admin Yoga is incredibly helpful at improving wellness and generally elevating our outlook on life, but even the most basic of poses can cause injuries if misaligned. If you have ever felt aches and pains after practice, then it is time to start listening to your body and adjusting your alignment before it becomes more serious.
Inconsistencies can arise due to a variety of reasons, such as pushing ourselves too hard into something we’re not quite prepared for, a lack of focus that causes us to drift off the track, or exhaustion near close to the conclusion of a difficult class. The majority of the time, it is possible that we are not aware that we’re not in alignment until we get up in the morning in pain of some kind.
Here are a few aches that can become something more serious, things to be looking for during class, and some specific alignment techniques based on anatomy that will make sure you are safe in the forms used most commonly in Vinyasa lessons.
Downward Dog
This is an excellent stretch of the hamstring and lumbar, as well as strengthening the shoulders. However, doing it in a non-aligned way can result in a variety of injuries to the compression area, resulting in soreness in the wrists and shoulders, as well as lower back discomfort.
What to Look Out For
A slack stance. This causes the weight to fall onto the upper body and causes wrist pain and strain. It could manifest as a back that is rounded or a deep bend towards the wrist or shoulder joints being over the wrists.
Chest dropping. As flexibility increases, the tendency is to pull the chest downwards toward the ground. This causes a lot of pressure in your lower back. If your core is not working properly, it can eventually lead to back discomfort, disc or nerve compression (sciatica), as well as shoulder strain.
Move your legs back. Generally, if you start by leaving your feet and hands in the exact position they were when you’re in Plank, you can move your hips upwards into Down Dog, and you will be in good form.
A slight knee. This is not a “cheat,”. It actually improves back stretch and helps prevent the shoulder and wrist from straining.
Chaturanga
If you’re unsure or are experiencing any pain, simply do not Chaturanga by using a tabletop. Although it’s great for strengthening the whole body, improper use of Chaturanga could result in injuries such as strained wrists, carpal tunnel, shooting pains in the elbows or the rotator-cuff region of the shoulders, as well as low back pain.
What to Look Out For
A wide wrist angle. Wrists are too far forward with elbows pointed out, and the forearms have an angle different from 90 degrees.
Dip. The chest or hips that dip downwards towards the floor create elbow, shoulder, and wrist pain. Alternately, the hips that point upwards cause an increase in the lower back, which can cause strain in the lower back. Both of these may result in wrist pain as the core isn’t taking the weight off the arms.
How to Fix It
TIP IT, embrace it, hug it. From Plank, turn your body toward the side on your feet and then reduce your knees or begin by lowering the body back into the shape. Your elbows should be tucked into your ribs. This position briefly lengthens your wrists before lining them up beneath your elbows when it comes time to lower yourself.
Keep your head up. If your chest or hips are lower than your elbows, place your knees on the floor immediately. It’s safer to keep your wardrobe in a high position. Your chest should be above or aligned with your legs and your hips.
Warrior 1 & 2
The different Warrior Poses offer distinct benefits. However, they do share a few aligning strategies that ensure the lower back and knee muscles are secure.
What to Look Out For
Toe-to-knee position. The knee being too far to the left over the front foot could cause injury to your ankle or knee. Also, if your knee is leaning inwards (collapsing toward the large toe face of your body), it may put extra tension over the medial ligaments in the knee. This eventually weakens the joint in general.
The low lower back dip. The tendency to push the tummy forward creates lower back strain.
How to Fix It
Toe Examine your toes. Point the foot in the direction of forward movement, and ensure that you easily see your toes right to the side of your knee.
The leg is engaged. To avoid back strain, make sure you keep your belly muscles engaged. When performing Warrior poses, you could push your thighs closer to one another so that you can let your quadriceps (thigh) and gluteal (butt) muscles can take up some of the weight. This helps strengthen the knee joint, supports the lower back, and promotes healthy hips.
Locust
Locust Pose is not about depth or height; it’s about length and movement. It is commonplace to jump into backbends in the hopes of extending as far as we can without considering the alignment. While they are great for opening the diaphragm and hips, as well as correcting posture and creating flexibility for spinal alignment, backbends could result in neck compression and disc pain if we do not activate the right muscles while performing these exercises.
What to Look Out For
Neck overarching. Lifting the chin upwards to follow the eyes causes neck strain that can trigger tension headaches.
Hands and feet that slide. If your hands and feet don’t seem to be active, it likely that your core muscles aren’t involved, which can cause back strain.
How to Fix It
Engage. Squeeze your feet together behind your back as if you wish them to meet. The same thing happens by extending your arms and flexing your toes and fingers.
Each lineage of yoga poses has distinct indications as well as variations on these postures, and each human body is unique. These guidelines are based solely on anatomy. We hope they can help you to remain safe while you study your exercise routine more thoroughly.
Keep in mind that the more flexible and agile you get, the stronger you’ll require to support joints. The more strength you develop, the more vital you are able to stretch your muscles.
