Yoga is an ancient Indian therapy that uses posture, breathing exercises and meditation to help calm and relax the mind and body. It is excellent for relieving stress, increasing vitality and helping you switch off, as well as improving circulation, joint suppleness, flexibility and overall health.

Physical relaxation techniques are only effective if they address the mind, too, and yoga is based on the concept that physical exercises are linked to mental and spiritual development. There are several different types of yoga, and Hatha yoga - which concentrates on posture and exercise - is the most widely practised in the West. Like all therapies, it is best to receive training from a qualified teacher, who will help you achieve mental control and the right yoga positions for you.

Yoga and meditation go hand in hand in helping you achieve mind-body harmony. Meditation uses the power of the mind to control thoughts, calm the body and achieve a state of heightened mental or spiritual awareness. By focusing your mind on a particular object or vision, you can screen out distractions and induce a state of profound relaxation and serenity to overcome feelings of stress. Those experienced in meditation can enter a trance-like state in which the brain generates theta waves, a type of brain wave associated with profound relaxation. Meditation reduces muscle tension and is an excellent way to help you sleep at the end of a stressful day.

Meditation exercise
Sit comfortably on the floor with your legs crossed, back straight and your hands resting lightly on your knees. Close your eyes. Imagine a favourite picture or a flower, or repeat a silent sound in your mind. Try to clear your mind of all thoughts and direct all your senses inwards. With practice it is possible to maintain a level of spiritual awareness and tranquillity that transcends everyday experience.

Daily meditation can help to reduce blood pressure and the adverse effects of stress hormones, while the slower, deeper breathing techniques of yoga can induce more profound relaxation.

Breathing forms a major part of yoga, as it embodies a person's 'prana' or life force. When your mind is at rest, your breathing will be slow, calm and regular and you will move your whole rib cage and diaphragm. When you feel under stress, however, your breathing will naturally become faster, more shallow and irregular, involving the upper part of your rib cage only. Ancient mystics recognised the close relationship between stress levels and breathing, which is why breath control – known as pranayama – forms an important part of yoga. By controlling breathing, a yogi is said to rejuvenate his body and mind to gain health, strength, longevity and spiritual enlightenment.

Breathing exercise
A pranayama exercise, known as the Complete Breath, is useful to calm and soothe the mind so you achieve relaxation:

Remove your shoes and loosen your clothing. Lie down on the floor or bed, with your arms relaxed at your sides. Close your eyes, and breathe in slowly through your nose. Then breathe out slowly, also through your nose, ideally allowing your out-breath to last twice as long as your in-breath. Continue breathing in and out, slowly and deeply, until you feel calm.

When you feel ready, breathe in slowly and, at the same time, raise your arms above your head. As you do this, imagine your lungs expanding and filling with pure, nourishing air. As you slowly breathe out, lower your arms to your sides again and relax. Repeat this sequence as many times as you like.

Although yoga is best learned from a teacher, it can be self-taught. The following exercise is an example from the range of yoga positions that can help you achieve relaxation through posture and breathing.

The Triangle (Trikonasana)
Stand comfortably with your legs slightly more than a shoulder-width apart, with your feet facing forward. Breathe in, and raise your arms out to the sides at shoulder height. Bend sideways, so that one arm is straight up in the air, and the other hand slides down your leg.

Breathe regularly and hold the position for at least 30 seconds, gradually increasing to one minute. Make sure you keep looking forward, not down, that your knees and upper elbow are straight, and that your body and feet are not twisted. Return to your original position as you inhale.

Repeat the exercise again, bending to the other side.