Yoga derives from the ancient family of practices in India that collectively have been seen as a path to a union of body and mind and the harmonious integration of them with one's fellow creatures and surroundings. Many branches of yoga have emerged, emphasizing different aspects of mind, body and society. Some may regard as unfortunate (and indeed, not in the spirit of yoga) the identification of schools of yoga with individual leaders, and rivalries between their adherents. There is a good, non-partisan account of yoga in its various forms at wikipedia.

In more recent years in Western countries the physical aspects of yoga including relaxation have dominated its practice and wider appeal. It is the practice of yoga as a way of improving health and well-being that guides most classes at Body Concepts. To benefit from yoga, it is not necessary to adopt spiritual beliefs, to treat yoga as a religion, to restrict one's diet to certain foodstuffs, or to regard ancient Indian descriptions of how the body functions as the last word in knowledge: although if you wish to do so, these approaches are by no means to be disregarded.

Central to most forms of yoga, and to the yoga we teach and practise, are these aspects:

• Getting to know your own body – developing your kinaesthetic sense of where bones and muscles are and how to move, excite and relax them individually.
• Listening to what your body tells you – yes, you should do some work; but you should not strain. There is gain without pain.
• Relaxation – yoga is about 'letting go,' releasing tension, even when you are in a demanding posture.
• Concentration – detaching yourself from everything except the 'here and now' of your practice; becoming aware of your body in detail and controlling it; releasing the energy within you.
• Breathing – to develop and better utilise your lungs; to help you reduce discomfort or pain; and by synchronisation of breath with movement to enable you to achieve more in your practice.
• Developing muscle tone for strength; muscle balance to improve posture and alignment; and muscle length for flexion and extension.
• Easing and lubricating the joints to improve flexibility.

We embrace all the different forms of yoga and offer most of them. In some classes, such as Iyengar Yoga, we emphasise slow but correct bodily alignment at the expense of dynamism; in others such as Vinyasa or Ashtanga Yoga, there is dynamic transition between postures and closer synchronisation with breathing. In classes aimed at one or more particular areas of the body we may draw on all yoga techniques and styles.

Yoga is a slow, progressive process over a lifetime. Some benefits you will notice almost immediately; others become evident gradually, within months rather than days. Each gradual improvement is deeply rewarding. You can look forward to greater flexibility, strength and muscle tone; opening up the joints including around the hips and pelvis, wrists, shoulders and ankles; better posture and body alignment; a healthier spine; improved ability to relax, control stress and reduce pain and discomfort; better use of lung capacity and breath; and an improved sense of well-being.

Once you have become familiar with the postures and can attempt them with confidence, the more frequent your yoga practice, the more progress you will make. But yoga is pleasant rather than onerous, your companions supportive rather than competitive; you need very little kit to practise yoga, you can practise it just about anywhere, and because it is geared to your own body and mind you can practise and improve over a lifetime. Try it....

Yoga makes an ideal complement to other exercise activities. There are those who argue that yoga is a complete form of exercise and no other form is needed. Those arguments can sometimes be a little stretched by its aficionados. In some areas yoga may be less effective than, for example, resistance training or aerobics and you should not expect yoga to deliver everything. That said, the regular practice of yoga (including its dynamic forms) is probably the best form of exercise for balanced, all-round, long-term health, relaxation and well-being.