Why do we get Yoga injuries?
We all know that a Yoga practise can be very helpful in terms of healing the body. Many even come to Yoga to treat an injury or to relieve chronic pain. However, as with everything there is a flip side: injuries caused by Yoga.
So why do Yoga injuries happen? In my experience there are a few common causes:
Imbalance in strength vs. flexibility. First of all, many people who are attracted to the more physical expressions of Yoga are often naturally quite flexible. If you are very flexible and not so strong AND you constantly keep stretching your body to these positions that require a very large range of motion it is more probable for you to over stretch than if you are a person living in a tighter body. Instead of properly engaging the muscles around the joints and letting the muscles and joints share the important job of holding your body against gravity, you might over work the joints which over time makes your joints burn out. This type of injury usually appears over a longer period of time. To avoid this, make sure to engage your muscles in your asana practise. Try not to just “hang” in your joints.
Ego. Instead of listening to your body and the messages it is sending, in the pursuit of that (Instagram) picture perfect shape you decide to push your body over the edge and SNAP! No, that snap wasn’t a camera, it actually was your body. It might be a small snap or a big snap. You might not be sure if you should stop your practise or to keep going until the end of the class. In my experience it is better to stop. Although it might look like the snap came out of nowhere, there are a few things that usually happen right before: you are thinking about how the pose should look instead of observing how it feels in your body, you begin to hold your breath, the muscles in you face begin to tense up and you can sense some discomfort in the body. To avoid this, try to stay patient with your practice and make sure to pay close attention to what your body is telling you.
Misalignment. This one can be, but is not necessarily connected to points 1 or 2. When you go to a Yoga class and the teacher asks you to align your knees with toes and wrists with shoulders etc. they do this so that you won’t end up putting too much strain on any one part of the body. Injuries out of misalignment don’t tend to happen during one class, instead they usually appear after repeating similar movements incorrectly for a longer period of time. To avoid this, make sure to build your practise a strong foundation. Learn your alphabet before you start writing a novel!
Previous unknown injury or condition. Some people have pre-existing conditions or limitations that they might not even be aware of before attending a Yoga class. Then after practising some time they begin to notice pain or a bad sensation that is aggravated every time they do their practice. To avoid this, try to stay mindful, if something hurts don’t do it. If you need to stop or leave the class it is OK. If your practice is causing you pain, talk to your teacher and/or to a medical professional.
Incorrect adjustments. There are some horror stories about students being injured by their Yoga teacher. It is not very common but it happens. If you feel or begin to feel uncomfortable while you are receiving an assist, you feel like the teacher is pushing you too far or hurting you make sure to speak up. Let your teacher know that it is not working for you. If your teacher is a professional they will be happy that you spoke up, if the teacher doesn’t stop / get’s mad / makes you feel bad in any way take it as a sign and don’t go back to that class.
These are a few of the things I have observed and experienced over the last few years. It is important to remember that getting injured isn’t something to be ashamed of and injuries can happen to anyone whether you are a Yoga newbie or an experienced Yogi. Luckily, most Yoga related injuries are not that severe and you will get through them with correct care and rest. But more about that in the next post… Meanwhile, remember to listen to your body and practice with intention!