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Most of the problems described have more to do with human nature then with yoga in particular. If you are 100 pounds overweight and live a sedentary lifestyle,
by stiff 15y ago
Most of the problems described have more to do with human nature then with yoga in particular. If you are 100 pounds overweight and live a sedentary lifestyle, then one day try to run a marathon just like that, there are high chances you will get injured. This is a bit of a hyperbole, but for many people going into sports is exactly this way, after years of inactivity there is some sudden abrupt strike of enthusiasm (e. g. a new years resolution), which leads people to apply too much intensity to a body that isn't prepared for it, ultimately ending with an injury. I have seen plenty of examples of this just among friends and relatives.
I haven't been in a yoga class and I am not a practitioner, but as far as I know from secondary sources the kind of instruction one will receive in yoga is in fact much wiser in this respect then in almost any other sport. Most of books written about yoga I have seen are full of precautions about not rushing things on yourself, starting with the simplest positions, going into the positions very slowly, getting out of the position as soon as you experience the slightest discomfort, warnings about not doing the inverted positions without consulting a doctor and so on. I don't think the article does justice to this. The example with the men kneeling each day for hours is especially absurd and I fail to see what it has to do with yoga.
Of course I don't doubt some of the more unnatural positions might really be doing more harm then good to the body even for experienced practicioners, the set of yoga positions as far I understand was invented very long ago and there is no reason it shouldn't be revised using modern knowledge of anatomy etc. I just don't believe most people would experience any of the problems described in the article if they actually followed the teachings, especially beginners just looking to improve their health, who are advised to use really simple positions and are in fact unable to perform the advanced ones according to the principles outlined above.
- snth 15y agoThis article focuses on injuries sustained by experienced yoga practitioners (even instructors). It's not about beginners moving too quickly.
- zacharycohn 15y agoThat is EXACTLY what it's about. Just because you're a Yoga teacher doesn't mean you know what you're doing.
- tibbon 15y agoMoreso, just because you know what you're doing or experienced doesn't mean you should do it. Knowledge of how to stand on your head, and the wisdom of if you should stand on your head are two different things. Many instructors probably shouldn't do things that their students are doing. Why? Because they might be teaching 3 classes that day, and the student is in there three times a week.
- stiff 15y agoWell, the article says for example: Yoga is for people in good physical condition. Or it can be used therapeutically. It’s controversial to say, but it really shouldn’t be used for a general class. That's strange to me, because from what I know practicing yoga to a lot of people means following a specific mindset, diet, doing breathing exercises and holding various quite simple positions, I don't see how that can be dangerous and describing it as all headstands and neck twisting later in the article seems like a deformation of the original philosophy. What is really deeply wrong with the article in the end is that it blames a specific kind of activity as the source of problems, so that people who read it maybe will think that yoga is dangerous and choose running instead, but will be left with no understanding of the fact that what really causes most of the injuries in most of the sports is ignorance of technique and basic safety restrictions, ignoring warnings signs from the body and most of all not learning enough about the given activity along with practicing it. Those people will end up having the same problems in any sport they choose. Yes, holding a headstand for five minutes can cause serious health damage if you have any problems related to your blood vessels, but the same thing can just as easily happen to a person doing a decline bench press in the gym or when training traditional gymnastics. Yes, pushing your body into unnatural positions when it's refusing to do it and signalizing pain will cause joint issues. Guess what, education is as much needed for sports as it is for anything else.