K-pop Star Lee Hyori Sets Boundaries at Her Seoul Yoga Studio

Lee Hyori posted a studio conduct notice to Ananda Yoga's official Instagram on April 1 that has since traveled well past its intended Seoul audience. The K-pop singer and studio director laid out five firm rules for members: no physical contact with her without consent, no requests for personal photos or autographs during class, no walk-ins for morning sessions, no filming while instruction is underway, and no packages or gifts sent without prior arrangement.

The language left little room for interpretation. "Physical contact without consent, such as holding hands or touching the body, is prohibited," Lee Hyori wrote in the notice. "Requests for personal photos with the director or autographs are declined." Unsolicited deliveries to the Yeonhui-ro address, she added, may be discarded.

The notice went out on April 1, marking Ananda Yoga's eight-month anniversary, and it introduced the guidelines as practical steps toward maintaining a respectful and orderly environment. The guidelines aren't defensive — they're the predictable operational response to what Ananda Yoga has become. Lee Hyori offered one-day yoga classes throughout September 2025, priced at 35,000 KRW (about $25) each, and tickets sold out in advance. Morning classes run reservation-only; no walk-in slots exist. She opened the studio in Yeonhui-ro, Seodaemun District, Seoul, and the launch quickly became a hot topic.

The pressure was predictable to anyone who followed her trajectory. Lee Hyori first began teaching yoga in July 2016 at Ananda in Jeju Island. She married fellow singer Lee Sang-soon in 2013, and the couple lived in Jeju Island for approximately 11 years before relocating to Seoul in the latter half of 2024. When the Seoul studio launched, the scale of the response caught even her off guard. "For me, it was simply relocating the studio," she said at the time. "I did not expect such attention. I know this excitement will eventually settle down."

Ananda Yoga is not the first studio to confront this collision between social media culture and the mat. On August 31, 2024, popular Miami yoga and Pilates studio Mimi Yoga announced a no-filming rule that generated immediate pushback from its influencer clientele. "It's important to remember that we are a yoga and Pilates studio, not a content creation facility," said founder Mimi Ghandour. Big chains including Life Time, Equinox, and Crunch Fitness have also moved to prohibit filming of other clients without their permission. The no-filming norm is spreading because the problem is spreading.

What Ananda Yoga's rulebook adds to that conversation is the consent and boundary layer specific to celebrity-led spaces: the instructor is also a public figure, and the studio visit can blur, for some members, into a fan encounter. The written policy draws that line cleanly. Do book morning classes in advance. Do photograph freely after class for personal use. Don't initiate physical contact with the instructor. Don't approach mid-session for autographs or selfies. Don't assume a gift at the door is a welcome gesture.

Since its opening, the studio has gained steady popularity, with class passes selling out immediately upon release. The April 1 conduct notice is Ananda Yoga's acknowledgment that popularity and intimacy don't coexist without rules. For any studio operating in that space, it's worth reading twice.