The Yoga In Healthcare Alliance was established 5 years ago by Heather Mason to integrate the benefits of yoga into healthcare. There is a growing evidence base showing that yoga is an effective mind-body intervention to tackle ill health and promote wellness using a holistic self-care approach. YIHA's Board of Directors includes leading yoga teachers, yoga therapists, academics and healthcare professionals and has the following Mission Statement:
1. Promoting dialogue between all schools of yoga to offer a unified yet diverse vision of yoga’s role in health care.
2. Raising international awareness of the mental and physical health benefits of yoga by disseminating research evidence.
3. Empowering individuals to take active roles in maintaining and restoring their own health through yoga.
4. Providing guidance regarding which types of yoga are supported by evidence and for which ailments.
5. Communicating and collaborating on the drafting of health care policy in conjunction with interested providers.
6. Increasing accessibility to yoga for all populations.
YIHA works with the NHS generally and with the College of Medicine and Integrated Health in particular to promote a holistic vision of health which now chimes with the NHS's own Long Term objectives of Universal Personalised Care. YIHA was commissioned by the NHS West London Clinical Commissioning Group to create the Yoga4Health social prescribing 10-week yoga programme. This is offered to groups of 12-15 NHS patients at risk of becoming chronically ill (therefore it is a prevention programme). We take NHS patients at risk of developing cardio-vascular disease, at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, those who are socially isolation and those suffering from stress or mild-moderate anxiety/depression. The 10-week programme supports lifestyle change and developing a daily yoga practice to promote health and wellness, both physical and mental. YIHA is also the Secretariat of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Yoga (APPG) and has held numerous meetings at the Houses of Parliament to brief MPs, Peers and ministers on the evidence-based benefits of yoga and how yoga can ease the burden of lifestyle-related disease on the NHS.
