Madam, - On behalf of Yoga Therapy Ireland and the national professional umbrella group, the Yoga Federation of Ireland, I would like to make a few comments on Ann Marie Hourihane's column of November 29th, entitled "Can yoga be that bad for you?"
Research may well show that those who study and practise the Bikram and Ashtanga yoga styles are more susceptible to injury than those who practise the "very slow, old-fashioned 'Hatha' yoga style" - which, by the way, is the oldest, most popular and most practised yoga style in the world because it is suitable for all ages, levels of fitness and ability.
And it is indeed the latter yoga style that so many medical professionals recommend to their patients because of its enormous long-term benefits. Several nurses and physiotherapists are also qualified yoga teachers and they include yoga in their care of cancer patients and pregnant women.
Worldwide research shows that regular and safe practise of yoga can bring enormous health benefits to those with back pain, breathing conditions, blood pressure imbalance, muscular/skeletal conditions, MS, ME, fibromyalgia, and stress.
Ms Hourihane goes on to mention teaching standards and teacher supervision - and again I speak on behalf of Yoga Therapy Ireland and the Yoga Federation of Ireland when I say that for those attending a yoga class, it is imperative that the client check out the teacher's training credentials and insurance cover.
The federation guideline is that a yoga teacher should have been training for a minimum of two years, covering a minimum of 450 contact teaching hours, 50 hours of which have been spent on the study of anatomy and physiology.
The Yoga Federation of Ireland, having been invited to speak at last year's Complementary Health/HETAC Forum, is working in tandem with the Departments of Health and Education to standardise yoga training - thereby ensuring competency and safe teaching. Each training organisation within the federation carries out ongoing assessments and monitoring and expects its teachers to attend a minimum of two in-service/CPD days each year.
In relation to Ms Hourihane's comment on "a yoga teacher's contempt for Western inventions, like antibiotics", not all yoga teachers would be of this mind, particularly if they follow a professional code of ethics and conduct. Yoga can be used as a wonderful tool for health and well-being - but never as a substitute for conventional medicine or conventional medical care.
As a participant in a yoga class herself, Ms Hourihane is undoubtedly aware that yoga works at a very deep level on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of one's being but takes time to affect a person's attitude towards life, wealth, the environment, etc.
So it is therefore irrelevant what type of car transports the student to their class - as long as they attend.
Ultimately, the true philosophy of yoga will manifest itself within those who practise, whether they are smoking teenagers or not, in that they will develop a respectful kindness and compassion for themselves, their family, their community and their world.
There are several thousand people attending weekly yoga classes throughout Ireland, which prompts the question: "If yoga is so bad for you, why are so many people attending classes?" - Yours, etc,
MAUREEN NIGHTINGALE, Chairperson, Yoga Therapy Ireland and the Yoga Federation of Ireland, Auburn Drive, Killiney, Co Dublin.