Thank you for all of your kind comments and feedback on yesterday’s BTAT guest blog by Obi-wan.
| “I know you come from good stock and you prove it every day when you choose to live and not just exist!”
“This was awesome.” “Too good not to pass along.”
So, I love yoga. I feel good when I go to class. I like trying new teachers. I think everyone can benefit from some type of yoga. |
I love yoga. Outdoors yoga is the BEST!
That said, if done incorrectly, yoga can really hurt you.
As a student of anatomy and physiology, I spend my time studying how the body moves, what movements cause injury, and how to help people recover and prevent these injuries. My job as a personal trainer requires that I coaching people through a series of exercises safely and effectively. And I’m kind of a stickler for form.
This is where I get into trouble in yoga class.
Some classes are absolutely amazing. The teachers are clear about the placement of every single part of your body and when to breathe and where to put your focus. They walk around, adjusting everyone constantly and encouraging people to work within their limits, not above them.
These are the classes I love.
Ooooo-mmmmm
I attended the opposite type of class on Monday. I hated every single moment of that class and almost walked out just to make a point. Why the negativity? Because it was just offensively bad.
In a class of about 50 or so people, I would say that at least 30 of them looked as though they had never been to a yoga class before. Not because of their bodies or anything superficial like that, but because of the confused looks on their faces, the constant turning around to see what others were doing, and the terrifyingly bad form they exhibited in the “simplest” of yoga poses.
It was unsafe, distracting, and inexcusable.
I felt bad for the students because it was the instructors’ fault they had bad form. He did not touch or adjust a single person. I was shocked.
William J. Broad wrote an article that was published in the New York Times last week (you saw it in Friday’s Fitness News) that people in the fitness world are fighting about all over the blogs and in yoga studios everywhere. It’s titled, “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body.” In it, Broad interviews Glenn Black, a popular yoga instructor who is incredibly verbal about the physical dangers of yoga.
I must say that I completely agree with every single one of the dangers highlighted in the article and there are many, many more. I train yoga instructors and devotees and I help them to re-learn how to move through their asanas in a safe way. Several people I know have seriously injured themselves in class and spent years in physical therapy.
Form is everything. Yoga, like every other sport/fitness activity in the world, can cause you injury when done incorrectly. Yoga is good, when done safely and I encourage you to consider learning more about it, BUT if you are new to yoga do yourself a favor and do a few private lessons or very, very small beginner group classes before jumping into it, ok? Don’t push. Be safe.
Rule of thumb: If it hurts, don’t do it. Seriously. Listen to your body.
Now go out and run!
Question — what are your thoughts about the move in yoga where you have your hands overhead, put your head and neck all the way back and do a slight back bend? Is that good for your neck???
It’s all about your comfort level. I have a long back, so I can bend backwards comfortably, but I never, ever, ever push it. I usually suggest people look toward the ceiling and give the slightest arch. Less is more.
I agree so much that the teachers need to translate the poses into plain english. At this point, I know a fair number of the Sanskrit names, but even the simple reminder to put the hand here or adjust the hip really helps keep my form in a pose. And I do think that poor yoga forms did irritate my hip problems last year.
Ugh. Did you find a teacher who works for you?
I know exactly what you mean!
I stopped going to one studio in my neighborhood. It is very popular studio, but I was always uncomfortable with the tone of the classes. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what the problem was… but I think you nailed it!
I’ve been practicing yoga for YEARS but the reason I still go to class is for those cues about body position! In this particular studio, they spend more time telling you “breathe-in-breathe-out” (at a pace that is much too fast for me, so I find myself hyperventilating to keep up) than giving good cues!
Terrible. Have you found another studio you like?
Yoga is a real pleasure for body and soul. But it requires dedication and huge physical capacities. To prepare your body for regular trainings and to improve your results the proper nutrition is vital. I am taking Military Grade Nutritionals. (I order these products from h t t p: //amzn.to/Y0uraF). These dietary supplements were developed for soldiers, but they are good for everyone, who wants to keep fit. They provide sustainable results and help me improve my shape quickly.