Teaching Yoga to Prevent Back Injuries

By Kimaya Singh

As any chiropractor will tell you, improper posture or spinal injuries can create a host of seemingly unrelated physical issues. For example, misaligned cervical vertebrae might be related to headaches and sore throats while problems in the lumbar region of the spine could also lead to tingling in the feet or to persistent knee pain. Basically, the back and neck have a lot of responsibilities; they support lifting and carrying, walking and running, turning and sitting still and any other type of physical activity a person is involved in. The majority of the population suffers from or will suffer from moderate to severe back pain, and many with weak or chronic back injuries use yoga to build strength and flexibility and improve symptom management.

Yoga for Back Pain

Yoga is one of the few strength building or fitness activities that can claim respect for the spine and all it does. In fact, rather than putting stress on the back like weightlifting does or putting it at a high risk for injury like many dynamic sports do, physical forms of Yoga practice tend to stretch out weak and tight back muscles, align the spine and build core strength to improve overall back health.

Deep relaxation poses like the corpse pose or the child's pose are particularly effective in relaxing the neck, shoulders and lower back, areas of the body that many adults never experience a full release of tension in. Other poses like the cobra pose or the cat pose stretch the spine and neck and strengthen the muscles associated with these areas. This combination of tension-release and strength building can completely eliminate back pain in some people and prevent further aggravation of old injuries in others.

Teaching Yoga to Prevent Back Injuries in Classes

It is clear, however, that though yoga is an effective practice for improving spinal alignment, core strength and back pain symptoms, some yogis have experienced back injuries that are related to their yoga practice.

There are several scenarios within a yoga session where back injuries tend to occur more frequently, and instructors should be extra vigilant during these occasions to ensure their students come away injury-free.

1. Students are at risk for injury when practicing poses they have not mastered yet. Yoga teachers should keep an eye on pose technique and provide corrective feedback as often as needed.

2. Injuries tend to occur when students are distracted or unfocused, and any student whose mind looks like it is wandering should be guided back into the concentration required, if possible.

3. Back bends and inversion poses can place strain on the spine, so movements within poses should be slow, fluid and as correct as possible. Students with back problems may need to modify these poses or avoid certain advanced ones, like headstand, completely.

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Yoga for Breaking Bad Habits

By Gopi Rao

Yoga training isn't very invasive for a therapy that can cause so many positive changes. The problem is all of us face temptations. Yoga instructors are just as human as everyone else, when it comes to temptation, and giving into temptation can become a habit. There is no big secret learned about dealing with daily temptation that is taught at a 200 hour yoga teachers training. Practicing good habits and avoiding bad choices is the result of a trained mind. Bad habits stem from making impulsive choices that aren’t good for us. We know that certain things have harmful effects, but we are powerless to prevent ourselves from doing these things. In order to truly break bad habits, we must think about them in ways that we aren't always comfortable with.

Habits both good and bad emerge from training. At most times, this training happens in the background without any specific demands placed upon us. The human mind and body are clever enough to help us form these habits without any overt thinking required. At other times, it is necessary for the mind to convince the body of what it can do. A basic example of this is riding a bicycle. Some part of the mind knows well in advance of the body that it is capable of mastering this task. The mind provides the determination and the body soon follows suit.

Breaking bad habits is much the same. We stick to our bad habits out of inertia. At times, bad habits can be so corrupting that the mind itself begins to believe that it cannot change. It is during these times that bad habits begin to change from choices into seemingly insurmountable aspects of our personalities. Without the ability to practice objective self-assessment, there is virtually no hope of overcoming such a habit. Fortunately, the human mind is very flexible. No matter how far it persists in one belief or another, it can be guided back through direct work. The key to success in this kind of behavioral modifying endeavor comes from knowing how the mind forms bad habits in the first place. Yogic tradition has been used to break bad habits for centuries.

At its core the yoga is a collection of good habits. It is unnecessary to ascribe any sense of morality to these habits. It’s simple enough to know that every asana, every breathing method and every type of meditation in yoga is good for the mind and body. When you practice yoga by standing, kneeling, sitting or lying down, you are forming habits with your mind and body. Regulating your breathing is a habit. Holding the body in asanas is also habit forming. As yogic meditation shapes your mind it also increases your mental discipline. By doing this it increases your self-control. Increased self-control naturally leads to being able to defend against bad habits more effectively.

© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

Click here to see our online Yoga Nidra teacher training course.

Are you an experienced teacher looking for YACEP credits or continuing education?

Subscribe to Our Newsletter for Special Discounts and New Products

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Meditation for a Relaxed Lifestyle

By Sangeetha Saran, CYT 500

Busy schedules and work and family responsibilities often leave a person stressed out and exhausted. However, it doesn't have to be that way if you know how to handle stress with meditation. This ancient practice has been used for many years to calm the mind and body. If it is used on a daily basis, it allows a person to process all that they are going through in a healthy and positive way.

Learning This Ancient Skill

Each person meditates a little differently, but there are some basic principles for practicing this art. First, sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Then, close your eyes and begin focusing on your breathing instead of your thoughts. If any intrusive thoughts come through, gently push them aside, and return to focusing on your breathing. Some people find it helps to count their breaths as they do this. Or a mantra can be created in the mind, such as a word or phrase that feels peaceful. Repeat the mantra vocally as you exhale each time. Some people simply say the words "inner peace." Just be sure to keep the phrase as positive as possible.

How This Art Affects One's Life

Overtime, meditation changes the way that a person thinks. It allows them to train their mind to let go of negative thinking and intrusive thoughts that once kept them awake at night. In other words, it teaches them how to practice mindfulness and when one knows how to constantly monitor their thought processes to allow only positive thoughts in, this keeps them calm, relaxed, and focused. Tasks that once seemed overwhelming can be done with ease. Depression and anxiety are also reduced.

One More Item on the List

At first, people who are already busy might feel like meditation is just another thing that they have to do because initially it will take more concentration to focus on breathing and calming the mind. But if a person sticks with it, and does it every day at the same time, the time that it takes to go into a meditative state will speed up.

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What Could Go Wrong During a Physical Assist in a Yoga Class?

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500

Offering hands-on assists in a yoga class can be an incredible gift. Through the power of touch, you can connect with students and help them connect with themselves. While it is important to focus on the positive aspects of providing touch, understanding where an assist can go wrong is also critical.

Triggering

Physical contact, regardless of the positive intentions of the instructor, can be misconstrued by students. If a student has experienced trauma, then touch may be a trigger. While advanced training targeted toward helping victims of trauma is available, all instructors can and should be trauma-informed.

Creepy Hands

When you offer an adjustment, use your palms rather than your fingertips. Practice assists on someone who is willing to give you feedback. They can tell you if you are using the appropriate amount of pressure. A light touch may seem kind, but it can be misinterpreted by your students.

Be mindful of where you place your hands and how you position your body in relation to your student. If someone walked into your class, would they be alarmed at your physical position?

Frustration

In a society where most of us are corrected on our performance, an assist can feel like a form of criticism. Some students may think that your constant and well-intentioned corrections are signaling that they are not strong yoga practitioners. If a student hasn’t internalized the importance of being kind to themselves, they may become frustrated during assists. With those things in mind, you will need to choose your adjustments and moderate their frequency until you have built a strong rapport with the student.

Transferring Energy

A teacher can convey so much through contact. A sense of balance and calm pervades a space in which an instructor is fully grounded and focused. Teachers are human beings, and it is important to know that we all have days when we feel off-kilter. Maybe you are getting over an illness, or your significant other broke up with you, or a loved one has just been hospitalized. Maybe this is your fifteenth yoga class this week, and you are feeling exhausted. Be mindful of your own state when helping others.

While the slings and arrows of life don’t prohibit you from teaching, you may want to consider how you assist on stressful days. If you are jittery or insecure, your students will notice. If you are distracted by something going on outside of the studio, or you generally don’t like to give physical adjustments, this will come through during the assist. Our goal should always be to support our students’ safety and well-being. Avoid transferring your negative energy to students.

Injury

The potential for injury is inherent in any physical practice, and adjustments that are improperly executed can exacerbate the risks. We offer hands-on adjustments because we want to deepen students’ practices, but if we are not cautious, we can do more harm than good. An instructor should never force a student into a shape.

Understanding the anatomy of postures by using resources like those produced by Leslie Kaminoff or Ray Long can teach you the musculoskeletal underpinnings of the asanas. Anatomical knowledge offers insight into how the adjustment will affect the target area and surrounding muscle groups. Paying attention to your students’ breath and supporting communication during an assist can also prevent injury.

Despite the number of ways that physical assists can go awry, the benefits outweigh the risks. Stay cognizant of the potential pitfalls, be present with your students, and commit to doing some homework in order to mitigate the potential hazards of physical assists.

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