A yoga class for students with disabilities has been dropped at a Canadian university, over concerns the practice is culturally insensitive.

Jennifer Scharf told The Washington Post she had taught the class at the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Students with Disabilities since 2008.

She was surprised to receive an email from a student representative informing her that the class would be cancelled.

“I think that our centre agreed … that while yoga is a really great idea, accessible and great for students, that there are cultural issues of implication involved in the practice,” the student representative wrote.

“I have heard from a couple students and volunteers that feel uncomfortable with how we are doing yoga while we claim to be inclusive at the same time.

“Yoga has been under a lot of controversy lately due to how it is being practiced and what practices from what cultures (which are often sacred spiritual practices) they are being taken from.

“Many of these cultures are cultures that have experienced oppression, cultural genocide and diasporas due to colonialism and western supremacy, and we need to be mindful of this and how we express ourselves and while practicing yoga.”

Yoga originated in India, which was once colonised by the British.

Ms Scharf responded to the email by saying she was “disappointed” by the news and had tried to teach yoga in a sensitive manner.