When Yoga Goes Wrong: Common Yoga Posture Mistakes That Can Hurt You

I looove yoga, y'all.

Yoga without breathing is NOT yoga.  It's just stretching.  

My own practice evolved over time.  That happens when more than 30 years goes by.  I started barely able to touch my toes, and suddenly, one day, I discovered I could do the splits!  (Side splits, not middle splits - I'm not that flexible!) 

I go into detail of the cat/cow in this video because in way too many yoga classes I hate how the teachers explain how to do it.  They usually say something like, "arch your back and then drop it back down."  

NO!  

It's spinal articulation.  It should be done s l o w l y and carefully one vertebra at a time with the neck the last thing to move.  

Yoga's Core

Yoga also needs muscle activation.  In Yogic theory, there are 3 parts to your core.  They're referred to as "Bandhas" or "locks."  

1. Perineum - the space between your anus and genitals.
2. Solar plexus - what we normally think of as the "core" - where your "abs" are.
3. Throat

In each pose, you breathe deep and slow with intention.  And you activate all 3 parts of your core.  You "lock" them into place so you get the most out of the pose and so YOU DON'T HURT YOURSELF.  

These "locks" are perfect areas to check in on your posture.  

1. Are your hips in a neutral position?  Your tailbone is NOT tucked under and your glutes are active.
2. Are you "zipping up" your core?  This helps prevent over-arching in the back.
3. Is your chin slightly tucked in?  A small space should be between your chin and chest, like you're holding a small ball there.  This helps keep your neck aligned.  

Every day you don't stretch, your body gets tighter.    

I'm certain that yoga has the ability to heal.  

Some people, unfortunately, hurt themselves doing yoga.  If you're saying "Ouch, I did yoga today," you're probably doing something wrong, to be honest.   

You won't get hurt if it's done with proper form.  And without ego.  Meaning, don't do poses you're not ready for.  Even if you think you can do it or have done it before, maybe today's not the day.  Don't let your ego decide  - listen to your body instead.  

Let me show you what I mean -

When I'm in a yoga class and I catch a glimpse of other people in a kneeling lunge, I see a lot of folks struggling with balance. 

The reason why is - there's no stable base. 

The stability in this pose comes from the lower part of your core, the "bandha" that's at your perineum.  It's also called the "pelvic floor," and is closely connected with the lower abdominal muscles.  

When the 2 sides of your hips slide away from each other, the perineal core loses its strength.  And you lose your balance. 

Instead, think about the front of the hip bones both equally forward.  You may need to draw one side back a bit.  To activate here, I draw the legs toward each other.  They're not actually moving, but there's muscle activation, you see.  In those top photos, for them to activate their legs, they'd have to readjust their pose.  In the bottom photos, you can see that if, for example, they wanted to lift the back knee, it's possible, even without adjusting their pose.  That's because the muscles are more engaged.  

It's not just stretching, it's activation.  You need both.  

If you have enough core engagement, you can start to "exalt" into a backward bend.  

In the top pictures, they're getting an arch, but at the expense of spinal health.  The "exaltation" of the pose - when you arch back - comes from the CORE being active.  Similar to the cat / cow!  Bending in the middle of the spine or in the neck as you see here will lead to injury.  That's just "stretching," but without activation. 

In this Up Dog pose, she has good abdominal core strength which allows her to lift up strongly without hurting her lower back.  

However, her shoulders are not staying down and back.  If she lowered her torso a bit, and engaged more into the upper back, it would probably feel a lot better on her shoulders, neck, and chest.  

You may also notice the craning of the neck again.  Remember:  the neck is the last thing to articulate when you're doing an arch or backbend.  And you still need to activate the neck bandha.  Don't just throw your neck back - ouch!  Instead, activate through the front of the throat.  Keep it in line with the rest of the spine.

Here, I could press more into my hands to get a higher lift, but I'm focusing more on activating my core without using my hands.  Once I get into the full position, that's when I would look forward or slightly up.  As long as I don't crane the back of my neck.