Sri T Krishnamacharya, widely considered to be the father of modern Yoga, taught that people come to Yoga for a wide variety of reasons, but usually as a result of some discomfort or ‘suffering’ (dhukha) which they are seeking to resolve. Throughout his long lifetime, he demonstrated with great expertise how the practices of Yoga could be used to meet a variety of individual needs which he explained can be arranged into three broad groups:

• Yoga for recovery – from injury, illness, divorce, redundancy or bereavement for example.
• Yoga for support – to sustain positive physical and mental health conditions.

Yoga for learning/development – to deepen understanding of Yoga or perhaps to develop skills which support greater clarity, harmony and health.