The Yoga In Healthcare Alliance (YIHA) is a UK-registered charity (1190806) dedicated to integrating the benefits of yoga into healthcare. YIHA works with the NHS and other health professionals to support patients and help them make lifestyle changes. YIHA was commissioned by the NHS to create the 10-week Yoga4Health social prescribing programme, which is delivered by over 400 Yoga4Health teachers in the UK and abroad. YIHA is home to a growing number of yoga teachers who wish to be associated with our mission.
The vision of the Yoga in Healthcare Alliance (YIHA) is to promote health and wellbeing by making yoga more accessible. By initially collaborating with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and supporting their unique position as a public health service, our aim is to create a successful model that can be used to help integrate yoga into additional health care systems throughout the world.
We are committed to
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 (systematic reviews of randomised control trials) 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.
Provide training to yoga teachers and healthcare professionals to enable them to provide the Yoga4Health Protocol as a social prescribing intervention for the healthcare service. Patients are also able to self-refer onto the protocol. YIHA also provides a support network for those trained to deliver the Y4H protocol, providing update training, conferences and tutors meetings to share best practice and network. The Y4H protocol is accredited by the Personalised Care Institute and YIHA have created a similar programme, Yoga4NHS, to support healthcare professionals in the prevention of work related stress and burn out. This is currently undergoing accreditation with the Royal College of GPs. Further information on all of YIHA's activities can be found via the website.
