7 Ways To Prevent Yoga Injuries

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!

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.”

Pain, Pain, Go Away

... at least until AFTER my first week with Edward Clark and the Tripsichore 500 Hours Teacher Training Course, which will start in (yikes!) 12 days' time.


A slip in the bathroom back in February, which resulted in a slightly sprained thumb and a swollen ligament in my wrist, which I thought had healed, reared its ugly (and painful) head last week, when I upped the ante on my practice of arm balances and Adho Mukha Vrksasana while attempting to lift up from Bakasana to Adho Mukha Vrksasana. 


Wearing a wrist guard to teach Monday's Vinyasa Flow class at Journey Within brought not only many questions from the concerned practitioners (who probably had the illusion that teachers are walking examples of good health, perfectly toned bodies and heaven forbid, vegans!), but also a nagging pain when I demonstrated Urdhva Dhanurasana.


"Bloody hell" was the first thing that came to my mind when I got home that night.  I mean, who needs pain, especially at a crucial time like this?  But hang on.... 'crucial' to my ambitions and time-lined aspirations or 'crucial' to a lesson waiting to be learnt and life's test to pass with a curve ball thrown in?


"Ahimsa" was the second thing that set in, after the mild bout of frustration dissipated.  As I looked past the physical limitation, I am grateful that it is indeed ONLY physical and surely, temporary.  I am reminded that nothing is permanent, and with care, caution and non-violence, I will heal and be strong again.


Rolling out my mat this morning after 2 days of rest, I intuitively practised whatever that came to mind.  No prepped Vinyasa sequence, no theme, no affirmation.  I cut myself some slack and preferred the modified asanas as opposed to the stronger, final versions I usually practise. I put aside my little "Vinyasa Bible" of hand-drawn stick figures and notes, and just flowed with what felt right at the moment.  

Yoga teacher Jason Crandell once said and I quote, "the asanas aren't the practice, the asanas are the context. The practice is the observation of what's unfolding".

And that's basically what yoga is about anyway.  It's not about feeling frustrated about not perfecting handstand or holding in the Crow Pose for a minute.  I mean, isn't that what got me into this mess in the first place?  


Being a teacher and a yoga practitioner, it is just as important to give, as it is to self-nurture.  If you can't practice what you preach, you bring hypocrisy to the mat, when it should be Satya.  And to bring truth to life on and off the mat, you begin by accepting the Self and tuning inward to what the Self really needs.


Once you subscribe to what the Universe provides for you... desserts with cherry toppings, curve-balls, hiccups and all, you'll slowly learn to accept that the Universe does provide what you need for THAT very moment... and along with it, the lesson that you need to learn.  Kind of like a "buy one, free one" deal at the supermarket.


But hey, isn't life like that?


OM and much healing love.
xx