Avoiding the Dangers of Yoga

By Jill Lawson for DietsInReview.com

In our modern world, yoga is taught in a wide array of places by teachers with experiences ranging from a lifetime to a weekend. Two of the eight limbs of yoga, breath work and postures (pranayama and asana), have created deep grooves on the face of yoga like a well worn yoga mat. Since the limb of asana involves physical activity, we must treat it as such. As with other types of activity, it is important to proceed with caution.

In reference to the New York Times Article “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body,” yoga injuries occur when the student, for whatever reason, goes beyond a safe range of motion. Any time we do something physical, great care must be adopted to avoid injury at all costs.

Relative to who we are and how we practice, the following red flags are important to watch out for when you take your next yoga class or embark on your next physical endeavor, so that the benefits outweigh the risks.

Request for Extreme Flexibility

For some, too much flexibility leads to muscle instability and this in itself can cause an assortment of problems later in life. While pushing past your limits in a yoga class can cause muscle tears, tendon inflammation, or worse, ligamentous sprains, you can incur these injuries while doing almost anything physical if you are not careful. Moderate flexibility offers many benefits. Staying within a healthy range while practicing the yoga poses will help you gain the benefits without the risks brought on by pushing too far.

Ignorance of Pre-Existing Conditions

No two bodies are exactly the same. Some of us may suffer from conditions such as high blood pressure, scoliosis, osteoporosis or other unique issues that require caution. Thankfully, yoga as a whole can help such conditions. The key is in adopting the proper method of yoga, and practice it with caution.

Inappropriate Pairing of Fitness Level

A select few have such athletic prowess that they can perform new and unfamiliar activities with ease. Most of us need a lot more coaching and must start with the basics before proceeding to something more complex. Just as we wouldn’t play in the Superbowl if we’ve never donned a football helmet, we wouldn’t want to try a yoga pose that is beyond our ability. A continued practice however, will improve physical fitness over time so we can do a little bit more and feel a little bit stronger.

Lack of Body Awareness

This is the most important red flag to watch out for to avoid injury. It is easy for a yoga teacher to tell their students, or for us to tell ourselves for that matter, that we need to honor our limits and work within our range, but not everyone has a keen sense of what those limits actually are. Luckily, we do gain more awareness with an evolving yoga practice, but it is necessary to take it slow.

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Read more: Health, Fitness, Yoga, sports injuries, yoga

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Shalvah L.

5:11AM PST on Jan 20, 2012

I think body awareness is very important. I did yoga with a very certified teacher who from time to time would ask me if I wanted to try the head stand. I just don´t feel that pose would be right for me and just told her not yet...My body, no spare parts...

send a green star

Sri V.

12:12AM PST on Jan 17, 2012

It is regrettable that yoga is treated as an exercise with the usual tendency to push to the limit. Traditionally yoga starts with the control of the body leading to the control of the mind.Along with it goes a largely spartan largely vegetarian diet(using a lot of antioxidant and cleansing herbs) and the use of Ayurveda and medicated oil massage. Many of the problems arise out of misunderstanding yoga and making it strenuous. The strenuous exercises are for lifelong disciplined(esp food) yogis. By a certain age unless they are teachers yogis shift to spiritual pursuits to prepare themselves for their release. It is time for the yoga teachers and students to bear these in mind

Valli S.

4:24AM PST on Jan 16, 2012

Good points.

Lu Ann P.

9:44PM PST on Jan 15, 2012

Thanks

Vera T.

5:46AM PST on Jan 15, 2012

Find a good teacher - yoga can only do good, and can be done right up into your 80's and over - I have been practising hatha yoga now since the early 1960's and it has never done me any harm, in fact I'd probably be a geriatric shuffler now if I hadn't participated in the great stretches and flexible postures which you experience from that particular form of exercise.

Kathy P.

4:53PM PST on Jan 14, 2012

thank you, and Kelly B I agree

Rebecca S.

11:46AM PST on Jan 14, 2012

Ah yes...to much flexibility and not enough muscle strength is not great...I would know...my muscle slides too much now from doing lots of ballet.

Sue H.

11:45AM PST on Jan 14, 2012

"Dangers of Yoga"!!! Another alarmist headline. Good information in the article but why not create a headline that is more in keeping with the article?

Chad A.

1:26AM PST on Jan 14, 2012

The few times I have done yoga, I have been very happy to be paired with a very realistic and sensitive instructor who always puts these concerns forward at the beginning.

Robert O.

4:02PM PST on Jan 13, 2012

Thanks Brandi.