Hepatitis C affects around four and a half million people in the United States and more than two hundred million people worldwide. The repercussions of this disease can be devastating both physically and emotionally. One woman survived the intense treatment without missing a beat and continues to resist the effects of the disease, and she credits yoga as the reason.

About five years ago, after years of not sleeping well, I developed chronic insomnia. Like thousands of people afflicted with the inability to do what should come naturally – falling asleep easily, sleeping deeply and waking up refreshed – I was desperate and had no idea of where to turn to get help, or how I could begin to crawl myself out of this grey, lifeless and perennially tired world I had found myself in, or the unrelenting daily cycle of despair, anxiety and obsession that severe sleep deprivation brings.

You’ve probably heard about the menopause which affects women. You’ll be surprised to learn that men experience something similar. The condition is known as ‘andropause’. Andropause is a Greek word and andro means ‘man’, and ‘pause’ means to stop.