Metro Manila. Send the address, the headcount and the format you have in mind.

Not for a desk-side class, which needs no mats at all. Floor classes such as lunchtime yoga or Yin need one mat per person. Say in your inquiry whether your team already has mats, and we agree how they are covered before the date is set.

Any room with clear floor where everyone can lie down with some space between them: a boardroom with the table moved back, a training room, a roof deck or a function hall. Carpet is fine. A photo of the room with your inquiry is the fastest way to plan it.

There is no fixed maximum. I plan the class around your headcount and the room: share the space, and I will say honestly how many people fit a floor class there, or whether a desk-side class or two smaller classes would serve the team better.

Yes, I also teach online. A live class by video suits teams spread across sites or working from home.

Every corporate class is quoted on inquiry. Tell me what your finance team needs from a supplier, such as the billing name, documents and payment terms, and I will confirm what I can provide before anything is booked.

For the desk-side class, no: it is done standing and seated at your desks. For a lunchtime or Yin class on the floor, each person needs a mat. Tell me in your inquiry whether your team has mats and we settle how they are covered before the date is confirmed.

Enough clear floor for everyone to lie down with an arm's length between mats. In most Makati offices that means a boardroom with the table moved, a training room or an amenity floor. Send a photo of the room and I will tell you how many people it fits comfortably.

It depends on the room. A desk-side class can move through a whole floor, while a floor class is limited by how many mats fit. For a big team, two shorter classes back to back often work better than one crowded boardroom.

Tell me in your inquiry what your finance team needs, such as the billing name, the documents and the payment terms, and I will confirm what I can provide before anything is scheduled. Nothing is booked until both sides are clear.

Yes, I also teach online. If part of the team works from home or from another branch, say so in your inquiry and we will work out whether an online class, or an online link to the Makati class, suits you.

Fill in the short form on this page with your company, headcount, location, format and preferred dates. It copies the details and opens Viber, or you can email them. I reply with questions, then a quote.

Yes. Tell me which days your team is in, and I will suggest a time on one of them. Midday and late afternoon are the easiest for most teams, but the preferred dates field in the form is there so you can name what suits you.

Not for desk-side yoga, which needs none. A floor class does need a mat for each person, so tell me in your inquiry that you have none and we agree how that is handled before anything is booked.

A training room, a multipurpose room or a roof deck with shade. The floor should be clear enough for everyone to lie down. If the only option is an open-plan area, desk-side yoga fits it well. Photos of the space help me plan.

Share your headcount with the room size and I will be straight about what fits. Large groups can split into two classes on the same day, so nobody is squeezed against a glass wall.

Every class is quoted on inquiry. Tell me what paperwork your finance or procurement team asks of suppliers, and I will confirm what I can provide before the date is set, so there are no surprises after the class.

Yes, I also teach online, which helps a team that is only partly in BGC. Use the form on this page: company, headcount, location, format and dates. It opens Viber with your details copied, or you can email them, and I reply with questions and a quote.

Yes, an after-work class is one of the formats that fits Ortigas best. Put your preferred dates and times in the inquiry form and I will confirm what I can do. A lunchtime or desk-side class during the day is also possible.

Desk-side yoga needs no mats. For a floor class, each person needs one. Let me know in your inquiry whether your team has its own, and we will agree how mats are covered before anything is confirmed.

If everyone can lie down on the floor with a little space between them, yes. Tables and chairs can usually be stacked to one side. Send a photo or the room dimensions with your inquiry and I will tell you how many people it holds for a floor class.

There is no fixed number; the room decides. Give me your headcount and I will suggest either one class, two smaller classes in a row, or a desk-side format that reaches everyone on the floor.

Classes are quoted on inquiry, not from a rate card. Tell me what your accounting team requires from suppliers, and I will say what I can provide before the class is booked, so it is settled early.

Yes, I also teach online, so branches outside Ortigas can join. Start with the form on this page: company, headcount, location, format and preferred dates. It copies your details and opens Viber, or email them; I reply with questions, then a quote.

Tell me the shift pattern and the times you are thinking of, and I will say honestly which ones I can do. Several short desk-side classes spread over a day or a week are often the easiest way to reach people on different shifts.

No. Desk-side yoga is done at the workstation, standing and seated. Mats are only needed for floor classes such as lunchtime yoga or Yin; tell me in your inquiry whether your site has any, and we settle how they are covered.

A training room, a wellness room or a cleared break area where everyone can lie down. A training room that stands empty between batches can work well. A photo helps me confirm the fit.

One class cannot take hundreds, and I will not pretend otherwise. Tell me the headcount and the rooms, and I will propose a plan: desk-side classes that move across the floor, or a series of smaller floor classes across the week.

Tell me in the inquiry what your procurement or finance team requires of a supplier, such as documents, billing details and payment terms. I will confirm what I can provide before the dates are set, so nothing stalls later.

Yes, I also teach online, which suits home-based agents. Use the form on this page with your company, headcount, location, format and dates; it opens Viber with the details copied, or email them. I reply with questions and a quote.

Yes, both are on my list for corporate classes. Put the building and the preferred dates in the inquiry form, and I will confirm what I can do and send a quote.

Only for floor classes; the desk-side class needs none. Tell me in the inquiry whether your team has mats, and we agree how mats are covered before the class is confirmed.

A training room, a function room or a quiet lawn or covered terrace if your building has one and the weather allows. The floor should be flat and clear enough for everyone to lie down. Send photos and I will tell you what works.

The space decides. Share your headcount and the room, and I will suggest one class, two in a row, or a desk-side format so the whole team can take part without crowding.

Each class is quoted on inquiry. Tell me what your finance team needs from a supplier, including the billing name and payment terms, and I will confirm what I can provide before the date is fixed.

Yes, I also teach online, so staff at other sites can join. The form on this page asks for company, headcount, location, format and dates, then opens Viber with them copied, or you can email. I reply with questions about the room and group, then a quote.

I'm 200-hour trained at House of Om, Bali, and certified in prenatal and postnatal (postpartum) yoga through Doula School International.

I began teaching in 2026. Before that I had more than eight years of my own practice, and I keep the two apart: that is practice, not teaching.

I live in Rockwell, Makati, and I teach private lessons at students' homes, condos and offices across Metro Manila.

No. I'm a yoga teacher, not a physiotherapist or any kind of medical professional, and a yoga lesson is not medical treatment. Postpartum lessons start only after your OB or midwife has cleared you to exercise.

Send her a message on Viber. Tap the Viber button on this page, scan the QR code with your phone, or save the number and message her. She replies on Viber and you agree the style, the place and the time together.

Yes. If you are not sure what you need yet, message first. Tell her what is going on and you will work out the right lesson together.

Where you are in Metro Manila, the days and times that suit you, and anything she should know: an injury, a pregnancy, a recent birth, or simply that you are new to yoga.

Scan the QR code on this page with your phone camera to open the Viber chat, or copy the number into Viber on your phone.

Yes, once your OB or midwife has cleared you to exercise. Mention the clearance and how long ago you gave birth in your first message.

Yes. A first lesson is simply the first time we practise together. If you already know your way around a mat, we spend less time on basics and more on what you want from your practice now.

No. I bring the mats and props. If you have a mat you love, you are welcome to use it.

That is very common, and it is fine. Tell me in your first message. There is no audience and no class to keep up with, and we go at whatever pace feels right to you.

Makati, BGC and McKinley Hill in Taguig, Ortigas Center and Kapitolyo in Pasig, Mandaluyong, Greenhills in San Juan, Quezon City including Eastwood, Alabang, and Pasay and the Bay Area.

Read the page for the nearer area, or both. The areas meet at the edges: Kapitolyo sits beside Ortigas Center, McKinley Hill beside BGC, and Greenhills just north of Mandaluyong. The lesson is the same wherever you are, so the pages only help you find the buildings and landmarks near you.

Yes. Many condo buildings have a function room, a gym studio or a roof deck that residents can book, and some students prefer it to their own living room. Check your building's rules with the admin office first, then tell Joahnna Lee which room you have.

Send her a message on Viber with your area and ask. Outside Metro Manila, travel is quoted.

Send an email instead, with your area and the times that suit you. The address is at the foot of every page on this site. Viber is still the quickest way to agree a time once you have it.

No. The lesson, its length and what it includes are the same everywhere. What changes is the setting: a condo unit in Salcedo Village, a garden in Alabang, a house in Greenhills or a meeting room in Ortigas.

Every private lesson includes the yoga lesson itself, built around you, then a mini massage in savasana, a short hands-on release for the neck and shoulders, and sound healing to close.

At your home, your condo or your office, anywhere in the Metro Manila areas she teaches. Joahnna Lee comes to you.

No transportation fee for the student anywhere in Metro Manila. Outside Metro Manila, travel is quoted.

There is no public group rate. For group lessons, message Joahnna Lee on Viber with the size of the group. The same goes for a lesson for two: there is no published rate, so ask on Viber, and read how [couples yoga at home](/yoga/couples/) is planned for two bodies at once.

No. Team classes, brand and hotel events and wellness partner programmes are quoted on inquiry, and there is no public price for them. Send an inquiry on Viber with your headcount, place and dates.

Yes. Yin, Vinyasa and postpartum lessons are all private lessons, so the price and the length are the same whichever style you choose. You can also change style from one lesson to the next, depending on how you feel that week.

Yes, and a private lesson is the easiest place to do it. Nobody is next to you, nobody is watching, and the lesson is built for your body, not the fittest person in the room. Stiffness is where most people start.

It depends on you. A class is a good way to try yoga with others. A private lesson suits you if you would rather learn the basics properly, at your own pace, without feeling watched or rushed.

Only a little. Clear a patch of floor about the size of a mat, with some space around it, and let the household know you will be busy for a while. I bring the mats and props. Wear something soft you can move in, and bare feet are fine.

There is no fixed number. After one lesson you will know a few basic shapes and how to breathe through them. Many beginners like to book lessons regularly for a while so the basics settle in, but that is up to you.

Whichever suits how you feel. If you want to move and get warm, we start with simple flowing work. If you are tired or stiff, slower floor work. In your first lesson we can try a little of each.

Yes. I teach men on their own, men with a partner, and men in a group of friends or colleagues. A private lesson means nobody is watching, and every shape is changed to fit your body rather than the other way round.

No. Most pairs are not. I plan one practice with a version of each shape for each of you, so the more experienced person still works and the newer one is never left behind.

No. Acro yoga is a separate practice built on lifts and balances on a partner. A lesson for two with me is a yoga lesson you share, with partner shapes only if you both want them. If acro is what you have in mind, say so in your first message.

Enough floor for two mats side by side with an arm's length between them, and a little room at each end. Moving a coffee table is usually all it takes. If the unit is tight, a function room in your building works too.

How many weeks along you are, what your OB or midwife has said about exercise, and anything that has been uncomfortable lately, such as your back, hips or sleep. Whether gentle yoga is right for your pregnancy is their call, not mine, so please ask them first.

Some people do and some prefer to wait until the second trimester. Ask your OB or midwife. If you start early, the first lessons are gentle: breath, easy movement and rest, and we go at the pace of however you feel that day.

Yes. A private lesson starts from where you are, and nothing asks for flexibility or experience. Many students begin yoga for the first time while pregnant.

We stop. Tell me straight away if anything hurts, feels sharp, or makes you dizzy or short of breath. I am not a medical professional, so anything that worries you is a question for your OB or midwife.

Yes. Lessons happen at your home, condo or office across Metro Manila, including BGC and Makati. I bring the mats and props, so you only need a clear patch of floor.

A massage is done to you. In restorative yoga you settle into supported shapes and rest there yourself, awake and breathing slowly, while the props hold your weight. Every lesson does close with a mini massage in savasana and sound healing, but most of the time is yours to rest.

Any time you can keep free of interruptions. An evening lesson can lead straight into a quiet night, and a weekend morning can set a slower pace for the whole day. Tell me when you usually feel most wound up, and we can plan the lesson around it.

Yes. Nothing in a restorative lesson asks you to reach further than is comfortable. The props come up to meet you, so a stiff body and a flexible one end up equally supported.

No. I bring the mats, bolsters, blankets and blocks. All you need is a clear patch of floor about the size of a mat, and a room where you will not be disturbed for the length of the lesson.

Some students do, especially in the last part of the lesson. That is fine. I keep an eye on the time and bring you back gently before we finish.

A sound bath is a stretch of time where you lie down, get comfortable and listen while sound is played around you. You do not have to do anything or know anything. It is rest, with sound as the thing you rest on.

People use the two names for the same thing: lying still and listening to sound played close by. I use both. Neither is a medical treatment, and I make no health claims for either.

I come to you. Every private yoga lesson at your home, condo or office in Makati, BGC or elsewhere in Metro Manila ends with sound healing. For a sound bath on its own, or for a group, message me on Viber.

Yes, on inquiry. Brand events, hotel guests, offsites and private celebrations are quoted individually. Send the date, the place and roughly how many guests on Viber and I will reply with what is possible.

No. In a private lesson it comes at the end, after the yoga and savasana. A standalone or event sound bath needs no yoga at all, only somewhere to lie or sit comfortably.

Yes. I come to your home, condo or office in Makati, BGC and across Metro Manila, with the mats and props. You message me on Viber, we agree a time, and you do not have to travel anywhere after a long day.

I will not promise that it will. What a lesson gives you is 90 minutes away from your phone and your inbox, slow movement, breathing and proper rest, with someone paying attention to you. That time is yours, whatever else the week holds.

Only as much as you want to. Knowing that work has been heavy, or that sleep has been poor, helps me pace the lesson. I am a yoga teacher, not a therapist, so if stress is affecting your sleep, your work or your relationships, please speak to a doctor or a mental health professional as well.

Only if you want it to be. On a flat day we stay mostly on the floor, with props holding you up. On a restless day we might move more first and rest after. The lesson follows how you arrive.

Yes. Each lesson is booked on its own by a message on Viber, so you can book around your trips rather than hold a fixed weekly slot.

Yes, if there is a private room with a clear patch of floor. Otherwise your home or condo works just as well. For a team rather than one person, see the corporate yoga pages.

Yes. Tell me the venue, the number of guests, how long the yoga should run and where it sits in the programme, and I send a plan and a quote.

No experience is needed. For a class on mats, comfortable clothes help, and I will say so in the brief for guests. For a seated or standing format, or a sound bath lying down, event clothes are usually fine.

Yes. A gentle class followed by a sound bath works well at home, in a condo function room or at a hotel. Tell me the date, the place and how many guests.

Tell me in your inquiry whether the venue or your team has mats. We agree how mats are covered for your guest count before the date is confirmed.

I teach in English. I keep the cues short and show each shape as well as naming it, so guests can follow by watching.

Only with consent. I ask for your consent before anyone is filmed or photographed, and I ask the same of guests on the day. If your brand plans content, say so in the inquiry.

As long as your programme allows. Tell me how much time you have between arrivals and lunch, and I fit the class and the sound bath inside it, with room for guests to settle and to get up slowly afterwards.

Yes. I teach the class for the least experienced person in the room, with an easier and a stronger version of each shape, so nobody is left out and nobody is bored.

Yes. Plan it with me on Viber or by email, and I send you a short note for the guests on what to wear, so only the bride is surprised.

Yes, and most hosts do. Keep heavy food for after the sound bath rather than before the class.

Yes. A yoga class can close with a sound bath, or a sound bath can run on its own, for residents, guests, members or staff. Tell me the space and the size of the group, and I will suggest a format that suits both. HMO programmes can include it too.

Yes. Classes can run on a pool deck, a lawn, a roof deck or in a function room, as a regular weekly slot or as part of a package. Send the property, the space and the audience.

Yes. A regular class in the amenity area, a function room or the garden gives residents a reason to use the space and meet each other. Tell me the building, the space and how residents would sign up.

Yes, for brands whose world fits yoga and wellness. Send the brief: the product, the audience and what you have in mind.

Use the form on this page with your organisation, audience size, location, format and dates. It copies the details and opens Viber, or you can email them. We talk through the idea, I send a proposal, and nothing starts until the terms are agreed.

Usually because the legs are asking for more than the spine and hip flexors can hold yet. Bend the knees, hold the backs of the thighs and find the balance just behind your sit bones first. The legs can straighten later.

It asks the muscles along the front and sides of the trunk and the hip flexors to work together to hold you upright. Whether it suits you right now depends on your body: after pregnancy or an abdominal operation, ask your doctor first.

It can be, if the head stays still and there is a small natural gap between the back of the neck and the floor. Do not press the neck into the mat or turn the head. A folded blanket under the shoulders gives the neck more space.

It is a restful version with a yoga block placed under the sacrum, so the hips stay lifted without effort. It is common in gentle and restorative classes, and the block can be set low, medium or high.

Mostly the inner thighs and the groin, with some stretch around the outer hips and, if you fold, along the back of the body. How strong it feels depends on how close the heels are to you and whether you fold forward.

Tight inner thighs, or simply the shape of your hip joints, can keep the knees well off the floor. Sit on a blanket to raise the hips, move the feet further away and put blocks under the knees. The height of your knees is not a measure of progress.

Some people feel light-headed when they drop the head back or come up quickly. Keep your gaze forward, rise slowly with the chest leading, and rest in Child's Pose afterwards. If the dizziness keeps happening, stop doing the pose and mention it to a doctor.

Keep your hands on your lower back, tuck your toes to lift the heels, or use blocks beside your ankles. Reaching the heels is not the point; a lifted chest and hips over the knees are.

Yes. It needs no particular flexibility, the range is up to you, and it is easy to adjust for wrists and knees. It is often used near the start of a practice to warm the spine up gently.

Inhale into Cow, as the chest opens and the belly softens, and exhale into Cat, as the spine rounds. The breath and the shape move together.

The legs are in the same place, but the approach is different. In Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana) the spine stays long and the legs are active. In Caterpillar the back rounds, the muscles relax and you hold for minutes.

You do not need to. The hands rest wherever they land, and bending the knees is part of the pose, not a way of cheating it.

Mostly the front and back of the thighs and the buttocks, with the calves, the muscles along the spine and the shoulders helping to hold the arms up.

It should not be, as long as the knees track in line with the toes and you bend only as far as you can keep weight in your heels. If you have a knee injury or feel pain, keep the bend shallow, try the wall version, and ask a doctor or physiotherapist what suits you.

Yes. It is the place to go whenever you need a break in a class, and nobody should mind when you take it. With the arms reaching forward it also gives a gentle stretch through the back and shoulders.

Deep knee bending does not suit every knee. Put a blanket behind your knees or between your hips and heels, or try hugging your knees while lying on your back instead. If knee pain persists, ask a doctor or physiotherapist.

In Cobra the hips and thighs stay on the floor and the elbows usually stay bent. In Upward-Facing Dog the arms straighten and the thighs and knees lift off the mat, so only the hands and the tops of the feet touch the floor.

Usually the lift is too high and the arms are doing the work, so the bend collects in the lower back. Come down lower, lengthen the tailbone toward the heels and let the upper back lift. If it still hurts, stop and ask your doctor about it.

The arm length, the shape of the shoulders and how much time you spend at a desk all play a part. Use a strap or a towel between the hands, and leave the fingers to meet in their own time, or not at all.

It is the Yin name for the Cow Face legs. The knees stack in the same way, and you fold forward with the muscles relaxed and stay for a few minutes, propped as needed.

Usually because the weight is still back over the feet. Bring the hips higher, set the knees further up the arms, and lean the shoulders forward past the wrists.

The preparation is, with a cushion in front and a teacher nearby. Beginners should build wrist and core strength first and treat the lift as something that comes later, never something to force.

It asks for balance and a backbend at the same time, so most people wobble. Practise beside a wall, keep the gaze on one point and the standing knee soft, and stay upright until the thigh stretch feels easy.

Press the foot back into the hand rather than pulling it up, and give it time. The height comes from the front of the hip and thigh opening over weeks of practice, not from forcing it on the day.

Tight calves and hamstrings, and the proportions of your legs and feet, all play a part. For many people the heels never reach the floor, and that is not a problem. The pose works just as well with the heels lifted.

Usually too much weight is falling into the heels of the hands. Press through the knuckles and fingertips, bend the knees to send the hips further back, and try blocks or a folded mat. If the pain stays, rest the wrists and ask your doctor.

Two to four minutes on each side is usual, and one to two minutes is plenty when you are new. Come out sooner if a knee or the groin feels sharp or unstable.

The shape is similar, but the intention is different. In Low Lunge the legs work and you usually move on after a few breaths. In Dragon the muscles stay relaxed and you hold still for minutes.

The length of your legs and the shape of your hips decide that more than effort does. Rest the toes on the floor instead. The kickstand version is a complete pose, not a lesser one.

It can be if the knee is twisted to make the foot hook. Keep the wrap where it falls easily and sit evenly over both knees. If a knee hurts, use the kickstand version or skip the legs and keep the arms.

Very nearly. Easy Pose is sitting cross-legged with attention: the hips raised enough, the spine long and the shoulders soft. It is the seat many teachers use for breathing practice.

In Easy Pose the feet rest under the opposite shins. In Lotus, each foot sits on top of the opposite thigh, which asks for much more rotation from the hips. Easy Pose is where to start.

Both open the body to the side over a wide stance. In Triangle the front leg stays straight. In Extended Side Angle the front knee bends deeply, like Warrior II, and the forearm or hand comes lower.

Only if it gets there without the chest collapsing. For most people the forearm on the thigh, or a hand on a block, gives a longer line and a happier lower back.

It can be, as long as the forearms take the weight and the head rests lightly or stays lifted. If you have a neck injury, use the supported version on blocks, and ask a doctor or physiotherapist before trying the full pose.

In many classical sequences Fish follows Shoulder Stand because it arches the neck and upper back the opposite way. You do not need Shoulder Stand to practise Fish; it is also a gentle chest opener on its own.

In Yin, two to four minutes is usual, and one minute is plenty at first. In a Vinyasa class it is often five to eight breaths, sometimes with a gentle rocking. Come out sooner if a knee complains.

Often the knees are on a hard floor, or the feet have drifted in so the shins are no longer parallel. Add padding, line the ankles up with the knees and narrow the stance. If the knee itself hurts, try Tadpole or skip it.

It is a deep squat with the heels down, the feet a little wider than the hips and the hands at the chest. Gym squats usually keep the thighs higher and the arms free. The shape is also familiar from daily life in many places, where people squat to wait, cook or rest.

Tight calves and ankles, and the proportions of your legs, both play a part. Put a folded blanket under the heels and let the support do the work. You still get the shape of the pose this way.

Usually the hand is too close to the foot, or it hovers instead of pressing down. Place it a foot ahead of the standing foot on a block and let it carry some weight. A wall behind you helps a great deal.

It suits beginners with a wall and a block. Learn Triangle first, since Half Moon grows out of it, then add the lift once the stance feels steady.

It varies a great deal. Some students hold the L at the wall within weeks; a steady handstand away from the wall can take a year or more of regular practice.

It can be, learned slowly at a wall with a teacher. The note above lists who should leave it out; ask your doctor if you are unsure.

Yes. Rocking slowly from side to side lets the back of the pelvis roll across the floor, and many people find it soothing. Keep the movement small and slow, and let the head stay down.

It can be, when you build up with a teacher, keep the weight in your forearms and practise against a wall. It is not a good idea if you have neck problems, high blood pressure, glaucoma or a recent injury, or if you are pregnant. Ask your doctor if you are unsure.

Not when it is propped well. Sit high enough that the knees feel only a mild stretch, never pain. If you have a knee injury, ask your doctor or physiotherapist before you try it.

In Thunderbolt Pose you sit on your heels. In Hero Pose the feet move outside the hips and you sit between them, which asks more of the knees and the fronts of the thighs.

Five to ten minutes is a good place to start. Come down sooner if your feet tingle or go numb.

Only a gentle one. Your legs are higher than your hips, but your head and shoulders stay on the floor and nothing presses on the neck, so it is very different from a headstand or a shoulderstand.

Lotus does not harm knees by itself, but forcing it can. The outward rotation has to come from the hips. When the hips do not yet allow it, the knee twists instead, and you may feel a pinch on the inside or outside of the joint. Stop there and use Half Lotus or a cross-legged seat.

They share a shape. Low Lunge is active, with the legs working and the chest lifted for a few breaths. Dragon is the Yin version: the legs stay soft, the hands rest on blocks and you hold for minutes.

It is one of the plainest stretches for the front of the hip, which shortens after long hours of sitting. Keep it mild, breathe, and come out if you feel a pinch in the hip or the knee.

It is the starting point for most standing poses and a place to learn where your weight sits. Shapes such as Tree Pose and Chair Pose begin and end in it, so the habits you build here carry straight into them.

Both are common. Feet together is the classical version; hip-width apart is steadier and suits most beginners, pregnant students and anyone with tight hips. Choose whichever lets you stand evenly.

Usually the hip cannot yet rotate as far as the shape asks, so the knee twists instead. Bring the front heel closer to you, put a block under the front hip and flex the foot. If it still hurts, switch to Figure Four on your back.

In a flowing class, five to ten breaths is typical. In Yin it may be three to five minutes with plenty of support. Come out sooner if the knee or lower back complains.

Three to five slow breaths is a good start. Holding the line well for a short time teaches you more than holding it badly for a long time, so come down as soon as the hips begin to drop.

It can be, because the wrists bend back and carry weight. Spread the fingers, press through the knuckles rather than the heel of the hand, and use forearms or a wall if they still ache.

In Child's Pose the hips rest back on or toward the heels and the body folds. In Puppy the hips stay high over the knees and the chest sinks toward the floor, so the stretch moves into the shoulders and upper back.

That is where most of the stretch lands, especially if your days are spent at a laptop. Keep it mild. If you feel pinching or tingling in the arms, take the hands wider or come out.

Butterfly Pose is seated and upright, with the spine lifting and sometimes a fold forward. Reclined Butterfly takes the same leg shape lying back, and in restorative practice it is fully propped so the body can rest rather than stretch.

In a restorative practice, five to ten minutes, or longer if you are comfortable. If the inner thighs or knees start to ache, add height under them or straighten the legs for a while.

Five minutes is a good minimum after a short practice, and ten or more after a longer one.

It happens, especially if you are tired, and it is nothing to feel bad about. The aim, though, is to stay awake and resting at the same time, so if you drift off often, try a little more support under the head and knees and keep the eyes lightly open.

Tight hamstrings and a pelvis that does not tip forward easily are very common, and sitting in chairs all day plays a part. Sit on a blanket, bend the knees and use a strap. Touching the toes is not the goal of the pose.

Yes, as much as you need. Soft knees let you fold from the hips with a longer spine, which is the shape the pose is after.

Either is fine. Many teachers twist to the right first, but there is no rule you need to follow. What matters is doing both sides, for about the same number of breaths.

Ask your doctor or physiotherapist first. If they are happy for you to twist, keep it small, sit high and come out at the first sharp or shooting feeling.

Usually the shoulder has sunk and the weight is falling into the heel of the hand. Spread the fingers, press through the knuckles and push the floor away. If the wrist still complains, use the forearm version, and see a doctor about any pain that stays.

The kneeling version is. The full pose takes some shoulder and core strength, so build up from Plank and from Side Plank with the bottom knee down. There is no rush to lift the knee.

In Sphinx you rest on your forearms, so the arms carry the weight and the backbend is low and gentle. In Cobra the hands are under the shoulders and the back muscles lift the chest, so it is more active and usually held for a few breaths.

In a Yin practice, two to five minutes. As part of a more active practice, five to ten breaths is enough. Come out whenever the lower back pinches.

No, not unless they straighten easily. Bent knees let the fold come from the hips and protect the lower back. Over time the backs of the legs may lengthen, but bent knees are a full version of the pose.

Blood pressure shifts when the head rises from below the heart. Bend the knees, come up slowly with the head last, and pause standing. If it happens often, mention it to your doctor.

Three to five slow rounds make a good warm-up. Some people build to more, but it is better to do fewer rounds well, with steady breath, than many in a rush.

Yes. The version here is the one most often taught in Vinyasa classes. Another common version has twelve positions and includes a low lunge on each side. Both link the breath to movement in the same way.

One to three minutes on each side is plenty. In a restorative lesson, propped well, some students stay longer. Come out when the breath stops feeling easy.

Many people like a soft twist in bed or on the floor before sleep, because it is slow and needs no effort. Keep it gentle and stop if anything pinches in the lower back.

In the classic Child's Pose you fold forward with nothing under you and the forehead rests on the floor. In the supported version a bolster fills the space under the body, so the knees, hips and back can rest completely and you can stay much longer.

Two or three firm pillows stacked, or a couple of thick blankets folded lengthways, work well at home. The support should be firm enough that you do not sink through it.

You will often read that sitting in Vajrasana after meals helps digestion. That is a traditional recommendation, not something I can promise. If you have a digestive complaint, speak to a doctor; if you simply enjoy sitting this way after a meal, it is a comfortable seat.

Try it with a block under your hips or a blanket behind your knees. If it still hurts, sit cross-legged or on a chair instead, and ask a doctor or physiotherapist about your knees.

Almost everyone wobbles, especially at first and especially on one side. Tiredness, the time of day and where you look all change it. Rest your gaze on one still point, bring the foot lower, and use a wall for a while. Balance comes back with practice, not with effort.

No. Place the foot above the knee on the inner thigh, or below it on the calf. The knee is a hinge, and pushing into it from the side is the one thing to avoid in this pose.

Five to eight slow breaths on each side is plenty to begin with. It is better to come out calmly and go again than to hold on while the breath gets tight.

Only if it can without the spine bending sideways or the chest turning down. For most people the shin or a block gives a better shape.

In Triangle both legs stay straight. In Extended Side Angle the front knee bends over the ankle and the forearm or hand rests near the front foot, so it asks more of the front thigh.

Usually, yes. It needs strong arms and legs to keep the thighs lifted and enough room in the upper back to spread the bend. Cobra keeps the hips down and is the better choice while that strength builds.

Most often the legs have switched off and the hips have sunk, so the bend gathers in the lower back. Press the feet down, lift the thighs and draw the chest forward. If it still hurts, take Cobra and ask your doctor about it.

In Warrior 1 the hips and chest face the front of the mat and the arms reach up. In Warrior 2 the hips and chest open to the side, the front heel lines up with the back arch, and the arms stretch out at shoulder height.

Most often the front knee is moving past the ankle or rolling in. Check that it sits over the ankle and points to the second toe, and shorten the stance. If pain persists, stop and see a doctor or physiotherapist.

Usually the shoulders and upper back are not yet open enough, or the hands are too far from the feet. Stay at the crown-of-the-head stage and keep working on Bridge and on shoulder openers. Never force the arms straight.

Many people who follow ahimsa are vegetarian, and in Jainism the commitment to non-harming shapes diet very strictly. The Yoga Sutras do not give a diet. How far ahimsa reaches into food is a question each tradition, and each person, answers differently.

Non-violence is the common translation and a good start. Ahimsa is wider: it includes harsh words and harmful thoughts, and the absence of the wish to harm, not only the absence of violent acts.

By not forcing the body past what it can do today, by resting when you are unwell, and by speaking to yourself with the patience you would give a friend. Most teachers see this as the place ahimsa starts on the mat.

It is the first of the set sequences in Ashtanga Vinyasa. It opens with sun salutations, moves through standing poses and a long run of seated forward folds, twists and hip openers, and closes with a finishing sequence and rest. Students learn it pose by pose before moving on.

It can be, if you learn it slowly. The full Primary Series is demanding, so beginners usually learn it a few poses at a time in the self-paced Mysore format rather than in a fast led class.

Ashtanga follows the same fixed series every time. Vinyasa borrows its breath-linked flow but changes the sequence from class to class.

It is usually translated as "Song of the Lord" or "Song of the Blessed One". Gita means song, and Bhagavad refers to the one who is blessed or divine, here Krishna.

For many Hindus it is scripture and is read, recited and studied as part of their faith. It is also read widely as philosophy, and many yoga students study it for what it says about how to act and how to steady the mind.

There are many good English translations, some literal and some freer. A version that prints the Sanskrit next to the English, with short notes, is a helpful start. Reading two different translations side by side shows how much interpretation goes into each.

Kirtan is the most familiar one: a group sings short Sanskrit names or phrases back and forth with a leader, often with a harmonium and drums. Daily prayer, making a small offering, and repeating a name quietly on a string of beads are other traditional forms.

Bhakti grew up inside Hindu devotional life, and for many people it is inseparable from their faith. Outside India it is often met through kirtan or chanting, where people of many backgrounds take part. How you relate to it is your own choice, and it is worth approaching with respect for where it comes from.

Bhakti yoga centres on devotion and love. Karma yoga centres on action: doing your work well without clinging to the reward. The Bhagavad Gita presents them side by side, and many readers see them as closely linked, since action can itself be offered as devotion.

In the modern seven-chakra system they are muladhara (base of the spine), svadhisthana (pelvis), manipura (navel), anahata (heart), vishuddha (throat), ajna (between the eyebrows) and sahasrara (crown of the head). Older texts count them differently.

The rainbow sequence, red at the base to violet at the crown, is a twentieth-century Western addition. The older Sanskrit descriptions assign each centre its own colours, shapes, syllables and deities, and they do not follow a rainbow.

Not of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, which do not set out a chakra system. Chakras belong to later tantric and hatha yoga texts, and the system varies a great deal between them.

Dharma is what is right to do, your duty and the order you live within. Karma is action and its consequences. The Bhagavad Gita puts them together: act according to your dharma, and let go of attachment to what the action earns you.

The texts give no single test. The Gita speaks of svadharma, your own duty, shaped by your role and circumstances. Many modern readers take it to mean the work and responsibilities that are truly yours, done honestly, rather than a role borrowed from someone else.

The dharmachakra, an eight-spoked wheel, is a Buddhist symbol of the Buddha's teaching. His first sermon, at Sarnath, is traditionally called the turning of the wheel of dharma. A version of the wheel sits at the centre of the flag of India.

Yama (restraints), niyama (observances), asana (posture), pranayama (breath regulation), pratyahara (drawing the senses inward), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (absorption).

Not strictly. They are often called limbs rather than steps because they grow together, like the limbs of one body. Most people practise several at once, and the ethical limbs apply throughout.

Ashtanga is simply Sanskrit for eight limbs, so the classical meaning is the same. The modern flowing style called Ashtanga yoga takes its name from this idea, but it is a specific sequence of postures.

Hatha is Sanskrit for force or effort, a reference to the steady physical work of the practice. A popular reading splits it into ha (sun) and tha (moon), but that is a later symbolic interpretation, not the plain meaning of the word.

Usually, yes. A modern hatha class moves slowly and holds each pose long enough to learn it, which makes it a comfortable place to start.

Hatha holds poses for several breaths with pauses in between. Vinyasa links poses into a continuous flow, one movement to each breath. Both grew out of the same hatha roots.

In India. The earliest clear descriptions are in Sanskrit texts, and ideas about meditation and discipline developed side by side in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain circles.

Written descriptions of yoga as a practice go back well over two thousand years. Claims that it is five or ten thousand years old rest on readings of Indus Valley seals that scholars still dispute.

Patanjali is often called that, because the Yoga Sutras are the best known classical yoga text. He is better understood as a compiler who organised ideas that already existed, not the inventor of yoga.

Most English speakers say something close to "gyah-nah" or "nyah-nah". The opening sound is a blend that English does not have, so either is widely understood.

Classical teaching names three: shravana, listening to the teaching; manana, reflecting on it until the doubts are worked through; and nididhyasana, sustained meditation on what has been understood.

It is often described as the most intellectual of the four paths, and the Bhagavad Gita notes that fixing the mind on the formless is harder for most people. Many teachers suggest combining it with other paths, such as karma yoga or bhakti yoga, rather than treating it as a test.

No. Fate suggests that what happens is fixed in advance. In the traditions that teach karma, present actions are always shaping what comes next, so the idea is as much about responsibility now as about the past.

Vedanta teachers often name three: sanchita, the store of past actions not yet ripened; prarabdha, the part that is ripening in this life; and kriyamana or agami, the karma being made by what you do now.

In everyday speech it means a reward for doing good. In Buddhist teaching the stress falls on wholesome and unwholesome intention: actions done with kindness and clarity tend toward wellbeing, and actions done from greed, anger or confusion tend toward suffering.

Volunteering is the usual example, but the idea is wider. Doing your job carefully, caring for a family member, or cleaning up after a class, all without keeping score of what you get back, are karma yoga in the sense the Bhagavad Gita describes.

They are related but not the same. Karma means action, and by extension the idea that actions have consequences. Karma yoga is a way of acting: doing what needs to be done without being driven by the wish for a particular result.

Not necessarily. The Gita is addressed to a warrior with a duty, not to a volunteer. The point is your attitude toward the outcome, not whether you are paid.

Kundalini comes from the Sanskrit kundala, a coil or ring, and is usually translated as "the coiled one". In the old texts it names a force pictured as a serpent coiled at the base of the spine.

Usually a short opening chant, a kriya (a set series of breath, movement and posture), relaxation, and a meditation that may include a mantra. Many practitioners wear white.

Yes. It spends far more time on breathing techniques, repeated movement, chanting and meditation than most posture-focused styles, and its classes follow set kriyas rather than a flow of poses.

Because of how it grows. The lotus roots in the mud at the bottom of a pond, yet its flowers and leaves sit above the water, and the leaves shed water and dirt instead of holding them. Writers in both traditions used that as a picture of living in the world without being stained by it.

Both. It appears in Hindu texts and temple art and in Buddhist art across Asia, and it is also important in Jain art. Each tradition gives it its own stories, though the image of purity rising out of mud is shared.

They look alike but are different plants. The lotus usually holds its flowers and round leaves well above the water on tall stalks, while most water lilies float on the surface. The lotus of Indian art is the Indian lotus, Nelumbo nucifera.

Om is the shortest and best known. Longer examples include the Buddhist om mani padme hum, the Gayatri mantra from the Rig Veda, and the closing om shanti shanti shanti.

In the classical sense a mantra is a set phrase in Sanskrit or another classical language, chanted as it was handed down. Many people today also use a short English phrase in the same way, as a point of focus. That is better called an affirmation or an intention than a mantra.

No belief is required to repeat a sound and notice what happens to your attention. If a mantra comes from a living faith, it is worth learning what it means before you use it.

Anjali mudra, the palms pressed together at the chest, is the one nearly everyone meets first. Jnana mudra and chin mudra, with the thumb and index finger touching and the hands resting on the thighs, are the most common for seated meditation.

Both join the tip of the thumb and index finger. Descriptions differ between teachers, but a common convention is that the palms face up in one and down in the other. Different sources swap the names, so do not worry about getting it wrong.

No. Mudras are optional. If a hand position is uncomfortable, resting the hands loosely on the thighs works just as well.

Literally, "a bow to you" or "I bow to you". Namah means a bow or a salutation, and te means to you. Everything beyond that, including the popular "the light in me honours the light in you", is a later interpretation rather than a translation.

Said sincerely, it is a greeting of respect, and that is how it is used. What people sometimes object to is the word used as a slogan or a joke. If you would rather not say it, a quiet bow or a simple thank you carries the same meaning.

No. Nobody should expect it. You can bring your palms together, nod, say thank you, or simply stay where you are. All of them are fine.

Buddhist. It comes from Mahayana Buddhist scripture and is above all the mantra of Tibetan Buddhism. It begins with om, a syllable that Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions all use, which is why it is sometimes assumed to be Hindu.

In Sanskrit it is om ma-ni pad-me hum. Many Tibetans say om mani peme hung, and both are correct in their own setting.

Tibetan teachers generally encourage anyone to recite it, and it is chanted openly in public places. It is still a living religious practice, so it is worth learning what it means and treating it with the respect you would give a prayer.

In the Yoga Sutras, om is the word that expresses Ishvara, often translated as God or the supreme teacher, and repeating it while reflecting on its meaning is offered as a practice. In a modern class it most often marks the beginning or end of practice.

Both. In Sanskrit the vowel sounds a and u combine to make a long o, so the syllable is written om but can be heard as three parts, a, u and m. Many teachers chant it with those three parts in mind.

No. You can listen, hum quietly, or sit in silence. None of them is disrespectful.

Not exactly. Prana means breath, and the texts also use it for the life force that breath is said to carry. The breath is the part you can feel and work with, which is why yoga texts approach prana through breathing.

Prana (the inward, upward breath), apana (the downward, eliminating force), samana (digestion and balance at the centre), udana (the upward force linked with speech) and vyana (circulation through the whole body). They are often called the five vayus, or winds.

No. Prana is a concept from Indian philosophy, not a quantity that instruments detect. What can be studied is the breath itself, its rate, depth and rhythm, and how slow breathing affects things like heart rate.

Simply lengthening the exhale, or a slow nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) without holding the breath, is a gentle place to start. Keep it short, sit comfortably, and stop if you feel dizzy.

In many classes it comes after the postures, when the body has moved and is ready to sit still, and before a final rest or meditation. At home, any quiet time works, as long as you are not straight after a large meal. If you are pregnant, see the safety notes above first.

A few minutes is plenty at first. The hatha texts themselves advise building up slowly over time, and a short practice done with attention is better than a long one done with strain.

Hatha yoga works mainly through the body and breath: postures, breathing practices and cleansing techniques. Raja yoga works mainly with the mind through concentration and meditation. Medieval hatha texts describe their physical practices as a preparation for raja yoga.

In the classical sense, yes: ashtanga means eight limbs, and raja yoga is often used as another name for Patanjali's eight-limbed system. The modern flowing style called Ashtanga Vinyasa is a different thing, a sequence of postures that borrows the name.

Yes. The eight limbs begin with how you treat others and yourself, then posture and breath, all of which a beginner can start with. Deeper meditation builds from there over time.

Dhyana, meditation, is an unbroken flow of attention toward an object, with a sense of someone attending. In samadhi that sense of a separate meditator drops away and only the object remains. The Sutras treat them as stages of one deepening process.

Mahasamadhi, great samadhi, is a term used in some Indian traditions for the death of a respected yogi or teacher, understood as a final, conscious leaving of the body. The resting places of such teachers are also often called samadhis.

No. Samadhi is the far end of the path the Sutras describe, and most people practise for a lifetime without claiming it. The earlier limbs, ethics, posture, breath and attention, are useful in their own right.

No. You can practise for years knowing only the English names. The Sanskrit words are useful because teachers everywhere use them, so they help you follow a class anywhere, but nobody should expect you to know them before you start.

The early texts that describe yoga postures and breath practice were written in Sanskrit, the classical language of India, and the names came with the practice as it spread. Most names are simple descriptions: tree, mountain, child, boat.

Asana means a seat or a posture. In the early texts it described the steady seat you take for meditation. Today it is the word for every yoga pose, and it is the ending of most pose names, as in Tadasana, the mountain posture.

Om is the syllable that opens and closes many chants, and shanti means peace. Together they are a wish or invocation of peace. Some communities, such as the Brahma Kumaris, also use om shanti as an everyday greeting.

Shahn-tee, with a soft t. In careful Sanskrit chanting the last word is often shantih, with a light breath of sound at the end.

No. Listening, saying it silently or simply sitting quietly while others chant are all respectful ways to take part.

Ajna is usually translated as command or authority, and sometimes as perception. In the texts that describe the chakras, it is the centre from which a teacher's instruction is received, which is one reason it is linked with insight.

That link is modern. The pineal gland is a small gland in the brain that releases melatonin, the hormone of the sleep cycle. Writers from the nineteenth century onward connected it with the third eye, but the classical yoga texts do not, and there is no evidence that it perceives anything.

The bindi or tilaka has many meanings in South Asia, depending on the region, the community and the occasion. For many wearers it is religious, for others it marks marriage or is simply worn as decoration. It is linked with the ajna point, but it is a cultural practice in its own right.

A slower style with clear instruction: Hatha, a gentle Vinyasa, Restorative or Yin. What matters more than the name is a teacher who explains each pose and adapts it to you.

Yes. Many people mix a moving style such as Vinyasa with a slower one such as Yin or Restorative across the same week, choosing by how they feel on the day. The names matter less than finding a balance of effort and rest that suits you.

No. Bikram is one fixed sequence taught in a heated room. Hot yoga is the wider name for any class in a heated room, whatever its sequence.

Restorative yoga, where props support the body so you can rest in each shape for several minutes. Yin is also slow and quiet, though its long holds ask for a little more effort.

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, to yoke, as you would yoke two oxen to a cart. From there it came to mean joining, harnessing or disciplined effort. The popular reading "union" is one interpretation of that root, not the only one.

Yoga grew up inside Indian religious and philosophical thought, and Hindu, Buddhist and Jain teachers all wrote about it. Some people practise it as part of their faith. A yoga lesson does not ask you to hold any belief: you can come to it as movement, breath and attention.

Paying close attention to your body and breath while you move and while you are still, so that the mind settles. The postures are the part most people see, but the attention is the point.

Not in its original sense. The early texts treat the postures as one part of a wider practice that includes ethics, breath, concentration and meditation. In a modern lesson the physical side is often what brings people in, and the attention you bring to it is where the rest begins.

The yamas are ahimsa (non-harming), satya (truthfulness), asteya (not stealing), brahmacharya (moderation, often translated as restraint) and aparigraha (not grasping). The niyamas are saucha (cleanliness), santosha (contentment), tapas (discipline), svadhyaya (self-study) and ishvara pranidhana (surrender to something larger than yourself).

No. Many people practise postures and breathing without ever studying them. They are an invitation to think about how you live, not an entry requirement for a class or a lesson.

The Yoga Sutras come out of Indian philosophy, and the last niyama speaks of devotion to Ishvara, often read as God. Many modern readers take the list as practical ethics that sit comfortably alongside any faith, or none.

Because they are in the public domain, they can be quoted exactly and in full without borrowing someone else's recent work. Their English is old-fashioned, so each quote here has a plain note beside it.

Many are not. Lines are often credited to the Gita or to Patanjali that do not appear in either text. Checking a quote against a full translation, chapter and verse, is the simplest test.

Yes. Arnold's and Johnston's translations are in the public domain. Credit the translator, the year and the chapter, as on this page, so the next reader can find the line in its setting.

Usually 195 or 196, depending on the edition. They are divided into four chapters, called padas: on samadhi, on practice, on powers and on liberation.

Almost nothing is known about him. The text is attributed to Patanjali, and later tradition sometimes identified him with a grammarian of the same name, though many scholars think they were different people. Some scholars argue that the sutras and their earliest commentary were written as one work.

Any translation that includes a short explanation under each sutra helps, because the sayings are too compressed to read alone. Charles Johnston's 1912 version is in the public domain and free to read online, though its language is old-fashioned.

Neither is better for everyone. Box breathing is even and steady, which many people like during the day. 4-7-8 has a long, slow out-breath, which many people prefer in the evening. Try each for a week and keep the one you actually use.

Mild light-headedness can happen when you first change how you breathe, and it means stop. Go back to normal breathing and sit still until it passes. Next time use shorter counts. If dizziness keeps coming back, check with a doctor.

Gentle, natural breathing with a slightly longer out-breath is usually the approach during pregnancy. Skip breath holds, and check with your OB or midwife before you start any breathing practice.

Rest one hand on your chest and the other just above your navel. As you breathe in, the lower hand should rise first and the upper hand should barely move. If only the chest hand moves, lie down with your knees bent, which makes the belly movement easier to feel.

In the older sense, yes. Hatha yoga is the broad family of practice done through the body and the breath, and vinyasa is one way of doing it. In a studio timetable, though, the two names mean different classes: a slower, held class and a flowing one.

Vinyasa, as a rule, because you keep moving and your heart rate stays up for longer. That does not make it better. A held hatha class builds strength and steadiness in its own way, and the right choice is the one you will keep doing.

It helps, if you can. Holding the shapes slowly first means you know where your feet and hands go before you are asked to move quickly between them. But plenty of people start with a gentle vinyasa and learn the shapes as they go.

Both are welcoming to beginners. A slow yoga class and a beginner mat Pilates class are both gentle places to start. Choose the one whose feel appeals to you, because the practice you enjoy is the one you keep doing.

Yes, and many people do. The two sit well together: Pilates works a lot on core control and precise movement, and yoga adds range, balance and time to slow down. Leave a gap if both leave you tired.

Yoga usually spends more time holding stretches, so it is the more common choice if flexibility is your main aim. Pilates does work through a range of movement too, with more emphasis on control than on holding.

No. I teach yoga only. If Pilates is what you are looking for, a qualified Pilates teacher or studio is the right place to go.

No. A prenatal and postnatal yoga certification is a teaching qualification. It does not make a teacher a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist, and it does not let her assess or treat anything. Your OB or midwife decides whether exercise is right for you; the teacher works inside that.

Ask what training she has for pregnancy and the postpartum months, and where. Ask what she will need to know from you, such as how far along you are and anything your OB or midwife has said, and what she does if a shape does not feel right.

A studio class shares one teacher between many students, so the cost is split. In a private lesson the whole hour or more is built around you, often in your own home, and the teacher travels to you. You pay for all of the teacher's attention and time.

It depends on what you want from it. A longer lesson leaves room to arrive, to go slowly, and to rest properly at the end instead of rushing out. If you only want a quick workout, a shorter class may suit you better.

Not necessarily. A price reflects the length of the lesson, travel, what is included and how busy the teacher is, as much as experience. Compare what each lesson includes, ask each teacher about their training, and then book a single lesson to see how it feels before committing to more.

Yes, and it is a good way to use them. A few private lessons give you the basic shapes, the breathing and the adjustments your body needs, so that a studio class feels less like watching the person in front of you and more like practising.

Often, because every correction is meant for you and nothing in the lesson is aimed at someone else. But progress in yoga depends mostly on how often you practise. A weekly class you enjoy can take you further than a private lesson you book once.

Yes. A lesson for you and a few friends, a partner or the household can happen at home, planned around everyone in the room. There is no public group rate: message me on Viber with the size of the group.

Neither is better; they are different. A crystal bowl gives one clear, long, loud note and is fragile. A metal bowl gives a warmer sound with several tones inside it, is sturdier, and is easier to carry. Choose by the sound you like.

Usually the mallet is moving too fast or pressing too lightly, or the bowl is not sitting steady. Slow the circle down, press the mallet evenly against the rim, and hold the bowl flat on your palm or on a cushion so it can vibrate freely.

No. In most sound baths the bowls sit on the floor around you and you simply listen. Some practitioners place a bowl on the body; if that does not appeal, or you are pregnant, say so beforehand and ask for the bowls to stay on the floor.

Students keep noble silence with each other, which rules out gestures and written notes as well as speech, from the start of the course until the morning of the last full day. You may still speak with the teacher about the technique and with the course management about practical matters.

The course's code of discipline asks students to set aside exercise programmes and any strenuous exercise for the ten days, and to suspend other meditation and spiritual practices. Only what the course teaches is practised.

No. The courses carry no charge, not even for food and a bed. They are funded by donations, and a donation is accepted only from someone who has completed at least one 10-day course.

No, though they look alike from the outside. Both are slow, still and on the floor. The difference is in what you feel: in Yin you look for a gentle stretch, and in restorative yoga you are propped up so fully that there should be almost no stretch at all.

Restorative, usually. It asks almost nothing of you. Yin still asks you to stay with a sensation for several minutes, which suits a tired body but a reasonably steady mind.

Yes, both suit beginners well. Nothing in either is strenuous, and the props do most of the work. The only skill involved is staying still, which is new for most people.

Both work for beginners. Vinyasa is the quicker way to learn the shapes, because you meet each one several times in a lesson. Yin asks nothing strenuous, so it suits you if effort is not the problem and stillness is. Choose by what you want to feel afterwards.

Yes, and they sit well together. One keeps you moving and warm, the other slows you right down. Many people like a Vinyasa lesson early in the week and Yin when they are more tired.

It depends on how the day left you. If you feel stiff but restless, a short Vinyasa sequence gives that energy somewhere to go. If you feel flat and tired, Yin lets you slow right down while the hips and back get a long, gentle stretch. Some evenings a little of each works best.

No. An anxiety disorder is a health condition, and it needs assessment and care from a doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist. Yoga can be something you do alongside that care if your doctor agrees, never instead of it.

That happens to some people, and it is a sign to stop, not to push through. Breathe normally, open your eyes, and put your attention on something outside you, like your feet on the floor. Slow movement often feels safer than sitting still with the breath.

Only if you want to, but it helps. A teacher who knows can keep the eyes-open option available, avoid long breath holds and let you leave a shape or the room whenever you need to.

Many people find that poses which open the chest and strengthen the upper back help them notice rounded shoulders and hold themselves differently. It is a gradual change, and it works best alongside breaks from the desk and phone. If your shoulders or neck hurt, see a physiotherapist.

A few minutes of the basic shapes most days, with a longer practice once or twice a week, is a good rhythm. Posture is a habit, so frequent short reminders tend to matter more than one long practice.

There is no single best pose. Mountain pose is a good place to start because it teaches you how you stand. Pair it with something that strengthens the back, like cobra or bridge, and something that opens the chest.

No. Most people who start yoga cannot touch their toes, and nobody needs to. Every pose has a version that works for a stiff body, usually with a block, a strap or bent knees. Inflexibility is a starting point, not a reason to wait.

Once or twice a week is a good start. What matters more than the number is doing it regularly, so choose a rhythm you can keep. A few minutes of the basic poses on the days in between can help the shapes feel familiar sooner.

Yes. A mat and a quiet corner are enough to begin. The one thing home practice from a video cannot give you is someone watching how you move, which is why many beginners start with a few lessons with a teacher and then practise on their own.

Something you can move and bend in that stays put when you fold forward. Leggings or soft shorts and a fitted top work well. You practise barefoot, so no special shoes are needed.

There is no honest single answer. It depends on your body, your age, how often you practise and what you mean by flexible. Some people notice they move more easily within a few weeks of regular practice, while bigger changes take much longer, and some shapes may never be available to a particular body.

Yin is a popular choice for people who want to work on flexibility, because it holds floor poses for several minutes with the muscles relaxed. Many people find it pairs well with a more active style, where the muscles work through a range of movement.

Gentle daily movement is fine for most people, but you do not need to push into deep stretches every day. A few minutes of easy shapes on most days, with a longer practice two or three times a week, is a sustainable rhythm.

Usually the slower kinds. Yin, restorative and gentle floor sequences give you somewhere to put your attention without asking for more effort. If you feel restless rather than flat, a little steady movement first and rest afterwards often suits better.

Use them. Sit or lie down, let the out-breath grow a little longer than the in-breath, and let the shoulders drop. Five quiet minutes most evenings is more useful than a long practice you keep postponing, and on a better day you can add a few gentle shapes.

No. If stress is affecting your sleep, your work or your relationships, or you feel low most days, please speak to a doctor or a mental health professional. Yoga can sit alongside that support, never in place of it.

No. You lie still and very relaxed, but the practice asks you to stay aware of the voice. Drifting off happens, especially at first, and it is not a problem. It is simply not the aim.

No. Yoga nidra is one long guided rest in a single position. Restorative yoga is a series of supported shapes you settle into and change between. They sit well together.

Anything from about ten minutes to three quarters of an hour. Twenty to thirty minutes is a common length, and short recordings are a good way to begin.

No. There is nothing to get right. You lie down and listen, and you can open your eyes or move at any time.

Fewer than you think. Five or six shapes you can do calmly will teach you more than twenty you rush through. The twelve on this page are a full first set, and there is no hurry to get through them all in one week.

Three to five slow breaths is plenty at the start. Resting shapes such as Child's Pose and Savasana can be held for a minute or longer. If your breath gets short or you start to grip, come out sooner.

Yes, and I would encourage it. A block under your hand, a cushion under your hips or a folded blanket under your knees makes a shape possible for your body today. Props are not a sign that you are doing it wrong.

Child's Pose, for most people. You kneel, fold forward and rest, with a cushion under your chest if your hips or knees want more room. It is also the shape to return to whenever you need a break.

House of Om describes its Bali course at The Mansion in Ubud as a 20-night residential immersion, about three weeks, with 200 hours of instruction and practical and theoretical exams at the end.

Not on its own. A school can hold Yoga Alliance registration while its graduates do not: registering as a teacher is a separate step the graduate takes and pays for. I hold the 200-hour training, and I describe it exactly that way.

When your OB clears you for exercise, and not before. Recovery after a caesarean is different for everyone, so there is no set date. Once you are cleared, start with breath and very gentle floor movement, and keep away from anything that works the belly hard.

Many people are shown to roll onto their side first, then push up with their arms while lowering their legs over the edge of the bed. Holding a small pillow against the belly can make it feel more supported. Ask your nurse or OB to show you before you go home.

Numbness or an odd feeling around the scar is something many people notice. Anything that worries you, including pain, redness, swelling or discharge, is a question for your OB, who can check it properly.

No page and no yoga teacher can promise that. Diastasis recti should be assessed by your doctor or a women's health physiotherapist, who can tell you what it means for you and which exercises suit you. Gentle yoga can sit alongside their advice once you are cleared, not in place of it.

Some people notice a ridge or dome down the middle of the belly when they sit up or strain. The only way to know for sure is to have it checked. Ask your OB at your postpartum check-up, or ask for a referral to a pelvic floor physiotherapist.

Until you have been assessed, it is sensible to be cautious with crunches, sit-ups, long plank holds and anything that makes your belly bulge or dome. Your physiotherapist can tell you what is right for you, and that may change as you recover.

The WHO and ACOG guidelines both suggest about 150 minutes of moderate activity across the week, for example 30 minutes on five days, if your OB or midwife agrees. If you were not active before, start with a few minutes and build up slowly.

For many people, yes. Brisk walking is one of the activities the guidelines name, and it is easy to fit into a day. Adding some gentle strength and stretching, such as prenatal yoga, helps with the parts of pregnancy that walking does not reach, like posture and the upper back.

Yes, with care, because overheating is one of the things to avoid in pregnancy. Move early in the morning or in the evening, or indoors with the aircon or a fan on, drink water before and during, and stop if you feel hot, dizzy or unwell.

Ask your OB or midwife, who will know your history. If you lifted before pregnancy, lighter loads are often fine, but avoid straining, holding your breath, lifting heavy from the floor and lying flat on your back as the pregnancy goes on. Pregnancy is not the time to chase a new record.

No exercise can decide how you give birth. Gentle movement such as walking, adapted yoga, breathing practice and time in upright positions may help you feel more comfortable and familiar with your body. Ask your OB or midwife what suits your pregnancy.

Yoga cannot promise any kind of birth. What adapted prenatal yoga can offer is time to practise slow breathing, gentle movement and positions you might use in labour, once your OB or midwife has cleared you.

Many people begin gentle preparation in the second or third trimester, but it depends on your pregnancy. Your OB or midwife can tell you when and how much is right for you.

For many uncomplicated pregnancies, gentle exercise is generally considered fine. Every pregnancy is different, so ask your OB or midwife what suits yours before you start or keep going.

This is a question to take straight to your OB or midwife, who knows your history. They can tell you what is right for you. If you have any bleeding or pain, stop and contact them.

Yes. Resting is allowed. Many people feel wiped out in the first weeks, and a few minutes of easy breathing or a short walk counts. Do what you can on the good days and rest on the others.

Some people keep a practice going with changes, and some prefer to pause. Tell your teacher you are pregnant, skip hot rooms, deep twists and breath holding, and ask your OB or midwife what fits your pregnancy.

Many people do. Start gently, choose a class or teacher who adapts for pregnancy, and tell them how far along you are. Check with your OB or midwife first, and do not try to learn advanced postures now.

The usual advice is to skip lying on your belly, deep backbends, deep twists that squeeze the abdomen, and inversions you have not done before. Lying flat on your back for long stretches is also best avoided as the pregnancy goes on. Your OB or midwife can tell you if anything else applies to you.

Hot yoga is generally not advised in pregnancy, because overheating is something to avoid. Practise in a cool, well-ventilated room, take water breaks, and stop if you feel too warm.

Your uterus, skin, muscles and connective tissue all stretched to make room for your baby, and they change back gradually and at their own pace. Looking pregnant for a while after birth is common. If something about your belly worries you, ask your OB.

There is no deadline, and every body answers differently. Some changes may ease over time and some may stay. Rest, food, sleep and gentle movement once you are cleared all support your recovery, but nobody can promise how your belly will look.

No one can honestly promise that. Gentle postpartum yoga, once your doctor or midwife clears you, is about breathing, moving comfortably and feeling at home in your body again, not about changing its shape.

When your OB or midwife clears you. How soon that is depends on your birth, your pregnancy and how your recovery is going, so there is no set date that fits everyone. Ask about it directly at your postpartum check-up.

If your bleeding gets heavier, turns bright red again, or starts again after it had stopped, take it as a sign to ease off and let your OB or midwife know. Do not push through it.

For many people it is slow breathing and short, easy walks, then gentle floor-based movement once they are cleared. A women's health physiotherapist can tell you what suits your body best.

There is no single answer. It depends on how you gave birth, how your pregnancy went, how much you are sleeping and how much help you have. Your OB or midwife is the right person to tell you how your own recovery is going.

Feeling tearful, overwhelmed or up and down in the first days is common. If the low mood is strong, lasts, or makes it hard to look after yourself or your baby, tell your OB or doctor. Postpartum depression is common and it is treatable.

Think about meals, laundry, night feeds, visitors and older children. Deciding in advance who does what, whether that is a partner, a relative or a trusted helper, makes it much easier to accept help when you are tired. Rest and feeding come first in the early weeks.

Poses that are commonly offered in pregnancy include Cat-Cow, a wide-kneed Child's Pose, a supported Butterfly, a cross-legged seat on a cushion and standing poses near a wall. Each one is adapted to give the belly room. Your OB or midwife may advise differently for your pregnancy.

Short moments on your back are often fine early on. As the pregnancy goes on, lying flat on your back for long is usually avoided, so rest on your left side or recline on a bolster instead. Ask your OB or midwife what applies to you.

Not special ones. A mat, two firm cushions or yoga blocks, a folded blanket and a sturdy chair or a clear wall cover most of what is on this page. A bolster makes reclining and side-lying rest more comfortable, and firm sofa cushions can stand in for one.

Gentle breathing and rest are usually fine for many people, but a yoga practice is best left until your OB or midwife has cleared you. If you are not sure what counts as too much, ask them.

Ask whether you are cleared for exercise and whether gentle yoga is okay, then mention anything you have noticed, such as bleeding, pain at stitches or a scar, leaking, or a ridge down the middle of your belly. Writing the questions down beforehand helps, because appointments with a newborn can feel rushed.

Yes, once you are cleared. Many new mothers try yoga for the first time after birth. Look for a teacher who adapts for the postpartum period and start slowly, with no need for experience or flexibility.

Short. A few minutes of slow breathing and one or two supported resting shapes is plenty to begin with, well under the length of a full class. Notice how you feel that evening and the next day, and add time or movement only if nothing felt worse.

Yes. You will not do a full practice in an office chair, but a handful of seated movements for the neck, shoulders, back, wrists and hips will get you moving after a long stretch of sitting, and nobody needs to change clothes.

Once or twice a day is a good start, for example mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Many people tie it to something they already do, like the end of a meeting or the walk back from lunch.

Yes. A short desk-side class works well for a team at the office, and it needs no mats and no special space. Send an inquiry with your team size and location, and we can plan a class that fits your day.

It depends on your plan and your account. Wellness offerings differ between HMOs and between corporate contracts, so ask your HMO account manager what is included and whether classes such as yoga can be added.

Yes. A company can book corporate yoga directly for its team, separately from its HMO plan. Many HR teams do both: use what the HMO offers, and add regular classes of their own.

An HMO or its account team can refer member companies to a teacher, or include classes in a wellness calendar it offers to its accounts. The format, schedule and terms are agreed on inquiry before anything starts.

It does not need to fill a whole day. A half day of two to four hours is enough for most teams, and it is easier to protect in a busy calendar. A full day works best as part of an offsite, when people are already away from their desks.

Yes. A large meeting room, a pantry with the tables moved, or a function room in your building can all work. Measure the space, check the air conditioning, and tell your provider the room size so the formats fit.

Three or four is plenty for an hour: one icebreaker to warm up, one or two games that need people to talk and solve something, and one calm activity to close. More than that and the games start to feel like a checklist.

Give them a role instead: timekeeper, judge, scorekeeper or the person who reads out the rules. Never make a game compulsory, and avoid anything that singles people out, involves touch they did not choose, or asks for personal stories they may not want to share.

Something that needs no venue and gets everyone talking: a cooking or merienda challenge, a quiz, a problem-solving build in the meeting room, or a short yoga class with the chairs pushed back. With fewer than fifteen people, everyone can take part at once, which matters more than the activity itself.

Long enough to finish, short enough that nobody watches the clock. An hour or two suits an activity in the office. A half day suits an outdoor or volunteering event. A full day off-site only works if the travel is short and the programme has real breaks.

Yes, and it often works better that way. A late-afternoon activity on a Friday, or a long lunch slot, reaches people who cannot stay late because of the commute or family. Holding it on company time also tells the team it is meant to be enjoyed, not endured.

A short desk stretching or desk-side yoga break. It needs no room booking, no mats and no change of clothes, and people can join from their own chairs. It is a low-risk way to see how your team responds before planning anything longer.

Regular beats big. A weekly or fortnightly slot that people can plan around usually does more than a single large event each year. Start with one format, keep the same day and time for a few weeks, then decide whether to add more.

Where you can, yes. Activities inside the working day, such as a lunchtime class or a mid-afternoon break, reach more people than ones that ask staff to stay late or come in on a weekend. Holding them on company time also tells the team the time is really meant to be used.

A yoga class can be one of the activities inside a program, but it does not meet the requirements of DOLE Department Order No. 208 on its own. The order asks for a written policy and program, which covers matters such as awareness, confidentiality and access to support. Treat classes as one part that sits alongside that policy, and check the details with your HR or legal adviser.

Whatever is there. That might be warmth, coolness, pressure from the floor, tingling, the touch of clothing, an ache, or very little at all. The aim is to notice, not to produce a particular feeling or to relax on command.

No. Most people find some areas quiet, often the shins, the upper arms or the back of the head. Noticing that you feel nothing there is still noticing. Stay for a breath or two and move on.

Yes. Rest your gaze softly on a spot on the ceiling or the floor. Eyes open is a good choice if closing them makes you uneasy, if you are prone to falling asleep, or if you are doing the short version at work.

No. A chair with your feet flat on the floor works just as well, and for many beginners it works better. What matters is that you can stay still without pain and without slumping. Cross-legged on a cushion is one option among several, not a requirement.

Yes, especially if sitting hurts. The only catch is that lying down makes sleep more likely. If you keep drifting off, bend your knees with your feet on the floor, or rest one forearm upright on its elbow, so you notice when you start to fade.

Then you were probably tired, and that is useful to know. Try sitting up, practising earlier in the day, or keeping your eyes slightly open.

Only if it feels comfortable. You can lower your gaze to a spot on the floor a little in front of you instead. Many people find eyes open steadier and safer, especially when they are anxious or very tired.

Gentle movement is often better than lying still for everyday aches, and the NHS lists yoga among the activities that can help people stay active with back pain. Keep it slow, stay well inside what feels comfortable, and stop anything that makes the pain sharper. If the pain came from an injury or comes with any warning sign on this page, see a doctor before you practise.

Many people find it comfortable, because the back can round and rest. Others do not, especially if folding forward sharpens their pain. Try it with a cushion under your chest and your knees wide. If it eases, stay a few breaths; if it hurts, come out and try lying on your back with your knees bent instead.

A few minutes most days tends to suit a stiff back better than one long stretch once a week. Short breaks from sitting through the day matter too. There is no need to push further each time: the aim is easy movement, not a deeper stretch.

Yes, if you feel like it. The first day is often the heaviest, so many people choose the slowest, most supported practice they know, or simply rest. Let how you feel decide. Skipping practice on a heavy day is also a perfectly good choice.

Teachers disagree on this, and there is no single rule. Some traditions leave out inversions such as Headstand and Shoulderstand during a period, and many people simply feel better without them on heavy days. Others practise as usual. It is your choice: if turning upside down feels wrong, leave it out.

Of course. Tell me as much or as little as you like, and the lesson can be slower and more supported, with plenty of time lying down and nothing that presses on the belly. If you would rather move the lesson, message me and we can find another day.

Most runners keep the slow, held stretches for after the run or for a rest day, when the muscles are warm and there is no hard effort to come. Before a run, a few minutes of easy movement, such as walking, leg swings and a couple of gentle Downward Dogs, is usually enough.

Many runners enjoy Yin on rest days, because its long, quiet holds give the hips and legs slow attention that a quick stretch does not. It is not a replacement for your training plan or for strength work, and it is best kept away from the hours before a hard workout.

For many runners a short yoga routine simply is their stretching: the shapes on this page cover the hips, hamstrings, quads and calves. What yoga cannot replace is a proper cool-down walk, fluids after a hot Manila run, or advice from a physiotherapist when something hurts.

A sturdy chair with four legs, a flat seat and no wheels. A plain dining chair is ideal. If your feet do not reach the floor, put a folded blanket under them. Skip office chairs, folding chairs and soft sofas, and set the chair against a wall or on a non-slip mat so it cannot slide.

Some people find that careful standing work beside a chair, done regularly, helps them feel steadier on their feet, and balance practice is part of what health guidelines suggest for older adults. It is not a guarantee against falling, and it does not replace an assessment by a doctor or physiotherapist if you have fallen or often feel unsteady. Keep a hand on the chair for every balance shape until they say otherwise.

Yes. I teach households as well as one person, so a parent and a grown child can share a lesson. Each of you gets your own version of each shape: she might stay on the chair while you work on the mat, and nobody has to keep up with anyone. A lesson for two has no public rate, so message me for the price.

Give yourself a little space between the practice and lights out, so you are not rushing from the mat to the bed. For many people that means starting in the hour before bed, after dinner has settled. If even gentle movement leaves you feeling alert, move it earlier in the evening.

Some of it, yes. A reclined butterfly with pillows under the knees, a gentle knees-to-chest hug and the breathing at the end all work on a mattress. Standing or kneeling shapes are steadier on the floor, because a soft bed gives way under the knees and wrists.

Both can suit the evening. Restorative yoga props the body up completely so there is almost no effort, which many people find the easiest way to wind down. Yin holds shapes for several minutes with a mild stretch, which some people love at night and others find too stimulating. Try each for a week and notice how you sleep.

Before exercise, moving stretches such as arm circles, leg swings and gentle lunges warm the body up. Slow, held stretches like the ones on this page suit the end of a workout, a rest day or the evening, when the muscles are already warm.

Yes, for most people. Keep it easy, stay well short of any pain and skip the shapes that do not suit your body that day. If you have an injury, a joint condition or are pregnant, ask your doctor, physiotherapist or OB which parts are right for you.

Often because the stretch is done cold, rushed, or pulled from the lower back instead of the hips. Long hours of sitting also leave the backs of the legs in one position all day. Try stretching after a walk or a warm shower, fold from the hips with bent knees, and stretch a little most days instead of hard once a week.

Not fully, at first. A soft bend in the knee lets the stretch land in the belly of the muscle instead of pulling behind the knee. As the back of the leg eases over weeks, you can straighten a little more, as long as the sensation stays in the muscle and nothing pulls behind the knee joint.

The couch stretch is a deep kneeling lunge with the back shin propped up against a couch or wall, which bends the back knee fully and stretches the front of the thigh and hip strongly. It is fine for some people, but it puts a lot of pressure through the back kneecap and is easy to overdo. The kneeling lunge with a strap, step 4 below, gives a similar stretch with more control.

Tightness at the front of the hips is often mentioned alongside lower back discomfort, but back pain has many causes and a stretch cannot tell you which one is yours. If your back hurts, see a doctor or physiotherapist, and treat these stretches as gentle movement rather than a treatment.

Half splits, Ardha Hanumanasana in Sanskrit, is a kneeling stretch: one knee down, the other leg straight out in front with the heel on the floor, and the hips stacked over the back knee as you fold forward. It isolates the hamstrings of the front leg and is the single most useful preparation for the full splits.

Long, deep holds at the end of your range every day tend to leave the body sore and guarded. Practise the preparation shapes three or four times a week, take the full slide only when you are warm, and keep easy movement for the days in between.

Either works. Many people feel stiffest when they first get up, so a few minutes of slow movement in the morning can help them get going, while the evening suits longer, quieter holds. Go more gently in the first hour after waking, when the back tends to feel least supple.

No. Gentle movement that feels easy is fine for everyday stiffness, but a stretch that sharpens the pain, or pain that spreads into the leg, is a sign to stop. Ask a doctor or physiotherapist what kind of movement suits your back before you try again.

Gently, yes. The body tends to feel stiffest in the first hour after waking, so start with small, easy movements lying down and save deeper stretches for later in the day. Getting up and walking around for a minute before the floor part of the routine helps too.

They do different jobs. A short morning routine gets a stiff body moving and is easy to tie to waking up, which makes it easier to keep. Evening stretching suits longer, slower holds. If you only have time for one, choose the time you will actually keep doing.

Full circles that drop the head far backwards can compress the back of the neck and make some people dizzy. Half circles, moving the chin slowly from one shoulder, down across the chest, to the other shoulder, give a similar release with less strain.

It can play a part. A pillow that is too high or too flat can leave the neck bent to one side for hours. If you wake up stiff most mornings, try a different height, and if the stiffness lasts all day or keeps coming back, mention it to your doctor.

A laptop pulls the hands forward and the eyes down, so the shoulders round, the chest stays closed and the upper back holds the head up for hours. Raising the screen to eye level, using a separate keyboard and standing up every half hour or so help as much as any stretch.

Very common. Most of us carry the bag, hold the phone and use the mouse on the same side. Stretch both sides, and give the tighter one an extra round. If one shoulder is painful rather than tight, or you cannot lift the arm, see a doctor or physiotherapist instead.