We shall now consider pain in connection with the practice of yoga. First of all you should abandon the idea that exercising only helps if it is painful. Exercising should not be painful, particularly 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 investigation is necessary before using yoga as a therapy or adjunct to a medical treatment. This also applies to serious pain