Firstly, we've like to remind you that we do NOT run yoga courses. You can see more information about this on another FAQ. We are a centre for the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy, not a Yoga centre. Many students who come to this area are interested in both, but we want to make it very clear that in our tradition we do not combine yoga and philosophy to the extent that other traditions do, so please do not expect there to to be any instruction or allotted time for these practices.

Between 11:15 -12:00 there is a slot for stretching. Please be aware that we intentionally do not call this a yoga class, in order to make the distinction very clear: we only want students to be able to stay physically active and flexible enough to be able to make them more comfortable when sitting, in meditation and during class. There is usually a teacher for this stretching class, and we clearly instruct that teacher to keep any postures simple and only for the purpose of counter-acting any stiffness from sitting. We prefer that students restrict their exercise time to this period, and to this group activity since personal exercise can be distracting to other students (elaborate yoga positions etc). For people disinclined to this class, we ask them to practice walking meditation around the property instead.

We ask that students agree not to leave the property during the course, and our property is small, so it is not possible to go for a run. There is a steep staircase within the property which when climbed up and down should provide sufficient exercise, but we will ask that you do not run, as students are focussing on quiet internal reflection (ideally with the body at rest) and raising the cardio-vascular processes are not conducive to this! On the Typical Introduction to Buddhism course schedule, you will see that each day is a full day programme and so doesn't allow for any personal exercise time, and anyway, you may be surprised at how tired you will be!