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Asana, How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body, mindfulness, The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards, William J. Broad, yoga, yoga risks and benefits
Recently, an article called How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body was published in the New York Times. I keep running across discussions about it in my internet travels, so I decided to say something about it here.
In general, the article talks about the increasing numbers of injuries in the yoga world, and the fact that many of those injuries are severe. Many of the responses I have seen to this article, although not all, have been what you might expect from the yoga community: a defensive posture that says that you won’t get injured if you are paying attention, listen to your body, have a good teacher, etc.
The truth of the matter is this: Injuries do happen. We are physical beings in physical bodies – we sustain injuries. It happens in the gym, it happens on the football field, it happens climbing a mountain, it happens on a casual walk through the woods. And yes, it happens in hatha yoga.
And while it is true that anyone can do yoga from the perspective that yoga is more than exercise and asana, it is also true that not every person should do hatha yoga. Not every person can do all asanas, and not all asanas are for every person.
More and more people are turning to yoga for their exercise needs, or for relaxation and meditation, and many people are turning to yoga because they believe they can’t be injured in such a gentle practice. Many people think that yoga is all fluff and gentle stretching, and assume that no one could get hurt doing yoga. For this reason alone, I appreciate seeing this article.
As with all things, balance is necessary. What are the risks and what are the benefits? These are good things to know. The knowledge makes us more mindful, more aware. If we know the risks, we can minimize the chance of injury. We can adjust for our individual needs, we can choose quality teachers and ask better questions when we are looking for teachers.
The article is adapted from an upcoming book (to be published in February) called The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards, by William J. Broad. I read the prologue to the book here, and fully intend to read the entire book when it comes out. Perhaps I will post a review here when I do.
Meanwhile ~ yoga on, my friends, and be mindful, listen to your body, and let it teach you about the beauty of your presence.
~ om shanti ~
Very nice post. You have touched on everything I was thinking so I may repeat some of what you said.
Yoga, like the martial arts (and many people say yoga IS a martial art but I’ll leave that to people with more knowkedge than myself to arugue), is both physical and spiritual at the same time. In any physical activity one runs the risk of injury.
I had a yoga class in my dojo not too long ago. I have known the lady who instructed the class for years. As a kick off for her classes she, through me, invited all of my students to participate in a class. You have to understand that I have been a Correctional Officer for a very long time. I offer discounts for CO’s and Law Enforcement and their families. A lot of my students at the time were big tough burley guys who thought yoga was…well let’s just say a “sissy” thing for lack of better wording and to keep this post at a PG rating. So I picked an evening that I usually had about 90% of my students in attendance and we did the class. It was rather amusing to see the look on some of these guys faces when they realized what was going on. One guy walked up to the door, saw the instructor, realized what was about t happen, and left.
At the end of the class all of these “tough guys” including myself, were drenched in sweat. We were wrapping up the exercises (please forgive me, I’m at a loss for the proper terminology) and I looked across to see one of them on his mat in a pose with his entire body shaking. After the class was over he was the first one to walk up to the instructor and tell her what a great workout it had been. He never did another class.
There are two points this rather long story makes. The first is, the brawny he men saw the class as just what my large friend did; a work-out. There was nothng spiritual about it to them. We percieve things as we do. Secondly: it WAS a workout and very physically demanding.
I went back a few more times simply to balance myself when I thought I needed it. The instructor eventually left and moved out of state to follow her path in life. I very much miss the light and energy the class brought to the dojo.
One of the best points you made was “Listen to your body…” I’m almost 50 and physically can not do the things I could when I was 30. I have accepted that. I still train but instead of making my body listen and obey my brain, these days I allow my body to govern what the brain thinks.
GREAT POST!!! Please keep it up!
Jim, thank you so much for your comment.
There are many people who perceive yoga as a purely physical workout, and that is ok – we are all where we are in each moment. I certainly started there.
I do tend to think that more injuries will occur in that instance, simply because a purely physical workout lacks the mindfulness of the underlying philosophy. (That said, I also believe that the underlying mindfulness can be taken in to any physical activity ~ I often incorporated mindful breathing in my weight workouts when I was bodybuilding… but that is an aside, and maybe a post for another day!)
The reality is, as you say, we approach things from different perspectives at different times – which means at all times we should know the risks and the benefits of what we do.
Mindfulness is huge. I too am approaching the half century mark… right about, well, now(!) and have discovered that as my body ages, my needs change. Kudos to you for listening to your body ~ and adjusting as necessary.
Wish I were closer to you – I’d offer to teach a yoga class in your dojo! I have a hunch we’d get along fine
I suppose I might be one of those people who assumed yoga was “safe.” However, when you compare it to working out in a gym or taking a walk in the woods, I understand that, yes, I suppose it could happen. This post seems well balanced, and is beautifully written. I especially like your use of the word “posture” in the second paragraph.
Peace,
Kathy
Kathy, most people assume yoga is safe. You are certainly not alone in that. And really, for the most part, it is safe. It is when we push (or are pushed!) beyond our abilities that things get a bit shaky ~ or maybe I should amend that to say when we push before we are ready….
(just thinking about my slightly competitive nature…..)
Ha, and you caught my use of ‘posture’ up there – I couldn’t resist.
~peace~ to you
You are correct. Every physical activity can bring some adverse effect is not performed properly. Yoga cannot be taken casually, especially Hatha yoga. What are your views on Pranayam?
Yatin ~ thanks for commenting. I know there are many people who talk about the dangers of pranayam if performed without proper training or teachers ~ I tend to think that is really only true for extreme exercises. My sense – in a nutshell – is that we have an deeply intuitive understanding of how to breathe and what to do with that breath. Becoming more aware of our breathing patterns, and using simple pranayama techniques will help to increase awareness of our body, our mind, our spirit.
That’s the simple answer ~ for now!
What I appreciated about the NYT article was the conversation it started. I live in the Bible belt and have become quite good at ‘defending’ yoga on other points, but I was surprised at having to defend the practice from people who were shocked to find out it wasn’t ‘safe’ (these same people have trampolines in their backyards and pit bulls). So it’s been fun to simply point them in the direction of well written responses like yours. You should have people read your great posts about ahimsa, ‘cause isn’t that what we’re really talking about anyway? Do no harm
Great post.
And what a conversation! Yes, I think it is definitely good to be talking about these things. Thanks for thinking my post is worth passing along ~ and I agree, we are really just talking about ahimsa.
Ah…. the underlying philosophy….!
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