07 Jun How to avoid common injuries in yoga

It can be easy before you start out to think yoga is gentle and simply stretching. But once you’ve done a strong vinyasa practice or two, you’ll start to realise that it can be very demanding on the body and require quite a lot of strength, mobility, and flexibility. This in no way means you need to be strong or flexible before you come, but it does mean you need to be aware that you might be putting your body in new and challenging positions. This means you need to be aware that injuries can happen and protecting yourself from them is important. Here’s some of the best ways to avoid injuries at yoga.

Get to know your body and its limitations

Yoga is an incredible practice for full body strength and mobility. But like anything, if you’re coming with a pre-existing condition or some limited mobility, yoga could aggravate it if you’re not aware. If you think about it, yoga asks a lot from the whole body, especially the wrists, the shoulders, the hamstrings, the spine, the hips, and the knees. If you have existing issues in these areas (like pain or discomfort), it’s best to get them looked at so you know exactly how to modify some of the movements at yoga if you need to. Or at least that you can tell your teacher your current limitations and get guidance from them. This ensures you come armed with all the knowledge about your own body.

Take the time to scale back and learn the movements

Yoga asks us to move in ways that are often new. This means that it can take some time to learn how to complete said movements with correct alignment. There is no reason to rush things, allow yourself to go to beginner classes, to learn the ins and outs of each shape so you know how to perform them correctly.

Listen to you body during the practice

Ever felt pain during something, kept going, and felt worse for it the next day? We know we have. It’s so important that when your body sends you signals that you need to slow down, you listen. There is no need to be a hero. Ever. Rest. Come back when you body is fit and ready.

Think about recovery

Tight muscles and facia tissue can lead to dysfunctional movements over time. Which simply starts the process of tightness all over again. Just like any other method of training, rest and recovery is important. Recognise the significance of rest days, self-massage using things like foam rollers or our Yoga Tune Up Balls, or simply relieve tightness with a magnesium oil or bath once every now and then. Take your recovery as seriously as you take your movement.

Ask for advice

Whether something doesn’t feel right, you don’t know how to do a pose correctly, or you just want to learn more and understand you body better, ask for advice. Whether it’s our amazing teaching staff, a physiotherapist, myotherapist, or osteopath, whoever it is you see, ask for advice.

Head to our Yoga Fundamentals classes to learn the basics while our Yoga Tune Up and Yin Yoga classes help you learn how to relieve soreness and tightness all on your own.