The Pros and Cons of Yoga

The August Tip of the Month shared information on the risks of Yoga based on medical news and recent articles x x. For those looking to incorporate Yoga into programs or personal workouts, it’s a good idea to research it further to determine whether or not Yoga may be beneficial for you.

The PROS

According to Yoga experts, Yoga is action (‘Iccha’), commitment (‘Kriya’) and wisdom (‘Jnana’). This means that Yoga is a way to engage with one’s own state of being. ‘Being’ is defined as “the quality or state of existing, especially as distinct from having particular attributes, entity, or actuality.Hence, Yoga is more than physical practice; it is the ‘gateway to discover’ all the parts of oneself and how it all connects and works together. Through committed and dedicated practice, Yoga is supposed to help people relieve stress; create a happier, stronger, and better aligned body; and live with more presence and mindfulness through meditation. Continued practice builds a greater understanding of the human anatomy, while also creating a deeper understanding of one’s own psychological state and the inextricable connection it has to one’s body.

The CONS

Over the past several decades, Yoga has become a mainstream form of exercise - a trend which many “yoga instructors” have cashed in on. According to new studies, trendy Yoga classes can cause more harm than good, as researchers found that the activity resulted in muscle and skeletal pain in more than 10% of participants. It also made existing injuries worse, according to a poll of more than 350 people who attended classes in New York.Lead researcher Evangelos Pappas, a certified Yoga instructor, states that the risk of pain caused by Yoga is higher than previously reported as 13.3% of respondents complained of new aches in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, or hand. According to Pappas, this is due to the types of exercises, which consist of a lot of inversions and weight put on upper extremities.Another issue is the qualification and level of expertise of instructors, and/or the quality of instruction in larger classes. Instructors rarely take the time to refine participants’ techniques when poses are performed incorrectly and/or stress is put on other parts of the body.Participants are advised to discuss pre-existing pain or injury - especially in the upper body - with a Professional, Yoga teacher, and/or physiotherapist to explore posture and exercise modification.