Should We Be Practicing Yoga?

So there was this great article that was written 2 days ago in the New York Times.  It's a really good read.  It's possible you've read it already, I recently saw it floating around on facebook.  "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body" by William J. Broad.  The article toys with the idea that maybe we, in society, need to revaluate the need to practice yoga.    He even claims to have stopped practicing due to an injury he had sustained years ago, but it would seem that he does still practice outside of this article (and I would hope) with more awareness. Please go and read it here.

My response to the article is something akin to ...well, duh!  But it is, as most things are, actually a little more complex than that.

While I don't disagree that as we practice more, collectively we are all going to injure ourselves more, with also more concerning injuries popping up.  And, I think this goes without saying, the reason why we are attracted to the yogic practice is because of the awesome affect that it has on us.  From our flexibility to our subtle systems and how we can make adjustments in our lives that our western minds have a hard time understanding. These are only some of the broader reasons that we find yoga so attractive and keeps us coming back for more.  But the problem is, as the author states, our egos are too big, they are too much in control.  Which is kind of ironic, because a true devote yogi would have seen this blaring siren and say "you need to back off. You shouldn't practice asana, you might just want to meditate until you have that under check".

But in our modern, western world, it is increasingly difficult to be able to stop and recognize that, or even to seriously tell someone.  Heck even the Yogi, Glenn Black of Manhattan's Sankalapah admitted that most people should not be practicing yoga, and this is the same guy who teaches other prestigious instructors after they have injured themselves. And to make it even juicier, at the end of the article, William reveals that this same yogi has just had spinal surgery to fuse several vertebrae in his lower spine.  All due to practicing too many deep back bends.

When it comes to sports in general, we often take the mentality of, "no pain, no gain" (what kind of slogan is that to live by?) but we also perhaps bring it to an extreme that goes a little to far.  But it is because of this mentality that we become injured or strained in our other sports and so then we go see physiotherapist, massage therapists, chiropractors, and now yoga instructors. Each to help resolve or at least relieve some of that pain. Although there is an estimated 20 million americans practicing yoga, many of these people are practicing yoga to complement their other lifestyle choices, whether it be hockey, football, figure skating, cycling, running, and even golf.  And people are doing this, because they get injured in their other activities.

But this brings us full circle to our western minds; are we ever going to be able to listen to our bodies and allow ourselves to enjoy the slow and winding path filled with gentle poses, adjustments and modifications to accommodate the needs of our different bodies?  If we as a society could slow down and actually listen to ALL of the lessons that Yoga has to teach us, I don't think so many injuries would occur, but I also think that yoga wouldn't attract the same following.

So the lesson to be learned is not to stop practicing yoga; we need it mentally just as much as we need it physically.  Remember, that if you don't listen to your senses you are most likely going to cause injury. It could be a slow and steady injury or one that happens in a matter of seconds.  And if you don't listen, be prepared for the repercussions. When you are playing with your subtle body (it IS "subtle" for a reason!) and manipulating parts of your system you never thought possible, if you overdo it you just might go to far! Like blocking off a blood valve due to overextension or excessive stretching of the ligaments before the muscles are even ready to budge.  The article is filled with examples of people who are doing just this and each suffers the consequence.  Im sure you might know someone who has done this, even outside of yoga but in their own sports.

So please remember, work at your own pace not the person lying beside you.