Well, I can definitely say that yoga works for me, when everything else that I've tried (therapy, long periods on anti depressants) did little in dealing with my long term problems with depression, anger, alcohol abuse etc. I have been concentrating on my practice for several years now, and I cannot imagine being without it.

I have had some lessons, but I mainly work on my own. It is best to start with a teacher so that your practice is safe. This must be your first consideration. Err on the side of caution. Also, there are so many different approaches. If, like me, your principal concern is to achieve inner peace, perhaps most traditional approaches, rather than 'Yogacise' classes are best.

Is very much an individual thing. I tried meditation, but with limited success. I think that yoga and meditation get you to the same place, but I found the body awareness, movement awareness, and so on involved in yoga fitted in with me.

I think one thing that keeps me at it, is that I try to make it as enjoyable as I can. I have worked to make a really nice environment for my practice, using incence, sound, and imagery so that its sort of about art as well! I have developed a routine that works for me. And I take it easy. To me, its about how I'm going to be next year, not next week. Also, I go to a 'proper' class, occasionally. You can always learn.

For me, the main thing is learning how to let go of the negativity in my life, instead of clinging on to it. All that anger and pain that would just keep going round and round, in the worst of times from when I woke up, till when I fell asleep, and then a night of bad dreams and fractured sleep.

I'm not saying that I'm 100% cured, but just better than I was, and off meds, and seldom binge drinking etc. Good luck if its what you'd decide to do. Take it easy. And you don't have to do either yoga or therapy. Do both!