Monarch Yoga Philadelphia: Community Practice Guide 2026

Monarch Yoga is a community-centered yoga studio serving the Philadelphia area, including the Kensington neighborhood, with classes designed to be accessible to people of all experience levels, body types, and financial situations. Whether you are searching for the studio itself or trying to understand what community yoga in Philadelphia looks like and how to get started, this guide gives you the practical information you need.

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Community yoga studios in neighborhoods like Kensington fill a specific and documented public health gap. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) recognizes yoga as a practice with evidence supporting stress reduction, anxiety management, and chronic pain relief across diverse adult populations, including populations in underserved urban communities where these conditions are disproportionately prevalent.

This guide covers the Kensington yoga community, how to access affordable and free yoga in Philadelphia, what trauma-informed yoga means and why it matters in this context, which yoga styles and poses suit absolute beginners, and how to build a sustainable home practice from what you learn in class.

Monarch Yoga: What It Is and Who It Serves

Monarch Yoga is a Philadelphia-based yoga studio known for its community-first orientation, offering yoga classes that prioritize accessibility, inclusion, and authentic teaching for practitioners at every level.

The studio’s name signals an orientation toward grace and adaptability, two qualities that define community yoga at its best. A monarch butterfly navigates extraordinary distances through small, cumulative movements. Community yoga works the same way: small consistent practices produce real outcomes over time, not through dramatic effort but through steadiness.

Monarch Yoga serves a broad cross-section of Philadelphia’s population. That includes complete beginners who have never set foot on a mat, experienced practitioners looking for smaller class sizes and genuine teacher attention, people using yoga to manage chronic stress or physical conditions, and neighborhood residents who need affordable wellness options.

What sets a community-oriented studio like Monarch Yoga apart:

• Smaller class sizes: More direct teacher-to-student interaction than gym yoga programs
• Diverse class formats: Multiple styles and levels to serve different bodies and goals
• Pricing flexibility: Sliding scale, community classes, or donation-based formats that remove cost as a barrier
• Teacher accessibility: Instructors who give individual modifications and remember students from class to class
• Neighborhood roots: A studio embedded in its community rather than positioned above it

Modification note: Community studios like Monarch Yoga are specifically designed for people who feel uncertain about fitting in. If that is you, contact the studio before attending and describe your experience level and any physical limitations. A good community studio will give you honest guidance.

Monarch Yoga Philadelphia: Finding the Studio

Monarch Yoga Philadelphia is located in the Philadelphia area with a focus on serving residents of North and East Philadelphia, including the Kensington neighborhood, offering classes across multiple yoga formats at community-accessible price points.

Philadelphia’s yoga landscape is wide but unevenly distributed. Most yoga studios are concentrated in Center City, Rittenhouse Square, Fishtown, and East Passyunk. Kensington and North Philadelphia have historically had fewer dedicated wellness spaces, which makes community studios that choose to establish there genuinely important to the neighborhoods they serve.

When looking for Monarch Yoga or any community yoga studio in Philadelphia, the scheduling page is your most useful first resource. Look for:

For students searching from outside Philadelphia or who are new to the area, checking the studio’s social media presence offers the clearest picture of studio culture. Look for posts that show a diverse range of students, outdoor events, and community partnerships rather than exclusively aesthetic practice photos.

Safety note: Before attending any yoga class when managing a health condition, contact the studio to describe your situation and ask whether the class format is appropriate for your needs. A quality community studio will give an honest answer.

Yoga Kensington Philadelphia: The Neighborhood Context

Yoga in Kensington, Philadelphia exists within a neighborhood that has experienced decades of economic challenges, public health crises, and community resilience, making accessible, trauma-aware wellness programming particularly relevant to its residents.

Kensington is one of Philadelphia’s most complex neighborhoods. It has also been one of its most underserved in terms of health resources. Community wellness organizations, neighborhood health centers, and independent yoga studios that choose to operate in Kensington are part of a broader ecosystem of grassroots public health response.

The American Psychological Association has documented consistently that residents of economically distressed urban neighborhoods carry higher baseline stress loads, higher rates of anxiety and depression, and fewer accessible resources for mental and physical health compared to residents of wealthier areas. Community yoga responds to this directly, offering a low-barrier, evidence-supported practice in the places where it is most needed.

Key features of Kensington yoga programming that differ from Center City studio offerings:

• Donation-based or sliding scale pricing: Removes cost as a barrier for residents with limited income
• Trauma-informed teaching protocols: Many instructors serving Kensington have additional training in trauma-sensitive yoga
• Partnership with community organizations: Studios often collaborate with harm reduction, housing, and social service organizations to reach people who would not self-initiate a studio visit
• Bilingual instruction: Some Kensington classes are offered in both English and Spanish to serve the neighborhood’s Latino community
• Shorter session formats: 45-minute community classes rather than 90-minute sessions reduce time barriers for working adults

Modification for practitioners new to community yoga spaces: Community yoga studios may look and feel different from boutique studios. That is part of the point. Worn mats, mixed-skill groups, and varied demographics are features of a studio doing real community work.

Key Takeaway: Yoga in Kensington exists in a specific community health context that shapes how it is taught, priced, and accessed. Community studios here are doing something more specific than general fitness yoga, and that distinction matters when you are choosing where to practice.

Community Yoga Philadelphia: Why Local Studios Matter

Community yoga in Philadelphia refers to yoga offered by independent, neighborhood-based studios and organizations that prioritize access, inclusion, and community benefit over profit optimization, serving populations that large commercial studios typically do not reach.

The difference between community yoga and commercial yoga is not primarily about quality of instruction. Many community yoga teachers are extraordinarily skilled. The difference is in who gets to practice and under what terms.

A 2020 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that group yoga interventions produced stronger reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms than individual practice, with social belonging emerging as a mediating factor in the outcomes. Community yoga is specifically positioned to deliver this social dimension alongside the physical practice.

Philadelphia has a diverse independent yoga ecosystem beyond its downtown studios. Community health centers, recreation centers, parks, libraries, and neighborhood organizations host yoga programming across the city. These programs reach people who would never independently walk into a yoga studio, because the context feels unfamiliar or the cost feels prohibitive.

Benefits of practicing at a community yoga studio versus a large commercial studio:

• Teacher attention: Smaller classes mean more individual instruction and safer practice
• Psychological safety: Studios that explicitly welcome diverse bodies and experiences reduce performance anxiety
• Cost accessibility: Flexible pricing removes a practical barrier that prevents many adults from starting
• Cultural competency: Community studios are more likely to reflect the demographics they serve in teacher hiring and class language
• Continuity: Regular attendees in small community classes build genuine relationships with teachers and fellow students

Modification for people with financial barriers: Ask directly about community class pricing, work-study arrangements, or scholarship options before assuming a studio is out of reach. Most genuine community yoga studios maintain options for students with limited income that are not prominently advertised but are available on request.

Affordable Yoga Philadelphia: How to Practice Without Breaking the Budget

Affordable yoga in Philadelphia is available through donation-based classes, sliding scale studios, recreation center programs, park yoga events, library programming, and online platforms,** making consistent yoga practice financially accessible across income levels.

The perception that yoga is expensive is accurate for boutique studio pricing but inaccurate for the full range of what is available in Philadelphia. A single drop-in class at a high-end Center City studio may cost $25 to $35. The same quality of instruction is available in community formats for $5, pay-what-you-can, or free.

Here is a practical guide to finding affordable yoga in Philadelphia:

Many Philadelphia yoga studios offer a limited number of scholarships or community memberships for students who cannot afford standard pricing. These are rarely advertised. Asking directly, by email or phone, is the most reliable way to access them.

Safety note: Free or low-cost yoga programs vary in teacher credential quality. Before attending, check whether the instructor holds a Yoga Alliance RYT-200 certification at minimum. This credential indicates a standardized baseline of training regardless of price point.

Trauma-Informed Yoga Philadelphia: What It Means and Who It Helps

Trauma-informed yoga is a specific approach to teaching yoga that adapts language, physical touch protocols, class structure, and pose selection to create safety for practitioners who carry histories of trauma, including physical, emotional, or sexual trauma and PTSD.

This approach is particularly relevant in Philadelphia neighborhoods like Kensington, where community trauma from addiction, violence, poverty, and loss is a lived reality for many residents. Standard yoga teaching, which often uses directive language, unexpected physical adjustments, and poses that require vulnerability or trust, can be retraumatizing for people without specific adaptations.

The International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) defines trauma-informed yoga as practice that prioritizes choice, safety, and practitioner autonomy over standardized sequencing or performance expectations. Key adaptations include:

• Invitational language: Instead of “do this,” the teacher says “you might try this” or “if it feels right for your body.”
• No unexpected touch: Teachers always ask for verbal or nonverbal consent before any hands-on adjustment
• Predictable structure: The same class format reduces surprise and builds nervous system safety
• Floor-level proximity: Teachers sit or kneel rather than standing over students
• Eyes-open options: Students are never required to close their eyes
• Emphasis on body choice: Students always have the option to modify, rest, or opt out of any pose

Research published in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy found that trauma-sensitive yoga significantly reduced PTSD symptoms compared to a control group in adult survivors of chronic trauma. This is not generic wellness research. It is specific evidence for a specific population.

Modification for practitioners with trauma histories: If you are interested in yoga for trauma recovery, seek out studios or teachers who explicitly advertise trauma-informed or trauma-sensitive training. Not all yoga teachers have this training, and the distinction matters for safety and therapeutic value.

Key Takeaway: Trauma-informed yoga is not gentler yoga with softer lighting. It is a specific teaching methodology with research backing for PTSD and trauma recovery, and it is distinct from general beginner yoga in ways that matter enormously for safety.

Beginner Yoga Philadelphia: Your Starting Point

Philadelphia beginners should start yoga at a studio or community center that explicitly labels classes as “beginner” or “all-levels” and offers teacher-to-student ratios that allow individual attention, rather than dropping into an intermediate or advanced class because the time slot is convenient.

This sounds obvious but is the most common mistake Philadelphia yoga beginners make. An intermediate Vinyasa class moves at a pace that assumes body awareness, breath-movement coordination, and pose vocabulary that beginners simply have not developed yet. Starting in the wrong class does not accelerate progress; it creates confusion, potential injury, and a discouraging first impression.

Philadelphia’s yoga scene offers genuinely good beginner programming across neighborhoods and price points. What to look for:

• Class labeled “foundations,” “beginner,” or “level one”: These signal appropriate pacing and teacher instruction style
• Small class sizes (under 12 students): Individual attention is more available
• Teachers who ask about injuries at the start of class: This signal of professional awareness matters
• Free prop use included: Blocks, straps, and blankets should be available without extra cost
• A welcoming physical environment: Accessible entrance, adequate mat spacing, and clean facilities signal that the studio takes all practitioners seriously

The NCCIH notes that beginner yoga participants show the greatest improvements in flexibility, stress markers, and self-reported wellbeing in their first eight to twelve weeks of practice. That window of early progress is most effectively captured in a class where you receive real instruction, not one where you spend the session trying to keep up.

Modification for beginners with chronic pain or injury: Before attending any yoga class, describe your specific condition to the studio or teacher and ask whether the format is appropriate. A qualified teacher will either confirm the class is suitable or redirect you to a more appropriate option.

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How to Start Yoga With No Experience

To start yoga with no experience, attend one beginner or all-levels class per week for the first four weeks before increasing frequency, focusing entirely on learning to breathe consciously and recognize the foundational poses rather than performing them perfectly.

Beginners consistently make the same two errors: they try too hard and they try too many things at once. The first month of yoga practice should be about orientation, not performance.

A practical first-month yoga protocol:

1. Week 1: Attend one beginner class. Spend the session focusing on breath and learning the names of poses. Do not worry about how deep you go.
2. Week 2: Add a second session. Between classes, practice one pose at home: Balasana (Child’s Pose) for five minutes with extended exhalation breathing.
3. Week 3: Add a third session if your body is recovering well between classes. Signs of good recovery include normal muscle soreness that resolves within 24 to 48 hours.
4. Week 4: Assess whether the style and studio feel right for your body and schedule. If yes, continue. If not, try a different format or studio before deciding yoga does not work for you.

What “no experience” actually means in practice:

• You will not know the pose names. That is expected. Write them down after class.
• You will fall out of balance poses. That is expected. It happens to experienced practitioners too.
• You will feel awkward. That is expected. It resolves within three to four sessions.
• You may feel emotional. That is also expected and documented. The NCCIH notes that yoga practice frequently surfaces emotional responses in beginners as the nervous system begins to downregulate chronic tension.

Modification for people with joint pain or chronic conditions: Begin with a seated or chair yoga format. All foundational poses have chair-supported variations that produce comparable neurological and breath benefits without floor-based transitions.

Yoga Styles for Beginners: Which One Is Right for You

For most beginners, gentle Hatha yoga or Restorative yoga is the most appropriate starting point because these styles move at a pace that allows instruction, absorption of alignment cues, and breath awareness without the complexity of a breath-linked movement sequence.

Style choice shapes your entire first experience of yoga. The wrong style for your body and goals does not mean yoga does not work; it means that particular format was not the right entry point.

Hatha yoga is the most widely available beginner format in Philadelphia studios and community centers. Its deliberate pace means a teacher can offer detailed alignment instruction, beginners can ask questions, and modifications are easily incorporated without disrupting the session flow.

Modification for seniors or people with limited mobility: Restorative yoga, which involves prop-supported lying or seated positions held for five to ten minutes each, is the most appropriate entry point for people with significant mobility limitations, recent surgery, or conditions that affect balance and coordination.

Key Takeaway: Choosing the wrong yoga style as a beginner is the number one reason people conclude that yoga is not for them. Hatha or Restorative yoga gives you time to actually learn what you are doing, which is the only foundation that leads to sustainable practice.

Yoga Poses Beginners Should Learn First

Every yoga beginner should learn five foundational poses: Tadasana (Mountain Pose), Balasana (Child’s Pose), Marjaryasana-Bitilasana (Cat-Cow), Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose), and Savasana (Corpse Pose), because these five positions appear in virtually every class regardless of style and build the body awareness that makes all other poses accessible.

Learning to recognize these poses before your first class removes a major source of beginner anxiety. You will not be starting from zero.

To practice Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose), one of the most accessible strengthening poses for beginners:

1. Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the mat at hip-width distance, arms alongside the body.
2. Press both feet evenly into the mat. Keep the knees tracking directly over the second toe.
3. Inhale and slowly lift the hips until the thighs are roughly parallel to the mat.
4. Hold for 5 breaths, breathing slowly and fully through the nose.
5. Exhale and lower the spine one vertebra at a time back to the mat.
6. Rest for 3 breaths before repeating.

Key foundational poses summary:

Modification for Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose): Place a yoga block under the sacrum for a fully supported version. This removes all muscular demand and converts the pose to a restorative hip opener. It is particularly appropriate for beginners with lower back sensitivity.

Yoga Props for Beginners

The four essential props for a beginner yoga practice are a yoga mat, two yoga blocks, a yoga strap, and a folded blanket, and using them from your very first session makes poses safer, more aligned, and more accessible than attempting full versions without support.

Props are not for people who cannot do yoga. They are for people who are doing yoga correctly. The Iyengar yoga tradition systematized prop use precisely because it allows the body to experience correct alignment before it has developed the flexibility or strength to achieve it without assistance.

Think of a yoga block like scaffolding on a building under construction. The scaffolding is not the finished structure. But without it, you cannot build the finished structure safely. Props play the same role in your body’s development.

Budget modification: A firm paperback book serves as a yoga block substitute. A bathrobe belt or necktie works as a yoga strap. A beach towel folds into a blanket substitute. These household items let you begin practicing at home before investing in dedicated props.

Safety note: Never use a rolling office chair as a yoga prop. A sturdy, four-legged non-wheeled chair with a flat seat is the appropriate adaptive support for chair yoga.

What to Bring to Your First Yoga Class

To your first yoga class, bring a yoga mat, comfortable stretchy clothing, a water bottle for after class, and an open attitude rather than any expectation of performing poses correctly. Everything else is optional.

The three most common beginner anxieties about what to bring to yoga, and the honest answers:

First, you do not need to buy anything expensive before attending your first class. Most community studios in Philadelphia provide mats and props at no extra charge. If you are attending a Monarch Yoga or Kensington-area community class, the studio will tell you what is provided when you contact them.

Second, clothing choice matters but not in the way most people think. You do not need specialized yoga clothing. You need clothing that allows full hip and shoulder range of motion and does not restrict your waist or hips when you fold forward. Fitted athletic leggings and a fitted top, or loose athletic shorts and a T-shirt, both work. Avoid jeans, restrictive waistbands, and anything with hardware that will press into the floor during poses.

Third, the one item worth bringing that people often forget: a clean, dry towel. You will want it after class. If you sweat during practice, you will want it during class too.

A complete first-class packing list:

• Yoga mat (or confirm the studio provides one)
• Comfortable stretchy clothing that allows full hip and shoulder movement
• Socks for walking to and from class; you practice barefoot on the mat
• Water bottle for after practice, not during
• Small towel for sweat or post-class freshening
• Nothing valuable: Leave expensive jewelry and electronics in your bag

Modification for people with mobility challenges: Contact the studio in advance to confirm that the entrance, bathroom, and class space are physically accessible. A genuine community studio will give you accurate information and, where possible, make accommodations.

Key Takeaway: Your first yoga class requires almost nothing beyond comfortable clothing and the willingness to show up. Props, mats, and specialized gear are secondary to being in the room and breathing.

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Yoga for Stress and Anxiety

Yoga reduces stress and anxiety through a well-documented physiological mechanism: slow, conscious breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which reduces circulating cortisol, lowers heart rate, and decreases the physical symptoms of anxiety within minutes of beginning practice.

This is not vague wellness messaging. The mechanism is specific and the research is substantial. A 2021 review published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine analyzed 49 randomized controlled trials of yoga and anxiety. Across these studies, yoga consistently reduced both trait anxiety (baseline anxiety level) and state anxiety (in-the-moment anxiety) in adult participants.

Philadelphia residents, particularly those in neighborhoods with high community stress loads like Kensington, carry documented higher baseline anxiety and stress levels than city averages. Community yoga addresses this directly and with evidence behind it.

The three yoga practices most consistently associated with rapid anxiety reduction:

• Extended exhalation breathing: Inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 6 to 8 counts. The longer exhale activates the vagal system within 2 to 3 breath cycles.
• Supported restorative poses: Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose) held for 5 to 10 minutes with full prop support produces measurable parasympathetic activation.
• Savasana with body scan: Five to ten minutes lying flat with progressive relaxation through each body region amplifies the stress reduction achieved during the physical practice.

Modification for people with panic disorder: Some breathwork practices can trigger anxiety in people prone to panic. If counting breaths or monitoring breathing increases rather than decreases anxiety, shift attention to the physical sensation of the mat under your body instead. That grounding sensory input achieves a similar nervous system effect without the cognitive load of breath observation.

Yoga and Mental Health in Urban Communities

Regular yoga practice in urban community settings produces measurable mental health improvements including reduced anxiety, reduced depressive symptoms, and improved perceived quality of life, with effects that are amplified when the practice occurs within a socially connected community context.

This is particularly relevant for Philadelphia neighborhoods like Kensington, where mental health burden from poverty, trauma, and community-level loss is substantial and formal mental health services remain under-resourced relative to need.

The American Psychological Association identifies social connection as one of the most consistent predictors of mental health resilience. Community yoga provides both the yoga practice itself and the social context that amplifies its benefits. These are not the same thing as a solo home practice, and they are not interchangeable.

A 2019 study published in the International Journal of Yoga found that practitioners who reported feeling part of a yoga community showed greater reductions in depression and anxiety scores than practitioners who attended classes without developing social connection. The practice and the community together produce outcomes that neither produces alone.

Yoga’s mental health benefits most consistently documented in research:

• Anxiety reduction: Through autonomic nervous system regulation and cortisol reduction
• Depression improvement: Through both the physical activity component and the social belonging component
• Trauma symptom reduction: Through body-based regulation of the nervous system, particularly in trauma-informed formats
• Improved sleep: Multiple studies link regular yoga to better sleep onset, duration, and quality
• Enhanced emotional regulation: Sustained practice builds the practitioner’s capacity to observe and respond to difficult emotions rather than react automatically

Modification note: Yoga is a supportive tool for mental health management, not a clinical treatment. Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis should work with a qualified mental health professional. Yoga can be a valuable complement to professional care, and some Philadelphia community organizations offer yoga as part of an integrated mental health support model.

How to Build a Yoga Practice at Home After Class

The most effective home yoga practice for beginners starts with just 10 to 15 minutes, three times per week, repeating one or two poses from your most recent class rather than attempting a full independent sequence before your movement vocabulary is developed enough to support it.

Home practice is where the skills you build in community class become genuinely yours. Class teaches you the shapes. Home practice makes them instinctive. Most practitioners who maintain a sustainable home practice trace it back to a very small initial commitment, not an ambitious plan.

A practical three-phase home practice structure for beginners:

Phase 1: Settle (3 minutes)

Lie flat or sit cross-legged. Close the eyes. Practice extended exhalation breathing: inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 6 to 8 counts. Repeat for 6 full cycles.

Phase 2: Move (7 to 10 minutes)

Choose one or two poses from your last class. Practice each one twice on each side if asymmetrical. Hold for 5 to 8 breaths. Use props freely.

Phase 3: Rest (3 to 5 minutes)

Savasana (Corpse Pose). Lie flat with arms alongside the body, palms up. Breathe naturally. Stay for the full time, even when it feels like enough has passed.

Props that make home practice more accessible:

• Two yoga blocks: The single most useful home investment. They adapt almost every pose for limited flexibility.
• A yoga mat: Non-negotiable for a floor practice. Bare hardwood and carpet both create slipping risk.
• A folded blanket: Under knees in Bridge Pose; under the head in Savasana; under sitting bones in seated practice.
• A timer: Lets you focus on the practice instead of watching the clock.

Modification for parents and caregivers: A 10-minute home practice when children are asleep consistently outperforms a 45-minute practice that gets skipped because no perfect time exists. Frequency matters more than duration for building the habit. Start with what you can actually do, not with what feels ideally sufficient.

Frequently Asked Questions About Monarch Yoga

What is Monarch Yoga in Philadelphia and what classes do they offer?

Monarch Yoga is a Philadelphia yoga studio with a community-centered approach, offering classes across multiple yoga formats designed for all experience levels including complete beginners.
The studio serves North and East Philadelphia residents and is known for its accessible pricing models and welcoming environment for practitioners who may feel intimidated by larger commercial studios.
Contact the studio directly for the most current class schedule, pricing, and availability, as community studio offerings change seasonally.

Is yoga in Kensington Philadelphia accessible for people with no money?

Donation-based, sliding scale, and free yoga options exist throughout Philadelphia, including in and near Kensington, through community studios, recreation centers, library programs, and park yoga events.
Many studios including community-oriented ones like Monarch Yoga maintain unpublicized scholarship or community membership options; asking directly by email or phone is the most reliable way to access them.
Free yoga is also available through YouTube and free apps for home practice when in-person options are not financially or logistically accessible.

What yoga style is best for an absolute beginner with no experience?

Gentle Hatha yoga or Restorative yoga is best for absolute beginners because the slower pace allows the teacher to give detailed instruction and the student to absorb it without being rushed.
Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and heated yoga formats assume a level of body awareness and pose vocabulary that beginners have not yet developed.
Start with one beginner or all-levels Hatha class per week for the first month before considering any faster-paced or more physically demanding format.

Can yoga help with trauma and PTSD?

Yes, and there is published research supporting this. A study in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy found that trauma-sensitive yoga produced meaningful reductions in PTSD symptom scores in adult survivors of chronic trauma.
The key is finding a teacher trained specifically in trauma-informed or trauma-sensitive yoga methodology, not just a general yoga class.
Trauma-informed yoga uses invitational language, consent-based touch protocols, and predictable class structures that create safety for practitioners with trauma histories.

How many times a week should a beginner do yoga?

Beginners benefit most from two to three sessions per week in the first month, which allows adaptation time between sessions without losing the momentum of regular practice.
Research published in the International Journal of Yoga supports practicing at least three times per week over eight consecutive weeks to observe consistent improvements in flexibility, stress levels, and overall wellbeing.
One session per week produces some benefit and is a reasonable starting point if two to three feels unmanageable with your current schedule.

Start Where You Are

Pick one class. Not next month. This week. One beginner or all-levels yoga class in your Philadelphia neighborhood, at Monarch Yoga or anywhere with a credentialed teacher and a welcoming environment.

If attending a class is not yet possible, practice Balasana (Child’s Pose) at home tonight. Five minutes. Extended exhalation breathing. That is a complete and legitimate yoga practice.

Community yoga exists because someone believed yoga belonged to everyone. Walk through the door and find out what that means in practice.

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