How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body: a response

A few days ago, the New York Times ran a very long piece (online, it has formatted as 12 web pages) entitled How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body. 

Immediately, I felt my pro-yoga hackles rise and prickle defensively. Yet despite the sensansionalism of the headlines, and the lack of meaty back-up statistics, I find myself agreeing with much of the article.

Author William Broad's main point is that, despite yoga being widely - and almost universally - perceived as a physically healing practice, there is increasing concern that many yoga poses are unsuitable for most people. 

This argument sounds radical at first, perhaps, and the piece is admittedly slanted, based as it is on an interview with Glenn Black, experienced US Iyengar yoga teacher who works a lot with clients recovering from yoga injuries..

Yet in my 15 years' experience as a yoga practitioner (and 4 as a yoga teacher), I have come to similar conclusions.

I am unusual in not teaching certain poses in a class setting that I consider too risky for many Western bodies: unmodified shoulderstand, headstand, Upward Bow, unmodified Vijrasana, Camel Pose (pictured).

On a personal level, I sustained a shoulder injury around 15 months ago that I suspect has been partly caused by yoga-related repetitive strain.

I have since spoken with a well-known US teacher, who says she now does not teach full Chaturanga in class, due to the inherent risk of injury (especially amongst women, whose upper body strength is often poor, and ill-equipped to cope with the relentless demands of a strong vinyasa flow or ashtanga practice).

Shoulderstand is one of the most widely taught asana - yet over years of repeated practice without modification (I always teach it the iyengar way, with a folded blanked under the shoulders to reduce strain), the dangers include cervical-disk injuries, muscle strain and overstretched ligaments.

A pose such as Vijrasana is also inherently risky if performed without suitable modification (ie students sitting on blocks to minimise risk to vulnerable knee joints), and I have heard several stories of students sustaining knee injuries when practising it.

Like anything, of course, yoga must be practised mindfully, with care, and always with an honest appreciation of the limitations of individuals' bodies.

This is very difficult (no, impossible) to put in place in a large-class setting, when one teacher is responsible for up to 40 students.

Over and above unsustainably large classes sizes, however, is the responsibility of the teacher to ensure students move through a safe, intelligently structured practice that is unlikely to cause injury or strain.

'Extreme' asana...

In my opinion, this means modifying (or leaving out entirely) 'extreme' asana such as headstand, shoulderstand, vijrasana, and Bow pose.

It also means teaching from a place that is NOT driven by ego; but instead is informed by realism and respect for tight, inflexible Western bodies that may spend 40-hours a week or more sitting in chairs.

In my experience of yoga as it is mostly taught, this is sorely lacking, and needs to be addressed by the yoga community at large.

As Black is quoted as saying in the NYT article: 'Asana is not a panacea or a cure-all. In fact, if you do it with ego or obsession, you'll end up causing problems.'

What do you think? The full article is here - please leave your comments on Yoga Abode's facebook page.

Lucia Cockcroft, editor