How to Prevent Yoga Injuries

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Article Title:

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How to Prevent Yoga Injuries

Article Description:

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Yoga injuries is a common concern for many people, especially in

the area of back bends. To prevent jamming and to ensure smooth

and easy movement, follow the eight major principles of movement:

Additional Article Information:

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637 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: Fri Apr 28 12:32:38 EDT 2006

Written By: Susi Hately Aldous

Copyright: 2006

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How to Prevent Yoga Injuries

Copyright © 2006 Susi Hately Aldous

Browse Books for Free

http://www.browsebooksforfree.com/

[the illustrations for these exercises can be found on the

website at the end of this article)

BACK BENDS

Yoga injuries is a common concern for many people, especially in

the area of back bends.

To prevent jamming and to ensure smooth and easy movement, follow

the eight major principles of movement:

1. Nourish relaxation by breathing and connecting.

2. Initiate movement at the spine.

3. Connect spinal movement with moving through the largest joints

first.

4. Move your joints through their optimum range of motion.

5. Create core stability by boosting up your band has and

breathing.

6. Be relaxed and resilient.

7. Be generous with yourself and move through your pain-free

range of motion.

8. Remember that less is more.

In addition to these eight principles of movement, explore the

five principles associated specifically with back bends.

PRINCIPLE SPECIFIC TO BACK BENDS

1. Relax

Because it is easy to complete a back bend by moving through

the weak links of the spine, it is easy to create injury and

dysfunction. So, to safely inspire a functional and balanced

body, it is important to cultivate awareness of movement.

Breathe and relax before moving into any back bend. Being relaxed

heightens awareness and encourages tighter, tenser areas of the

body to release and let go, while also allowing for inner cues of

what is working and what is not working to surface.

As the movement continues into the back bend, you may notice that

you are particularly tight in one area of your spine or at your

hips. As a result, full extension may not be possible. By being

aware, you can prevent yourself from forcing through this and

instead cultivate a different way of moving that enables release,

stability, and strength.

2. Initiate Extension at the Upper Spine

Back bends provide a lovely laboratory for enjoying the spine in

its full splendour. As mentioned earlier, in order to experience

a back bend, the spine must extend. Without spinal extension, the

back bend will not occur.

To optimize spinal extension, begin at the upper spine. By moving

first at the upper spine, then maintaining the depth of the pose

relative to the movement occurring at the upper spine, you are

almost guaranteed to not overcompensate, which means you won't

move through the weak links, which in turn means you won't jam

the lower back and cause back or neck pain.

3. Release the Chest and Use the Back of the Shoulders

Sometimes initiating movement at the upper spine is difficult

because the muscles of the chest are tight or desensitized. If

the scapulae have the tendency to ride up to the ears, and the

shoulders round forward, it can be difficult to access the

segmental movement of the individual vertebrae of the upper

spine.

4. Stabilize the Connection between the Pelvis and Spine and

between the Pelvis and Femurs

Sometimes initiating movement at the upper spine and releasing

the chest are difficult because the muscles of the lower back are

tight, desensitized, or hypermobile. When the lower back is

dysfunctional, there is a tendency for the pelvis to move with

dysfunction as well. It can become stuck or unstable.

Whichever the situation, both can lead to poor spinal movement,

increasing the potential for pain and injury in the lower and mid

back. By improving the connection between the pelvis and spine

and between the pelvis and femurs, you can gain a foundational

structure from which your back bend can move safely and easily.

5. Fan the Pelvic Stability Outward: Developing Your Core

Fanning the pelvic stability outward is the essence of developing

solid core stability. Beginning at the pelvis and radiating up

the spine and down to the toes, it is necessary if you want to

experience strength, ease, lightness, depth, and freedom in a

back bend.

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Susi Hately Aldous is the facilitator of the Anatomy and Asana

workshop series taught internationally. This article is based

on her book: Anatomy and Asana: Preventing Yoga Injuries. More

information from this book is available at Browsebooks:

http://www.browsebooksforfree.com/books7-7 (includes

illustrations) © copyright Susi Hately Aldous