Yoga & Ayurveda FAQ – Yoga & Ayurveda with Ivana
If you’re new to yoga, Ayurveda, or my offerings, you may have many questions and not know where to start. I’ve gathered the most common questions I receive and answered them with love and clarity. Whether you’re wondering about the spiritual side of yoga, the healing power of Ayurveda, or how to prepare for your first class, you’ll find the answers here to help you feel supported and inspired.
What Are the Benefits of Yoga – Body, Mind, and Spirit?
Yoga is so much more than stretching or moving your body—it is a return to wholeness.
On a physical level, yoga improves flexibility, strength, posture, and mobility. It can relieve tension and stiffness, support healthy digestion, balance hormones, and help with pain relief, including back and joint issues.
On an energetic level, yoga works with prana (life force) to clear stagnation, awaken vitality, and balance the subtle energy channels (nadis) of the body. Pranayama (breath technique) and mindful movement help to release blocked energy, leaving you feeling lighter, more radiant, and grounded.
On a spiritual level, yoga invites you to connect with your inner self—the quiet presence beneath the noise of the mind. Through regular practice, many people experience a deeper sense of clarity, intuition, and connection to something greater than themselves, whether you call it source, spirit, or simply the essence of being alive. In short, yoga helps you feel more at home in your body, more present in your life, and more connected to your heart.
How Often Should I Practice Yoga?
For best results, aim for at least one class per week. Adding a little daily micro-movement to your daily routine can have big benefits!
Can Yoga Help with Stress or Anxiety?
Yes! Practices like Yoga Nidra, gentle flows, pranayama and restorative yoga are excellent for calming the nervous system. Not mentioning the benefits of being together as a community!
Is Yoga a Religion or a Spiritual Practice?
Yoga is not a religion but a profound philosophy and spiritual science. While it has a spiritual component, it does not require you to follow any specific belief system. Yoga invites you to transform yourself, discover your inner nature, and live with greater awareness and balance.
What does Hatha Yoga mean?
Hatha Yoga is a path towards creating balance and uniting opposites. In which our physical bodies will develop a balance of strength and flexibility. It also teaches us to balance our effort and surrender in each pose, and ideally take that off the mat into the world. Hatha yoga is a powerful tool for self-transformation. It asks us to bring our attention to our breath, which helps us to still the fluctuations of the mind and be more present in the unfolding of each moment.
What does Holistic Yoga mean?
Holistic means 'dealing with or treating the whole of something or someone and not just a part.' The idea is that when our whole system (body, breath, senses, mind, and soul) is in equilibrium, we are capable of healing any ailments ourselves—the intelligence of the body knows how to do its work! The focus is on overall balance. This approach to our practice draws from the synergy of Yoga, Tantra and Ayurveda to assist your journey of deep restoration, wholeness and interconnectedness. Stepping into your most authentic Self and being with the flow of Life.
Read more about Holistic Yoga here.
What does Tantra mean?
Tantra – the ancient science which uses specific techniques (pranayama, bandha, mudra, meditation) to expand and liberate the consciousness from its limitations by direct control of Prana (life force; breath, awareness, energy of consciousness…call it as you wish)
Where the Classical Yoga tradition says ‘’Yogash-citta-vrtti-nirodhah’’ or ‘’Yoga is the control of mental fluctuation;’’ the Tantra/Hatha tradition says ‘’Prana-vrtti-nirodhah’’ or ‘’the control of the fluctuations of prana.’’ This core of understanding of Tantric methodology can be found in the Rig Vedic and early Upanishadic vision of the body as the gateway to self-mastery.
What Is Ayurveda and How Can It Help Me?
Ayu (Life) Veda ( Knowledge) is the combination of balance and harmony of body, senses, mind and soul. Ayurveda is the most sacred science of life and a sister science to Yoga. Ayurveda's concern is alleviating both bodily and mental diseases and promoting both physical and psychological well-being. Yet the ultimate goal of classical Ayurveda, like classical yoga, is Self-realisation - the highest form of Self-healing. Ayurveda shows us how to attain optimal health as a wholesome foundation and sufficient energy to pursue the yogic quest.
How Does Ayurveda Complement Yoga?
Ayurveda and Yoga are like two branches of the same ancient tree of wisdom—they are designed to support and enhance each other. While yoga aligns your body, breath, and mind through movement and meditation, Ayurveda works on creating the right inner and outer conditions for that alignment to deepen.
Ayurveda balances your doshas (energy types) with food, herbs, daily rhythms, and self-care practices, so your body feels lighter, stronger, and more vibrant.
Yoga then refines and channels that energy, guiding you into stillness, clarity, and a deeper connection with your inner self.
Both aim for the same ultimate goal: self-realisation, inner freedom, and living in harmony with life’s natural flow.
Together, they form a complete system for healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening—one that nourishes you on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, and energetic.
What is Meditation really about?
Meditation is not about emptying the mind but about befriending it gently through our senses, one-pointed concentration and learning to see beyond distractions and conditioning. With practice, it brings peace, clarity, and the ability to witness life from a place of stillness and presence.
What is Yoga Nidra?
Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation where we practice entering and staying with the alpha waves of the brain. This allows us to work more consciously with the subconscious mind, where we can work with long-held beliefs and patterns, among other aspects of ourselves and learn to relax on subtler levels of our being. It really is an opportunity to create more effortless awareness and ease within ourselves. The beauty of the practice is that sooner or later, it will be reflected outward in our lives.
The best part – we practice it in a lying position called Savasana, and all we have to do is make ourselves cosy and warm to help us relax into the practice.
What is the difference between Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga?
The fundamental difference between Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga is their purpose. Yin Yoga focuses on stretching the deep connective tissue of our fragile or less flexible joints, such as the hips, knees, and ankles. It’s called Yin Yoga as a contrast to stronger, more “Yang-like” movements of the muscles.
Yin Yoga is a slow-paced, mainly floor-based practice, calm and still. It teaches us patience and finding an appropriate and safe edge of holding the postures for extra lengths of time (3-5 minutes) to reap the benefit of the practice.
On the other hand, the purpose of Restorative Yoga is relaxation. This practice is soothing, comforting, relaxing and renewing. It is excellent for reducing chronic stress, anxiety and exhaustion. Props are used to support the body so poses can be held longer (5-10 minutes), allowing the body to open through passive stretching. Postures and their shapes are modified to your individual self with blocks, bolsters, blankets and straps to eliminate unnecessary muscular effort.
I am a complete beginner - Can I attend your class?
Absolutely! We all have to start somewhere. I welcome you as you are, providing a space that nurtures and supports you on your yoga journey, whether you are searching for a good stretch, peace of mind or just a space for your being to just be…
(Note: Some workshops are more suited to regular practitioners. Check class descriptions or contact me if unsure.)
I Can’t Touch My Toes or Sit Still – Is Yoga for Me?
One of the greatest things about yoga is that it brings us all to commonality - we all have some struggles and worries, and though everyone comes in a different body, each of us has a path to walk, to make our life a more comfortable place to live in and be. We are all constantly learning, growing and evolving. Modification/ alternatives of the poses are always offered to suit everybody. Yoga invites you to make the practice your own, honouring your body, accepting your restrictions and finding what is best for you.
What should I wear, and do I need to bring anything?
Both of the yoga studios are fully equipped. You will find everything you need there for your practice. In the long term, I would highly recommend you purchase your mat for better comfort. It’s more hygienic and, most importantly, having your mat will make it much more likely that you will unroll it at home as well.
Wear comfortable clothing so you can move, and you can easily add or remove another layer. Yes! You can keep your socks on:)
Do I Need to Book in Advance?
The Yoga Tree studio is large and spacious; therefore, I can accommodate some drop-ins. The rest of the classes are pre-book only. Some of them online, and some through contacting me directly (details are always in the class description).
What’s Your Cancellation Policy?
Please note that I have a 24-hour cancellation, no-refund policy for weekly classes, 48 hours for monthly events and two weeks for special workshops.
Private Yoga and Ayurvedic consultations are nonrefundable. If you have to cancel, email me at least 48 hours before your appointment to reschedule.
Please read the full Terms & Conditions along with the Privacy Policy and get in touch if you have any further questions.
When Should I Arrive, and Where Can I Park?
Please arrive about 5-10 minutes before the beginning of the class to get familiar with the place. If you are new, I will ask you to fill out a health questionnaire that allows me to know your physical conditions/injuries, etc. and then settle onto your mat before we start. Being timely is important, as there is no entry to the class once it starts. Parking:
The Yoga Tree Studio, 50 All Saints Green, Norwich, NR1 3NB
Please note that there is no on-site parking available. Sainsbury's on Queens Road is very close by and the easiest option for 90 minutes parking. Pay and display on Surrey Street and Ber Street. Potentially, you can find 2 hours of free parking on Grove Walk and Eleanor Road.
Happy Om studio, Studio 1, 2nd floor, Capitol House, 4-6 Heigham Street, Norwich NR2 4TE
TK-Max car park for free for up to 2 hours, and pay and display opposite Toys R Us or any city car park. You may be lucky to park just on Heigham Street in late evenings and weekends.