https://www.spandainstitute.com/

Spanda Institute, Largo da Fonte do Cabo 3, Ericeira (2026)

04/05/2026

Does yoga have religious roots?

Today, most of the yoga practised around the world is not experienced as a religion. But was it ever?

Yoga is often assumed to be rooted directly in (Hindu) religious practice. However, this assumption deserves a bit of critical thinking. The traditions and disciplines grouped under the umbrella term ´yoga´developed in parallel over many centuries, shaped by overlapping and sometimes competing schools of thought. It is a shared history, not a simple case of one producing the other.

Many early yogic practices developed among renunciate and ascetic communities who operated outside established religious/ritual systems. These practitioners were not engaged in temple worship or devotion to a personal deity. They were focused on direct experience, self-discipline, and systematic techniques for transforming body and mind. Yoga emerged, in this context, not as a religion but as a body of methods aimed at liberation. This is how most people still see it.

This is also evident in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The role of God in this system is strikingly marginal, presented as one optional object of meditative focus rather than a theological requirement. The system functions entirely without theistic commitment.

The term yoga covers a wide range of distinct approaches. Classical traditions describe devotional yoga, yoga of knowledge, yoga of action, and meditative yoga. Of these, only the devotional path resembles religious practice in the conventional sense. It is one strand among many, and notably the strand least represented in what most people practise today.

What is most widely practised now draws primarily from hatha yoga, which emphasises posture, breath regulation, and embodied techniques for developing strength, stability, and awareness. The key classical texts of this tradition are striking for how technical and non-devotional they are. They read less like scripture and more like practical manuals.

Yoga is best understood as a discipline of practice and inquiry that developed within a broad cultural environment, not as a religion, and not as the exclusive property of any single faith tradition.

25/04/2026

Belated congratulations to these beautiful women, new yoga teachers who have completed our 200h YTT in Sarajevo led by our amazing Ada .yoga

Thank you all for your dedication and commitment, we’re so grateful to be able to welcome you in our Spanda Sangha 💜🙏🏼 and we can’t wait to see where you go from here:)

New training dates for Sarajevo will be announced soon, stay tuned:)

20/04/2026

A huge congratulations to our incredible graduates of the 200h Yoga Teacher Training in London, led by the wonderful Gea .yoga at Soma Yoga

You each showed up, fully and with open hearts. Your dedication, growth, and commitment have been truly inspiring to witness. This is just the beginning of a beautiful journey, and we cannot wait to see the light you carry forward into the world.

Thank you for trusting us with this chapter of your path🙏🏻.

Feeling called to transform your practice and step into teaching? Our next 200h Yoga Teacher Training at Soma begins this October. Spaces are limited, and we’d love to have you join us. Link in bio.

07/04/2026

PRACTICE INSIGHT - Vajrapradama mudra by Anja anja kaloh | vinyasa & prenatal yoga teacher

One of my favourite mudras is Vajrapradama mudra – the mudra of unshakable trust. I often use it to set an intention, or Sankalpa, when I practice, one that often resonates with me. I also often share it with my students, suggesting it as a way to reconnect with a sense of (lost) trust and self-confidence. This mudra and the sense of trust it brings feels especially meaningful in times of instability, doubt, and fear - currents around us that can quickly settle into our inner world. It is particularly suitable during periods of pressure or negativity, when life overwhelms us with challenges.

When practising Vajrapradama mudra during meditation, we can consciously direct energy to the heart centre (anahata chakra) and reconnect with our inner strength.

This mudra can be supportive when we want to awaken:
* trust in life
* emotional stability
* trust in our inner compass
* awareness of our own power
* a sense of inner worth that does not need external validation

Practice:
* sit comfortably with an upright spine (e.g., Sukhasana)
* interlace the fingers of both hands (except the thumbs), palms facing the heart
* thumbs point upward toward the collarbones
* hold the hands in front of the body or gently rest them on the chest

Let Vajrapradama mudra be a reminder that true trust does not come from control, but from connection. If you feel the energy of the mudra, receive it with an open heart and an open mind.

Anja is the Lead Trainer for our 200-hour YTT in Maribor. A new cohort starts this September - find more info and apply via the link in bio.

31/03/2026

MEET US – Stefania Avolese 🧘‍♀️

We’re thrilled to welcome our alumna Stefania to the lead trainer team and offer our YTT in Italy again:) Stefania will be leading our transformative 200-hour YTT at her studio in Turin, Italy, beginning this November (link in bio for details).

Get to know the person behind the smile in this Q&A :)

Q: What’s something people often get wrong about you?
A: I look quite serious at first glance, but I’m actually very funny once you get to know me.

Q: If you could whisper something to your younger self, what would it be?
A: Be patient. There’s no rush. Everything arrives exactly when it’s meant to.

Q: What makes you feel deeply rooted?
A: Singing and dancing in the way my body wants to move.

Q: Do you believe in intuition? How does it show up for you?
A: I deeply believe in intuition. My best intuitions are quiet and immediate, especially when the mind isn’t overactive.

Q: What does “home” mean to you these days?
A: It’s a place, not always physical, where I feel protected, loved, completely myself, and where all my emotions are welcome.

Q: What’s one thing you no longer apologise for?
A: For saying what I think, while respecting space and needs.

Q: What part of your inner world are you currently exploring?
A: I’m exploring my needs - recognising them, accepting them, and learning to satisfy them.

Q: Books or podcasts?
A: Books. Reading in a cosy place grounds me; podcasts sometimes pull me away from the present moment.

Q: Yoga mat or hiking trail?
A: Yoga mat, of course.

Q: Planning or improvising?
A: Both. I like planning, but the best things often happen when I improvise, and I’m fully present.

Q: Mountains or ocean?
A: Ocean. I love watching the waves; their sound helps clear my mind.

Q: Sweet or savoury?
A: Savoury. I love pizza and vegetarian lasagna.

Q: If your work had a scent, what would it be?
A: Jasmine, it’s the scent of Terra studio.

21/03/2026

Myth: The Seven Chakra System is Ancient

When you ask a yoga practitioner about the chakras, they will most likely describe a system of seven centres, each with specific colours, qualities, and even links to endocrine glands. This is also what we teach on our YTT courses. It’s a beautifully synthesised, energetic system; however, it is not as ancient as is commonly assumed - it took its current form mainly in the 20th century.

The idea of subtle energy centres does have ancient roots in Ta***ic yoga. However, ta***ic sources describe many different chakra systems, including five, six, seven, nine, and twelve centres, depending on the lineage and the intended practice. In the ta***ic tradition, chakras were practical tools designed for particular outcomes rather than fixed maps of the body. They were ‘used’ for meditation and visualisation: practitioners would visualise a lotus at a specific point in the body, often with particular colours and symbols, and often activate a mantra within it. In this context, chakras functioned as structured visualisation practices, not as physical or anatomical entities that can be blocked, opened, or balanced.

The psychological meanings commonly assigned to the chakras, such as linking the root chakra to safety or the solar plexus to self-esteem, were introduced later, influenced in part by Carl Jung’s work and further developed by twentieth-century Western esoteric traditions. The familiar rainbow colour scheme also does not originate in the early texts. Likewise, commonly taught seed mantras such as lam, vam, and ram are not inherent properties of the chakras themselves but rather relate to the corresponding five elements.

This does not make the seven chakra system without value. On the contrary, it offers a rich and meaningful framework for practice and self-reflection. But, rather than seeing it as ancient, the chakra system we know today is a great example of how traditional practices evolve, and are interpreted, adapted, and combined with more modern disciplines such as psychology to create a system that is more meaningful to practitioners today; reshaped as a tool to help us better understand ourselves.

17/03/2026

Happy Birthday to this lovely human!

Biki is a teacher at Spanda Institute’s, known for her grounded presence, quiet wisdom, and gentle, heartfelt way of sharing the practice.

Here is a fun birthday Q&A to celebrate Biki:

Where are you on your birthday this year? In Kerala, Southern India

Birthday drink of choice: I’m very lucky to get fresh coconut water straight from the palm here.

Lesson of the day:
This morning I was walking through one of the most beautiful natural landscapes, yet it was filled with waste. It felt like a strong reminder to stop constantly adding more to life, and rather remove the “trash” and “noise” we fill it with. The more we clear away, the closer we come to life’s pure, natural beauty.

What would you tell your younger self today? Do what you love and what feels valuable to you and commit to it. Don’t be afraid of failure, every mistake is just another step on the journey of a thousand miles.

One intention you’re setting for the year ahead: More courage, more smiles, less worries.

I’d like to leave a message from the Persian poet Hafez:
“I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.”

13/03/2026

Trauma-sensitive or trauma-informed teaching is often misunderstood as a form of trauma treatment, but that is not, or perhaps should not be, the case.

Trauma-sensitive yoga aims to reduce the risk of harm by creating environments that prioritise safety, choice, predictability, and respect for nervous system capacity. And while this in itself can be healing, its purpose is to make yoga more accessible, not to process trauma or resolve psychological injury.

Trauma treatment, on the other hand, involves structured therapeutic interventions delivered by trained mental health professionals. It requires the ability to assess psychological readiness, recognise and respond to dysregulation, and provide appropriate containment and follow-up.

This does not mean yoga has no place alongside mental health care. Yoga, especially when taught with trauma-sensitive principles, can support regulation,
embodiment, and self-agency, which may complement therapeutic work. However, this support functions best when yoga remains within its scope and does not attempt to replace or replicate psychotherapy.
Trauma-sensitive teaching is therefore about harm reduction rather than intervention.

It focuses on how practices are offered, not on what psychological outcomes they are expected to produce. Maintaining this distinction protects both practitioners and teachers. A practice can be supportive without being therapeutic, and recognising that difference is central to trauma-sensitive teaching.

11/03/2026

Practice Insights: What is Accessible Yoga? And why is it so important? 
For many years, mainstream yoga imagery, amplified by Instagram and other social media platforms, suggested that yoga was mainly for the young, flexible, and physically able. This left many people feeling that yoga was not for them because they were not strong enough, flexible enough, healthy enough, or slim enough.

Thankfully, this has been changing in recent years. Yoga is for everybody and for every body. When taught with care and adaptability, it can support people from all walks of life.

Accessible yoga recognises that human bodies and nervous systems vary widely, and that this diversity is normal rather than exceptional. Instead of asking people to fit an idealised shape, the practice is adapted to meet the individual.

It prioritises function, comfort, and meaningful participation. The intention of a posture matters more than how it looks. A supported variation or an alternative movement can offer the same benefits as a more complex shape. Adaptation is not a compromise; it is a skill rooted in respect for lived experience.

At its core, accessible yoga makes practice responsive rather than prescriptive. It invites participation in ways that honour autonomy, dignity, and individual capacity.

If you’d like to learn how to create safe, inclusive, and adaptable yoga practices, we will soon be releasing Acessible Yoga online course.

09/03/2026

✨ We’re looking for a Social Media Manager ✨

We’re opening a special exchange opportunity within our community!

We’re looking for a certified yoga teacher who is fluent in English to support our Instagram presence in exchange for access to our 300h online, on-demand Yoga Teacher Training, or our 800-h online on-demand Yoga Therapy Training.

What the role involves:
• Designing and posting content created by our teachers
• Publishing posts and re-posting stories on Instagram
• Monitoring and responding to inbox messages
• Helping keep our online space organised and active

Time commitment:
• Approximately 1 hour per day, 5 days per week
• Xmas and summer break 2 weeks each
• Duration: 1 year (300h) or 3 years (Yoga Therapy), starting this April.
• Starting this April

Requirements:
• Certified yoga teacher
• Fluent in English
• Comfortable with using Canva
• Consistent, organised, and comfortable with Instagram

If this feels aligned, please send us an email with a short introduction and relevant experience to admin@spandainstitute.com
We’ll reply next week once we’ve chosen a candidate.

We’re excited to connect with someone who wants to grow with us. 🌿

Spanda Institute

04/05/2026

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07/04/2026

31/03/2026

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09/03/2026

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