Recommended solution

NodeBB at forum.drbraunyoga.com

A normal web forum is easier for yoga students than Discord. NodeBB gives us a professional forum UI, real-time notifications, theming, APIs, plugins, and a Node.js operating model that is closer to the rest of the portfolio.

Astro keeps marketing and catalog pages. Cloudflare stays the DNS, proxy, TLS, and security control plane. NodeBB owns topics, replies, moderation, and notifications. Standalone forum signup and login screens are disabled for normal users so posting starts from the verified Dr. Braun Yoga account flow.

Live on nodebb-threethingsmedia-001, a Hetzner Nuremberg host with IPv4 and IPv6. NodeBB runs under systemd bound to localhost, MongoDB runs locally in Docker, nginx handles the reverse proxy, and Cloudflare owns DNS, TLS, proxying, WAF, and WebSockets.

Forum theme

Warm, readable, and distinct from the main yoga site.

The forum should feel more social than the catalog while keeping strong contrast for long-form reading, moderation, and account states.

Cream

#FFF1D3

Forum background and quiet category panels

Peach

#FFB090

Warm hover states, reply highlights, and onboarding accents

Rose

#CA5995

Selected states, badges, and member-only category accents

Plum

#5D1C6A

Primary forum nav, buttons, and high-contrast text

Forum categories

Start small and searchable.

These categories are seeded in NodeBB and match the first pilot community structure.

Free account

Practice questions

Questions about classes, tutorials, props, modifications, and home setup.

Members

Challenges and series

Daily check-ins, progress posts, and questions around multi-day programs.

Bookable

Retreat preparation

Packing notes, travel questions, forms, and pre-retreat practice guidance.

Public

Announcements

Schedule changes, new workshops, new releases, and operational updates.