Yoga is not about training yourself to become flexible. Don’t get me wrong, that can be a wonderful side effect of a regular practice, but many people mistake it for the practice.

I’m an ashtanga yoga teacher. The word ashtanga means ‘8 limbs’ in Pali, and the asana - the physical shapes you might make during a yoga class - only represent one of the 8 limbs of the practice.

When viewed in the more holistic sense, yoga is a set of practices for life.

There are some great books written on the science of yoga and what, to the best of our knowledge, is happening in the body and mind by virtue of a regular practice. From a personal perspective though, I’d say that yoga was the key to unlocking a lot of things in my life.

There’s a scene in the Christmas Movie classic Love Actually, in which Emma Thompson’s character explains to her husband why she loves Joni Mitchell - ‘she taught your cold English wife how to feel.’ So I guess what I’m trying to say is I think yoga is my Joni Mitchell.

For those wishing to explore it for the first time - my advice would be to get yourself to a good studio local to you (most people will have one). Perhaps aim for a studio that doesn’t position the classes as a workout class. Most good studios will have an entry level class for you to try and then explore from there.