Yoga is a sport people seek out for relaxation and self-control. In Tunisia, its legitimacy has been questioned by some who believe it should not be practiced by Muslims.

Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual discipline that originated in India, and is now practiced all over the world. Although it has many different traditions and ways of being performed, the general aim of most forms of yoga is to promote personal wellbeing through the regular practice of one or more postures as well as breath control and meditation. Because of its Hindu origins, Islamic religious authorities consider it to be blasphemous. It is thought to evoke a spiritualism and postures of worship that are against Islamic tradition.

But for Hajer Khiari, who has been working as a personal yoga coach since 2004, yoga is not about religion but involves merely physical exercises and breathing tests. She maintained that the revolution did not affect the number of practitioners of Yoga, even with the rise of the Islamist party.

"I have had religious Muslim clients, who did not want to mix with other sexes in public gyms so they preferred home sessions," she said. For Muslim women, having a personal trainer come to their home could help them stay healthy without compromising religious concerns for decency.

Khiari explained how there is a "problem of mentality in Tunisia as yoga is not rooted in Tunisian culture. People tend to practice sports that they know."

She said that her clients are mostly businesswomen, aged 40 and above, or people with hectic schedules, who are looking for relaxation. The sessions cost 50 dinars an hour. Khiari said that yoga is most popular with foreigners from France or Arab expatriates from the Gulf living in Tunisia. She said that people, who start her sessions, usually incorporate the practice as a regular activity in their lives.

Eya is a young civil society activist, who is involved with meditation and yoga. She was certified as a "Peace Rebel" after participating in an international 20-day meditation and yoga training in Thailand during the summer of 2011.

"Actually, the participants [at the training] came from different religions, and the experience made them learn that it can even strengthen their faith since it teaches you how to focus more, how to control your thoughts and have peace of mind, and thus concentrate in your prayers," Eya stated.

Eya was planning to host a meditation training in collaboration with the Peace Revolution network in Tunis for the first time in March. But the group of Thai monks, who were to be the special guests, were refused a Visa from the Tunisian embassy in Indonesia (Thailand does not have a Tunisian embassy). "They were refused for no reason," Eya said. It was the first time their visa to an Arab country had been rejected. The monks have previously done training sessions in Egypt. Eya thinks that the current government's Islamist stance is to blame.

"We should not be wrapped up in ourselves, We have to listen to the other. We need to be open to all cultural differences and encourage exchanges no matter how different it can be," she said.

Eya is currently holding a weekly online mediation event at the American Corner in Tunis for free. The attendees are mostly girls.

Emna, a student, was one of them. She enjoyed the experience stating that it "it helps you to feel relaxed and liberated from negative ideas."

"It has nothing to do with religion" she added.

Rania is a 30-year-old housewife, who said she follows the Salafist doctrine. She considers the discipline of yoga to be a kind of a religious belief that started in Hinduism. She believes that yoga does not dovetail with her Islamic belief and that practicing such an activity is forbidden by Islam.

In the face of the divergent opinions concerning the practice, yoga in Tunisia remains a physical exercise rather than a spiritual experience. Tunisian yoga centers such as Espace Annada and Alhakim Center operate sessions and personal training at people's homes.

"The Yoga effect is a long term process. It is a culture of body and spirit," Khiari concluded.