This is just not so, outside of Asia. Most people spend most of the day sitting in chairs, cars, airplanes, or on sofas. This eventually leads to tightening of the hip joints. Keep in mind that most of your students walk in the door with tight hips. It is important to stress to everyone during the warm-up to open his or her hips slowly and gently.
When you compare yoga to other types of physical activity, for example, surfing or rock climbing, it would seem yoga would be without incident. However, humans come in all shapes, sizes, and fitness levels. Many students who walk in your door may be recovering from illness or injury. Others may walk through in great physical shape, but harboring deep-seated emotional issues.
Safety, in practicing and teaching Yoga asanas, is very important. The human machine is designed to move, flex, and bend in very specific ways. If you move against that specific design, injury is likely to occur. As the practice of Yoga moves into the mainstream, Yoga classes are taught in a variety of settings to different groups of practitioners.
There are no knee-opening poses in yoga, so it is important to take a few precautions, which can not only prevent injury but also strengthen your knee-joint.
The space exists, at the start of class as you introduce yourself, to ask for students with any injuries to raise their hands and let you know of any injuries or health concerns. Another option for shyer students is to close their eyes and place hands over their hearts for a more anonymous approach. Create your own opportunities to find out more about your students to further establish safety in the studio.
Other tips to avoid back injury are to keep your spine elongated and use your abdominal muscles. It is also wise to wait until you have successfully strengthened your back before attempting more complex asanas such as wheel, plow, and even camel.
Please consult your health professional, physician, or a medical specialist before practicing Yoga. Do your research. Yoga student safety is really important. Please take some private lessons with a competent Yoga teacher to understand the basics before practicing with a DVD.
The therapeutic benefits of Yoga can be magnificent, but over-extension of the muscles can occur if the poses are performed incorrectly or held for a time period longer than a student can handle. Many yoga students are able to recognize easily when they are having a problem, but it is important for yoga teachers to understand the signs that accompany a potential injury, as there are quite a few new students who may not have the ability to recognize a problem or who wish to push themselves as much as possible in order to keep up with the crowd.
Chair Yoga sessions or classes may be advisable in some instances. Yoga postures practiced during chair Yoga classes will not put pressure on the neck. Contrary to popular belief Chair Yoga is not for Seniors only.
Separation of the sacral-iliac ligament joint and lower back ligaments are among the common injuries in yoga. The injury can happen by attempting a forward fold the cause with straight legs and forcing. By merely bending your knees you can decrease the force and the potential for injury. Students with pre-existing medical conditions related to the sacral-iliac ligament joint and lower back ligaments should approach twisting and bending with extreme caution.