Yoga Courses: What Does Swiss Health Insurance Cover?

Yoga may have its roots in ancient Asian philosophies, but it is now a popular form of exercise in many parts of the world. Yoga is widely popular in Switzerland as well. Close to fifteen percent of residents practice either yoga, pilates, Tai Chi, or stretching, with the majority of practitioners being women.

Yoga as a sport

While traditional Indian yoga follows several schools of thought developed by a number of yoga masters, there are now also a number of Western adaptations which are also widely practiced. Many of these focus on physical rather than spiritual principles. The broad term hatha yoga is used for yoga which is focused on physical activities.

Swiss health insurance benefits for Hatha Yoga

Yoga as a form of exercise is supported by a number of health insurance companies. However, insurers only pay benefits towards sessions coached by recognized yoga instructors, such as those with Swiss EMR/RME certification.

Only a limited number of insurers offer yoga benefits, and those that do normally bundle these perks in their optional supplemental health insurance policies.

Which Swiss supplemental health insurance offers cover the costs of yoga courses?

Check with your insurer to find out exactly which costs are covered and whether or not your yoga center qualifies before you sign up. In many cases, the benefit is limited to a few hundred francs, or only a certain percentage of yoga course fees are covered.

It is important to understand that the yoga benefits alone will not justify the financial cost of getting outpatient supplemental health insurance. However, supplementary health insurance can pay off if you also need the other included insurance coverages and benefits.

Yoga therapy and Hatha Yoga

The table above only includes offers with general cover for yoga courses. But supplemental health insurance offers may also cover certain yoga-based alternative therapies, such as Yoga therapy and Hatha Yoga. You can get an overview of cover for alternative treatments in the guide to health insurance cover for alternative medicine.

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