For men, the best way of clothing your bottom half in advance of a Yoga session will be a pair of loose trousers. Not too loose, you don’t want them to fall down when you’re attempting a hand stand, but if you’re looking for the right trousers, a pair that are baggy in the groin is simply essential, given that there will be no little movement in that area. A bit of leg space will also be desirable, just to give you that space.

For ladies it actually goes the other way. A pair of tight leggings would be beneficial for getting yourself twisted into some of the more challenging shapes. Anything loose will begin to travel south, and no matter how relaxing Yoga may be, you’ll feel pretty darn uptight if you end up flashing everyone in the middle of the lotus position.

On the top half, men should go for a t-shirt which is not too baggy nor too tight. Too tight will cause difficulty and restricted breathing, too loose and it will get in the way. For ladies, a camisole top is your best bet. Giving enough support to avoid back pain while not making you feel like you’ve been cut in two, it really gives the best of all worlds.

Oh, and no shoes. That’s just a given.

These poses go only a little bit further than simple sitting, standing and lying down. The idea behind them is a simple path to relaxation, to shake off the everyday stresses one is feeling, and to give people a start towards performing the more complex poses and attaining a heightened state of relaxation.

If you have looked at people doing Yoga and have been put off by the complexity of their poses and the amount of time you deem would be necessary to reach that level, then there is a simple entry point to yoga for beginners. Very simple, in fact – you begin by standing. Yes, standing. This is achieved simply by standing straight with feet together, hands touching thighs. And that’s it. This pose is intended to achieve a stable pulse.

Now you know how to stand, you’ll be interested to hear about other methods of doing Yoga. Well, sitting is next up. Unlike the average methods of sitting, this does not involve a chair. It requires you to sit on the floor with legs together and outstretched, toes turned upwards and palms rested on the floor.

Of course these are the most simple steps concerned with Yoga, and to get the greatest benefit out of it you will need to do a bit more work. But they do exemplify how simple the beginnings of yoga are.

One of the most important aspects of Yoga etiquette is to be on time. If you are anything over 10 minutes late, most would consider it rude to enter the class and interrupt. It is much better to chalk it up to experience and wait for the next class, rather than disturbing the tranquillity of the class in progress.

Once inside the studio, begin by removing your shoes and turning your cell phone off. If you forget and it does ring, try and own up immediately and turn it off as quickly as possible. This is apparently one of the biggest pet hates for Yoga followers during a class, though, so wherever possible do remember to turn it off before you even enter the room.

Outside of common courtesy, there is etiquette specific to Yoga. During the final relaxation, known as Savasana, it is immensely frustrating for others and even viewed as rude if you leave. Although by this point you may consider the class finished, it isn’t, and you should always observe Savasana and leave only when directed to by your teacher. If you do need to learn early, inform your teacher and take an earlier Savasana, but keep these occasions to a minimum.

At all times, try to respect the tranquillity of the studio and other followers. If you need to use the bathroom, do it only where there are specific rest periods during the class. These are frequent, so you should be able to wait.

Keep these in mind when attending your first Yoga class, and nothing can go wrong.

The most obvious health benefit of yoga is flexibility. Over time, anyone practising yoga will see a huge increase in the flexibility of muscles and joints such as the back, hamstrings, shoulders and hips. A greater level of flexibility is hugely beneficial for anyone suffering from chronic pain, particularly back pain caused by sitting for long hours in a car or at a computer. As Yoga strengthens muscles and encourages development, many practitioners find general pain greatly reduced.

Yoga also requires a core level of strength, which can be developed and added to over time. Many Yoga poses require supporting your body weight on just one limb, while the slow movements of yoga help to build up strength. This, too, can help with chronic pain, as well as helping correct any problems in your alignment, another cause of general chronic pain.

Yoga also uses many breathing exercises, known as Pranayama. This encourages better breathing in general, which over time will continue outside of a Yoga class. Most people breathe very shallowly and will find focusing and controlling their breathing does indeed improve health, in particular clearing nasal passages and calming the central nervous system.

As well as this, Yoga can be used specifically to help alleviate the symptoms and problems caused by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. A study was published by the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1998, which revealed that sufferers of Carpal Tunnel who participated in Yoga for eight weeks saw a greater improvement than those who did not. The poses found most effective were those that involved stretching, opening and strengthening the joints of the upper body.

With further benefits including stress reduces and general physical fitness, Yoga can play a dominant role in all-round physical well-being.

Yet Yoga’s history may stretch back even further than that. Several seals discovered at the Indus Valley Civilization – an Ancient Indian civilization – depicted human figures in what appeared to be Yoga poses.

This gives yoga a firm place in Indian culture, with a history spanning centuries. It has long been associated with the Hinduism, though it is also found in other religions such as Buddhism and even Islam. The primary reason for yoga in early Indian culture was for meditative purposes.

In the 15th century, Hatha Yoga was introduced to practice and is now one of the most popular yoga branches. Hatha Yoga was one of the first practices to try and unite mental clarification with physical fitness, as it is based on the concept that through physical exertion, mental and spiritual clarity can be achieved. Hatha Yoga is where some of the most recognisable types of postures and positions come from.

It is fair to say that the multitude of people practising yoga in today’s society focus more on the physical rather than the mental aspects, with the religious connection of yoga almost entirely removed. Yet even today, in India where yoga began, it is still a regular part of life for any devout Hindu man. Like anything with such a long and varied history, yoga has moved with the times and is now available to all, for whatever purpose.