Positive Health Online

After having a baby last summer, Jo's skin became unbearable. Her face, hands and body were covered in psoriasis. She felt suicidal.

She didn't want to go out to work. Her skin dominated her life and that of her family. If it was really bad, she didn't go to work. She spent days crying in her room, only to make her skin worse. She had suffered from eczema and psoriasis for ten years and had taken many alternative medicines and special diets without finding a cure.

Drugs may improve the appearance of the skin, but because they do not touch the underlying cause of the condition, it may recur. They can also have side effects.

It was in desperation that Jo came to my yoga weekend at a convent in Bramley, near Guildford, to see if she could calm herself down.

In the good company of others, who wished to extract themselves from the hustle and bustle of daily life, she found she could relax and re-charge. The daily programme includes yoga positions, deep breathing in pranayama and philosophical talks. The weekend had such a healing effect; Jo has not had any psoriasis or eczema since.

In my teens I developed a serious back problem and had chronic back pains. Fearing I would have to go into plaster, I was shown a series of strengthening, stretching positions by the now world famous teacher, Iyengar, which I did daily for a year. Within that time I was cured. I was so impressed that I spent three years qualifying as an Iyengar yoga teacher.

People do not realize what a powerful form of exercise yoga is. It's not just another type of keep-fit or aerobics. People who practise yoga regularly notice a marked change in their lives.

Yoga relieves stress. Most people are suffering from some form of mental fatigue – more than half of all people visiting GPs complain about it. One of the first symptoms of stress is an over-active mind. Yoga quietens the mind and is also a complete form of exercise.

Yoga teaches that life is a question of balance. Tension is a fundamental life force, but it must be balanced by relaxation. Many sports people take up yoga to combat problems like tennis elbow or backache. Children and young people can enjoy yoga and benefit from it without fully understanding it. Yoga also helps to protect old people from back and joint problems.

One student did not tell me she was a manic-depressive. She came on a yoga weekend, stopped taking her medication and began to fast. After a relaxation exercise, uncontrollable sobbing and shaking seized her. I showed her some calming postures and deep breathing exercises. The woman now practises yoga daily and has never gone back on her medication. (Her case should not be seen as an example to follow. Stopping medication abruptly and without medical advice can be dangerous).

Yoga can also help asthma. One sufferer on a yoga weekend found herself unable to breathe in the middle of the night. She had forgotten her inhaler but did not want to wake anyone up. When I found her, she was panicking and in fear of her life. I showed her a series of breathing exercises to open the chest. The attack subsided within 20 minutes.

Once the body has been re-balanced, people have a great feeling of well-being. This is why yoga is so effective for those suffering from depression. The body becomes more sensitive, senses are heightened, tastes change. People often have a greater desire for fresh air, water and healthy food. It is so much easier to communicate with people when your body is in balance and when you are quiet in mind.

A yoga teacher will help with 'corrections' – the peculiarities that each of us develop and which need changing over time. One man found that after a year of practice, his body had changed shape. None of his suits fitted him. His chest had expanded and his back was flat and his hips narrower. As he had stretched his toes, his feet had lengthened too.

Most people need to practise a series of standing positions or 'asanas' for 10 to 20 minutes per day to bring their body back into balance. You can even practise forms of yoga sitting in a traffic jam or at your desk. Ideally, it helps to end each session with complete relaxation – lying flat on the floor, taking a few deep breaths, then listening to your breathing.

Yoga is not an expensive form of exercise and there is no equipment to buy. Most classes cost around £6.50 for an hour and a half.

Once you have learned the positions that help you, you can practise them at home, although it is still useful to go to a weekly class or a yoga weekend. Anyone can practise yoga – young or old, sick or fit – everyone can benefit from its discipline and few that start will ever give it up.