Cookie Policy

Last updated: 4 August 2026

Cookies are small text files a website stores on your device. They are how a site remembers small things between pages and visits. This page explains which cookies Yoga.com actually uses, how consent works depending on where you are visiting from, and how you stay in control. It works alongside our Privacy Policy.

Why we use cookies

We use cookies for a few honest reasons: to remember your cookie choice, to keep Yoga Club members signed in, and to understand which articles are actually helping people so we can write more of what you need. We serve no ads today, and we do not use cookies to build advertising profiles.

How consent works here

We treat visitors differently depending on where they are, because the law differs, and we would rather explain exactly how this works than hide behind one vague sentence. We detect your region using a best-effort geolocation signal, with your device timezone as a fallback.

If you are in the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland: opt-in

Nothing optional runs until you say so. On your first visit a consent bar appears with two buttons: Accept and Reject non-essential. Until you press Accept, no analytics or session-replay cookies are set at all - only the essential ones described below. If you press Reject non-essential, that stays true. And if we cannot tell where you are visiting from, we treat you as if you were in the EU and apply these same strictest, opt-in rules.

If you are in the United States or the rest of the world: opt-out

You are on an opt-out model, and we want to say that plainly: analytics runs by default, not after a click. The banner offers a Do Not Sell or Share choice (the wording US privacy laws use); choosing it switches analytics and session replay off. Browsers that send a Global Privacy Control signal are opted out automatically - more on that below.

Your choice is remembered, and easy to change

Whatever you choose is stored for about 6 months (182 days) in a first-party cookie called gdpr_consent, with a backup copy of the same name in your browser's localStorage. A Cookie settings link in the site footer reopens the preferences banner at any time, so withdrawing consent is exactly as easy as giving it.

Consent defaults for Google tags

We run Google Consent Mode v2. On every page, before any Google tag loads, all four consent signals (ad_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization, analytics_storage) default to denied. Accepting grants analytics_storage only; the three advertising signals stay denied, because we serve no ads today.

The cookies we use

Here is the actual list - every cookie you may meet on Yoga.com, who sets it, why, what type it is, and for how long. We keep it current as the site changes.

Set by Yoga.com (Essential)

• gdpr_consent - first-party. Stores your consent choice as a small piece of JSON: whether consent was given, your detected region, a timestamp, and the policy version. Essential. Lasts about 6 months (182 days).
• vauth_hint - first-party, set only when you sign in to a Yoga Club account. A session cookie that acts as an authentication hint, keeping you signed in as you move between pages. If you never create an account, it is never set. Essential. Session.

Google Analytics (Analytics)

• _ga - set by Google Analytics. Distinguishes visitors so we can count readers rather than page loads, in aggregate. Analytics. Up to 24 months.
• _ga_* - set by Google Analytics, one cookie per Analytics property (we run two, so you may see two of these). Keeps session state for that property. Analytics. Up to 24 months.

These are set only under the consent model above: after you press Accept in the opt-in regions, or by default in the opt-out regions unless and until you opt out.

Microsoft Clarity (Analytics)

Clarity is a session analytics and replay tool: it shows us, through heatmaps and replays of page interactions, where readers scroll, click, and get stuck. It loads only after an accepted consent state. If you reject, opt out, or send a GPC signal, it does not load - and if it had loaded earlier, it stops. When it does run with your consent, it sets:

• _clck - set by Microsoft. Links Clarity data to your browser on this site. Analytics. Up to 12 months.
• _clsk - set by Microsoft. Connects the pages you view into one session recording. Analytics. 1 day.
• CLID - set by Microsoft. Records the first time Clarity saw this browser. Analytics. Up to 12 months.
• MUID - set by Microsoft. A Microsoft-wide browser identifier used by Clarity. Analytics. About 13 months.

Durations for third-party cookies are set by their providers; the figures above are the providers' documented values at the time of writing.

Local storage (not quite cookies)

A few things live in your browser's localStorage and session storage rather than in cookies:

• Consent backup - a copy of your gdpr_consent choice, stored under the same name in localStorage so your choice survives if the cookie is cleared by accident. Essential.
• Member session state - session storage that supports your signed-in Yoga Club session; it empties itself when you close the tab. Essential.
• Newsletter popup cap - a localStorage entry that remembers you have already seen or closed the newsletter signup popup, so we do not show it too often. The popup itself never appears until you have answered or closed the consent banner. Functional.

Advertising cookies: none today

We do not serve advertising on Yoga.com today, and no advertising cookies are set - by us or by anyone else. We plan to introduce Google AdSense. If and when ads launch, Google and its partners would use advertising cookies (including the DoubleClick cookie) to serve and measure ads, and that may count as "sharing" or "targeted advertising" under California and other US state laws. If that happens, we will list the exact cookies on this page, and you will be able to opt out through the banner's Do Not Sell or Share choice, the privacy-choices link in the footer, a Global Privacy Control signal, Google Ads Settings, and aboutads.info.

What happens when you say no

If you reject non-essential cookies, opt out, or send a GPC signal, Microsoft Clarity does not load at all, and no Clarity cookies are set.

Google Analytics behaves a little differently, and we want to be straight about it. When analytics consent is denied, Google may still receive cookieless "consent mode" pings: basic, aggregate signals, such as the fact that a page was viewed, that set no cookies and store nothing on your device. They give us rough, modelled totals of how many people visited - not a record of you as an individual.

Global Privacy Control

Global Privacy Control (GPC) is a setting in some browsers and extensions that tells every site you visit not to sell or share your data. If you visit from the United States or another opt-out region with GPC switched on, we honor it automatically: it counts as an opt-out of sale and sharing, and analytics and session replay are switched off without you touching the banner. If you saved an Accept choice here before enabling GPC, open the footer Cookie settings link and confirm your preference so your stored choice matches your signal. You can learn more at globalprivacycontrol.org.

Managing cookies in your browser

Beyond our banner, your browser gives you full control. You can view, block, and delete cookies at any time:

• Chrome: Settings, then "Privacy and security", then "Third-party cookies" or "Site settings".
• Safari: Settings (or Preferences), then "Privacy".
• Firefox: Settings, then "Privacy & Security", then "Cookies and Site Data".
• Edge: Settings, then "Cookies and site permissions".

Private or incognito windows discard cookies when you close them. Clearing cookies also clears your saved consent choice, so the banner will greet you again on your next visit. If you block all cookies, the site will still read fine, but you will not be able to stay signed in to Yoga Club and your preferences will not stick.

Changes and contact

If we add or remove cookies - including if advertising ever launches - we will update this page and the date at the top. For the fuller picture of how we handle personal data, see our Privacy Policy. Questions are always welcome at info@yoga.com.