Yoga is an ancient, eastern practice which means union. It teaches us to take responsibility for our own health through the union of postures (asanas), breathing (pranayama), relaxation and meditation. This union helps us to achieve self-awareness and balance.
Yoga therapy emerged in India in the first half of the 20th century. It tailors and adapts classical yoga practices to suit the individual needs of people with specific health problems such as asthma, arthritis, back pain and ME. It aims to be both preventative and curative. It also aims to familiarize individual clients with postural modifications that can be used in a general yoga class, where full yoga postures may aggravate their particular condition. There is nothing mystical about it – it is simply about understanding your own body and its limitations and about thinking positively. It keeps the body supple and mobile and keeps the joints moving.
Yoga therapists believe that you should never push yourself to get into a particular posture, to emulate the picture in the book or compete with others in achieving the “perfect” posture. Rather, yoga therapy encourages you to realize your own limitations and relax; the more relaxed you are, the further your body.