6 Tips on Preventing Yoga Injuries for Students

You know the post-yoga class bliss. The body feels limber, longer, and more relaxed. The chatter in the mind has either dissipated or become more focussed and clearer.  It’s a beautiful feeling.  Unfortunately, though, injuries can sometimes arise during or after a class. Why does this happen and how can we avoid it?

Photo by Fern

Photo by Fern

1. Be ready for the class.  Arrive early enough so that you can settle in, get warm if it’s cold outside, catch your breath if you’ve been rushing, and take the time to observe how you’re feeling.

2. Inform the teacher.  If you notice something bothering you before the class begins, or you have a recurring injury or pain, let the yoga teacher know, so they can provide safer options for you throughout the class.

3. Pay attention to the teacher’s cues.  The instructions the teacher gives are not about achieving “perfect posture.” The breathing exercises and alignment cues the teacher describes are designed to help you move with awareness and prevent injury. The order of poses may also be important. For example; it’s best to do some gentle twists after back bends, but not before finishing all the back bend poses.

4. Move at your own pace.   If the class is going too quickly for you to follow along safely, then slow down. Don’t push yourself into the next pose until you are ready to move. A good  yoga teacher will observe and either slow down or wait for you until they proceed.

5. Take the poses in stages.  Your teacher may provide stages or variations for the class. Move through each of them with awareness, and only if it feels easy move to the next. If you feel pain, lose balance, or your breath becomes difficult, then reverse back to the last option. If the teacher doesn’t provide options, just ask, or take one that you have already learned.

  6. Take breaks when you need to.   If your energy levels start to drain or you start to lose focus, take a break in child’s pose or downward facing dog or corpse pose. If you’ve ever noticed how much more clumsy you get when tired or distracted, then you can also see how you can do yourself harm if you continue to push yourself through the class with low energy or lack of focus.

  7. Ask questions.  Yes, this is a hard one because you don’t want to interrupt the class. But if you’re struggling with a pose and can’t figure out how to make it more safe for yourself: stop! Get out of the pose and motion the teacher over so you can ask quietly.

We give yoga in Berlin, Kreuzberg. Our teachers are injury conscious and will be happy to assist you before and through-out the class with tailored variations for your yoga poses. We believe that the increased awareness that we cultivate in our yoga classes together with the suggested variations for your unique body, make a difference both to practicing yoga in daily life and to the yoga benefits you take with you after class.

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