Can yoga cause harm to your body?5 the most dangerous yoga poses for self-practice athomeImportant:Read before you begin the practiceWhy did you choose ayoga lesson instead of a gym or taking other highly intensive bodywork? If yougo for yoga you are probably looking for a stretching, more flexibility, and amind-oriented workout. We have a prejudice that yoga is a simple meditation andan isometric set of exercises which is unable to cause harm our body. Well, ifyou are one of these naïve yoga lovers then I have to open your eyes to theunpleasant fact: injuries can happen in any kind of physical activity and yogais not exclusion.

Here I will provide you with the insight into 5 the mostdangerous yoga asanas to be careful about when learning yoga on your own butkeep in mind that every pose can be traumatic if rules are not followed.To begin with,dangerous does not mean you have to avoid practicing them, it means that improperalignment during the practice can later lead to the muscles fatigue, strain,sprain, or even rupture. One important rule to follow is not to push your body beyond itslimits and listen attentively to any signals of pain or discomfort. Ifyou are on your own together with an online video lesson, try to watch itbefore beginning the very practice. Actually, it would be pretty good to readabout every posture before the practice to grasp better which muscles will beactivated and try to palpate them.

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Focus on breathing because yogais all about correct inhalation and exhalation. Keep in mind that every posturehas certain benefits for your body and the main goal of yoga is not juststaying in one pose for 3 minutes but to concentrate all of your energy andmind on these benefits. Feel how your body is improving itself, gettingstronger, healthier, and more vigorous. Let’sbegin with Standing Forward Band Poseor Uttanasana. This asana is practicedin every kind of yoga. It has an amazing rejuvenating effect because your headis just under your heart which improves the blood circulation in your brainthus filling it with oxygen.

However, don’t push yourself! Even if you believeyou are flexible, follow the steps smoothly. Here the most possible injury isan overstretching of the hamstrings and back injury. Important:AVOID this asana if you have low back pain, hamstring tear, orsciatica!1You might feeldifficulty in stretching being a beginner, thus bend your knees and be sure youmove the sacrum into the back part of the pelvis; decrease the distance betweenyour tailbone and the pubis and push the thighs back, trying to stretch theknees slowly2.But, if you are a beginner, don’t lock the knees; otherwise youdo harm both to the lower back and the hamstrings. AdhoMukha Svanasana – Downward facing dog – the most repetitive yoga poseDownward facing dog isa transition pose which is performed for several times during a yoga flow. Sun Salutation sequence is a well-knownpractice usually performed in the morning and the Downward Facing Dog is one ofthe asanas that helps you to wake up your mind and body while warming up themuscles.

In this posture you stretch the shoulders, arms, hands, hamstrings, andcalves. The major benefit of the pose is that it decreases low back pain, strengthens back, and relaxes stiff neck3.It expands the chest and increases blood circulation to the brain. If you arestaying in this posture longer than one minute, it stimulates energy levels andlater can improve the functioning of the nervous system.

BUT! ABSOLUTELY AVOID THE POSTURE IF: you have Carpal tunnelsyndrome; pregnancy; or you are recovering from a recent or chronic injury tothe hips, shoulders.4When practicing, besure your hands are width apart and your knees are hip-width apart. Push thearm firmly into the mat, making sure your knees are behind your sitting bonesto maximize length in the body and spine. When exhale, lift the knees and bringthem in line with ankles. Keep the knees bent and stretch arms to lengthen the body,feel the pleasant stretch. If you feel that hamstrings are too stiff, remain inthe position with bent knees for some time to prepare the muscles of the spineand avoid pressure on the lower back. Descend your heels more when you are engaging quadriceps.

WARNING! If your hamstrings are stiff and you are trying to reachthe floor with the heels, your asana will be all messed up. We recommend warming up and releasing the tension inhand-to-big-toe pose to lengthen yourhamstrings safely.5Be careful about distance between the hands to avoid the tension in the neckand shoulders.Ok,now is Ustrasana – Camel Pose Speaking about therapy applications,this asana is healing respiratory problems, it is good for backache; itdecreases fatigue, anxiety and is good for menstrual discomfort. However,taking into account that this posture is from a back bend series, there aresome precautions you need to pay attention to.Don’t do Camel Pose if you have high or low blood pressure, migraine,insomnia, or serious low back or neck injury6.Ustrasana can causeyour neck and back a lot of harm if done without preparatory steps.

Begin itusing the wall as a support to protect your neck from too much tension. Makesure your back is close to the wall, toes turned under and your soles are closeto the wall. Now exhale and lean back while pressing head into the wall andlift the shoulder blades deep into the back. Keep your hands on the pelvis, andthen slide them to the inner feet. Butdon’t push yourself, move slowly and consciously. If you are beginningyoga practice you have probably already seen an inversion set of poses and I’msure you are falling in love with them. I remember myself practicing the setfor the first time.

All students seemed to be so experienced and I felt like itwas so easy to stay on your shoulders, hands, or head. Trust me, it only seemsso! Actually, it took me two years to overcome the fear of breaking my neck,back, or head when preforming the asana. It took me two years to be ready bothmentally and physically to do it.

Myadvice: don’t try to perform inversion asana being abeginner and for God’s sake don’t try it without taking a private class with anexperienced yoga teacher!Shoulderstand– SarvanagasanaDo it in the end of thepractice to relax the body. By inverting the body, your heart and arteriesmechanisms are activated and stimulated thus adjusting blood pressure. Inaddition, the flow of spinal fluid is activated in the spinal cord and thebrain.7 Itnourishes the cells and calms down the breath by maximizing the exchange ofoxygen. By the way, it also regulates metabolism. BUT! In this pose, your neck can be easily injured ifyou don’t put blankets only under the shoulders and be sure that your head andneck are on the bare floor.Absolutelyavoid if you haveHigh Blood Pressure or heart ailments, suffering from cervical spondylitis; make sure you don’t have Glaucoma becausethere is extreme pressure on eyes8. Here is important toengage the whole body, legs should be vertical, together and in a STRAIGHT line with the trunk.

Finally, I would like to finish the article with anasana from the standing set. ExtendedSide Angle Pose – Utthita ParsvakonasanaThis posture has beenthe most challenging and the most fascinating for me when I was a beginner. Itis an amazing pose for strengthening the legs, stretching the groin, andstimulating digestion. Although this pose is believed to be a beginner one,there is a danger of putting too much pressure on the hips if not balancing theweight; moreover, in case the front knee comes past the ankle the knee is alsounder pressure9.If your hips are not flexible yet, the front knee is collapsing towards theinside which can strain the knee joint. Makesure your toes and the knees are in one direction.

If the knee is over theankle, take a wider step and create a space for the asana10. Being a beginner youwill probably lean a bit too much on the hand that you put on the bent leg oron a block – be sure your weight is on the legs, you have to feel the stretch. Remember, you are a one straightline with your hips, legs, chest andshoulder in one line. This posture can be great for people with hipdysplasia since it strengthens the legs and hip muscles but if it is performedincorrectly, too much pressure on one of the hip bones can make the deformationof the hip joint even worse.

I chose these posesbecause I believe they are the most commonly practiced in the beginning of alearning path and if you pushing too hard, creating a misalignment, you won’tescape injury. I hope you will read the article before beginning the practice.You have to understand that Yoga is not only a physical activity, it is amental one. Yoga can be both a remedy and a reason for your pain. Therefore, ifyou have decided to practice it, I’m encouraging you to continue this journeyfull of amazing discoveries.

However, if you are beginning it at home, being onyour own, then you need to be 100%present and focused both mindfully and physically. Concentrate on the connectionbetween all tissues, tendons, muscles, bones, veins, arteries. Readall the precautions and if you feel any discomfort, stop for a minute, breatheand try to understand what went wrong.

You need to feel your body and listen toits signals. You need to prepare your muscles slowly and subtly to avoidoverstrain and tension. Therefore, before you begin practice make sure yourmuscles are relaxed which can be achieved by massaging them with a foam rolleror a tennis ball.

Message is strongly recommended before and after workout toget the full benefit of yoga. Finally, Stretch, Strengthen,and Relax consciously without pushing your body beyond its possibilities. I amwishing you good luck in your practice, in the journey of self-discovery ofyour mental and physical abilities. Namaste!1 YogaJournal, “Standing Forward Bend,” retrieved from https://www.yogajournal.

com/poses/standing-forward-bend,(22, January, 2017).2Yoga Journal, “Standing Forward Bend,” retrieved from https://www.yogajournal.

com/poses/standing-forward-bend,(22, January, 2017). 3   Modestini E., and N. Doane,  “4 Steps to Master Adho Mukha Svanasana,” inYoga Journal, retrieved fromhttps://www.

yogajournal.com/poses/4-steps-master-adho-mukha-svanasana, (22,January, 2017).4   Modestini E., and N. Doane,  “4 Steps to Master Adho Mukha Svanasana,” inYoga Journal, retrieved fromhttps://www.yogajournal.

com/poses/4-steps-master-adho-mukha-svanasana, (22,January, 2017).5   Modestini E., and N. Doane,  “4 Steps to Master Adho Mukha Svanasana,” inYoga Journal, retrieved fromhttps://www.yogajournal.

com/poses/4-steps-master-adho-mukha-svanasana, (22,January, 2017).6Yoga Journal, “Camel Pose,” in Yoga Journal, retrieved from https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/camel-pose,  (22 January, 2017).7Long Ray, “Inversions,” in The Key Posesof Yoga, p.

1842.8Yoga Journal, “Supported Shoulderstand,”in Yoga Journal, retrieved from https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/supported-shoulderstand,(22, January, 2018).9Yoga Journal, “Extended Side Angle Pose,” in Yoga Journal, retrieved from https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/extended-side-angle-pose, (22, January, 2018).10 YogaJournal, “Extended Side Angle Pose,” in Yoga Journal, retrieved fromhttps://www.yogajournal.com/poses/extended-side-angle-pose , (22, January,2018).