Yoga can be bad for you

Madonna and Geri Halliwell are among its devotees. But yoga, one of the most fashionable of heath fads, may be doing its followers more harm than good.

They are running the risk of muscle tears, damaged knees and splitting headaches.

Experts say under-qualified instructors are to blame as novices are encouraged to force their bodies into complicated positions they are not ready for.

Doctors and physiotherapists have seen a rise in the number of patients injured in this way.

Even popular positions such as the cobra and the plough, as well as headstands, can cause problems.

Miss Halliwell transformed her physique with the help of yoga and has produced her own yoga videos, while the exercise regime has helped keep Madonna in trim.

But its is feared that its popularity has led to an increase in the number of poorly qualified instructors.

Yoga's governing body, the British Wheel of Yoga, believes that only half the estimated 10,000 individuals now teaching yoga are properly qualified.

Some of those employed by sports centres have trained for only a month before receiving a certificate from a 'yoga training school'. The BWY says tutors should study for four years.

'There is a risk if an instructor is unqualified and doesn't know the anatomy and physiology,' said Maggie Small, a BWY approved teacher and representative for the City and North London. 'You can't possibly cover all that is required with just a short intensive course.'

She added that there was a tendency for novices to treat yoga competitively, trying to emulate those with more experience. 'People should build up,' she said. 'I wouldn't expect a novice to do much in the first ten weeks, I would expect them to be able to do basic breathing exercises and lots of stretches.

'Each person's body is different in terms of suppleness and flexibility and they have to work within their limitations.'

Miss Small said she had received phone calls from students who had been pushed into postures they were not ready for by instructors.

Keith Waldon, vice-chairman of the Society of Sports Therapists, said: 'If you go into it with too much enthusiasm before you are ready then there is potential to do harm.

'Sometimes people go into class situations and see everyone else doing things that they want to do and that is when injuries occur.'