10 Ways to Understand Your Body and Avoid Injuries in Yoga Practice

Yoga is meant to be a safe practise that offers you therapeutic benefits. But this comes with a twist. You feeling relieved, energetic and renewed is possible only when you follow safe practice that helps you prevent injuries. On the other hand, when you engage in wrong alignments or wrong kind of yoga, you can render more harm than good.

Therefore, understanding your body becomes important to not only build Yoga Body Awareness but also avoid injuries in your practice.

Let’s Dive Into Learn 10 Ways to Understand How Understand Your Body as Well as Prevent Injuries.

Pain and Sensation Has a Very Thin Line of Difference

Usually when we are engaged in any asana, it may be challenging at first. So most of the times we try to push ourselves through the asana.

Well the thing is this pushing even though is encouraging and helpful, you need to understand that there is a very thin line of difference between pain and sensation. When you learn to identify whether a certain movement is inducing pain or simply helping you breakthrough and be able to accomplish that asana you will be able to balance both.

So identifying healthy sensation can be done through active muscle engagement along with mild stretching. On the other hand, pain can be reflected by sharp stabbing or immediate discomforts.

If you are someone who feels that any asana that you do feels the same way and you are not able to identify, then you can ask yourself a simple question - whether or not you are able to breathe comfortably when you are in that asana. Usually if you if your breath work is engaged and if you are still able to focus on both body movement and breath work, then that means that your practice is on line. But if your breath becomes difficult or strained then it is your body signalling you to take a step back.

Target Correct Alignment in Your Practice

Safe Yoga Practice can be achieved only when you aim for correct alignment in your practice. So it is always important to make sure that the asana that you are learning, you are learning it the right way.

When you focus on correct alignment, you are not only benefiting from the benefits that the posture is to deliver. But you are also making sure that your spine, joints, muscles and other body movements are not damaged.

Respect your body's anatomy

Respecting your body’s personal structure and anatomy is perhaps one of the most important factors that will help you in Preventing Yoga Injuries. In yoga no two bodies are same. So you respect your body’s joint shapes, unique bone structure and the muscle length. Keeping in mind these factors will help you expand your range of motion and not force symmetry.

Do not forget your warm up

Warming up is important in any kind of movement practice. Whether it is cardio, high intensity, workouts, Pilates or something as restorative as yoga. So warming up your body by engaging in a few gentle movements, shoulder rolls, neck rolls, ankle rolls etc or maybe practising a few rounds of the sun salutations or Surya Namaskar will help you gradually build your intensity and enhance your flexibility.

Integrate props to enhance your practice

Integrating props is perhaps one of the most beneficial additions in yoga. Props not only help you attain a certain posture. But they also help you reap therapeutic benefits out of it, boost recovery as well as build gradual confidence and body ability to be in a certain position. So using props like straps, bolsters or blocks will enhance your asana practice, boost alignment as well as remove unnecessary strain on the muscles.

Consciously engage your muscles

Engaging the right muscles is important in yoga for instance if you are doing the Phalakasana or the Planck Posture, it is important to consciously keep track of your core engagement or keeping your spine straight or your shoulders engaged. So keeping in mind which muscles are supposed to be activated while practising a certain asana can be usually rewarding.

Comparison is a killer of progress

Comparison kills progress. This applies especially to yoga. Yoga is not about comparing your journey with others. May be you and your friend would have started practising yoga the same day and your friend progressed faster than you. This does not means that you are bad at yoga.

It simply means that your body structure and bones are built differently. And even though it may take you longer to achieve a certain posture, it is important to make sure that you are doing it correctly without undertaking any injuries.

Let your breath be your internal guide

Breath work is one of the core aspects of yoga. When you learn to realise the inhalation and exhalation of your breath, especially during the movements, you not only strengthen your practice but you automatically build steadiness and calmness.

This becomes especially helpful when you are struggling in a certain posture. Being aware of your breath work and practising it correctly will help you comfortably ease into the asana as well as regulate your intensity.

Include rest as a part of your practice

Including rest is an important facet of yoga. Often people see rest as symbol of weakness or giving up. But it states the exact opposite in yoga. This is the reason that asanas like the Shavasana or the Corpse pose is recommended after the yoga sessions to allow the body to gently unwind and go in a meditative state of rest. This allows the body to recover as well as refuel with energy for future practice.

Choose your guru wisely

In yoga philosophy, guru or the instructor holds the top most position. Therefore choosing your guru wisely becomes really important in your yoga journey. The right instructor will not only guide you correctly but he will help you evolve and grow independently in your practice.

For instance, the yoga teacher training courses in goa offer you the guidance of authentic, certified and experienced gurus who have grown up living yoga the traditional way and implement the yoga philosophies in their everyday life. Their yoga wisdom not only helps you learn yoga correctly, but implement the yogic rituals in your daily routine.