Yoga therapy for
Long COVID & Post-Acute Infection Syndromes
"It feels a bit like a meditation session."
-Patrick, participant
Gentle, pacing-informed guidance for fatigue, overstimulation, and fluctuating capacity
With Long COVID, your capacity can vary sharply from day to day. What worked yesterday can be too much today. Sometimes you notice that right away — sometimes only hours or a day later.
These sessions are for people who want to practise carefully with breath, relaxation, body awareness, and energy management — without performance pressure, and without the goal of building fitness.
This guidance is complementary to medical care and does not replace treatment from a doctor, physiotherapist, or other healthcare provider.
Recognize this?
Many participants come to these sessions because regular yoga, sport, or rehabilitation feels too intense. You may be dealing with, for example:
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rapid exhaustion after light exertion
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setbacks after physical, mental, or emotional effort
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shortness of breath or shallow breathing
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overstimulation from sound, light, or busy environments
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muscle pain, tension, or a heavy feeling in your body
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brain fog or difficulty concentrating
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capacity that fluctuates from day to day
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difficulty relaxing, switching gears, or recovering
If that's the case, "just gently joining in" is often not enough. Long COVID calls for a different approach: less building up, more attuning.
My approach
You cannot force a body to recover. What you can do is make the conditions as friendly as possible.
With Long COVID, it's not about pushing through, building up, or working past your limits. We look carefully at what your body needs and can handle right now: reducing unnecessary load, making more room for rest, and dosing exercises so they support you rather than burden you.
What makes these sessions suitable for Long COVID?
These sessions are not aimed at getting stronger, more flexible, or fitter. The focus is on rest, regulation, pacing, and quality of life.
We work in a pacing-informed way. That means you learn to practice within the energy you have available, with plenty of room to adapt, pause, or do nothing at all.
Our principles:
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safety first
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practising within your daily capacity
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reducing the risk of overexertion and setbacks as much as possible
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short, gentle exercise blocks
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symptom-contingent adaptation
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attention to breath, relaxation, and body awareness
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supportive self-management skills for home
Pausing isn't an exception. It's part of the method.
Practical
What we do
Depending on the group and your capacity, we work with:
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breath regulation for calmer, softer breathing
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gentle movement, mostly lying down or seated
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restorative yoga and deep relaxation
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mindfulness and body awareness
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pacing and energy management
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practical rest techniques you can use at home
Sometimes the best exercise is not doing more, but stopping sooner.
What you can expect
The sessions are calm, small-scale, and low-threshold. You don't have to prove anything, and you don't have to "keep up."
You can expect:
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a slow pace
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short exercise blocks
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plenty of room for rest
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guidance on dosing and recognising your limits
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options to practise lying down, seated, or supported
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practical tools to take home
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an atmosphere where doing less is norma
If you skip an exercise, pause, or just listen, you're still fully part of the class.
Frequently asked questions
What if I have a setback after a class?
Let us know in advance if you're prone to PEM, and we'll keep that class extra light. If you do have a setback afterwards, that's useful information for pacing your next class better — not a sign you did something wrong.
Can I stay lying down for the whole class? Yes. That's always fine. Most participants take the class lying down. The sessions are built so you can join fully from a place of rest: lying down, seated, supported, or sometimes just listening.
Isn't the station too stimulating?
The studio is located inside Breda Central Station, but the practice room itself is quiet and enclosed. You may occasionally hear station announcements or sound from outside. For some participants, that's actually helpful: practising with everyday stimulation in a safe setting, without needing complete silence. If the environment feels like too much for you right now, private guidance may suit you better — in the studio or online via Zoom.
Do I need yoga experience?
No. Yoga experience isn't required. Most participants are new to yoga, or returning to it after a period of illness, fatigue, or overexertion. You don't need to be flexible, strong, or experienced.
How do I fit this into my energy budget? Treat your first class as an experiment, not a performance. Come as rested as you can, avoid demanding plans for the hours afterward, and leave room to recover. Especially with Long COVID, it's wise to factor in not just the class itself, but also the journey, sensory input, and aftercare into your energy budget.
Is this a treatment for Long COVID?
No. These sessions are not a medical treatment for Long COVID and do not replace care from a doctor, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, psychologist, or other healthcare provider. The sessions are intended as complementary support for self-management, rest, pacing, body awareness, and quality of life. We make no promise of recovery or cure.
Can I cancel if I'm having a bad day?
Yes. You can cancel up to 3 hours in advance. If you cancel in time, your class stays valid for 3 weeks. That way, a difficult day doesn't cost you a class — and you don't have to come in when your body is telling you rest is the wiser choice.
Research & recognition
The 8-week yoga and mindfulness program that forms the basis of these sessions is the subject of practice-based research.
To date, more than 150 people have taken part in a Long COVID-focused yoga therapy series with Marlies. In 2023, she presented a practice-based evaluation of the programme at the Symposium on Yoga Research (SYR) in the United States, together with physician and researcher Anne Meulenbroek MD PhD. At that point, 105 participants had completed the program; 75 of them voluntarily completed the evaluation questionnaires.
In August 2026, Marlies will present at the ISLC-PAIS Conference in Amsterdam — the international conference on Long COVID and post-acute infection syndromes — the poster Practice-Based Evaluation of an 8-Week Yoga and Mindfulness Program for People with Long COVID, co-authored with Geertruid Marres MD PhD.
What can mindfulness offer people with Long COVID?
During the 2023 Symposium on Yoga Research at Kripalu, Marlies asked Jon Kabat-Zinn about the potential role of mindfulness for people living with Long COVID. Jon Kabat-Zinn developed the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programme (MBSR) and played a major role in introducing mindfulness into healthcare.
Watch his response below.
This excerpt was recorded during the 2023 Symposium on Yoga Research at Kripalu in the United States.
This practice-based evaluation describes the experiences of 75 adults with Long COVID. Participants were referred from two physiotherapy practices. The programme ran for 8 weeks, with one 60-minute session per week. Exercises were individually adapted to reduce the risk of setbacks after exertion or other strain, such as PEM, as much as possible.
What participants reported: predominantly positive changes: 89% experienced improved ability to manage fatigue, and all respondents to those questions indicated that the program helped them and that stress and anxiety were reduced. Still, we make no promise of recovery: these classes are supportive guidance for self-management, not a treatment or cure for Long COVID.
Recommended by healthcare professionals
Marlies regularly works alongside healthcare professionals on recovery, capacity, and self-management in Long COVID. The sessions complement medical care and focus on rest, regulation, and quality of life.
"Yoga and mindfulness are a real asset within our post-COVID program. Marlies tailors her guidance perfectly to this patient group."
Sander van Ooijen — physiotherapist, PMC Heusdenhout
"The combination of yoga and mindfulness was a valuable addition within our Long COVID rehabilitation program. Therapists and patients experienced it as effective, and as support for quality of life."
Pjotr Goossens MSc — physiotherapist, Monné Zorg & Beweging and Amphia Hospital
"Yoga and mindfulness are a real asset within our post-COVID program. Marlies tailors her guidance perfectly to this patient group."
Sander van Ooijen — physiotherapist, PMC Heusdenhout
Also featured in the Long COVID Toolkit
Marlies contributed to the Long COVID Toolkit by Long COVID Nederland, a practical resource for people with Long COVID and their healthcare providers.
For this national toolkit, she recorded short videos featuring gentle yoga exercises focused on breathing, relaxation, and carefully dosing exertion. The exercises are free to view via the
Groepsles yoga therapy: Restore
A small, calm group at Breda Central Station. No intake required.
This option suits you if you're stable enough to travel to the studio and practice in a small group.
Monday evenings and Wednesday mornings at Breda Central Station.
Private yoga therapy
Fully tailored to your symptoms, capacity, and day-to-day energy levels. In the studio or online via Zoom.
This option suits you if your symptoms fluctuate significantly, you crash easily, you experience PEM or setbacks, or you'd prefer to explore what's feasible on an individual basis.
Group class of private guidance?
Guidance by Marlies Tobias
Marlies Tobias is a yoga therapist, teacher trainer, and founder of Yoga Academy You Are The Buddha at Breda Central Station. She developed a specialized program for people with Long COVID, with an emphasis on pacing, safety, breath regulation, relaxation, and quality of life.
Her work sits at the intersection of yoga therapy, mindfulness, clinical experience, and scientific grounding. She is studying for an MSc in Yoga Therapy at Vivekananda Yoga University (VaYU), USA. In 2023 she presented at the Symposium on Yoga Research in the United States; in 2026, her research — co-authored with surgeon Geertruid Marres — was accepted for a poster presentation at the ISLC-PAIS Conference in Amsterdam.
Marlies Tobias · E-RYT 500 · MSc student Yoga Therapy (VaYU) · 150+ Long COVID participants · Poster presentation SYR2023 Kripalu (VS) · Delivered yoga therapy sessions at the Paris 2024 Olympics fan zone, for the Indian Conservatory in Paris
What participants say:
Location
Yoga Academy You Are The Buddha Breda Central Station, in the station hall next to Starbucks. Easy to reach by train, bus, or bike.
Rates
From €69/month · 5-class pass: €119 · Trial class: €10 BredaPas and Volwassenenfonds discounts available.
Getting started
You can start with a trial class. No intake is required for the group class. After that, choose what suits you: a single class, a class pass, or a monthly subscription.
Not sure if the group class is manageable for you? Send a short email first — we'll help you work out whether a trial class or private guidance makes more sense.
Cancellation
Up to 3 hours in advance. If you cancel in time, your class stays valid for 3 weeks.
Start with a trial class
Not sure if this is right for you? Just come along, no commitment required.
If in doubt, always consult your doctor or treating practitioner. This guidance is complementary and does not replace medical care.
What participants say:
"Of all the different therapies and treatments I've tried, this is what helps me most. I'd recommend this to anyone, especially if you're feeling lost dealing with Long COVID or burnout symptoms"
Iris, yoga therapy for Long COVID
"These sessions help me reach a deeper state of relaxation; something that's normally hard to come by because of my Long COVID. The class is fully adapted to what's manageable for you."
Lydia, yoga therapy for Long COVID
"The exercises and meditations were carefully chosen, and they've had a real effect on me."
Marieke, Long COVID program