Yoga Safety

I frequently hear of people tearing a muscle or throwing out their back in other yoga classes. Unfortuneately people often forget that yoga is about listening to your body, chosing instead to force themselves into poses unsafely. This is not what yoga is about! You can't have an ego in yoga. Breathe and work within your limits. the following 7 principles should be applied in every yoga class to keep your joints and muslces safe.

1. Establish a firm base in the feet and hands.
- Plant evenly through the feet, spread the fingers wide and distribute weight through the entire hand. Stack the joints and contract the joints to find stability in a pose.
2. Use the muscles of the trunk to create core stability.
- Remember this both prior to moving into a pose and while holding a pose.
3. Align the spine.
- The head follows the spine. When moving into twists, flexion or extension we start in a neutral spine.
4. Soften the align the knees.
- Keep knees in line with the ankles and pointing directly over the toes. Prevent hyper extension by always keeping a soft bend in the knees at all times.
5. Relax shoulders back and down.
- This will help reduce tension in the neck and shoulders.
6. Hinging at the hips.
- When moving in and out of forward bends hinge at the hips keeping a slight bend at the knees
7. Shortening the lever
- When we hinge, flex or extend the spine keep the arms out to the side or alongside the body to reduce strain on the muslces of the low back.