Common Injuries And How To Avoid Them In The Yoga Discipline
Most doctors today, advise patients who have just undergone a surgery or have any sort of chronic pain, to try out yoga. It is widely used as a rehabilitation tool that can heal the scarred tissues, reduce trauma, and also increase the flexibility of the body. You may think at time, that just because Yoga is low impact, it is an injury-free modality. However, it is not so. There are two sides to everything, and the same goes for yoga.
Whatever you do on the mat is not always safe. The same holds true, especially when you do not do it under proper guidance, or at a good yoga school in India. It goes without saying, that yoga is a holistic discipline and has its roots in India. So, if you want proper yoga training, then it has got to be in India, and no where else. You will also gain various types of yoga certifications and can even have a full-fledged yoga career. You should always learn and practice yoga under experts. Let us delve into the ways, by which you can avoid some common injuries, and also learn what they actually are.
Avoiding Common Injuries During The Practice of Yoga
- The very first thing that is important, for yoga practice, is your concentration and awareness. You have to think about the present moment at all times, so as to be aware of what you are up to. Do not allow your thoughts to wander here and there. Those who constantly drift away while practicing yoga, often end up with injuries. Additionally, you also need to pay attention to your breath. Yoga is not just about asanas; it is as much about breathing techniques. When you combine both in a proper manner, wonders happen.
- Warming up before yoga practice is an extremely crucial step, which many yoga practitioners avoid. You have to give your body some time to switch modes. No matter what you do for a living, once you enter the yoga hall or your practice area, you need to give the body some time to adjust. Try sun salutations, which can warm up the body and give you the best start ever. Additionally, you have to be aware of the transitions. A good teacher at one of the best yoga schools in Rishikesh will guide you on the path, by following certain sequences. The plus point of the same is that, you flow from one pose to another. When you try to break out of a pose, and enter one that requires the activity of different muscle groups, injuries occur.
- Alignment is also very important in yoga. Your physical alignment must also be the same as your mental alignment. When you do a posture, with proper adjustments and alignments, you tend to get all the positive benefits of the asana. And, if you do it wrong, then injuries occur. Furthermore, you have to balance the poses well, by doing backbends, forward bends, side bends and inversions. Always do the asanas on either side, to solve issues with imbalance.
- Customization is the key to yoga practice. One size does not fit all, and it applies to yoga practice as well. Every person has a different body structure, so you need to know about modifications and variations, so as to work around limitations. Additionally, if you or a student practicing under you feels uncomfortable with a certain pose, you should provide props like cushions, bolsters, blocks, and straps, to ease the practice. Yoga is not about displaying your physical abilities, but enjoying the experience in a wholesome manner for a longer duration.
- You should always enroll for a yoga teacher training, at a renowned school, which has adequate experience and good faculty. Guidance is extremely important in yoga, and the wrong moves can lead to injuries and scarred tissues for life. You should not try to compete with others, during yoga practice. Your practice will differ, as you are an individual and strengths and weaknesses differ from one person to another.
- You must study Yoga anatomy and physiology properly, so that you know the location of the organs, bones, muscles, ligaments, tissues and muscles. It will become easy for you to work around body limitations, that way.
Common Injuries In Yoga
- Hamstring Attachment Issues – It is one of the most common injuries that yoga practitioners face. If you repeatedly overstretch without proper warm up, the area above the hamstring, where the tendons attach with the sitting bones, develops small tears. So, if you are too careless while doing forward bends, the tears can lead to scars for life.
- Wrist Pain – It is another common injury that bothers yoga practitioners. It mainly occurs, when you are into fast-moving postures or activities. You often allow the wrists to bear the weight of the entire body, without proper preparation. Sometimes, short duration poses involving arm balance do less harm. But when you do it for a longer duration, chronic pain can destroy your fitness for ever.
- Tightness In the Neck –Too much technology usage often leads to beck pain and stiffness. The already weak neck muscles are often the first to be hit, during yoga practice. In poses like Upward facing dog and Camel pose, you exert pressure that makes it worse in the long run. The cure for this, is to strengthen your shoulder muscles. If your shoulder muscles are strong, they will support the neck in a better manner.
- Rotator Cuff Injuries – Many of the poses require the practitioner to take the arms up, while doing yoga. If you do it in an incorrect manner, it can lead to rotator cuff injuries. You should strengthen the arms over a period of time. Try different push ups from time to time, so that when the time comes to use the rotator cuff muscles, you can do it without injuring them.
- Lower Back Pain –Yoga can relieve back pain. However, if your body is unprepared and you do the postures in the wrong manner, the opposite can happen. You will see such injuries occurring, when you try to compete with others in yoga. Stop that, and everything would be fine.
These are a few common injuries, which you can avoid by careful planning, preparation, and proper warm ups. So, the next time you are at the yoga class, remember these guidelines.
