Yoga-Related Injury

Ouch! I just read an alarming statistic - according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were more than 3,700 yoga-related injuries treated in doctors' offices, clinics, and ERs in 2004.

As a yoga therapist in training, it pains me to see people getting injured by what's supposed to be a healing practice. The goal of yoga is not to force your body, but to get in touch with your body and honor it.

As a yoga therapist, I use asana to heal, not harm. Yoga isn't a competition. It's not about perfection. It's not about forcing the body into someone else's pose. It's not about struggling to keep up with a pace that's too quick for you. It's not about gymnastics or forcing your body into a pose that it isn't ready for.

Correct form is important. While I don't believe in the strict adherence to form, which in my mind promotes this desire for perfection, I do believe in understanding basic body mechanics to avoid injury. When I work with students and clients, I stress correct alignment and body mechanics but I allow experimentation within those boundaries. After all, Warrior pose is going to look different on someone with tight hips than someone with more hip flexibility. Neither pose is better.

I can still remember when, after only having practiced yoga sporadically over a period of years, I decided to put a Rodney Yee video (yep, back before the good ole' DVD) in my VCR and practice for an hour. I floundered about and had no real presence in my poses. But what I remember most about that practice was Wheel pose. I watched Rodney execute a beautiful Wheel, and thought, "I can do that. After all, I've been working out regularly for years." Rather than start out in Bridge, I went directly into wheel. What a mistake! I'm lucky that I didn't hurt myself. Luckily, I came to my senses and realized that I was pushing way too hard.

Today I stay mindful in my practice. That doesn't mean that I sometimes don't overdo it. I do on occasion. But I've learned the fine line between pushing my edge and falling over the edge. I have a better sense of what my body is capable of doing and how far I can go before injuring it.

Listen to your body. Be safe. Don't be afraid to backoff. Don't let a teacher dictate how deep you should go into a pose - let your body rule.

Namaste!