4 Tips for Avoiding Yoga Injuries, by Eddie Modestini
It seems like every yogi has a tale of a bum knee, shoulder, or sacroilliac (SI) joint. But getting injured in yoga class often means something is out of alignment in your practice, says Eddie Modestini, a longtime student of K. Pattabhi Jois and B.K.S. Iyengar.
“Sometimes the body isn’t ready for what’s going on,” says Modestini. Here, Modestini offers four tips for avoiding injury:
- Don’t exceed your threshold.
How do you know that you’re exceeding your threshold? If you have to open your mouth to breathe. All yoga breathing should be done through the nose. If you’re shaking uncontrollably, meaning you can’t stop the shaking by focusing on the posture, focusing on the breath, or by backing off a little bit, then you’re beyond your threshold. Another indication that you’re beyond your threshold is if any part of your body goes numb. Sharp pain is also an indication. Sharp pain in a joint is always contraindicated — never, ever in yoga should there be sharp pain in a joint or basically anywhere in your body.
- Learn your personal alignment.
Yoga is so personal. Yoga postures don’t really have alignment, people have alignment. If your alignment is correct, it might be incorrect for another person. Some people have restrictions in the joints and muscles or mental and emotional restrictions—all of these need to be taken into account.
- Stop going to classes that are too advanced for you.
It’s really because of the schedule. People don’t look at level, they look at the time they have available. In the Western world, people also tend to see themselves as more advanced than they really are.
- Find a yoga teacher instead of a class leader.
Many teachers are not really teaching, they’re just leading classes, and there’s a huge difference. Some teachers are concerned with students, but don’t know how to look at a student and get them into their center, emotionally, mentally, and physically. To be centered is different for every individual.