Here at Buddha on a Bicycle in Covent Garden we have a variety of regular yoga classes so whether you are looking for a more relaxed and meditative practice or something more dynamic you’ll find it here.

We have an incredibly positive feedback from the people who come to yoga classes at Buddha on a Bicycle.  The classes are small and intimate; a relief for many who have come from practising in gyms with 30 people in a class and very little personal attention.  We have Hatha, Zen Hatha, Ashtanga and Kundalini classes, some in the evenings and others at lunchtime.

Why not check out our Whats On Calendar to see when the next class is, or check out The Therapy Room to find out more about our Yoga instructors, and what sessions and styles they offer.

We welcome all levels from beginners to advanced – so please do get in touch if you would like some more information.

The history of yoga

Yoga is an extremely ancient Eastern Mystical tradition. Eliade describes it as ‘a living fossil, a modality of archaic spirituality that has survived nowhere else’, archaeological excavation has shown it to have been in use as early as 3000 BC.

The term yoga is used in The Upanishads and in the Svetasvatara Upanishad it says,  ‘No sickness, no old age, no death has he who has obtained a body made of the fire of yoga’.  Many of the postures of yoga are named after animals and other elements of the natural world it is said that the ancient mystics observed the animals birds and nature around them and developed their yoga postures from these natural movements.

One of earliest practitioners were the ancient Vedas in the Indian subcontinent and then subsequently by followers of Jainism, Buddhism and many other ascetic traditions across India. The word yoga itself comes from the Sanskrit ‘yuz’ meaning to yoke or to unite, i.e. binding the soul with god.

Yoga was initially developed as an intense spiritual form of practice to enhance physical and psychic abilities, eventually leading to a way of releasing humankind from its ties to the endless cycle of re birth and death. Buddha himself used the pracise of meditation and yoga to develop mindfulness and to propel him along his path to enlightenment. In its many forms and schools today it is mostly used for what as perceived as more tangible purposes; to help bring about suppleness, flexibility, and relaxation and physical well-being. However it has been shown that yoga can also increase energy levels and alleviate the physical effects of hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular conditions, many regular yoga practitioners also experience a great sense of mental well-being as well as a notable alleviation of depression and other stress related mental states.

Yoga is now widely available in the western world and here at Buddha on a Bicycle we have several experienced teachers practicing in: Hatha, Kundalini and Ashtanga Yoga.