It's International Yoga Day today, and the buzz surrounding the health, wellness, and fitness benefits of yoga is ubiquitous. Amidst this buzz, you might be tempted to dive headfirst into the world of yoga. While it's a significant step towards good health, it's essential to proceed cautiously to avoid pushing yourself too hard because attempting complex yoga poses and asanas can result in injuries. Therefore, before joining the wave of intricate yoga postures on this International Yoga Day, it is essential to prioritise your safety and well-being to prevent potential harm to your muscles.
Also read | International Yoga Day 2023: Your ultimate guide to yoga inversions
Like any other form of exercise, yoga, too, requires a high level of strength, stability, and body awareness to execute the asanas correctly. Trying out complex yoga poses without proper guidance can have detrimental effects on the body, particularly in the form of muscle pain and ligament tears. Additionally, attempting asanas recklessly can put excessive strain on the muscles and ligaments, leading to discomfort, soreness, and injuries. It is therefore advised to approach tricky yoga poses with caution. In order to get the most out of yoga, you must gradually build strength and flexibility and seek guidance from experienced instructors to ensure proper alignment and technique.
Also read: How to go from being a Yoga novice to doing the Scorpion pose in 6 months
Here's how you can prevent yourself from getting injured:
Strike a balance before you strike a pose.
Lower back:
Yoga can lead to small muscle tears, and overexertion by incessant stretching can lead to lower back pain. This pain can increase in people with undiagnosed spinal problems due to excessive pulling of the muscles. Ice packs or hot showers to alleviate the pain may help.
Rotator cuff:
The tendons of four muscles around the shoulder joint form the rotator cuff that provides stability to the joint. Soreness due to asanas like chaturanga dandasana, also called the four-limbed staff pose, is observed due to ill positioning in such weight-bearing postures. This can result in straining the rotator cuff muscles. Remember to keep the spine straight and to maintain movement only at the shoulder blade.
Wrist:
Often, most people experience a dull, aching pain in the wrist due to cartilage or ligament damage. In vigorous yoga asanas like the Ashtanga pose, overtaxing the arm muscles can cause injury and pain. Warm-up exercises should precede weight over the wrist or rely on the wrist for some poses. Ease your way by stretching and be gentle as a first-timer.
Knee:
Some postures, such as the saddle, warrior, revolved triangle, and camel pose, could result in knee pain or injury. In this case, alignment errors must be avoided. Also, extra stretching can cause inflammation, as the pressure is unduly increased. While performing the hero pose, you can use a yoga block under your buttocks and between your feet to avoid injuring yourself.
Hamstring:
Often seen in sports/athletics injuries, hamstring pain (pain in the buttock area) is not uncommon in yoga. It is an insidiously developing tear that accumulates over several minor damages to the buttocks. Simple backhanding and bridge poses can help strengthen the hamstring muscles and maintain the correct posture during each asana can prevent such pain.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
