An enquiry arrives on a Sunday evening. She had a baby eight weeks ago, her back has not been right since, and she wants to know whether the Tuesday class would be alright for her.
Every part of that deserves a kind answer. None of it can be answered by a website, and the instinct to be reassuring is exactly the risk.
Myth 1: saying yoga is gentle is harmless
Reality: intensity varies enormously between styles and between teachers. Telling someone with an unknown injury that a class is gentle is a claim about their body made by someone who has never seen it.
Myth 2: the teacher can decide on the day
Reality: a teacher can adapt a class and cannot diagnose or clear someone to exercise. Where there is a current injury, recent surgery or a medical condition, the clearance has to come from a clinician.
Myth 3: pregnancy questions are straightforward
Reality: what is appropriate varies by stage, by pregnancy and by individual circumstances. Studios should say plainly that a midwife or doctor is the right source and explain what the class involves so that conversation is informed.
Myth 4: postnatal means cleared to exercise
Reality: recovery varies and some people need a specific assessment before returning. A studio saying so, rather than welcoming someone straight into a strong class, is looking after them.
Myth 5: listing contraindications is helpful
Reality: publishing a list of conditions that should avoid a class invites people to self-assess against it. Describing what a class actually involves is more useful and does not pretend to be medical guidance.
Myth 6: this loses bookings
Reality: it wins them. Someone who is nervous about an injury is reassured by a studio that takes it seriously, and they book once they have spoken to someone. A studio that waves them in loses them after one painful class.
Myth 7: it is enough to have a waiver
Reality: a form signed at the door does not replace telling someone to check with a clinician, and it does not help a person who gets hurt. The waiver is paperwork, not a safety measure.
Myth 8: there is nothing useful a website can do
Reality: there is a great deal. Describing each class honestly, saying which are slower and which are strong, explaining whether props and modifications are used, naming classes designed for specific stages and capturing the enquiry for a teacher to follow up are all genuinely useful.
Describe classes so people can judge
Pace, intensity, whether inversions or strong postures feature, floor work, temperature and typical class size. That is the information someone needs to have a sensible conversation with their clinician.
Publish specialist classes clearly
Pregnancy, postnatal, beginners and gentle classes should be named and described, because the people who need them are searching for exactly those words.
Capture and route rather than reassure
Name, contact, what they are dealing with in general terms and a note for the teacher to call. That is the whole job.
Other enquiries behave differently
Memberships are covered in class pass and membership questions at yoga studios, and retreats in retreat booking questions yoga studios receive.
Handling repeat questions without an inbox
The general approach is described in how to answer stock and restock questions without an inbox and an AI receptionist for architects.
How SpideyChat handles it
SpideyChat for studios and fitness businesses describes your classes from your published pages, never comments on whether something is safe for someone and passes injury and pregnancy enquiries to a teacher. You can see it on the demo, and plans are on the pricing page.