Legal · version 2026-10-24.6
Health and Safety Notice
Yoga is physical activity. How to practise safely at home, when to check with a clinician first, and that Shvasa does not give medical advice.
Please read this before your first practice. It is written to keep you safe, not to put you off.
Yoga is physical activity
Like any exercise, yoga carries a risk of injury. You practise at your own risk and you are responsible for deciding what is right for your body today. Shvasa and its teachers are not present in your room and cannot see you unless you choose a camera feature; we rely on you to listen to your body.
Check with a clinician first if
- you are pregnant or have given birth in the last three months;
- you have a heart condition, high or low blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, glaucoma or a hernia;
- you have had surgery or an injury in the last six months, or have ongoing joint, back or neck problems;
- you have any condition that affects balance, breathing or sensation, or you are unsure whether exercise is safe for you.
Programs for prenatal, postnatal or diabetes care are gentler and avoid known risks, but they are general classes, not a treatment plan. Follow your clinician’s advice over ours.
How to practise safely at home
- Clear a space where you can stretch your arms wide and lie down; use a non-slip mat or a towel on a non-slip floor.
- Wait at least two hours after a large meal. Keep water nearby.
- Warm up. Never skip the opening of a class to save time.
- Move within a comfortable range. Mild stretching sensation is normal; sharp, shooting or joint pain is not. If something hurts, come out of it.
- Take the easier option a teacher offers whenever you are unsure. Props (a block, a strap, a chair, a wall) are good practice, not a failure.
- Avoid inversions (headstand, shoulder stand) unless a qualified teacher has taught you them in person and your clinician has no objection.
- Stop if you feel dizzy, faint, short of breath, nauseous, or have chest pain. Rest, and seek medical help if symptoms continue.
Classes a teacher asks to see
A class a teacher asks to see is an ordinary class. Practise it as you would any day: take every easier option you need, skip what does not suit you today, and never push to impress. A practice stopped for pain is never looked at and its recording is deleted. Put the camera on a stable surface, keep cables and furniture out of your space, and make sure nothing in the room depends on you watching the screen. Our placement of you is a teaching choice, not a measure of your health or fitness.
Practising with others
Shvasa is for adults; our classes are not designed for children, and no one under 18 should practise them. If another adult practises with you, each of you is responsible for your own body and pace; give each other room, and do not adjust or support each other in postures unless you have been taught how in person.
Setting up the camera and the TV
Stand a phone or camera where it cannot fall on you or be knocked over, keep cables out of your space, and never step off your mat to fix the picture in the middle of a posture: finish, come out, then adjust. When measuring yourself on the mat, stand still on a non-slip surface with room around you. Measurements are estimates for the camera and the teaching, not a medical finding.
Stop at any moment
Every class has a Stop button and an “I feel pain” button. Using them ends the class at once with calm guidance; nothing is held against you and no one asks why unless you choose to tell us. A reported pain or incident is read only by a safety reviewer.
Not medical advice
Nothing in Shvasa, whether spoken by a teacher, written in a class description or suggested by the app, is medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Completing a class does not mean a posture is safe for you, and progress in the app is a record of participation, never a medical or fitness assessment.
In an emergency
Call your local emergency number. Shvasa cannot summon help for you.