I'm Tanja Iovene, a therapeutic, alignment-based yoga teacher and runner.

I help people move with more ease, build strength, recover well, and continue doing the activities they love.

My teaching combines precise movement, breathwork, and nervous system regulation to support both physical and mental wellbeing. Whether you're dealing with persistent back discomfort, recovering from training, or simply looking for a more sustainable way to move, my goal is to help you feel stronger, calmer, and more connected to your body.

My approach

Movement should support life, not drain it.

I believe yoga can be both physically challenging and deeply restorative. A strong body and a calm nervous system are not opposing goals—they support each other.

Every body is different. Rather than teaching everyone the same practice, I adapt yoga to the individual in front of me. My classes combine careful alignment, functional movement, breath awareness, and therapeutic principles to meet you where you are.

As a runner myself, I also understand the demands of an active lifestyle. Recovery, mobility, strength, and resilience are an integral part of my teaching, not an afterthought.

Training and qualifications

I've been practising yoga since 2010 and teaching since 2017.

I completed my 200-hour Alignment-based Yoga Teacher Training with Tove Palmgren, followed by specialised training in Pre- and Postnatal Yoga with Birthlight.

I'm currently completing Yoga Medicine's 500-hour Therapeutic Specialist certification, where I've undertaken advanced training in areas including:

  • Spine: Anatomy, Dysfunction & Application

  • Yoga for Athletes

  • Shoulder Intensive

  • Nervous System & Restorative Yoga

This ongoing education allows me to combine modern anatomy, movement science, and therapeutic yoga to create practices that are both safe and effective.

Areas of focus

My work focuses particularly on supporting people who:

• experience back pain or persistent tension

• want to move with greater strength and confidence

• are runners or physically active adults

• want to improve recovery and resilience

• are looking for a calmer nervous system in an increasingly busy world

What you can expect

My classes are thoughtful, practical, and accessible.

Rather than chasing difficult poses, we focus on developing awareness, building functional strength, improving mobility, and learning how to work with your body rather than against it.

I want you to leave class feeling stronger than when you arrived—not only physically, but mentally as well.

Where I teach

I teach therapeutic alignment-based yoga in Zürich and Ticino.

Group classes take place at Mala Yoga in Thalwil and Centro Armonia in Bellinzona.

Private sessions are available both online and in person in the Thalwil, Bellinzona, and Lugano areas, and can be held in English, Italian, or Finnish.