When Not To Listen To Your Yoga Teacher

Here's how you injure yourself in yoga...

Jumping

First up, you jump yourself into a position you are not ready for.

In this instance you are using momentum, coupled with the weight of your body.

Now all this energy you have created needs to land somewhere. If you don't have a graceful way of absorbing all this momentum, then there is potential for injury.

Think jumping into headstand. The neck can absorb the energy, if you are not strong enough to handle your own body weight.

Another common 'momentum' potential for injury, is jumping into plank. The lower back absorbs momentum in this move.

Try stepping into plank or jumping into chaturanga (where the bent elbows help with the transfer of energy).

Over Stretching

Next up is over stretching. This is as it sounds. You simply pull muscles too far, too fast.

Hammies come to mind here. Hammie injuries from overstretching are painful. Don't go there. Warm up and know your limits. Ride the edge.

Over Use

Finally, we've got over use. This type of injury is usually associated with joints and constant pressure applied to the same location. Think wrist injuries from handstand practice or chaturangas.

The key here is to identify that you seem to be doing a fair few of these moves and to move the pressure point.

The pressure point can be moved by increasing (think about it) the angle of extension. This is the angle between the back of your hand and your forearm, when the wrist is extended, in hand balance position.

You can do this by coming onto your fingertips for some vinyasas to give your wrists a rest (or skip them all together, and just push back to down dog).

With handstand (or arm balance practice), try placing a wedge under the heel of your palm to move the pressure point on your wrist to a different location.

Of course, if you are now constantly applying pressure to the new pressure point, then there is potential for injury at the new pressure point.

Time yourself or stick to a strict count of how many times you are say, going to practice handstand, koundinyasana, etc

Most Cues Are Guidelines Or Suggestions

Now onto the actual post. You see.

Yoga teachers are cuing tail tucks,  knees bent, flared ribs and collapsed sides as though if you don't do this you will injure yourself. This simply isn't true.

Tail tucks and bent knees and a whole host of other cues are simply guidelines or suggestions within a pose. As such they should be cued as suggestions or guidelines. Not life or death necessities.

Every rib cage collapsing on one side is an actual separation of ribs on the other side of the pose .i.e. a stretch (that may be feeling great).

Every hip that isn't square to the floor is a hip in greater extension (that may be feeling great).

So as a yoga student, you have choices. Sure you can tuck that tail or contain those ribs. But understand that this is at the expense of something else not extending as much.

Most of the time this choice comes down to stretch versus strength. You contain the ribs and square the hips to gain strength, at the expense of feeling less of a stretch.

Bottom line: If what the yoga teacher is saying, isn't related to the injuries we've discussed, then take it as a suggestion.

If it feels great to push your chest to the floor in down dog, go for it. This is one of those moves where if your body was going to get injured, it would let you know, and then you wouldn't do it.

"If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad." Sheryl Crow

Down with cuing nazi teachers, J.