Booking Information

** PLEASE NOTE our weekly classes at King’s College hospital have been temporarily moved to the Director’s boardroom where we have normally our monthly birth rehearsals. Normal information below for reference. Any queries PLEASE contact uma@sitaram.org **

Note: We are here in person Monday – Friday, 9.30am – 5.30pm or you can leave a message out of that time and we will get back to you at soon as possible. Tel: 07595 219 759. Email: sitaramyoga@googlemail.com

This information is current from December 14th 2011.

Buying your classes in blocks

Our classes are sold in blocks valid for nine months. The standard price for all our block-booked classes is £11. The most popular way to pay is to buy an 8 class credit for £88. This is what most of our students do most of the time. Please read on to discover how you can spread your eight classes out over nine months to suit you. If you are coming to the end of your pregnancy, or prefer the convenience of only paying for four classes at a time, then you can purchase four class blocks at a slightly higher rate of £12 per class, i.e £48.

One-offs

If you would prefer only to buy one class, for example if you are coming for the first time, then the rate for a one-off class (either as a taster first class or for other one-off purchases) is £13.

Flexibility:

Take your classes as and when you can We know that life can be super-busy and unpredictable. So you don’t have come every week. Once you have bought your class pass, or made your your one-off payment, then you have total flexibility to book in advance into any classes across the schedule, so long as your pass is still valid.

Using the online booking service means you can sign up for whichever class suits you up up to 30 minutes before it begins. If you need to cancel, please do so as early as you can, or at least a minimum of five hours before the class starts without losing any credit. If the class you wish to attend is full, our online booking service creates a waiting list, and will automatically email you to let you know when a space comes up. You can also telephone us to request information about class availability.

Concessions

Concessionary rates are available for full-time students, and those in receipt of state benefits e.g unemployment benefit or disability allowance, but not maternity benefit. Documentary evidence of your concessionary status must be provided, by showing it to the teacher at your first class.

The rates for those eligible for concessionary prices are: £11 for a one off class (either as a taster class or other one off purchase) and £9 per class for block booked class, i.e £72 for a block of eight classes.

Free Classes

These are available at St Thomas’s and Kings College Hospital classes for women on state benefit, or for women without income, for example asylum seekers, refugees or school-age girls. Please let us know at the time of your booking to arrange a free place in these venues only. Evidence or your status will need to be provided.

Terms and conditions of booking: class pass validity

Please note that ALL our class blocks are valid for NINE MONTHS from the date of purchase.

We believe that this gives you more than ample time to enjoy your classes throughout your pregnancy, and also gives you time to use any pregnancy yoga class credits for fun with your baby in the postnatal recovery and baby yoga classes after your baby is born.

Because we offer such a long period of time during which to use the class credits on your passes, and because of the high degree of booking flexibility which we offer, PLEASE NOTE that we are unable to offer any refunds or extensions to any of our class passes.

Medical emergencies and other special circumstances If your baby is born very early, or a serious medical emergency prevents you from using up your class credits, then please let us know. In these special circumstances we are happy to facilitate your yoga practice at home by arranging to send you CDs, books or DVDs to the value of your remaining class credits.

How to book for classes: it’s simple to SIGN UP

We have a fabulous online booking service for you to use. To keep our costs to the minimum (we invite you to compare the costs of other pregnancy yoga classes around the capital) we ask for everyone to use our online booking service and to pay for classes through the booking service with VISA or Mastercard.

It means you can reserve your place in a class up to a year in advance if you like, but it also gives you the opportunity to change you mind and cancel your reservation up to five hours before the class starts.

You can book yourself into any class on the schedule, just choose the classes that suit you. If you cannot come, please be sure to cancel your sign up online at least five hours before the class starts. This gives you flexibility and gives our teachers more up-to date information about who is planning to attend any given class.

When you go to the class times and bookings page of this site it launches the new booking system, and all you have to do is SIGN UP for the class you want to attend. The system will then ask you to CREATE AN ACCOUNT for yourself, which takes about two minutes (you type in your name, address, email and create a username and password).

Once you have created an account you can reserve places in the classes. It’s a good idea to make a note of your password and username so that you don’t forget them, although the system can automatically retrieve your password and remind you about it if necessary.

You can pay with your Mastercard or Visacard through our online booking service. This is our preferred method of payment.

The alternative is to send us a cheque for your payment. Please email us at yoga@sitaram.org and we can send you the postal address, it’s our home, so we are reluctant to post the address here.

If you have any questions at all about the booking system, please email sitaramyoga@googlemail.com

you can also call us on 07595 219 759 and we will do our best to help. If you are not able to go online, then you can call us and we can book you in.

Purchase and Exchange Policy

We no longer refund money on class credits, Hypnosis for Birth sessions or Birth Rehearsals.

If you cannot use your credits, you are welcome to sell or pass them on to a friend. Just get in touch so that we can credit their account. There will be a £11.00 administration charge for this.

The same applies to unused Hypnosis for Birth sessions or Birth Rehearsals. You can convert these for use in post natal recovery and baby yoga classes, or you can sell or pass them on to a friend (as above). There will be a £11.00 administration charge for this.

Why we are CASH FREE

Sitaram has been offering specialist classes with highly trained pregnancy and postnatal yoga teachers for the past ten years. We believe that the service we offer is the best available, and we do everything we can to maintain to the excellence of our teacher training and support in order that they can offer safe, sensitive, appropriate, and enjoyable classes for all our students.

Our online booking service keeps our costs down. We operate entirely cash-free as a measure to keep the costs of our classes at their current levels, to provide a better value service, and to enable our teachers to focus their energies on teaching even more wonderful classes. Because of the number of classes we offer, the small size of our groups (some classes in other places can have twice as many students), we run our classes on a very narrow margin. A cash free system enables us to continue to operate our classes with the following benefits for students:

a specially trained team of teachers (all our teachers have additional training, experience and insurance for pregnancy and postnatal students, with unique continuing professional development and
a comprehensive system of teacher support and education through Sitaram)
no obligation to attend every week – use your pre-booked classes when you can
no obligation to attend the same session every week– use your pre-booked classes at whatever session is most convenient (space permitting)
nine month class pass validity – you are welcome to continue attending up to and beyond your due date, and/or to come to postnatal classes with your baby, so long as your pass remains valid
transferable classes: use your pregnancy pre-booked classes to attend postnatal recover sessions, or transfer your credit to a friend
free classes for pregnant women on state benefits (e.g women who are unemployed or receiving disability allowance, but not working women who are on maternity benefit)

These benefits offer flexibility for our students, and are unique to Sitaram classes: compare the terms and conditions of most other yoga providers to see for yourself. Our structure of online pre-booking and access to all classes across the timetable gives students the freedom to make yoga part of their life even if life is chaotic and unpredictable, and sometimes you need to miss a couple of weeks, or attend a different session, for example.

Your option to try it first

Most of our students know that they want to make a block booking straight away. But, if you prefer, to be sure that it suits you before you pay for a batch, you have the option to pay for a TASTER CLASS . It is at a slightly higher rate than the batch booking fee for classes (£13 instead of £11). If you chose to do more classes after your initial class, then please visit the online booking service on the Sitaram website and pay for a block of eight or four classes, once you are sure that you like what we have to offer.

Once you have made a block booking then each time you come sign up for a class our booking service will deduct one class from your credit, so you can use up your pre-paid classes as and when you are able to come. You do not have to come every week. You can switch into any class on the schedule so long as there is room for you and you cancel yourself out or book yourself in for the classes you choose.

If you have classes left over at the end of your pregnancy you are welcome to take the remaining classes as postnatal recovery and baby classes.

The schedule shows which classes have places available, and which have a waiting list in operation.

Crucial things to know about Sitaram Yoga classes

What to Bring

Pregnancy yoga: There is no need to bring anything with you, except perhaps a bottle of water. Mats and blocks are provided in all locations. You just need to bring yourself and your registration form, which you can download from the website. Please do not email the registration form, it is better to bring it with you. If you are going to the King’s College Hospital classes or birth rehearsals and you like to be extra comfy, you can bring a small cushion, pillow or a blanket for the final relaxation period. Cushions and pillows are plentiful in the other locations.

Postnatal recovery and baby yoga: No need to bring anything at all, except whatever helps you and your baby be happy for the time of your class, e.g changing mats, spare set of clothes for the baby.Many mothers also like to bring along a muslin or small cloth which is a familiar thing for the baby to lie on, and this can be spread over the cushions, but it is not vital.

What to wear

Pregnancy/postnatal and general classes: Wear anything that you can move in comfortably: t-shirt and stretchy trousers with some give in the waistband are the best options. Skirts don’t work, and jeans are too restrictive to let you move easily. Go for something simple without belts, or lots of buttons and zips to stick in you. The classes are done in bare feet, so socks are easier to manage than tights. Please leave your shoes outside the yoga rooms or take them off just inside the door. Same for babies and children – in warm weather it’s nice for them to have their feet free.

When and where to come

Please aim to arrive on time for the start of the class. It can be disturbing for others and unsettling for the latecomer as well as the teacher to have to shift the class around once it has started. There is no need to arrive very much before the class, even for the first time. Five minutes before class begins is great. Directions to all locations (Montrell Rd, Kings College Hospital, St Thomas’s Hospital and Brockwell Lido) are up on the website here.

Thank you, and enjoy your classes. You can also download this information if you’d like to print it out (in .pdf format)

Registration forms

In order to make sure we know enough about our students to help them in the most appropriate way, we’d be grateful if first-timers could fill out a registration form and email it to us, or bring it with them when they come to class (in the case of the birth rehearsal, the form should be sent back in advance, accompanied by a cheque). The forms are available in MS Word format, and there are different ones for the different types of classes (Please DO NOT email us your registration form – it works better if you print out a hard copy and bring it along with you to your first class, where you can give it to your teacher directly. Thank you.):

Transfers across classes

Most women choose to come to the same session each week, and get to know the regulars in their class group. This is what we recommend. If you cannot attend the same session each week, then it is possible to switch into other classes on the schedule, provided that there is space, and that we have advance notice.

Postnatally, any unusued pre-paid pregnancy yoga classes can be used directly to book into postnatal recovery and baby yoga sessions so long as you take them within nine months of the purchase date of your class pass.

ENJOY YOUR CLASSES