We shall now consider pain in connection with the practice of yoga. First of all you should ab don the idea that exercising only helps if it is painful. Exercising should not be painful, partic- ularly afterwards. There are very few exceptions to this rule. Pain should ease after a while; it can be released with exhalation or sustained sensitive stretching. As mentioned above, where there are serious signs and symptoms a medical investiga- tion is necessary before using yoga as a therapy or adjunct to a medical treatment. This also applies to serious pain