Yoga is an ancient tradition of mental and physical exercises, which started in India over 5,000 years ago and is now widely practised in the UK. There are many different styles of yoga. Some are physically more demanding, some are gentler, some focus more on physical postures, while others focus more on breathing and meditation.
Yoga therapy involves the use of yoga to deal with and prevent illness and to maintain good health. It includes physical exercises, breathing techniques and relaxation.
When you begin yoga therapy for the first time, you should have an initial assessment. This would include giving information about your medical history and lifestyle and a 30-60 minute consultation with a yoga therapy practitioner. After this the practitioner will be able to recommend a course of action, which might be one-to-one sessions with a yoga therapy practitioner or special yoga therapy classes.
Check with your practitioner before doing any yoga postures on your own at home. You should only practice yoga at home after you have learned the postures and techniques properly, as you could injure yourself if you try a yoga posture incorrectly.
Some yoga postures should not be used by pregnant women.