Frequently Asked Questions - Medical conditions and injuries

Yes.  It is best to advise your teacher if you are having regular treatments for physical injuries or conditions.

Iyengar Yoga recognises that our body is our first 'prop' or instrument and that pain and discomfort in the body affects our capacity for concentration and meditation.  At Yoga Mandir teachers place great importance on the koshas or layers of experience and how the integration or fragmentation of these layers affects our capacity to heal and to act from a place of clarity.    Injuries and the process of working with them within a Yoga practice is both assessed and addressed from the point of view of these layer of experience, or koshas. 

It is important to remember that Yoga is primarily directed toward changing the function of the mind (citta) and it is because of the importance of the body in our yoga quest, that yoga teachers have considerable physiology and anatomy knowledge. 

Treatment with professionals with specialist knowledge and experience of injuries and illness is appropriate and encouraged.

Advise the administration of the Institute as soon as you realise that you are unable to complete your course.  The administration will advise and direct you depending on your situation.

Anyone can practise Yoga, however different schools and institutes cater more specifically to people with certain medical conditions, especially people with conditions that confine them to wheel chairs.  Teachers at Yoga Mandir work with people with a range of conditions including hypertension (blood pressure), arthritis, epilepsy, joint and muscle pain, depression, anxiety, endometriosis, scolosis and back pain. 

If you have a medical condition that seriously affects your wellbeing, it is important that you attend a private assessment (see under the Specialist Program area of the website) before enrolling into a mainstream course. 

People with high blood pressure, people recovering from surgery, and those with epilepsy must ensure that their medical information is up to date when they register for a course.  Each student has their own website log in where they record contact details and medical information.  This information is then made available to  your teacher.