When deciding which Yoga classes to attend you will probably be weighing up several factors:

• When are the classes?
• What style of Yoga is it?
• Where are they held?
• How much does it cost?

However, equally important, or perhaps more so are some questions that we don't ask:

• What training did the teacher do?
• Who did they train with?
• What are the core values of the training organisation?
• Do they practice Yoga themselves?

It is wonderful that Yoga is becoming so popular, yet this is creating a shortfall in teachers and unfortunately, in some cases this can lead to people moving into teaching before they are ready.

At Axis Yoga we believe that qualified and knowledgeable teachers are key to ensuring you get the most from our classes.

We are often asked why we chose Axis Yoga as the name for our school.

In order to lead happy contented lives we need to develop the skills necessary to bring balance to our lives. We must ensure that no single aspect is allowed to dominate the others. Imagine the axis of symmetry of a set of scales in perfect balance...

Our mates laugh at us, and we pull their legs over the daftest things so will you get laughed at for doing yoga? Well if we're going to be perfectly honest, the answer is probably going to be yes! You are guaranteed to hear the following comments:

• Yoga is for girls
• You're only doing it to sit in a room full of ladies in leotards
• Have you learned yogic flying yet?

So a better question might be "Is their laughter justified?" With renowned 'tough guys' and even premiership footballers turning to yoga, the answer to that one is a resounding NO!

There is no doubt that doing some exercise is better than doing none. In the UK we are experiencing an obesity epidemic, with rising rates of related diseases such as diabetes and coronary heart disease and regular sensible exercise has a part to play in addressing this national problem. However, simply going to a gym and working with weights, or hitting the road for a run is rarely a long term solution...

Yoga is growing enormously in popularity, and is making an appearance in popular culture such as TV and Films and even featuring in Wii fit on the Nintendo.

To most of us in the west, 'Yoga' is a set of physical exercises that often involve stretching poses. Perhaps we have heard of famous people such as Sting or Madonna who have spoken publicly on the benefits of Yoga.

So what is Yoga exactly?