Who are we?

Pathak Yoga was set up by two Indian-German sisters, Bassanti and Mira Pathak. That’s us! Having been taught yoga as children by our Indian father (who also taught yoga), we have been practising and teaching for fun and pro bono for over 20 years.

We established Pathak Yoga to bring wellbeing to the corporate world of London and ‘make employees healthier and employers happier’. We now also operate globally.

Mira studied at Bonn University as well as two Berlin universities and at the Sorbonne Paris, after which she gained over ten years’ office experience in various industries including recruitment, business development and HR consulting. She’s also a mother of two, all of which means that she is experienced in coping with stress-inducing situations.

Bassanti was educated at Bonn, Harvard and Clark University, Massachusetts. A former Fulbright scholar, banker, film producer and screenwriter, she knows the different physical and mental challenges that academia and fast-paced and volatile industries can throw at people.

So after years of working towards something that did not reflect our life goals, we decided to let our strong bond as sisters and equally strong yoga background guide us in creating something we love with all our heart, something that will make others feel as happy and relaxed as we always strive to be.

That’s why we’re passionate about bringing body and breath awareness to you – which we do through simple, effective exercises that you can practise while at your office desk or on the move. This will improve focus, concentration and wellbeing at work and in your private life. After obtaining a diploma in Yoga and Naturopathy from the International Foundation of Natural Health and Yoga (IFNHY), Delhi, we decided to focus on the specialised area of corporate yoga under the tutelage of Pradeep Solanki, MD of corporate wellness provider Yoga on Call.

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What kind of yoga do we teach?

We’d like to stress the similarities rather than the different interpretations of yoga such as Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and many others. In Yoga, whether traditional or not, you focus on your physical and mental as well as social wellbeing.

The type of yoga we teach in our office yoga sessions does not just focus on Hatha Yoga postures and Pranayama breathing, but also on a less well-known part of Hatha Yoga: a set of energy-creating movements (kriyas). Its exercises are ideal for office workers: they target all the areas of the body that are challenged by a desk job and today’s sedentary lifestyle. For more information, look at our Services.

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What do we do when we’re not in your office?

We teach in London and the surrounding areas. If you’re unsure about whether we cover your area, just contact us. Bassanti also teaches in Köln, Germany on a monthly basis as well as in select gyms around London: you can find her at high-end club Third Space, Virgin Active and the iconic Brockwell Lido.

As a yoga and mindfulness expert, Bassanti offers resilience training in offices and for film crews. You can book her for speeches and talks on various topics ranging from stress management to yoga for parents & children. As an expert on body and breath awareness, Bassanti also advises film and TV productions in yoga- and movement-related questions.

Occasionally she still works as a scriptwriter and her latest creative outpourings can be found in CBeebies’ children’s TV series Happy Tent Tales.