For Mind and Body Stretch is a monthly series on yoga. Tell us about your yoga practice or post a comment. As Cathy Lilly folded into downward dog at a workshop in January, a novice instructor, eager to help, lifted Ms. Lilly’s thumbs and angled them forward. Her thumbs are still recovering from the strain. Ms. Lilly, 53, a yoga teacher with more than two decades on the mat, also once injured her rotator cuff jumping distractedly into plank pose. And after another instructor forced her to kiss her knee while in heron pose, her hamstring suffered the consequences. Isn’t yoga supposed to be good for you? After all, doctors prescribe it to injured athletes and cancer patients. And while tennis players can expect ripped-up elbows and runners know they may blow out their knees, yogis don’t usually anticipate having to hobble off their mats. It is this “do no harm” mind-set that can lead to strained backs, pulled knees, aching wrists and slipped discs. Ms. Lilly is part of a growing roster of yoga practitioners on injured reserve.
“Yoga is a good thing, so you tend to push further than you would in a sport where you are actually more attuned to injury and afraid of injuries,” said Dr. Michelle Carlson, an orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan who specializes in arms and hands. She said she recently “saw four women in a row in my office with hand injuries from yoga.” Nobody seems to keep careful track of the numbers. The most recent estimate comes from the United States Product Safety Commission, which tracks sports injuries: it listed 4,450 reported yoga injuries in 2006, up from 3,760 in 2004. But Dr. Carlson and several others said they had seen large increases lately, as yoga became more popular. “I have been doing this for 20 years, and I didn’t see yoga injuries 20 years ago,” Dr. Carlson said. “I can see a couple of injuries a week.” Training for yoga teachers can vary, and classes are so large in some studios that instructors do not pay enough attention to everybody.
In New York, many people approach yoga with a no-pain, no-gain mind-set, with predictable results. Then there is the age factor: you see a fair share of middle-aged people twisting and bending and lunging, and I know from experience that a 40-something body is temperamental. Back injuries are quite common. Positions like upward dog and cobra, requiring backbends, can aggravate the spine. Others that call for elongating the back, like seated forward bend, can wreak havoc on discs. Rotator cuffs and wrists can get battered during plank poses and chaturangas, which are like push-ups, while knees are susceptible to the lotus position, hero’s pose and the warrior positions. The headstand — a more advanced move — is an equal opportunity offender. If done improperly, it can roil your back, neck, shoulders and wrists. Then there are the freak injuries. A woman in crow pose fell over and broke her nose. “The most common form of injury is the overzealous student,” said Dr. Loren Fishman, a spine specialist, yoga teacher and medical director of Manhattan Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
“The second most common reason for injury is poor alignment, and that is usually crummy teaching.” The best way to avoid injury, particularly if your body is creaky, is to take it slow and make sure to nail the fundamentals, experts said. Injuries can happen with all forms of yoga, but one of the safer approaches is Iyengar, which moves at a slower pace, focuses meticulously on proper alignment and uses props. Iyengar teachers also undergo rigorous training. At one recent class at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Chelsea, we spent about 20 minutes on extended side angle pose; I learned quite a few things in those 20 minutes. (Anusara, based on Iyengar, is similar in its attention to alignment.) I love vinyasa — the breathing, the pace — but it can flow too quickly, and its many chaturangas have sometimes strained my wrists. Since classes are large, adjustments from instructors can be few and far between. Also, I find the lack of mirrors in most yoga studios cuts both ways: You’re not obsessed with your own image, but you can’t see your body in a pose.
The other day I took a class in Union Square with Ellen Saltonstall, an acclaimed Anusara teacher who recently wrote a book with Dr. Fishman on yoga for osteoporosis. Her class is slow enough that you can settle into the right alignment. Afterward, she critiqued my push-up pose. My elbows were not at right angles, and she cautioned me about dropping too far down. She also gave me stretches for my wrists. “Precision,” she said, “is important.” Correction: August 1, 2010 The Stretch column last Sunday, about yoga injuries, misstated the circumstances under which one instructor, Cathy Lilly, said she injured her hamstring during a class. Ms. Lilly said the instructor of that class forced her to kiss her knee while in heron pose, over Ms. Lilly’s objection; Ms. Lilly said the instructor did not simply suggest that she do so.Chair Yoga for the Upper Body David ProcyshynIf you thought you couldn't do yoga in a chair, think again! Chair yoga is perfect for seniors, office workers and anyone who finds it difficult to sit on the floor or stand.
In this 30-minute class, David shows you how you can stretch the upper body in a thorough, effective way.Twists are a favorite among many yogis. Let's explore the ins and outs of twists; the benefits, the myths, alignments tips and more... Twists rotate the spine and stretch the muscles of the back. This helps to restore and retain the spine’s natural range of motion. If we don’t employ our natural range of motion we run the risk of our joints hardening and fusing. The surrounding supportive soft tissue can also become short and dysfunctional. By extending the muscles to their full length regularly with twists once or twice a day we can help to prevent this - according to yoga teacher and anatomy specialist Julie Gudemenstead. In twists you work with the spine and the action of ‘lengthening’ is to create space between the vertebrae. When there's a lack of space our spine tends to slump or get stuck and our energy levels drop. Through twisting we lengthen the spine and get space between the bones.
Then our energy can flow better. Twists give us an instant energy lift and decompress the vertebrae in a safe healthy way. Twists are neutralizing poses so they’re good to include if you’ve been doing lots of strong back bends or forward bends. Twists incorporate the center of our body, working the abdominal, obliques, the muscles that support the movement of our spine, our shoulders, pelvis, neck etc… that is when you are doing them correctly. Twists are commonly known to aid digestion. It is important to realize what that actually means! Twists are great for creating movement in and around our organs (mobility and motility). So in terms of helping our food being moved along.. BKS Iyengar said that twists are detoxifying because of the squeeze and soak action. The organs of detoxification and elimination are compressed pushing out old blood and so then when we release the twist fresh blood can flow in. This is widely accepted in the yoga industry but there is some healthy debate on this.
Amy Matthews co-author of Yoga Anatomy suggests that the concept of the ‘squeeze and soak’ action is not that accurate. Twists do affect our mobility (movement of organs in relation to each other) and our motility (movement within an organ). However a number of factors are involved in stimulation of our organs. ’s article: Yoga Anatomy Myths It would be safe to say that twists help to stimulate our organs, including our organs of elimination which in turn can help stimulate our metabolism and rate of excretion. Another view on this debate can be found here. So maybe twists aren’t really “wringing out the internal organs” but it can be a helpful metaphor for when we practice - like backbends aren’t literally opening your heart! But they do stimulate circulation, creating heat, releasing tension in the muscles of the spine, abdomen and rib cage which has a knock on effect of helping the other systems in the body work effectively. Also while I don’t want to make claims that I can’t back up, we can get stuck trying to find the (Western) medical evidence for yoga benefits.
These can be difficult to find as there is not a lot of large scale research done in this area.. (I’m off on a tangent here). All twist poses can generally be categorized into seated, standing and reclining. Twists are also often variations on ‘regular’ poses. Like Parivrtta Utkatasana (Twisted Chair Pose) and Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose) In reclining twists the upper body is stabilized and so most of the twist happens in the lower spine by rotating the pelvis and legs. Here it’s important to keep your core stable and make sure your shoulders remain grounded. Seated and standing twists Alignment is even more important in our seated and standing twists. Grounding and lengthening should be the initial actions in performing these twists. It's always important to engage the abdominals when doing seated or standing twists to help stabilize the pelvis and keep support in the lower back. The pelvis grounds as the spine lengthens and moves upwards ( seated twists like Half Lord of the Fishes and Bharadvaja's Twist) or forwards (in standing twists like Extended Triangle Pose).
With twists, alignment is very important so it’s essential to know how do them correctly. Twists are taught in different ways, with some teachers/styles saying the hips should stay completely level or the sitting bones completely fixed to the floor as you twist. This makes for a deeper twist in the areas of the spine which are able to move. To do this more safely you need to really draw the thighbones back into the hip sockets (not just engage the quads but make it a whole leg movement). Other teachers say that it is easier on the SI joint to let the opposite hip lift slightly, this is a more natural movement for the body. Twists are good for the back but they are also great for stretching the muscles of the shoulders and the chest. To intensify this you can bind in the pose - or use a prop such as a wall or the back of a chair - for example pressing your right hand against the edge of the chair or wall as you twist to your left. Adela Serrano demonstrates binding in her class:
Fundamentals of yoga: binding Pregnancy - If you’re pregnant some twists should be skipped because of the pressure they place on the abdominal cavity. For example Twisted Triangle or Revolved Side Angle Pose. Gentle open twists like Parivritta Janu Sirsasana are ok after the first trimester. However, practice with an experienced pregnancy yoga teacher or follow our Pregnancy Yoga program. Spinal disc injury - consult with your physical therapist about what movements are ok for you. Chronic digestive issues - many people find twists helpful for digestive problems especially constipation. However if you suffer from chronic digestive issues (especially inflammatory conditions) then asking for your doctor's advice is really important. Sacroilliac (SI) joint issues - If you suffer from SI joint dysfunction you are probably already aware that certain yoga poses won't work for you. Understanding your SI joints and how twisting can impact them, will help you to figure out what will and won't work for you.