https://www.spandainstitute.com/

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

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. 🌿

05/03/2026

YOGA MEETS SCIENCE: The Science of Chanting

Chanting and vocalisation in yoga are often described as heart-opening practices, spiritual practices, or connected to togetherness and community, but they also have a clear physiological basis.

The muscles of the larynx, which control the voice, are partly innervated by branches of the vagus nerve. This nerve plays a central role in regulating the autonomic
nervous system, including heart rate, breathing patterns, and overall arousal levels.

When the voice is used in a slow, sustained, and rhythmic way, signals from the larynx can influence vagal activity.

Vocalisation also naturally lengthens the exhale and introduces gentle vibration through the throat and chest. Both of these features are associated with increased parasympathetic activity, the branch of the nervous system linked with rest and recovery. Rather than acting solely on the mind, chanting engages neural pathways that connect breathing, voice, and autonomic regulation.

Research on vocal practices suggests that regular, slow vocalisation can influence heart rate variability (HRV) and support autonomic balance. This may help explain why chanting can feel soothing for some people, while for others it may feel stimulating or emotionally evocative, depending on personal sensitivity and context.

Practising at a comfortable volume and with choice around participation may help keep the experience supportive rather than overwhelming and, therefore, nervous system-regulating.

03/03/2026

PRACTICE INSIGHT: Warrior III

Yes, Warrior III is a balance pose, but it is so much more than that. It is applied (bio)mechanics and a masterclass in proprioception, all happening at once.

The moment you tip your torso forward and lift your leg behind you, your body becomes a cantilever, the same structural principle used in bridges and cranes: a horizontal beam anchored at one end and unsupported at the other, held in place entirely by the forces acting at the anchor point. Here, that anchor point is your hip joint. Your extended leg creates a rotational moment pulling towards hip flexion, and your glute max and hamstrings have to generate an equal and opposite force to resist it.

This trains the posterior chain to stabilise the hip under load. In everyday life and in sport, the hip often has to control forces as the body moves on a single leg, whether walking, running, climbing stairs, or catching yourself after a stumble. Warrior III rehearses that pattern, improving hip extension strength, pelvic stability, and load tolerance in the glutes and hamstrings, helping counteract hip-flexor dominance from prolonged sitting and reducing stress on the knees and lower back.

Your base of support has meanwhile shrunk to the sole of one foot, and your centre of mass has to be corrected in real time. That is where the proprioception comes in. Mechanoreceptors in the sole are sending continuous positional data to the brain, detecting pressure shifts, surface changes, and micro-corrections before you are even conscious of them.

Proprioceptive training improves the nervous system’s ability to sense and respond to instability. The faster your body can detect a shift in pressure or joint position, the faster it can recruit the right muscles to correct it. This translates into better balance, more efficient movement patterns, and a reduced risk of falls or ankle injuries. Essentially, poses like Warrior III are teaching the brain and body to communicate more quickly and precisely under changing conditions.

Need more persuasion to sequence this into your flows?

📸 .moves balancing in our new Sri Lanka shala. Curious?;) We’ll reveal more soon:)

20/02/2026

TSY: Teaching Pranayama

Pranayama is central to yoga, but teaching it requires particular care in trauma-sensitive settings.

Breathing is not only a physiological process, but it is also closely linked to survival and autonomic regulation. Changes in breath rhythm, depth, or timing can directly influence heart rate, arousal, and emotional state. For this reason, different pranayama and other breathing practices can feel supportive for some people and overwhelming for others.

In trauma-sensitive teaching, autonomy around the breath is essential. Practices that prescribe a specific rhythm, count, or retention pattern can reduce a person’s sense of agency, particularly if they are encouraged to continue despite discomfort. For
individuals with trauma histories, as well as those with anxiety and other mental health issues, this can activate threat responses rather than promote regulation.

Asking someone to change their breath without offering choice can feel intrusive, even when the intention is calming. For some nervous systems, being told how or when to breathe may increase vigilance, breath holding, or panic rather than ease.

This does not mean pranayama is inappropriate; it can actually be very nervous system-regulating, but only if offered with flexibility. Invitations rather than instructions, options to return to natural breathing, and permission to disengage are all key elements of trauma-sensitive teaching. Emphasising observation over control can help preserve autonomy while still supporting awareness. A practice that supports choice and self-direction is more likely to remain within a person’s capacity and feel genuinely supportive rather than overwhelming.

17/02/2026

Congrats to our beautiful new Spanda Vinyasa Yoga Teachers who just graduated from their intensive YTT in Sri Lanka:) Thank you for your openness, dedication, curiosity and trust. We look forward to following your journey as teachers and humans:).

And congratulations to our Bella the Pooch, who finally got her diploma as well. She has been following the training for years now; it was time :).

Big thanks to our amazing team on site and those in the background;)

We’re announcing new dates for Sri Lanka YTT soon - stay tuned!

17/02/2026

200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training — Maribor, Slovenia, May 2026

We’re thrilled to bring our transformative 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training to Maribor, Slovenia.

In collaboration with local teacher Anja Kaloh .studio_ and with the support of our dedicated team.

This 11-month program is structured over weekends and includes a blend of in-person and online components, offering both flexibility and depth. In-person sessions will be hosted at Asteya Yoga Studio .studio_

You’ll explore:

- Flexible sequencing and adaptable class design
- Pranayama, mudra, meditation, and mantra
- Applied anatomy, seasonal flows, and trauma-sensitive teaching

You’ll also gain practical tools to support your professional growth, including how to begin teaching, build your offering, and develop your own authentic teaching identity.

Start date: May 9 2026
End date: 28 March 2027
Location: Maribor, Slovenia

Late bird registration extended until: 20 April 2026
Payment in installments available.

Link in bio to learn more & register!

16/02/2026

200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training — Maribor, Slovenia, April 2026

We’re thrilled to bring our transformative 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training to Maribor, Slovenia.

In collaboration with local teacher Anja Kaloh .studio_ and with the support of our dedicated team, we’re offering an 12-month hybrid training designed to guide your growth both on and off the mat.

This 11-month program is structured over weekends and includes a blend of in-person and online components, offering both flexibility and depth. In-person sessions will be hosted at Asteya Yoga Studio .studio_

You’ll explore:

- Flexible sequencing and adaptable class design
- Pranayama, mudra, meditation, and mantra
- Applied anatomy, seasonal flows, and trauma-sensitive teaching

You’ll also gain practical tools to support your professional growth, including how to begin teaching, build your offering, and develop your own authentic teaching identity.

Start: April 2026
Location: Maribor, Slovenia

Link in bio to learn more & register!

13/02/2026

PHILOSOPHY HOUR: Ishvara pranidhana

Ishvara pranidhana, one of the niyamas from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, is often translated as surrender, and is traditionally understood as devotion to God, something larger than the individual self. In contemporary contexts, this idea can feel uncomfortable or irrelevant for many, especially for those who do not relate to theological belief.

But, read more carefully, ishvara pranidhana does not require belief in a God. Philosophically, it points towards letting go of the illusion of total control and recognising the limits of individual will. It asks what happens when effort is paired with acceptance of uncertainty.

In modern life, much of our identity is built around productivity, self-improvement, and personal responsibility. We are encouraged to optimise, plan, and manage outcomes. Ishvara pranidhana offers a counterbalance to this mindset by questioning the belief that everything is fully controllable. Practised in this way, surrender is not passivity but the willingness to act without demanding specific results. It is the ability to engage fully while accepting that many factors beyond personal intention shape outcomes.

In a contemporary world marked by instability and constant change, ishvara pranidhana can be understood as a practice of psychological flexibility. It supports resilience by loosening attachment to fixed narratives about how things should unfold.

Rather than asking for belief, ishvara pranidhana invites inquiry. What happens when effort is offered without clinging to the outcome?

06/02/2026

BLOG INSIGHTS: Essential Advice for Aspiring Yoga Teachers

Starting your journey as a yoga teacher can feel exciting, as well as challenging.

Self-doubt can show up, but dedication and curiosity can help carry us forward. In this previously shared blog post, shares some advice for new teachers.

These are thoughts that I think may us can relate to when first embarking on our teaching journey.

Want to learn more?
Read the full blog post via the link in bio.

05/02/2026

Debunking Myths: Stillness is always restorative?

Stillness is often presented in yoga as inherently calming or restorative, but from a nervous system perspective, stillness is not neutral.

For some people, being still can support rest and settling. For others, particularly those with a history of trauma or chronic stress, prolonged stillness can activate threat responses rather than reduce them.

When movement stops, attention often turns inward, and the body may interpret immobility as a loss of agency rather than safety.

From a physiological perspective, states of immobility are not always associated with relaxation. In some cases, stillness can be linked to freeze or shutdown responses, where the nervous system reduces movement as a protective strategy. These states
can feel heavy, numb, disconnected, or overwhelming, even if they appear calm from the outside.

In yoga classes, long holds, extended pauses, or prolonged time in Shavasana may therefore be challenging rather than supportive for some participants. Without options to move, adjust, or re-orient, stillness can increase dissociation or discomfort
rather than promote regulation.

Regulation does not require the absence of movement. Gentle movement, small adjustments, or the option to change position can help maintain a sense of agency
and present-moment orientation. Offering choice around stillness allows individuals to remain engaged without exceeding their capacity.

Rather than assuming stillness is universally beneficial, this is just one possible experience among many. The aim is not to make people still, but to support a sense
of safety, choice, and self-directed regulation.

Spanda Institute

11/03/2026

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