Name: Hatha Yoga & Pranayama Wednesday 9am CITY YOGA
Start: 2025-10-07T23:00:00+13:00
End: 2025-10-08T00:15:00+13:00
Location: The Old Library, 7 Rust Ave, Whangarei

Hatha Yoga & Pranayama Wednesday 9am CITY YOGA

An uplifting yoga class expertly facilitated by Rishi at The Old Library, 7 Rust Ave, Whangārei.
💚$10 to try it out. See more info in FEES below.
On Wednesday mornings at 9am during term times (11 weeks in Term 4, from October 8), each session is a 75-minute general hatha yoga class - 60 minutes of āsana (postures/exercises) and pranayama (specialized breathing techniques) - then finishes with a short yoga nidra (deep relaxation - psychic sleep).
Note that the āsana section is still the longest component within the 75 minutes but there will always be pranayama in each class, making this class different in format to our other six classes.
Suitable for beginners to advanced, as students work at their own level and pace.
Move, breathe and relax for flexibility, strength and balance.
INSTRUCTOR: Rishi Iyer
Rishi has a BMus(Hons), specializing in classical singing. He has worked with NZ Opera in the chorus of various productions in Auckland and Wellington as well as in musical theatre in Hamilton. Since relocating to Whangārei, he is now often in local shows with Opera North or the Whangārei Choral Society, having also worked with Whangārei Theatre.
Growing up in a yoga teaching environment, Rishi added yoga teaching to his repertoire, completing his yoga teacher training in 2022. To fulfil the requirements for this, he attended a series of week long sessions - which required follow-up study and practice after each one - obtaining a RYT200 yoga teaching qualification. This was through Prema-Heart Yoga School at Ritual Yoga on Waiheke Island, Hauraki Gulf.
Rishi, when he can fit them in, likes to be a part of other yoga retreats and workshops regularly each year to continue learning through yoga, such as a retreat with Swami Ratnashakti at Aio Wira in January, 2025. This year, he will also attend the REP (Registered Exercise Professionals) conference; as a registered yoga teacher with Yoga NZ (https://www.yoganewzealand.org.nz/)
he is also a member of REP.
Rishi had previously also attended classes with yoga teachers when studying at Waikato University. Over the past 9 years, he has worked with Swami Ānandaradha Saraswati (Rādhe) in the Northland classes and workshops, teaching all of the 6 classes run per week in 2024 by the NZ registered charitable trust, Shraddha - Yoga and Meditation.
Having a father who is Brahmin, from India, it seems that Rishi may have genetically inherited an ability with pronunciation of Sanskrit. Admittedly, this is probably also helped by becoming proficient singing in other languages. However, he has a particular interest in chanting and/or singing Sanskrit mantra and kirtan.
OUR TYPE OF YOGA
✨Both Rishi and Rādhe are trustees of Shraddha Yoga and Meditation, a registered charitable trust.
✨Hatha Yoga, a classical, traditional style of yoga including āsana (postures/poses) - often practiced with breath awareness/ co-ordination of in and out breath with the movements - and sometimes including a few minutes of pranayama (specialized breathing techniques), makes up the main part of Shraddha Yoga and Meditation 75-minute sessions. However, Rishi will include some different āsana and more of the specialized pranayama practices in each of the Wednesday morning Hatha Yoga & Pranayama classes.
✨There is always a short yoga nidra (deep relaxation) of 10-15 minutes at the end of each class, this practice also being known as 'psychic sleep' and adapted by Swami Satyananda from earlier teachings for use in more modern times.
✨Although our approach to asana practice is gentle, anyone can always go either a little 'harder' or 'easier' in any āsana to better suit personal ability and/or need, such as choosing to reduce/extend practice of an āsana or substitute with a variation of an āsana ... or perhaps you may choose to do another āsana altogether, possibly a less/more challenging alternative or just something that you know you want/need to do, whether just on one occasion or whenever practice of that particular āsana occurs in a class.
✨Shraddha Yoga and Meditation classes are largely Satyananda-focused, with practices from the Bihar School of Yoga forming the foundation of what is taught. Some āsana are repeated a number of times, a few are within 'flows' and a few may held for some time (a number of breaths), whether repeated first or just done once, e.g. some balancing poses may be just done once on each side for however long the teacher stipulates, or for whatever time length suits the individual practitioner.
✨A book that is very useful for learning more about this style of yoga is 'Asana, Pranayama, Mudra and Bandha' by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. He started the Bihar School of Yoga in Munger, Bihar, India.
FEES
💚 Your first class with us can be done for $10 (cash or internet banking), which is half the full non-discounted casual fee for an adult of $20; this is without any obligation to continue after that.
Those with SGC or CSC could then come for $15 cash each class after the $10 first class, if they wish.
However, if returning, the card SPECIAL up until the end of 2025 (for this newest class only) is a 5-class concession card for $50, keeping each class at the $10 rate. Usually this card is $70, so this special is a big saving!
An 11-class card is what most students purchase for $110 (this keeps the rate at $10 per class) and a 22-class card is $210 (~$9.50 per class).
NO EXPIRY on any of our cards so that you are able to keep using a card until it is finished.
A card can be used at any venue we teach at and shared with friend/s or whānau, if you choose.
WHAT TO BRING
Wear comfortable clothing. Bring your yoga mat (let us know if you do need to borrow one of our mats) and also a blanket for the relaxation that is done at the end of the class. Having your own water bottle with you is often useful too.
We look forward to seeing you at The Old Library to energize, tone, relax and release into the rest of your week!
Rishi welcomes bookings and enquiries on 0277104347.