A lot of people hold onto the myth that one cannot go wrong with yoga. You can injure yourself in sports and athletics, there are genuine life risks in gymnastics, and dancing can hurt you when done wrong. But apparently, there is nothing dangerous about yoga. Unfortunately, this is not at all true. Yoga, like any activity, if done without precautions, can wreck your body. Many fatal accidents have occurred as people were doing yoga. You might be shocked and wondering loudly, is yoga safe at all? Don’t worry. When done right, it is absolutely safe. In fact, it has more physical, mental, and emotional benefits than any other physical activity. But this only holds true if you perform safe yoga.
General Safety Guidelines For Yoga
There is no user manual or guidebook that describes how to practice yoga safely. However, most of the safe yoga practices we have compiled below are mostly common sense. The rest are basic rules that apply to most physical activities.
Do Not Consider Yoga As A Competition
Yoga is a non-competitive activity. It is a practice to help you become better than you were yesterday. Someone will always be better than you. Trying to overtake them when you are not ready can cause harm to your body.
Listen Closely To Your Body
Never ignore your body or your instincts when it comes to practicing yoga. On the off chance that your body is advising you not to have a go at something, at that point abstain from it. If you are not feeling confident about a pose, don’t do it. Focus on improving the poses that lead up to it.
Do Not Over-Exert Yourself
The primary cause for both short-term and long-term damage to the body in yoga is exerting yourself beyond your capacity. On the off chance that you push your body past its cutoff points, it will 100% part with and crash down.
Do Not Compare Your Body To Your Younger Self
If you are starting yoga late, this applies to you a lot. As we cross our 20s, the physical capacity of our bodies decreases. So do not try to push yourself to do something that was once easy but seems difficult now.
Have General Knowledge About Body Anatomy
Basic knowledge about body anatomy is essential for both learning and teaching yoga. Doing a pose forcefully that is anatomically restricted can cause organ damage. Moreover, if you have physical disabilities or disorders, keep those in mind when doing yoga.
Do Not Jump To Advanced Poses
No one should instantly start doing advanced asanas as soon as they join yoga. This applies even to those involved in athletic activities. Always begin with basic poses and move up from there.
Stretch And Do Warm-Ups
Never ever begin a yoga session without doing a few stretches and warm-up exercises. You have to work and free your body before you do any posture. Otherwise, you will have to deal with cramps, sprains, pulled muscles, or something worse.
Pay Attention To Your Breath
Keeping your breath steady and consistent throughout your yoga practice is essential. Strained or choppy breaths can severely affect your body. You can even drop thus the result. Always stay aware of your breath and use the right breathing in the right place.
Do Not Ignore Pain
Never ever do yoga with the “cry now, laugh later” mentality. Yoga is not supposed to be painful at all. It should come naturally with time and practice. If some pose or exercise is painful, stop doing it and inform your instructor.
Do Not Hesitate To Communicate
At no point should you follow your yoga trainer blindly and do exactly what they are asking. They will not understand your body like you. You have to communicate your progress and problems so that they can plan the next step accordingly.
Do Not Make The Form Your Goal
The form of the asana is not your ultimate motto; getting the intended benefits is. Instead of forcing yourself to reach the ideal form in the instructed manner, do what feels normal. Tell your instructor and request that they show you an option right strategy.
Do Not Shy Away From Adjustments And Props
Even the original yogis used props and modified asanas to suit their bodies. So there is no disgrace in you doing likewise. Let your teacher show you adjustments and modifications and use a prop for a pose as long as you need.
Take Your Time
Yoga is not a race. There is no cutoff time for you to finish a specific number of asanas. You should respect your body and your practice. With tolerance and assurance, you will likewise have the option to arrive at your objective as expected.
Pick A Yoga Teacher – With the Mutual Respect & Trust
If you feel a yoga teacher does not listen to you or respect your opinions or boundaries, you are fully in your right to choose another teacher. A yoga teacher should encourage and teach you, not push you illegitimately as they feel appropriate.
Pick The Right Yoga Style
Not every yoga style suits everyone. Instead of forcing yourself to learn a style that does not work for you, go ahead and experiment until you find the right fit.
Do Not Be Ashamed Of Learning
Yoga is a vast field. Even the master yogis of the world have not mastered everything. That is why you should never think you have achieved everything at any point. Always stay open to learning.
Learn Yoga Safely
Not every yoga school or teacher respects these valuable rules. They often end up harming a student. But, at Tratak Yoga, you will find every class is a lesson in safe yoga.