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Yoga..It’s Not all Created Equal; Are you clear on your injuries or limitations?
Yoga..it’s not all created equal; Are you clear on your injuries or limitations?
by Michele the Trainer
When I became yoga certified years ago I went on a local yoga tour.
I took all the classes at all the places I could find that were called Yoga–just Yoga. If you haven’t already figured it out, there can be HUGE and sometimes scary differences. During my tour, I was in SO MANY different classes that were all called YOGA. Just YOGA. Wow they were SO different.
It’s even hard to be a substitute teacher for yoga because it’s hard to tell what you are signing up for!
Types of Yoga:
Hatha Yoga is basic yoga; some pose, some stretch, some strength
Power Yoga is jumping from pose to pose, therefore it’s also cardio; this type yoga is not very stretching or “lengthening” for the muscle fibers due to the ballistic nature of the pose transitions.
etc.
Anyway, I’m not going to list all zillion types of yoga…well not in this article. My point here YOU NEED TO KNOW AHEAD OF TIME WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IN A YOGA WORKOUT. IF UNDER MEDICAL CARE PLEASE ASK (your doctor/physical therapist) AND FIND OUT WHAT YOU CAN AND CANNOT DO.
Please don’t just think that because it’s called Yoga, it will be easy or safe or healing. We often hear “Oh I want to try yoga”. You could easily end up in a class full of ballerinas that have the flexibility and agility of the Cirque du Soleil; people who easily scratch their ears with their big toes 🙂
In a group class, it’s very hard for the best instructor to know every limitation of every student. In a group class it’s not very easy for a student to be empowered enough to just WALK OUT or just lie quietly in savasana or in child’s pose. You can’t really talk in yoga, so if you can’t do something it’s a lot harder to communicate that to the instructor.
There is no chance of raising our hand and exclaiming “Um excuse me, but I think this move is breaking my leg”
I want to empower you that since most yoga is GROUP, YOU have got to know ahead of time exactly what you can and cannot safely do.
In any group experience there is a greater risk of injury, because there is no dedicated attention. That is why personal training has a value. That is why most physical therapy is not a group experience.
Some yoga includes inverted poses such as headstands which are just not for everyone. Seems that if the instructor can do them they might dish them out to be showy, but there are inverted poses that are NOT risky at all that reap the same benefits. There is no advanced in yoga–it’s an individual journey so don’t get discouraged!
What yoga do I teach the most? I teach restorative yoga which is warm and safe and healing and deep stretching and well supported and lengthening. It is the most mellow workout on my menu. Usually by the time I teach it, I need it. It is my personal happy hour.
Is this the only yoga I could teach? No
Is this the only yoga I love? No
Is this the only yoga I enjoy? No
It’s just my preference to make yoga in a group setting warm and attainable for everyone. With a smaller group or a private it’s easier to teach more and give attention and adjustments as needed.
I’m very clear on my past injuries and limitations. I was pretty amazed during my yoga tour years back. If I did not know my limitations, then I could have easily injured myself if I was just trying to be part of a group.
It’s unnecessary to get injured and then not want to play with yoga anymore. That’s just terrible as there are huge benefits to integrating yoga in your life.
Please let me know if you need some help with this. Sometimes, even the medical community doesn’t know the difference between an inversion and a warrior pose; it’s not to be expected because it’s not their realm of expertise.
But if they give you some guidelines together we can figure out some Yoga that will suit you! Enjoy!
I know I know….I’m turning into my father and trying to scare you from yoga…”you’ll poke your eye out”….
no that’s not the intention here.
I would like you to be SAFE and be able to ENJOY and progress with your practice.
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