A dear friend, and founder of Journey Within studio in Malaysia posted this great article up on Facebook. Wishing you all a safe, pain-and-injury-free practice!
SEVEN WAYS TO PREVENT YOGA INJURIES
Yoga students and teachers can reduce the risk of injury by paying attention to the following :-
1) Attitude – “I have observed that injures happen less often when people have an attitude of devotion, surrender, acceptance and honesty,” says Louise Ellis, an Ashtanga Yoga teacher. “Injury is more likely when there is an attitude of competition, greed, insensitivity, hurrying and attachment to the results of the practice. When the ego gets involved wanting results, that’s not really Yoga-that’s exercise.”
2) Alignment – “Yoga is risky because you’re asking the body to move into the greatest range of motion possible,” notes John Friend, founder of Anusara Yoga. “Without a focus on good alignment, we’ll continue to see a lot of injuries.”
3) Previous Injuries - Past injuries, particularly to joints, are vulnerable to reinjury. Teachers should ask new students about injuries, and students should communicate special needs to instructors- before class if they’re embarrassed to mention concerns in front of a group.
4) Danger Signals- “If your breath gets exaggerated or you have to open your mouth to breathe, this can be a sign that you’re going past your thresholds,” says Edward Modestini, who notes that an individual’s thresholds may vary from day to day depending on diet, sleep, emotions and other factors. Other danger signals, he notes, are “shaking beyond control or when the pose feels as if it’s collapsing instead of ascending.
5) Transitions – “People forget that two-thirds of the practice is going in and coming out of poses with control,” says Ana Forrest, founder of Forrest Yoga Circle. “These are two places where people often don’t pay attention and can tweak old injuries or create new ones.”
6) Individual “Edge” – An essential part of practicing Yoga is developing the awareness to know when to reach and when to rest. In a mindful practice, the act of nonharming self backing off and resting is really the true yoga.
7) Finding a Good Teacher – “What makes a good teacher is his or her deep respect for the student, not their students getting their palms on the floor,” says yoga teacher Judith Hanson. “Trust your gut. If the teacher isn’t willing to create an environment where individual differences are respected, I wouldn’t study with them.”
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| Did Kitty get hurt doing the Downward Dog?? (Image from myveryworstroommate.com) |
SEVEN WAYS TO PREVENT YOGA INJURIES
Yoga students and teachers can reduce the risk of injury by paying attention to the following :-
1) Attitude – “I have observed that injures happen less often when people have an attitude of devotion, surrender, acceptance and honesty,” says Louise Ellis, an Ashtanga Yoga teacher. “Injury is more likely when there is an attitude of competition, greed, insensitivity, hurrying and attachment to the results of the practice. When the ego gets involved wanting results, that’s not really Yoga-that’s exercise.”
2) Alignment – “Yoga is risky because you’re asking the body to move into the greatest range of motion possible,” notes John Friend, founder of Anusara Yoga. “Without a focus on good alignment, we’ll continue to see a lot of injuries.”
3) Previous Injuries - Past injuries, particularly to joints, are vulnerable to reinjury. Teachers should ask new students about injuries, and students should communicate special needs to instructors- before class if they’re embarrassed to mention concerns in front of a group.
4) Danger Signals- “If your breath gets exaggerated or you have to open your mouth to breathe, this can be a sign that you’re going past your thresholds,” says Edward Modestini, who notes that an individual’s thresholds may vary from day to day depending on diet, sleep, emotions and other factors. Other danger signals, he notes, are “shaking beyond control or when the pose feels as if it’s collapsing instead of ascending.
5) Transitions – “People forget that two-thirds of the practice is going in and coming out of poses with control,” says Ana Forrest, founder of Forrest Yoga Circle. “These are two places where people often don’t pay attention and can tweak old injuries or create new ones.”
6) Individual “Edge” – An essential part of practicing Yoga is developing the awareness to know when to reach and when to rest. In a mindful practice, the act of nonharming self backing off and resting is really the true yoga.
7) Finding a Good Teacher – “What makes a good teacher is his or her deep respect for the student, not their students getting their palms on the floor,” says yoga teacher Judith Hanson. “Trust your gut. If the teacher isn’t willing to create an environment where individual differences are respected, I wouldn’t study with them.”
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