Karthikeyan Sethuraman, Yoga Therapist & Founder, Mindful Yogis

I work with people managing chronic health conditions, particularly non-communicable conditions in which stress, lifestyle, and daily patterns may also play a part.

The first thing I do is listen. Before suggesting a practice, I want to understand your situation properly: your condition, your history, what you are hoping to change, and what is realistic within your present capacity and daily life.

My approach is based on a simple idea. Patterns develop over time. They can influence how we move, breathe, rest, respond to stress, and relate to our own health. Yoga therapy gives us a way to work with some of these patterns through practice.

My role is to understand, guide, adapt, and review. The larger part of the work belongs to you. Change does not come from a single session or simply from receiving guidance. It develops through the practice you are able to return to consistently.

This is different from a general yoga class. Therapeutic work begins by understanding the person in front of me and considering what may actually be appropriate for their condition, capacity, and circumstances.

Meaningful change generally does not come from a few isolated sessions. This is why programmes at Mindful Yogis are structured over several weeks, with time to practise, observe what changes, and adapt the practice where needed.

A diagnosis also affects more than the body. It can change how you think about yourself, your future, and what you can rely on. I know something of this from living with multiple sclerosis myself. There is a difference between having a condition explained to you and learning how to live with it day by day.

Where you are already working with a doctor, specialist, physiotherapist, psychologist, or another healthcare professional, my work sits alongside that care.