This is an interesting article entitled, How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body, published yesterday in the New York Times. As with any activity, there are inherent risks. However real yoga is learning to listen to your body, practicing awareness and letting go of the ego. Granted, that pesky ego (as I am guilty of-see my last post!) can easily creep in. Therefore, I thought it important to share this article, not to scare you away from yoga but to encourage you to reflect on your own practice. Is it the right practice for you? Are you leaving class with aches, pains or dizziness? If so, speak with your teacher about posture modifications or re-evaluate that particular class or style. Some of the extreme examples from this article had potential to be avoided with awareness. For example, if you have bruises on the back of your neck from practicing shoulderstand- stop! Forcing yourself into an asana your body isn’t ready for is NOT deepening your practice. For me, the last line of the article is the important message, “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” I can’t emphasize this enough! Yoga however can be profoundly healing if practiced with awareness. You are your greatest teacher- listen!
