Yoga, when done correctly, can help us be more present in everyday tasks, more mindful of our actions and more compassionate towards other people. Yoga can help you feel more comfortable in your body, less likely to sustain an injury, and more capable of doing what you ask. Practiced in the ‘wrong’ way, however, we can very easily create narcissism, over-competitiveness, a huge ego, and a body that is over-stretched, overworked, maybe able to look great in an Instagram photo, but not much else…
If yoga classes do not encourage flexibility and strength, what use is it when you’re not on a mat?
The balance between stability and ease
Sukham Asanamis one of the most well-known Yoga Sutras. It is often taught first in any training course. The sthirameaning “steady” or “stable”, and such often translated to “ease”. This idea of balancing steadiness’ and ‘ease’ is not only important for yoga poses but also every aspect of our lives and every part. Our tissues and bodily cells must be able to absorb nutrients, release toxins easily, and maintain their structure. Our bodies must be able to move around the world comfortably and safely. You also need to be able to lift, pull, pull, and carry your body every day.
Is there a miracle cure or an accident waiting to happen?!
If you are a yoga teacher, you’re likely to have ‘prescribed yoga’ for someone who complains of aching backs, stiff joints, and sore muscles. It’s so good! You’ll love taking a class. It’s amazing! !’ Sound familiar? You’ll find a yoga pose that can help with any problem, from chronic fatigue to IBS to back pain, headaches, and chronic fatigue. You might think it’s too good to be true if you spend ten minutes searching for yoga cures. The Telegraph, a UK newspaper broadsheet, published an article called “Why Yoga Cures Everything”. Yoga is gaining a lot of attention at the moment.
Yoga injuries are not given enough attention.
We are all familiar with ‘runners knee’ and ‘tennis elbow’ and the various injuries caused by different sports. You can find books, blogs, courses, and websites that provide information on how to prevent or heal injuries from various exercises. However, there is very little research on the causes and consequences of yoga injuries.
Swami Vishnudevananda brought with his wisdom and teachings from the East. He also brought the gift of meditation. Although we might think that yoga has only been popularized in the last ten years, people who have been practicing for 40-50 years have discovered that prolonged stretching, pulling, binding, and bending can cause a variety of painful injuries, nerve damage and worn-out joints, as well as chronic pain.
Flexibility: How much flexibility is too much?
Many start a yoga practice without realizing the difficulty involved in many postures or the strength and flexibility needed to do them. 99.9% of people[1] will also have underlying physical weakness and problems that make serious injury almost inevitable’, says Glenn Black, who has over 35 years of experience as a teacher and spent time studying with Iyengar.
Yoga postures aren’t necessarily bad. The danger lies in how we practice them and the attitude with which they are done. An Ashtanga practitioner and yoga teacher, Diane Bruni reported that she suffered a remarkable injury because of her extraordinary flexibility. After a class that included deep hip-openers, forward-bends and hip-openers, she folded forwards into Paschimottanasana (seated forward bend) and tore her hip muscles.