Yoga, like any other form of exercise, can result in serious injuries if not practiced carefully.
Jumping into overly complex routines, your body may not be ready for, or practicing yoga poses incorrectly can raise your risk of various yoga injuries.
There are several other things you can do to ensure safe yoga practices:
Always warm-up
There are numerous benefits of warming up before starting your yoga session. Besides helping you avoid unsuccessful yoga and back injuries, warming up will also increase your muscles and body temperatures, which promote elasticity and minimize the chances of overexertion. Moreover, warm-ups lubricate joints allowing your body to get the most out of various yoga poses.
Never exceed your limit
All breathing that you do during your yoga practice should be through your nose. If you’re so overwhelmed that you have to breathe through your mouth, chances are that you’re pushing beyond your limit, and it’s time to take a break. Also, if you find yourself shaking uncontrollably, and you can no longer focus on your posture or breathe properly, then you’ve certainly exceeded your limit. Another indication that you’ve gone beyond your threshold is when you feel that any part of your body is less coordinated and just seemed sort of ‘dumb’ or when you feel pain.
Get to understand your alignment
You should realize that yoga poses don’t have alignment, but you do. You may execute your alignment properly for you, but that same posture may not work effectively for another person. Nonetheless, some people have limitations in their joints and muscles. Other people have mental or emotional limitations. So, you need to understand yourself—get to know your alignment as well as limitations to avoid pushing yourself beyond your abilities.
Uphold mindfulness
Listen to your inner voice and every muscle that works with it. Don’t push it beyond your comfort zone. Yoga is about improving your well-being, not ruining it. If you disregard what your body is telling you, you’ll actually be practicing yoga for back injuries and other health complications.
Props, Props & Props
Props allow you to experience the expected stretch of a pose even if your body doesn’t have the capacity to achieve the stretch. Props adjust gaps in the joints and other parts of the body preventing overexertion and relieving unnecessary stress on the body. It’s worth noting that different people need props for different situations. If you don’t know when props are appropriate in your yoga practice, consider seeking the advice of a yoga expert.
Find a Qualified Coach
There are plenty of free videos available online on how to prevent yoga injuries. However, it is imperative that you engage a real yoga instructor. Find someone who can pay attention to your practice, give you direction, and take time to work with you. Find a yoga teacher that suits your personal needs and is easily approachable.
While yoga has numerous benefits such as reduced stress, anxiety, and tension, increased strength, and flexibility, as well as mental and spiritual stability, yoga can cause a number of injuries if you don’t practice it in a correct manner.
The most common yoga injuries include the lower back, wrist, hip, elbow, neck, shoulder, hamstring, and knee injuries. If you put a lot of your body weight on your wrists, for example, you may end up with strained wrists.
