PRACTICAL INFORMATION
BOOKINGS + CANCELLATIONS
We kindly ask you to be mindful of your bookings and cancellations:
1. Please make sure to book your classes in advance. Classes can be booked up to 30 days in advance. You can cancel your booking until 2 hours before the class starts. To do this, go to your account and cancel the class in your schedule. For single classes (valid 1 month), please be sure to cancel your booking in a timely manner to retain your class credit, which can be used to book another class within the 1 month period. If you cancel within 2 hours of the class, no class credit will be issued.
2. Can’t make it? Please sign out at least 2 hours before the class begins. Even better, check in with yourself the evening before and sign out then, giving people on the waiting list a chance to join. Last minute cancellations are for last minute emergencies (ladies holiday, children, fever, contagious illness). Although we have a 2 hour cancellation policy, we don't encourage you to skip your practice.
3. No Show. This means not showing up despite being signed up. Please avoid this, check in with yourself the evening before and sign out then, giving people on the waiting list a chance to join.
4. Once you sign up, stay signed up. Avoid signing in and out of classes, do not be consistently indecisive, be consistently present–whether it be every Sunday and Monday, 'consistent' does not have to mean daily.
5. Please do not show up without a reservation and always keep an eye on your email, it doesn't happen often but should anything occur then clases are automatically cancelled 2 hours in advance, usually if there aren't enough registrations.
WAITING LIST
When a class is fully booked, you can put yourself on the waiting list. When a yogi cancels a class, a waitlisted yogi who is next in line will be signed up automatically and will receive a message via email. A waitlisted yogi who's next in line will be added to a class first, as soon as a spot becomes available, if they choose to cancel then the next yogi in line will be added to the class. A waitlisted yogi cannot oversee whether they're next in line. There is no limitation on the number of yogis on a waitlist.
NEW TO BOOKING WITH US?
1. You have to register on Momoyoga to sign up and join a class. Please provide us with your real name, valid email address and phone number, we require this information so that we can contact you in case of emergencies eg. last minute class cancellations. Your personal information will be kept private you can not share a Momoyoga account, each person has their own account
2. If you are not going to make it to class please Late Cancel your reservation in advance, otherwise you are holding a spot in the class and someone else can not join you can not give your reservation to someone else, each person has their own account
3. We do not give refunds except when a class is cancelled by us, for instance if the teacher is ill and we can not find a cover last minute. We do not accept cash or card payments, please make sure to book and pay online via Momoyoga. All payments are non refundable and non transferable.
GENERAL INFORMATION
HEALTH + PERSONAL HYGIENE
Don’t practice if you have a fever. When in doubt, try a few Surya Namaskara on your own at home. If you are contagious or very weak, please stay at home
Please arrive to the shala prepared for practice, don’t waste time getting dressed at the shala. Avoid wearing strong and synthetic fragrances as it can be irritating to fellow practitioners, there is a lot of deep breathing throughout the practice
Arrive freshly showered, in fresh clean practice clothes and on a clean mat. Saucha, cleanliness, is one of the Niyamas, yogic principles for living. This is a spiritual practice, not just physical, and we want to greet the day and salute the sun with a fresh clean body and mind, not wearing yesterday’s funk. If you arrive clean, you do not need to shower after your practice. Especially after you have practiced yoga for a while and eat a wholesome yogic diet, your sweat will be light and odorless. Please look into Ayurveda; an ancient Indian healing science and often considered the sister science to yoga, and it focuses on healthy digestion, routine, and selfcare
Once you start fostering a regular practice, you might appreciate having your own mat, it’s a personal practice you should put your energy into your own mat, not a general one
Eat 2-3 hours before you practice and 40 mins after practice. Drink up to 20 mins before and 10- 20 mins after practice, Do not drink during your practice. Our aim is to build heat in the body and drinking cools the body down. Drink after Savasana. If you're dizzy or have a persistent cough, take a sip of water
Ladies, it is recommended to take a break (1 - 3 days) from practice when menstruating. One of the reasons is hormones. Estrogen levels decrease, weakening the pelvic floor. Pelvic floor activation is used to access the bandhas, our internal locks. Weakness on the pelvic floor leads to lack of internal support which leads to overuse of the lower back muscles. Your pelvic floor and your respiratory diaphragm work together as part of your core. Your pelvic floor affects your entire practice. According to Ayurveda, blood (rakta in Sanskrit) is believed to be governed by the moon (chandra). Like all things of a watery nature (about 90% of our blood plasma is water), we are affected by the phases of the moon. During menstruation, the body is governed by the quality of apana; the energy residing in the pelvis and lower abdomen that facilitates the movement of blood down and out of the body. Ashtanga Yoga practice stimulates the prana up which is the opposite of the natural flow of the body during menstruation, we don’t want to go against this natural flow, it’s a monthly cleanse
INJURIES + PREGNANCY
While you will receive verbal instructions to learn new asanas (postures), most of the assists will be in the form of "hands-on adjustments". Should you be pregnant, have any injuries or sensitivities in your body, please inform the teacher at the beginning of your practice
If you are pregnant then it is advised not to practice during the first three months of your pregnancy. Your practice will be modified during your pregnancy from the second trimester onwards, please book a Private Class so that we can openly discuss the details of your practice. For the ashtangi mum-to-be, we recommend you read the book Yoga Sadhana for Mothers by Sharmila Desai and Anna Wise
Please learn the difference between green pain and red pain
Do not push through injuries or sickness, take it day by day and practice with the intention to heal
If you experience pain alongside your practice, first ask yourself if you are practicing often enough. If you have, ask yourself next what other things you do with your body, like excessive sitting, driving, lifting, intense sports, running, working, etc. If you can’t figure it out then please don’t hesitate to ask us, however, we kindly would like to remind you not to ask about every stretch, cramp or feeling you experience during your practice or otherwise, please be selective with your questions
Know the difference:
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Physiotherapy – to treat physical issues caused by injury, illness and ageing
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Chiropractic – to treat health problems related to the skeletal and muscular system
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Osteopathy – to treat muscle and joint issues through massage and manipulation to improve mobility and reduce pain
Thank you for joining our classes ❤